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A Lullaby for Little Sis

The question everyone is asking these days: “How is Parker adjusting to the new baby?” I think this video pretty much sums up his relationship with her.

In all honesty, I thought we were going to have some serious jealousy issues to deal with once Mia arrived. Parker is used to having 100% of our attention, and he thrives on it. But from the moment he met her, he was completely in love.

Every morning when Parker wakes up, he asks to see “baby”. And he gives her about 500 hugs and kisses a day. He can be a little aggressive with his affection, but what do you expect from a 2-year-old? ;)

It will be interesting to see how their relationship develops over time, but for now I am soaking up the mutual admiration. Mia is one lucky little sis!

{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 22

I’m changing things up BIG TIME for the month of June on the podcast. In celebration of Father’s Day, I’m featuring four DADS who are sharing their perspective on parenting and life as a music therapist.

William Murray is a music therapist from Canada who I met through LinkedIn, of all places. He sent me a message asking about my music therapy songs a couple of years ago, and I knew from that first email conversation that we would get along well. Since then, we’ve had several Skype chats and stayed in touch via Facebook. He’s been a big inspiration to me in expanding my private practice as I’ve watched his grow by leaps and bounds.

Bill talks about the challenges of being a male in a female-dominated field, how making the decision to start a family ignited his passion for working in pediatrics, and the rock band he started which is doing some extraordinary things in Episode 22 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.

Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Bill, along with links to the resources he mentions in the episode.

This episode is sponsored by Music Teacher’s Helper, which is software for music teachers and therapists that helps manage your private music lesson studio and/or music therapy practice. I’ve used Music Teacher’s Helper every single day since 2011, and it is one of the best tools I have to keep my private practice running smoothly.

Sign up here for a 30-day no risk trial. If you choose to sign up after the trial using my link, you’ll save 20% off your first month!

Click here to subscribe on iTunes, or search “Guitars & Granola Bars” in the podcast app on your Apple device.

Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher, or download and search the app on your mobile device.

Dipping My Toe Back In

I’ve been on maternity leave for almost a month now, and it’s been pretty great. All the newborn snuggles, quality time with my two-year-old, and if I’m being completely honest, Netflix binges (OITNB, anyone?) have been a nice change of pace.

But just as I predicted earlier this spring, I’m getting a tiny bit antsy. I need just a little something to fill my professional cup, and I’ll have that opportunity in a couple of weeks when I head back to work to teach the summer session of our early childhood music classes.

It’s just one morning and one evening per week for the five-week session, the perfect amount to help ease back in after wearing my “mom” hat exclusively since Mia was born. That way, returning to my regular schedule at the end of August won’t be such a shock to my system.

Although it will be hard to leave the baby at home for those few hours (considering we haven’t been apart since she was born), I’m excited to pick up my guitar again and see all my little students. No doubt I’ll be itching to get right back to Mia as soon as class is over.

Nursing around the clock has given me plenty of time to read all those blogs and articles about motherhood posted on Facebook, so I’m constantly being reminded how quickly this time goes and that I should be enjoying every fleeting moment. I’m doing just that, and at the same time looking forward to taking a little dip back in the proverbial water.

{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 21

I’m changing things up BIG TIME for the month of June on the podcast. In celebration of Father’s Day, I’m featuring four DADS who are sharing their perspective on parenting and life as a music therapist.

This week’s guest has an even more unique perspective, because he lives in New Zealand. I really enjoyed hearing about Ahjay Stelino’s journey to becoming a music therapist, and how the field of music therapy differs between here and there.

Ahjay talks about nurturing his young son’s love of music, what it’s like to be a music therapist in New Zealand, and how he avoids professional burnout in Episode 21 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.

Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Ahjay, along with links to the resources he mentions in the episode.

This episode is sponsored by Music Teacher’s Helper, which is software for music teachers and therapists that helps manage your private music lesson studio and/or music therapy practice. I’ve used Music Teacher’s Helper every single day since 2011, and it is one of the best tools I have to keep my private practice running smoothly.

Sign up here for a 30-day no risk trial. If you choose to sign up after the trial using my link, you’ll save 20% off your first month!

Click here to subscribe on iTunes, or search “Guitars & Granola Bars” in the podcast app on your Apple device.

Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher, or download and search the app on your mobile device.

