Girls Weekend – Summer ‘11 - The Final Day

On Sunday, our last full day in Colorado, it was unanimous that we would head to a water park.  Water slides, inner tubes, the works.  It was going to be a super hot day, so it was going to be the perfect thing to do. And it was. 

The minute we arrived I knew it was going to be great for Emma.  She loves the water.  It was crowded, but it wasn’t NYC crowded, so we were able to find a nice spot with a couple of lounge chairs as our base. For some reason I was starving, and so was Emma, so as we were spraying on our sunscreen, we were also inhaling some left over pizza. As soon as Lola was sunscreened, she was off like a shot.  Emma took off after her.  I grabbed my sunglasses and followed them with my eyes for a while, until it seemed as if they were fine together.  Then Leslie and I looked at eachother and we followed them to the slides.

They were having a blast.  The slides reminded me of The Giant Slide in Mayfield Heights, Ohio where we used to go as kids.  Except this one was in water.  Sebastian would have loved this.

Emma spotted me and we went on another bigger, curvy slide together.  It was really fun, and we went on with our day trying out the different slides and running into Lola, Leslie, Jones and Michael along the way.  Everyone seemed content to do his or her own thing, and that was fine by me.  We took some food and slushy breaks, but mostly we were all in the water, except for Christina and Michael’s friend Shawn, who didn’t have kids to look after and could actually sit and bake in the sun like adults. 

During one of our breaks, my phone rang and it was Sebastian.  “Hi Honey!” I answered. No response.  The reception was really bad, so I had to walk to a spot to get a better signal.  He called me again and after a few tries I heard “Hi Mama.” The reception was still pretty bad, but at least I could hear him.  I love the sound of his voice. And that he still calls me Mama at thirteen. 

“How is your weekend with Daddy?” I asked.

“Good.” he is a man of few words.

“Well, we are at a water park today, as you can probably hear.”

“Yeah. I can hear.”

“I can’t wait to see you tomorrow.”

“Me too.”

“I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

About an hour later, we decided to go and eat at the famous Cherry Cricket, which is known to have the best burgers in Denver. It was a beautiful drive into the city and soon we got to this dive bar playing 80’s and early 90’s hits.  Ah, The Cherry Cricket Bar.  Another perfect choice.  The three kids headed straight to the pin ball games, and we got settled in with the menus.  We were all pretty hungry now and ready for some food.  And beer.  Leslie recommended my beer, “Mama’s Little Yellow Pils.” Excellent.  We had these jalepeno poppers with homemade jelly, which were curiously good, and my burger was amazing.  And that was not just the pils talking…

I looked over at Emma, and she had devoured her burger and was asking for some of mine.  Another win.   

After dinner we went outside and took some pictures of the kids as the boys went to get the cars.  All three kids were in perfect synch and there were lots of giggles.  Back at home our plan was to watch a movie and get the kids down early.  The movie of choice was “Never say Never” The Justin Bieber Movie.  I will admit, I was almost as anxious as Emma was to see it.  Leslie, Christina and I watched the entire movie with the kids, while Michael and Shawn found a nice quiet spot in the bedroom to watch the baseball game. 

That night I was hoping to get Emma to sleep right after the movie along with Lola and Jones, and head back into the living room for some grown up time before we left the next morning.  

As I went into the bathroom to brush my teeth, in comes Emma.  “Why aren’t you in bed?” I said with slight irritation.

“I’m scared.”

“Well, you need to give me some privacy, please. I’ll be right out to tuck you in.”

She didn’t budge. 

I finished brushing my teeth, washed my face and even flossed just to make my point, and then I got her back into bed.  I read her a chapter of Emily’s Runaway Imagination, scratched her back and said “Ok, I will just be a little while and then I will come right back.”

“No! I’m going with you!” she said.

“No you are not.  This is grown up time now.”

She started to get out of bed and follow me, so back down I went. 

I scratched her back some more and put my arm around her to wait until she fell asleep. 

The next thing I knew the sun was shining and I realized it was our day to leave.

I was sad to leave, but I was OK to head back to Brooklyn, too.  I missed Sebastian and Dave and quite honestly, I was ready for Emma to have some Daddy time.  Leslie drove us to the airport and I teared up saying goodbye.  I have known her forever, after all.  Emma was sad to leave, too.  She even gave Leslie a hug and mumbled a thank you. 

It was a great girls weekend. 

Girls Weekend – Summer ‘11 - Day 3

On Saturday, I had my first Colorado Hiking experience. We left the kids with Leslie’s friend Amy for a playdate with her kids, and Christina, Leslie and I hit the trails of Chautauqua Mountain.   

By the time we got to the mountain, it was noon and at least 100 degrees out.  Thank God we were armed with water bottles and cute hiking skirts. 

