For many of us, COVID-19 has upended our lives as we once knew them. It has disrupted our schedules, our plans, our work, our goals, our motivation…everything. It’s okay not to be okay right now.
I wrote this song just as much for grown-ups as I did for children. Whether you’re a parent figuring out how to balance parenting with working from home, a small business owner struggling to stay afloat, a teacher providing distance education, or anyone else who is having a hard time right now, this is my love letter to you.
Birthday Week Bonuses!
Happy June! Not only is this my favorite month of the year, but it’s also my favorite week: my birthday is in just a few days :) Even though it means I’m turning another year older, I’m still looking forward to celebrating with the people I love the most.
But first I want to celebrate with YOU! I went back and forth on the best way to do that, in between prepping for a very full summer of classes and summer camps at the studio. And then I decided to do something I’ve never done before.
The Longest, Shortest, Hardest, Best-est Year
Nothing can prepare you for motherhood, and the way it completely overhauls life as you know it. But they should tell you that nothing can prepare you for a second child, no matter how experienced you think you are. And “they” didn’t tell me, so I’m telling you just in case you find yourself in that place down the road.
After Mia was born and we brought her home from the hospital, I was ready to get back to real life. None of this hazy newborn hibernation for us, no sir! Of course we took it easy and mostly stayed home those first few weeks, but I had a very active almost-two-year-old and a business getting ready to undergo a huge transition.
So I was thrilled that things pretty much went my way in the early months. The hormones didn’t hit me nearly as hard as they had after Parker’s birth, and I felt like myself pretty quickly. Breastfeeding was a total breeze. Mia was a sweet and adaptable baby.
I was getting a bit more sleep this time, too, and even found plenty of time to work (mostly in the wee morning hours after nursing Mia back to sleep). I figured out how to survive and keep two tiny children alive by myself for entire days at a time. I took the summer “off” as a “maternity leave” — and while I didn’t see clients or students, I put in more hours than I can count on the business and my own personal projects. I didn’t miss a single week of my podcast. Sure, I hadn’t had a full night of uninterrupted sleep since before Mia was born, but I wasn’t going to let my exhaustion get in the way of productivity.
It was all working beautifully, until it wasn’t. All of those things I had been sweeping under the rug — lack of sleep, wacky hormones, absence of time to myself — hit me like a ton of bricks in December. I remember having an anxiety attack on a Tuesday afternoon, shortly before it was time to go to work. I was standing in the middle of the family room, holding Mia, feeling completely paralyzed about how I was going to get through the rest of the day, let alone the coming weeks and months. I honestly had no idea.
Your Musical Child
It’s not often that I’m listed in the same sentence as Laurie Berkner, Dan Zanes, Charity Kahn, Music Together, and many other household names in the field of children’s music and education. So I’m taking this opportunity to shout from the rooftops about this free speaker series, for which that IS the case.
I’m assuming that since you’re reading this, you understand the importance of music, and that learning and music go hand in hand. It is also known that the biggest predictor of longterm life success and happiness is not “IQ” but actually “EQ” — emotional intelligence. So what does music have to do with emotional intelligence?
Life Lately
Time has never flown by faster than it has these past few months. I can barely keep up with my day-to-day responsibilities, because the hours just seem to slip away.
It might have something to do with the fact that I’m gearing up for our studio’s spring recital and a new session of early childhood classes, managing a full student/client load, and running a business…all while living that #momlife (which includes very little sleep, thanks to a certain baby girl).
5,000 Facebook Fans Giveaway
A month or so ago, Katey and I realized that we were just a little over 100 Facebook fans away from reaching the 5,000 mark. Of course, we couldn’t let that milestone go by without celebrating, and what better way to celebrate than with a BIG giveaway?!
We reached out to Janet Stephens, the creator of Bear Paw Creek movement props, and she very generously offered up a package of our favorite products for our lucky winner. The package includes:
Don’t Worry, Be Happy
I’m a worrier by nature; always have been, always will be. So when I sang along to Bobby McFerrin’s original version of this song growing up, I’m pretty sure I was trying to convince myself to heed his advice.
I love everything about this song: the lyrics, the laid-back stye, the harmonies, and especially the way it makes me feel when I listen and sing along. Turns out it’s a crowd pleaser in just about every setting I’ve used it, including my early childhood classes, performances, and music therapy sessions.
Take More Showers
Before you get offended by the title of the post, let me just make it clear that this has nothing to do with your hygiene. I’m sure you smell really good. Definitely better than me at the moment (I have yet to shower today). The reason I tell you this is because I have discovered that the shower is a magical place for brainstorming and creativity.
Counting Songs for Every Season
If you’ve been following my blog for any length of time, then you know I’m a sucker for a good counting song. But little did I know when I wrote “Little Red Apples” back in August for our early childhood class, it would lead to an entire songbook full of them.
That song was such a hit with our young students AND music therapy clients that we continued writing new counting songs like it every few weeks. We also created visuals for each one, and now have a nature-based counting collection to match every season.
We’re Going On a Bear Hunt
This book and I go wayyyyy back. Like, back to my internship days. So it’s pretty funny that my toddler son is currently singing “the bear hunt song” on repeat these days. He heard it for the first time when it was the featured singable story in my early childhood music class, and now it’s a staple in our daily rotation.
You Are Exactly Where You Need To Be
As a mom and business owner, I am constantly struggling with the tug-of-war between my family and work. I’m not talking about setting my priorities, because without question, my husband and children come first above everything else. I’m talking about the day-to-day stuff.
The “I could send this email really quick while Parker eats his breakfast” stuff. The “I should really put Mia in her crib rather than hold her a little longer while she sleeps so I can go record that song” stuff. Because there’s always stuff to be done, but never enough hours in the day.