I need to remember to...

• Listen to music more often.  Something about hearing a great song can turn even the lousiest day around, and yet I don't do it often enough.  I'm trying to get better about putting on Pandora and playing music.  The boys enjoy it too and adds some good ambiance with having the TV on.
• Shower.  I'm not even going to admit to myself how long I'm willing to go without one, but let's just say it's a major luxury.  But it's not just about hygiene- a shower gives me a chance to decompress, relax, and have some very important alone quiet time which I need so desperately.  I feel so much better after a shower.  And since it's such a rarity, I can take a long one without feeling guilty about wasting water.
• Make phone dates with friends.  This is something else that too often falls into the "I don't have time for it" category, but it's so important to stay in touch with friends, and I always really enjoy talking with them, even if it's just to listen to each other's kids screaming in the background.
• Take some me time.  I am horrible at doing this.  I never take time to myself.  But I've started making a weekly date with myself.  We don't get an channels on our TV, but I'm a big fan of the show A Big Bang Theory, which unfortunately is not available to watch online.  So every Thursday at 8pm I'm leaving my husband to fend for himself and going over to my parent's house to watch the show, sit, and do nothing.  I'm sure there are more exciting things I could be doing, but this is a first step and it feels good.

What do you (or wish you did more) to help you feel more like you?

Music time for kids

Music is very big in our house, and while neither my husband or I have any real musical talent, we are trying to instill a love of music in our boys. Over the past few months, The Tiger and I have been taking a toddler music class, and I've learned a lot of great ideas for sharing music with children.

• Encourage free play with instruments- lay out a bunch of instruments (shakers, rhythm sticks, bells, drums, etc) and encourage them to play and experiment. Even if gets loud and annoying, they are learning about music and sound
• Play music and encourage them to dance to it. Play both fast and slow songs and ask them to dance along with the music- this will teach them about tempo.
• Give your child a simple instrument like a shaker and have them keep time with a piece of music.
• Encourage interactivity by playing songs that they can participate in- for example, "Ha, Ha, This-a-Way" which goes like this: "Ha ha, this-a-way, ha, ha that-a-way, ha, ha, this-a-way, all day long. Walking walking, up the street, walking walking, to the beat." You can change the verses to "crawling crawling oh so slow" or "dancing dancing away we go" and engage your child to follow along.
• Vary the music you play to include upbeat dancing songs and more mellow "listening" songs.

No matter what you do, just giving your child time to explore music will be fun and enriching!

(Side note: the classes we take are the Musikgarten curriculium and we love them!)

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. (via SouleMama)