As we started up the hill, I started to breathe funny.  “I can’t breathe very well,” I panted.  “I am really out of shape!”

“No you’re not, it’s just the altitude, you old lady” Leslie said.

I started laughing, which of course made it worse.  “And I’m sweating like a pig.”

“Me too” said Les.  “We can take a break in the shade up there.”

The “shade” couldn’t come fast enough. 

Christina seemed fine, but she was sweating too, so I didn’t feel like such a dork.

“My heart is beating so fast,” I said as I guzzled out of one of the water bottles. 

“I think I am addicted to water.”  Leslie said.  “I may have a problem.”

Naturally we all started cracking jokes about being in a group for recovering water addicts. 

I finally caught my breath and could take in the scenery.  It was amazing.  Huge mountains and trees and blue skies - a true post card moment. 

“I feel very small here in Colorado.” I said.

 

We managed to keep going for about another 30 minutes or so, taking frequent breaks and talking to “the locals” whenever there was a shady spot and then Leslie’s phone rang. 

I had a sinking feeling that it was about Emma.

It was. 

Apparently she wasn’t playing with the kids outside on the slip-n-slide, and Leslie’s friend Amy was worried that she wasn’t having a good time. “No need to rush.” Amy said.  

Time to go back.  

“It’s the bees.” I said.  “She doesn’t like to go outside when there are bees.”

Thankfully, going down the hill was much easier than going up, except for the fact that I felt like I was going to fall on my butt at any given moment.  There were a couple of close calls, but no falls.

We made it Amy’s house in record time and Emma was fine.  I thanked Amy for watching her, and asked my daughter why she didn’t want to play with the other kids, and she told me there were wasps out there. 

Wasps!

Amy said that she actually went to the store and bought wasp spray and then she sprayed the wasps in front of Emma so that she could see that they were all gone, but that didn’t really help.  She said Emma wouldn’t talk much, either.

Great.

“Thank you so much Amy.  It’s nothing personal.” I said with my tail between my legs.   

As my “verge of having another not so great Mom moment” started to percolate, it was time to go.  

I took a breath, told Emma to thank Amy and her kids for letting her “play” at their house.  She managed to mumble a "thankyou," and we headed straight for Left Hand Brewery. 

Christina and I were in on the secret that Leslie’s husband Michael was planning a surprise party for her, so this was part of a stall.  The brewery was the perfect place.  It was packed with kids and adults, and I commented on how funny that was.  “We start them early here in Boulder,” Leslie joked.   

We grabbed some seats and a beer and the kids had some fizzy drinks and pretzels.   As luck would have it, as soon as Leslie went to the bathroom, we got the call from Michael saying it was OK to come back home.

As we pulled into her development, Leslie noticed that there were some people in the lawn by their apartment, and lots of kids running through the sprinklers.  Jones and Lola started giggling as they were also in on the surprise, and Leslie started to realize what was going on. 

There was a big sign saying Happy 40^th!, so that was a bit of a giveaway. 

 We parked the car and the kids ran out and we all joined in for what was a really fun evening of friends, food, and homemade birthday cake.  Michael told Leslie that she and her friends were not to lift a finger, so we all just sat back and enjoyed ourselves.  Leslie seemed really happy, and it was so great that Emma and I could be there to share this special day with her.

Girls Weekend – Summer ‘11 - Day 2

On Friday, Leslie’s sister in law surprised her and came for the weekend bright and early at 8am.  Leslie was definitely surprised and very happy to see Christina.  After we all had a cup of coffee, we tried to figure out what to do for the day.   

As per Jones’ suggestion, we decided to go to this cool place called "Gateway," where we could all ride go karts and play some games.  I knew Emma would love the games (she is a sucker for winning prizes), and I really thought she would love the go karts.   

I was wrong on the go karts.   

Fortunately, they were big, with two seats each so that the kids could each ride with a grown-up.

Leslie and Jones on their go kart

Me and Emma on our go karts - all smiles at firs

I was pretty excited, and I think Emma was at first, too, as she started off with a smile.  The seats were super hot, so that was strike one.  And they were loud.  Strike two.  We had the entire track to ourselves, so as soon as we hit the pavement, I put the pedal to the metal and took off!  

Emma looked completely horrified.  I tried to calm her down by pointing out the beautiful mountains in the distance as we tore around the first corner.  Strike three was when all of these “things” kept flying into the cart.  I saw that they were little grasshoppers, and told her so thinking she would think that they were cute.  

 “I want to get out! I want to get out!”   

Serioulsy? 

So, after only one lap, we pulled into the drop off area.  I asked her if I could still keep going and she said, “Ok,” so I went around a couple more times, waving to her each time around.  She seemed relieved to be away from the grasshoppers and gave me a sort of half wave.