{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 20

I’m changing things up BIG TIME for the month of June on the podcast. In celebration of Father’s Day, I’ll be featuring four DADS who are sharing their perspective on parenting and life as a music therapist.

My inaugural male guest is the one and only Tim Ringgold. He was without a doubt the first person who came to mind when I had the idea for this special series. If you know Tim at all, then you know what an exceptional father, music therapist, and friend he is.

I look forward to seeing Tim at AMTA conference every year, because I come away from our face-to-face conversations feeling completely inspired and encouraged. I think you’ll feel that way after listening to this episode.

Tim talks about the winding road that led him to music therapy, his unconventional roles as a parent, and how he is empowering other music therapists to earn what they are worth in Episode 20 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.

Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Tim, along with links to the resources he mentions in the episode.

This episode is sponsored by Music Teacher’s Helper, the best way to manage your private music lesson studio and/or music therapy practice. I’ve used Music Teacher’s Helper every single day since 2011, and it is one of the best tools I have to keep my private practice running smoothly.

Sign up here for a 30-day no risk trial. If you choose to sign up after the trial using my link, you’ll save 20% off your first month!

Click here to subscribe on iTunes, or search “Guitars & Granola Bars” in the podcast app on your Apple device.

Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher, or download and search the app on your mobile device.

Introducing Mia Belle Rambach

I’m so happy to share with you that my baby girl is here! Mia Belle Rambach was born on Saturday, May 23 at 9:29 am. She weighed 6 lb 13 oz an measured 20 inches in length. She looks just like her brother Parker did when he was born, except with a lot more hair!

I wrote Mia’s birth story on my personal blog and shared many more photos from her first day of life. She’s almost two weeks old now, and we are starting to find our rhythm as a family of 4. Parker LOVES his little sister and gives her about a million hugs and kisses a day.

It’s funny how you forget what it’s like to have a newborn; at first, I couldn’t believe how much she slept. I’ve actually been able to get things done around the house and even get some rest myself on the days Parker is at school — the days he is home are a different story! Mia is even sleeping well at night, sometimes for 4 hours at a time.

I’m so happy to have the entire summer at home with my babies (minus a couple hours per week I’ll be teaching early childhood classes next month). Life has been so fast-paced with work up until now, and will be again come August, that I want to soak up this time as much as possible. I learned very quickly with Parker that it flies by in the blink of an eye.

I’ll be posting here as often as I have the chance, not because I have to but because I love doing it :) I’m making a bigger effort to stay connected to my work during this maternity leave; I didn’t do that last time, and it felt like a big part of me was missing after awhile. Thanks for reading, however sporadically, and all the words of encouragement and support I’ve received so far!

The Final Stretch

The last month of my pregnancy was a bit of a rollercoaster. It started smoothly enough; I was feeling pretty good, just huge and tired. Work was keeping me more than busy as I wrapped up lots of loose ends, and of course Parker kept me on my toes at home.

But at the beginning of my 37th week, things went a little downhill. Zach left on a company trip to Puerto Rico, so of course something had to go wrong.

On that Friday I woke up feeling fine; Parker and I had a nice morning playing and eating breakfast. But as we were sitting on the couch reading, I got a bad case of the chills that wouldn’t go away and started feeling some pain in my back. I called my doctor’s office, and they thought it sounded like the symptoms of a UTI. The pain kept getting worse, though, and later that afternoon I thought I felt contractions. So they told me to go to the hospital.

Luckily Parker was able to stay with my mother-in-law so my parents could go with me to the hospital, and that’s when the real fun began (and by fun, I mean total misery). It turned out I was completely dehydrated, so much so that they couldn’t find a vein to start an IV of fluids. They had me drink a ton of water, and my contractions — which had been coming just a few minutes apart at their peak — started to die down. They sent me home at 8:30 that night with instructions to come back if I started feeling worse.

I woke up around 3 in the morning feeling completely awful…horrible chills, pain, and more contractions. My mom had stayed with me that night, and she insisted we go back to the hospital. By the time I got there I was running a fever and my contractions were worse than ever. They had to call an anesthesiologist to insert an IV since my veins were still so bad, and then they started running tests. Later that morning they admitted me and did an MRI to try and find out what was causing my fever. They thought it might be kidney stones or something even more serious.

