December 2010

Adiós, 2010!

December 31, 2010

Another year, another “Top 12″ countdown. It’s always a pleasure (if not a challenge) to go back through the past year’s archives and choose my favorite moments to highlight. 2010 was a big year…I think the following blog posts represent it well. January: My first Sunday Singalong video debuted! The series is still going strong. [...]

Top 5 Online Discoveries of 2010

December 30, 2010

I spend a lot of time using the internet. This year I’ve logged more hours than ever, having thrown myself wholeheartedly into blogging and social media. Over the past 12 months, I’ve come across quite a few resources that have helped me do those things efficiently and opened up doors that I didn’t even know [...]

2010: The Year in Review

December 28, 2010

With just four days remaining of 2010, I’ve been thinking a lot about where this year has taken me — both professionally and personally speaking. It seems like just yesterday I was writing my 2009 review! But as quickly as 2010 flew, I packed a lot into the past 12 months. I’ll post a “Top [...]

Picnik Quickie (or “Playing With My New Toy”)

December 27, 2010

This year’s Christmas wishlist consisted almost exclusively of computer software and accessories, and thanks to my parents and in-laws, it was completely fulfilled! Among my new toys, as I call them: iWorks, Sibelius 6, Sketchbook Pro 2011, a Bamboo tablet, and Screenflow. After installing everything, I decided to dive into Screenflow, which is software for [...]

Friday Fave: Christmas is Here!

December 24, 2010

Well, technically it’s Christmas Eve…but I don’t plan on spending any time with my computer (as much as I love it) tomorrow. Today has been busy enough as it is, between friends and neighbors dropping by, baking cookies, cleaning, and getting ready for our family’s Christmas gathering tomorrow. But the fun doesn’t stop there: tonight [...]

Winter’s Here, All Right!

December 21, 2010

Ahh, just another day in the life of a midwesterner heading to work in the winter. My husband managed to capture this oh-so-flattering shot of me around this time last year…a fashion statement that will become all too familiar over the next few months. Can you tell how much I LOVE winter?! Don’t get me [...]

Singalong & So Long (Until 2011)

December 20, 2010

Today is one of my favorite days of the entire year. It started with the entire school gathered together for The Hope Institute’s 4th Annual Holiday Singalong, a tradition I started way back in 2007. And it’s not just me standing in the front of the room, strumming my guitar and leading the singing….oh, no. [...]

Sunday Singalong: Red & Green

December 19, 2010

With less than a week remaining until Christmas, I’m squeezing in every last holiday song I can around here! This one comes to you by request, though the coordinating outfit was completely my idea :) I mean, how often do I have the opportunity to wear a ridiculous hat in my videos? “Red & Green” [...]

Friday Fave: The Season of Giving

December 17, 2010

I absolutely love giving gifts. In fact, I have a special savings account for Christmas money to which I contribute all year round, just so that I’m sure I can give everyone the “perfect” present come December. However, I am not opposed to DIY gifts — I actually prefer making things myself rather than buying [...]

Today at Listen & Learn Plus!

December 16, 2010

You met Sydney the Snowman earlier this week, and now he’s making a return appearance — this time at Listen & Learn Plus! I have given members the opportunity to download the instrumental track for this song, so that they can sing along with it or even create their own full recordings of “Sydney the [...]

Singable Stories for Snowy Days

December 16, 2010

Frosty is a popular guy around this time of year, having his own holiday-related song and all. But did you know that there are several children’s books based on the familiar tune? I own this one, and it is a staple throughout December. In fact, I’ve discovered quite a few singable stories that are perfect [...]

10 Quick Tips for Caroling With Kids

December 14, 2010

I’m headed out the door in a few minutes to go caroling at a local nursing home with a group of my students from the Hope Institute. But before I do that, I thought I’d share a few tried and true tips for successful experiences when caroling with children. Know your audience (and the students [...]

Sydney the Snowman’s Nose

December 13, 2010

Poor Sydney. All he wants in life is a new nose, but for now he’s stuck with this old carrot (like so many of his snowman friends). Cute song idea, right? But don’t give me any of the credit…that goes to my friend Brian, who suggested this topic on my Facebook page. When I first [...]

Sunday Singalong: The Other Eight Reindeer

December 12, 2010

It’s been a few weeks, but “Sunday Singalong” lives on! I’ve been waiting and waiting for this cold to go away (or at least, give me most of my voice back) so that I could make a new video, and today’s the day. “The Other Eight Reindeer” (here’s the new recording) is a play on [...]

Friday Fave: Christmas á la iPad

December 10, 2010

Yesterday while reading one of the many blogs I follow, I came across a video that kind of blew my mind. It had me at “Christmas music” — but what really captured my attention was the fact that the music was produced only using iPods and iPads. I wasn’t the only one who was impressed [...]

8 Christmas Albums I Think You’ll Dig

December 8, 2010

There are few things I enjoy more than a good Christmas album during the holidays. I’m one of those people that feels it is completely appropriate to break them out at the beginning of November, and I’m always reluctant to remove my Christmas playlist from my iPod come January. When it comes to holiday music, [...]

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