When we went inside to play the games, it was a different story.  Emma couldn’t get enough.  Leslie bought some tokens for the three of them to share, and Emma went to town.  We found a few games that gave out a lot of tickets and it looked like Emma was in the lead...until we heard these bells ringing and cries of joy at a nearby game.  Lola had hit the jackpot and ended up winning 1000 tickets.  Emma was in disbelief.  The tickets kept streaming out.  They wouldn’t stop.  Soon our measley 110 tickets seemed like a drop in the bucket.  After a little back and forth, Lola unselfishly decided to pool all of the tickets together and divide them three ways so that everyone could get more stuff.  Emma was again relieved, and the smiles returned.  In the bathroom, I asked Emma if she would have done the same thing, and she didn’t answer me.  They all three picked out pretty similar toys and candy and we decided that it was time to get some lunch.  

Hazed and Infused - Boulder Beer

We drove into Boulder and ended up eating at California Pizza Kitchen where I had my first Colorado beer – Hazed and infused.  Yum.  Lunch was a total success as the kids devoured their mac-n-cheese and Leslie and I enjoyed our salad and afternoon treat.  We then optimistically decided that would just pop into Nordstrom Rack, or “The Rack” and see if we could get something to wear out that night.  We seemed to forget that we had the three kids in tow.  We walked in saying very clearly that it was not a buying day for the kids, but for the Mom’s.  What? After losing a small battle in the dressing room, I ended up buying Emma a party dress, Leslie got Lola some jeggings and Jones a new T-shirt, and both she and I ended up with some boring cotton underwear. 

Ah well… At least the beer was pretty great.

Girls Weekend – Summer ‘11 - Day 1

Today Emma and I are heading to Colorado to visit my childhood friend, Leslie for her 40^th b-day, and her family.  It’s our Girls’ Weekend, and we have been planning this for a while now.  A trip to spend some quality time together.  Not that Emma and I don’t spend enough time together…

“You need to stop following me around, please.” I said yesterday in a weak/not one of my better parenting moments. 

But, this morning started off without a hitch.  I woke up at the crack of dawn, replied to my emails, FB posts, and tweets, like usual, and gently reminded my husband to “deal with Emma.” He is much better with her in the morning. 

Emma was awake when I got out of the shower, and I went up to her with a hug and big smile and said “Girls Weekend!”

“Yay!” she said back in her sleepy voice.  I love it when Emma first wakes up.  She moves much slower than normal, and is simply irresistible with her faint morning breath and messy hair.  She wasn’t hungry, and neither was I, so we skipped breakfast thinking that we would have plenty of time to eat in the airport.  I pulled off her nighty and pulled on her dress in one swift motion, told her to brush her hair and teeth, and she was ready. Emma loves to travel. 

After calling the car service and asking my husband if he was planning on seeing us off in his underwear, we were ready to go out on the stoop and wait the usual 5 to 7 minutes.  At about 20 minutes later, I was already hitting a mild panic.  I love to travel too, but ONLY if everything goes according to my plan.  I had left just enough time for us to get to the airport, and to have a few minutes to eat before getting to our gate.  These extra 20 minutes were not in the plan. 

Finally, the car arrived, and my now fully clothed husband loaded our suitcase into the trunk and we were off.  Our driver asked me what time our flight was, and when I told him, he said “Oh, that’s cutting it close, huh?”

Lovely. 

Traffic was pretty heavy in Brooklyn, but I just kept breathing.  I took a mental stock on what food I had with us in case we had to run to the gate.  We had a kids Cliff bar, gum, and Trek Mix. Oh, and a bottle of warm tap water that would have to be thrown away at the check point.  Thank God the traffic wasn’t bad into Manhattan nor at the Holland Tunnel.  Our driver kept reminding me just how lucky I was, and thanks to God that he knows the quickest ways around the city. We got to Newark Airport in record time, with 40 minutes to spare.  As we walked to our gate, I let out a sigh of relief, and we were on the hunt for some food for the trip.  It’s a four-hour trip, after all.  We found a McDonalds’ and even though I never eat there, I usually make an exception on trips, and an egg and cheese biscuit with hashbrowns sounded pretty great to me.  Not to Emma.  She chose a chocolate glazed donut at Dunkin Donuts.  And a banana.  I made her get the banana. As we went to our gate to sit down, Emma with her hand already in the donut bag, I reached in to get the banana.  No banana. As much as I wanted to just forget about it, I looked at the receipt and it was .99.  I also imagined Emma having a sugar crash and possible meltdown halfway through the flight.  So after Emma inhaled her donut, we went back to get the damn banana.