All this time, there was a threat that the baby could arrive early if the contractions were effective, which was so scary since I still had over 3 weeks left and Zach was out of the country. My doula Janet stayed with me and helped me through the pain, and my mom too. The results of the MRI came back negative, so they decided it was some type of flu that had caused the fever and other symptoms. Also, I wasn’t dilated at all, which was AMAZING news after all those hours of contractions. After getting all that IV fluid, I started feeling better and later that day they discharged me.

The next couple days were rough, since I had basically been in labor all that time and my body was feeling the effects. Parker stayed with my mother-in-law and my mom stayed with me until Zach got home.

I returned to work after taking two days off, and at that point felt pretty much back to normal. I took it easy for the next couple weeks, but I also realized it was probably a good idea to get ready for the baby in case she did end up coming early. I got all of her clothes washed and put away, had Zach set up the pack n’ play downstairs and install the carseat, and packed my hospital bag.

And then I waited. I was convinced she would arrive at the start of week 39 just like Parker had, but she seemed nice and cozy. I continued working, even though at that point I was pretty uncomfortable and exhausted. In fact, I worked up until the day I went into labor…

TO BE CONTINUED!

{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 19

Having worked with children almost exclusively throughout my career so far, I am in total awe of music therapists who have experience with clients in many different settings. Stephanie Bolton fits that description, as she shares in the latest episode of the podcast.

Not only has Stephanie worked in a variety of settings, but she is also a business owner running a private practice. She has the best of both worlds, doing the work she loves while still spending plenty of quality time with her daughter during the week.

Stephanie talks about her career path working with a vast array of client populations, the challenges of having a home office, and how entering into private practice has allowed her to enjoy valuable time with her family in Episode 19 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.

Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Stephanie, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.

This episode is sponsored by Music Teacher’s Helper, the best way to manage your private music lesson studio and/or music therapy practice. I’ve used Music Teacher’s Helper every single day since 2011, and it is one of the best tools I have to keep my private practice running smoothly.

Sign up here for a 30-day no risk trial. If you choose to sign up after the trial using my link, you’ll save 20% off your first month!

Click here to subscribe on iTunes, or search “Guitars & Granola Bars” in the podcast app on your Apple device.

Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher, or download and search the app on your mobile device.

{Guitars & Granola Bars} Episode 18

Back in December, my family moved from one side of the neighborhood to the other with an 18-month-old in tow and another baby on the way. Here I was thinking that was a difficult transition…and then I interviewed music therapist Allison Hingley.

She moved across the country with a two-week-old newborn, and that was just one of MANY big life changes Allison went through in a relatively short amount of time. She certainly inspired me to believe that anything is possible when it comes to raising a family and pursuing a fulfilling carer.

Allison talks about raising a toddler and newborn while completing a master’s program, her family’s various moves around the country, and her decision to start a private practice after staying home with her young daughters in Episode 18 of the Guitars & Granola Bars podcast.

Be sure to check out the show notes page for more information about Allison, along with links to the resources she mentions in the episode.

This episode is sponsored by Music Teacher’s Helper, the best way to manage your private music lesson studio and/or music therapy practice. I’ve used Music Teacher’s Helper every single day since 2011, and it is one of the best tools I have to keep my private practice running smoothly.

Sign up here for a 30-day no risk trial. If you choose to sign up after the trial using my link, you’ll save 20% off your first month!

Click here to subscribe on iTunes, or search “Guitars & Granola Bars” in the podcast app on your Apple device.

Click here to listen and subscribe on Stitcher, or download and search the app on your mobile device.

Make Music With Kids This Summer

We captured this moment in one of our early childhood classes earlier this month, and it is basically the perfect photo for this blog post. An adorable child decked out in her summer shades, clacking away on castanets — yep, pretty much sums it up!

I’ve mentioned here before that my early childhood music program really took off last summer, which was my impetus for creating the online course Create, Market, Make Music! It covers all the bases I ran while designing and implementing my own program, from the very beginning planning stages to communicating with families after the class is over.

Summer is just around the corner, so now is a great time to get to work creating an early childhood program. The course is concise and action-based, so you can start putting what you learned into practice right away. (It also comes with 3 CMTE credits!)

If you sign up before the end of May, I’ll send you a complimentary copy of my brand-new songbook collection, Ring, Sing, Strum & Drum! Most of the songs in it were written with my early childhood kiddos in mind, so hopefully they will come in handy as you start creating your own classes.

Click here for all the details and to sign up for the course. I’m looking forward to helping you on your path to making music with kids this summer!