On our way back to the gate, we picked up Vitamin Water and some pretzels for good measure. 

A little while after we returned, it was time to board. Thank God. 

I am excited to see my friend.  She and I have known eachother since we were Emma’s age.  We lived two houses away and went back and forth to our homes so many times a week that there is probably still a worn out path to this day in our neighbor’s yard between us.  I revel at the freedom that we had as kids.  In the summer, we were basically allowed to just be outside all day.  Leslie’s Mom had a bell that she would ring at exactly 5:00 pm telling her it was time to come home for dinner.  We usually ate much later, so most times, Leslie would go home, eat, and then come back out, until it was our turn to eat. I am excited to see her, to see her kids, and to see how our kids get along.  They have only met twice before, and they were so young that Emma doesn’t even really remember.  Leslie has a daughter one year older than Emma, and a son one year younger.  Perfect.  

We arrived 45 minutes early in Denver and Leslie was waiting at the pick up point wearing a huge smile.  I was so excited to see her.  Our drive to her apartment was beautiful.  There was this amazing blue sky and picturesque mountains with snowcaps in the distance.  The air seemed much cleaner, too.   

“I want to sit next to Emma” squealed Leslie’s kids when they came home from camp.

Emma was beaming, and so was I.  The three of them got along beautifully at first.  Then of course, came the obvious problem of having three: two girls and one boy.  Leslie’s daughter Lola and Emma quickly declared a “no boys” zone and the tears started.  Both Leslie and her husband tried to solve the problem diplomatically, and we basically told the girls that they needed to include everyone, and eventually, they worked it out.  There were many times when Emma shared a nice cuddly moment with Leslie’s son Jones, too.  I loved seeing them interact, and to see how alike they were as well as different. They look very different for one thing.  Leslie’s kids are fair and blonde, and Emma is exactly the opposite, dark and tan.  Exactly like Leslie and I were as kids.  Sleeping arrangements were made and Emma and I happily passed out at 10pm, ready to see what the rest of the weekend would bring...

Three Little Birds – How Nature Brings Us Back to Life

This past week my kids and I spent a glorious stress free vacation in sunny North Carolina visiting my sister and her family.  It was stress free, but it wasn’t by any means electronic free.  I really tried to unplug us, but given the options (macbook, tv, iphone, itouch, ipad2, wii), it wasn’t easy.  Both of my kids as well as my sister’s kids are growing up with electronics in their every day life.  We have time restrictions, but it’s a struggle for me to enforce them, especially in the summer.   In some ways it amazes me how advanced and adept in anything electronic they are.   My sister’s kids are younger than mine, but at two and four years old, they are still both able to navigate their Daddy’s iphone with no problems whatsoever. 

“Sebastian, how come I can’t get my phone to stop flipping the screen around when I turn it sideways?” In two seconds he comes over and taps the screen a few times and it’s fixed.  “There you go, Mama.” He says with a twinge of annoyance.  He's 13.  

In some ways, I am saddened by the fact that they have so much time with electronic stuff and so little time with nature.  When we were kids, my sister and I had each other to play with, our friends on the street, and the backyard.  We were free to roam and explore.  We would open up the backdoor on a summer’s day, and only come in when we were hungry.  My sister especially was one with nature.  She was constantly fostering animals and could build things with her bare hands from any materials that she found lying around in Dad’s garage.  We were also pretty amazing tree climbers, and would hang out in the branches for hours.  We were pretty content with this, and didn’t have much choice about it either.  Our kids today have so many choices and distractions away from this lifestyle, that to call it sensory overload would be an understatement.  

One day, while sitting on the back porch of my sister’s house, we noticed her dog Jada going crazy jumping up and down by this tree next to us.  After many attempts to get her to stop, we realized that she was barking at a nest of 3 blue robin eggs.  We called all four of the kids over to come and have a look, and from that minute on, we were hooked.  Every morning we checked on the nest.  We watched the eggs hatch into birds and watched the little birds grow every day.  My sister and I saw both the female and the male bird feeding the babies.  (We had no idea they both did this?) One night there was a huge storm and as Emma and I lay in our bed listening to it, she asked me about the baby birds.  Were they going to be ok? I told her that the Mama bird was used to these storms and would sit on her babies and protect them until the storm was over.  The next day (much to my relief), the baby birds were still there safe and sound.  They had grown so much in just a day that they were almost bursting out of their nest.   

On our last day I went out to check on the birds early in the morning and took a photo to send to Dave back in NY.  I think it was so that I could also remember how amazing it was. 

On our flight home I showed the picture to the kids (on my iphone) and they were both so happy.  I found myself reveling in the fact that all of us were so connected to these little birds, and that our kids were fascinated with them.  It made me feel more alive.  Possibly this is how the kids felt, too?  Emma kept saying how she just wanted to hold them and feel how fluffy they were.  

  

I think maybe we will have to check out more hands on things this summer, and maybe she could even hold some baby chicks somewhere? You can’t really get that same feeling from an app on the ipad. 

Does Music Really Make A Difference? A short story...

I have been teaching music and movement classes in Emma's school on fridays for over a month now.  It has by far become my most favorite day of the week.  It's not that it's easy, in fact, it's quite challenging. There are about 100-150 kids in each group, and they are all so excited that sometimes controlling the chaos is well...let's just say, it can get quite loud and energetic.  But they all come around eventually, and do what I ask them to and it seems to be going quite well.  Part of the joy that I get out of it is that satisfaction of being able to handle such an enthusiastic crowd of 5-7 year olds, and to have them walk away singing new songs.


In this school, there are 2 classrooms of special needs children.  My schedule allows me to spend a little extra time with them in their rooms after the large groups.  I am fortunate to have this time with them, and they seem to really like being able to touch the guitar and have their questions answered.  However, their needs are so varied that I sometimes have a hard time figuring out how to accommodate them as a group.  After my first one on one class with them,  I left feeling a bit confused.  I know that they enjoyed my class, but am I really going to be able to make a difference, or is it just entertainment?

Two weeks ago, I was in the middle of teaching my second group class of the day - my pre-k and k classes.  These classes are really more like interactive mini-concerts, and are held in the multi-purpose room.  I saw one of my students who has special needs walk by the door in the hallway.  Well, he didn't really walk by, he actually stopped still in the doorway, turned to the group and began actively listening to the music. I noticed that his Physical Therapist (PT) was there and assumed that they were on their way to a session.  This little boy (we'll call him Johnny) stayed in the doorway for quite some time and I waved to him.  He smiled and waved back.  A few seconds later, I saw his PT speak to him, and then Johnny came in and joined the group.  He sat right down in the middle of another class (children that he did not know), and began to participate.  All of the teachers made him feel welcome, and he stayed for the rest of the class.   
After wards, the children left and I immediately became busy talking with some of the teachers and  taking down my sound equipment.  I didn't see Johnny again that day.
   
The PT came up to me a few minutes later and said "That was quite amazing what happened with Johnny." 
"I know." I said.  "I am sorry if I took him away from your session. Thank you for letting him participate."
"Well, I didn't have a choice." he told me.  "Johnny stood there in the doorway and would not follow me, and then informed me that he was going to your class instead." he said with a smile.
"Really?" I asked.  
"Yes. And did you see what happened after your performance?"
"No" I answered.
"You see, normally after our sessions, Johnny doesn't walk up the stairs.  He can walk down, no problem, but he doesn't ever go up.  He complains and drags his feet and most times I have to help him, or even carry him back up to his classroom."
"Oh, I didn't know that." I said.  I wasn't really sure where this story was going...
"So, after your performance,  he turned to me and said "Good show!" and walked up to his classroom. 

I looked at him.  He had a glowing look on his face as he looked directly at me.  
I realized that I had tears in my eyes. 

The Suzi Shelton Band performs LIVE at Southpaw with Little Miss Ann

We are so excited to kick off our spring with Chicago's own Little Miss Ann and her band at one of our favorite hotspots - Southpaw! This concert will benefit a local preschool that is near and dear to my heart, Brooklyn Free Space, and will be held on Saturday, March 5th at 12:30pm.

 
READ ON

If music is the fruit of life, here's food for thought - our parents are the only doctors we need - Jon Samson

Jon Samson of CoCreative Music is a friend of mine that I admire.  He is a fellow kindie artist as well as a music therapist. He is witty, creative and very enthusiastic about his job; all three qualities that are top on my list.  Since I am also a teacher for young children,  I am curious about his music therapy background.  I recently sat down with him to ask him some questions about his chosen career, his music for kids, and his upcoming show at Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM).

Me:
So, I just heard that you and your band are performing at BAM as part of their very prestigious kids film festival on Saturday, February 5th.  This is so exciting! How does it make you feel?

Jon:
Fantaculous! Wonderiffic!

What do you hope will happen at the show?
 

Musical alchemy! Connection- Participation - Active Listening - Singing - Dancing - And perhaps kids (or grown ups) scribbling on a napkin because they just got a new idea!! 

 

How long have you been creating and performing music for kids?

This MLK day marks the start of my 3rd year performing for kids.
In late 2008, when I was in the crux of building my music therapy practice, I became inspired to create my first kids album.  When it was almost done, I sent out en email blast to say I had started a myspace page – Susan Fox (Park Slope Parents) happened to be on my email list, and invited me to perform at MLK day show at The Old Reformed Church in Park Slope. That was my big debut:)

 

What is your favorite part about performing in front of a live audience?

I love seeing the effect music has on people- especially when it comes to children dancing - it's practically involuntary for them...so completely natural.
In addition, I get to see parents relating to their kids THROUGH my songs, which is something I suspect all "family" performers cherish.

Do you feel like you can make a living as a kindie artist?

I feel like I could make a living doing anything – because it still involves making a connection with people. I really cherish being able to put on different hats at different times in order to meet the needs of the moment. That means I get to give professional lectures at a college, or I get to be a complete goofball at a kids’ birthday party.  I also get to help a child hold a drumstick while infusing music therapy goals.

Can you give me a brief description of music therapy?

At the risk of sounding generic, music therapy is the clinical application of music to address goals and objectives of the client.  One of the most wonderful things about music therapy is that you can address many if not all of the goals of occupational, physical and speech therapy within a medium which children are naturally drawn to – they don’t have the fear that something is wrong with them – Music is the universal language.
Another thing to think about, is how musical dynamics are a symbolic vehicle for experiences that may not be physically possible for some - like going high then low, fast, then slow, loud and quiet - all these facets of music are connected to motion and emotion and have the capacity to reach a person on many levels.

Do you incorporate music therapy in your recorded music? If so, how?
 

Yes. Absolutely!
When I first had the idea of making a kids album – I thought it would be easy – but then when I realized what the songs could mean- it became a responsibility to incorporate every bit of artistic, educative, and therapeutic integrity I could muster. While I produce my songs to be fun enough to play in the car, I use those same songs for developing speech, movement and other developmental goals. Of course, the songs are more general on the CD's, but can be adapted.

How can the average parent incorporate music therapy in their kid’s daily diet?
 

If music is the fruit of life, here's food for thought- our parents are the only doctors we need (this statement is not approved by the FDA).

Can you give me an example of how I, as a music and movement teacher, can incorporate music therapy into my classes?

Let's be clear, the healing and therapeutic effects of music are far more established and ancient than the term “music therapy.”  It’s almost redundant to use the term music therapy because music IS therapy.
The number one jewel a teacher can offer is being fully present, open and caring - Not a challenge for you Suzi:)

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

In five years I will have the most impeccable answer to the question you just asked.

My ultimate goal is to just to keep sharing my music and approach with those who feel drawn to it.

It’s been so great hanging out with you Jon, and I wish you all the best at your upcoming show at BAM on February 5th!

www.bam.org/kidsfilmfest

Saturday, Feb 5th  12pm & 2pm

BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building

30 Lafayette Ave. 

Brooklyn, NY  11217

For more info on Jon Samson and CoCreative music - 
please visit his website
www.cocreativemusic.com
or his check out his facebook page and become a fan!
Jon Samson

Make sure you share this video with your kids.  Emma loves it!

Youtube - The Alarm Clock is Mean

PS - Jon and I are both performing as part of a wonderful fundraiser hosted by Bob from Sesame Street for Kids Need a Melody coming up on Saturday, Jan 29^th at Crash Mansion in NYC.  

When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky. Buddha

Reflecting on this past year brings me a sense of both satisfaction and unease.  I am satisfied with things that I have accomplished and things that my family has accomplished, and also I am starting to feel a familiar flutter of panic at all of the things that lie ahead.  All of things that I have left undone, only to try to "wrap up" in the coming year.   I guess I have always been like this.  Never truly able to sit and appreciate what has been once a struggle and a challenge and a problem keeping me up at night, to now being ordinary and "perfect."

A resolution of mine is to realize how perfect everything is. There is good in everything.  There is purpose in all of it.  There is laughter.  There is love.  

For today, I am choosing to be satisfied with it all.  It won't be easy.  I will only try to allow positive thoughts to enter my head and I will strive to be truly present with my family for the entire day.  We are heading into the city to go ice skating and then coming home to watch the ball drop.  There will be struggles.  Kids will be crabby and hungry and not able to stand up on the ice and my back will break.  It will probably be crowded and we will have to wait in line and we will spend too much money.  I will be tested and have to bite my tongue more than once, I am sure.  I will also laugh a lot today.

And, I am so grateful that I have my family with me to do this.  They crack me up.  They amaze me.  They complete me and make me feel whole.   For this, I am pretty fortunate.  There is no measure of money that can compare to this amount of satisfaction.  So, here we go.... time to tilt my head back.  

Happy New Year!

The Emma Project - Helping To Get Music into PS 230 in Brooklyn, NY

Do you ever wonder if small things really make a difference?   This past fall, I asked some fellow children's musicians to do something that would make a HUGE difference in the lives of many, many children in one elementary school in Brooklyn, NY.

Soon after the start of the school year, I was having a conversation with Emma about her new first grade class.  I asked the usual questions, "Do you like your new teacher? Who are some of your new friends this year?," and "Do you like your music class?"

"No," she said, casually.  "We don't have music this year."

 Shock and panic.

"Are you sure, Honey?" "Maybe you just haven't started it yet?" I said, hopefully.

"No," she said.  "My teacher said we only have art.  No music and no dance this year."

She was right.  Soon after this conversation,  I got an email from the PS 230 PTA saying that they have had enormous budget cuts to their programs in the amount of $500, 000.  FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS!

I started to plan out how I could get into the school and play music for them as much as possible, and thought that if they could just play my CD's during school hours, the kids could at least get up and move for a few minutes during the day.  I could also use some music from my previous band, Imagination Workshop Band.  Then I had an idea.  I would see if I could get some of my fellow kids' musicians to donate a song and I would make a mix CD for Emma's teacher that she could share with the rest of the first grade classes. I asked Dave what he thought?  He thought it was a good idea, and hey, what did we have to lose?

So I went on Sprockster and sent a message out to everyone on my friend list which basically told them that my daughter Emma's school had huge budget cuts, no music, no dance, and would they please donate a song for a mix CD?   I also reached out to a few personal friends via email.  I was hoping for about 10 people to donate a song or two. 

About 30 minutes later, I got my first response from my friend Mike Messer of The Dirty Sock Funtime Band.

"Hey Suzi! Hows it going? We'd love to contribute to the CD, we have a bunch of dance songs, we'll send them all to you... I just wanna talk with the band and see which songs would be best. Talk to you soon!"  Peace, Love and Music, Mike Messer and the Dirty Sock Funtime Band

I was so happy.  I yelled to Dave from my computer that I got my first response already, and it was from one of Emma's favorite bands.  She would be so excited.  

Then, I got a similar message from three other artists in a row.  Then I got about 10 more, and my blackberry kept making that weird buzzing noise the whole night, and every single day for about a month I got more and more responses and songs coming in for Emma's school that my mix CD turned into a 4 disc box set with over 79 submissions!  Amazing.  I could barely keep track of them all.  In addition to the songs, I was connecting with so many people who were sympathetic to our situation and incredibly supportive of the project.   I loved it.

I recruited both Emma and Sebastian to help me weed through all of the songs, and we chose at least one song from each artist.  It wasn't easy, there were so many great choices!  We then arranged the songs according to style on 4 separate discs so that the teachers would have an easier time selecting.  This process took quite a while.  The kids loved hearing all of the songs, and so did I.  It was a pretty awesome day.

Emma would periodically ask, "They gave these songs to me, Mama?"

"Yes, Emma, they did.  They gave them to you and all of your friends at school."

I had also received an email from Jon Samson at CoCreative Music donating a few of his songs and offering his engineering services to normalize all of the songs so that they are all heard at a similar volume.  I told him there were over 70 songs... did he realize what he was getting into?  Nevertheless, he agreed.  We are still in the process of doing this and it is a real treat to work with him.   Jon told me in an email,  "These are also the most terrific kids songs I've heard!" 

I totally agree.

I had hoped to present the CD package by Thanksgiving, but due to some time restraints, I have decided to wait until this month.  I can't wait until this project, which I fondly call "The Emma Project" can be officially presented to her class.  What better time then this holiday season?

I am truly humbled by this outpouring of support and generosity, and look forward to hearing feedback from the students and teachers of Emma's school once these amazing songs start circulating around the classrooms.

To my fellow musicians, I thank you.  By doing something small and donating just a single song, you have given us over 3.4 hours of music for these kids to sing and dance their hearts out in the New Year!

I wanted to share the list of all of the artists (in alphabetical order) who donated to this project, along with links to their websites.  Please check them out, and help support their awesome music for kids (and grownups) as we are.  Happy Holidays!
Love,
Suzi ;)

A. Mifflin Lowe, African Treehouse, AudraRox, The Baby Grands, Barry Louis Polisar, Baze And His Silly Friends, Ben Rudnick and Friends, Bobs And Lolo,  The Boogers, Brady Rymer And The Little Band That Could,  Caspar Babypants, Charlie Hope, Debbie and Friends,  Dennis Caraher, The Dirty Sock Funtime Band, The Fuzzy Lemons, Gillygaloo, Groovy David, Hans Mayer, The Hipwaders, Imagination Workshop Band, Jim Cosgrove, Joanie Leeds, Jon Samson,  Julie K, Justin Roberts, Alex and The Kaleidoscope Band, Karen Banks-Lubicz, King Pajama, Kira Willey, Laura Doherty, Laurie Berkner Band, Lisa Loeb, Little Miss Ann,  Lou Gallo, Lou Rawls, Meg Russell, Meredith Wright, Miss Nina,  Miss Sherri, Mister Felipe, Sho, Mo and The Monkey Bunch, Mr. Singer & the Sharp Cookies, Mr. Whit,  Music with Brian,  The MusiGo Kids,  The Okee Dokee Brothers, Princess Katie & Racer Steve, Ralph and Ralph,  Randy Sauer, Readeez, Recess Monkey,  Rolie Polie Guacamole, Spanglish Wrangler, Stacey Peasley, Starfish, Steve Blunt,  SteveSongs, Sukey Molloy, They Might Be Giants, Todd Wees, Tor Hyams, Tracey Singer, Treehouse 10, Wendy Gelsanliter, Zev Haber and The Zinghoppers.

To Be Only Who You Are

A couple of weeks ago, continuing on my quest of Super Momdom, I decided to do something positive for myself to gear up for a busy fall of Momhood and this Fall Tour that I am starting.   I treated myself to a weekend-long meditation.  I left the kids in the capable hands of their Dads, and headed into my journey.  I'll admit, I was nervous.  Having some time to myself is a luxury, but also having too much time to think can be a bit scary.  I found myself immersed in thoughts of self doubt and frustration, only to release and discover that my life was going just the way it was supposed to go, and all was well.  I mean, who is in charge of my life anyway? Me.  And in all of my efforts to be the ultimate Super Mom, the best way for me to raise my kids in a positive way AND to have a successful marriage and career is to be only who I am. Only who I am.  
It is not easy for me.  It takes a lot of work and a lot of patience with myself to be able to be this open about life, but it is really the only way.  And I believe.
I recently saw the interview between Oprah and J.K. Rowling (the creator and author of The Harry Potter Series) and I must say that I was riveted.  Joe (J.K) was so articulate and honest about her journey and it was really great for me to hear her story.  She struggled first with depression as a single Mom and then struggled with many obstacles to get her first Harry Potter book published with the right people (the ones who believed as she did that her story could change the world).  And it worked.  She believed.  Her persistence and commitment to be herself was so strong that she sold over 400 million books in 200 countries around the world.  At the end of her interview, Oprah asked her "what does she know for sure?"  Joe thought about it and said she knows that "love is THE most powerful thing of all." And then Oprah asked her "what was her dream of happiness?"  She said according to the first Harry Potter, Dumbledore says "The happiest man alive would look in the mirror and see himself exactly as he is." And then she said "So I would have to say that I'm pretty close."

To Be A Super Mom

Well, both kids are back in school and although my summer mantra has been "I just need some alone time!", I must admit that I am a little bit blue. I have a pile of work that needs to get done, and even more laundry, but I seem a bit paralyzed at the moment to do anything.
Motherhood is a funny thing. It's like a runaway train. You can't stop it from going full speed ahead. There is no time to rest.
This past year I found myself totally exhausted. My temper was short and I had raised my voice way too many times to make my point. This is not the Mom that I want to be to my kids. Too often I didn't stop to appreciate what my kids were saying or doing and now I can't get those moments back. Seeing them go off to school this week, I realize that I better take the time to appreciate it, or it will fly away from me faster than I can blink an eye.
I adore my kids. They give me so much joy. There are times when I find myself laughing out loud at something they said or did days ago. They are six years apart and both have amazing qualities (and some not so great, but that's another blog).
I have always wanted to be a Mom, but the truth is that I desperately want to be a Super Mom.
I remember seeing an episode of Oprah where they talked about parenting being the toughest job on the planet. I agree. It's also the most rewarding job. They also were talking about the importance of taking care of yourself so that you can give the best of yourself as a parent. In this, I also agree, but it's easy to forget.
Working Moms don't have it easy. There is so much to juggle and too much work to be done in a short amount of time. However, it CAN be done.
The first step in Super Momdom is to take care of oneself.
For me, it means making the time to meditate and go to Yoga. Getting organized. Being creative. Being smart with my career. Eating better. Sleeping more and laughing. A lot.
So, let's just sit for a minute more, and then get started already! Now, where is that cape?

Not all women can say that they vacation with their ex's...

Not all women can say that they vacation with their ex's... But, I just got back from a week long work/vacation in Sag Harbor, NY with mine. I went with Albert (my ex) and the three kids, as he was performing with me. Jen (his wife) came a day later, and then Dave (my husband) came the final two days. We all stayed with Liz, a good friend of Albert's, who is an amazing puppeteer and an overall super fun person. Liz has a nice big house for us. This is our third year in a row making this trip.

I would love to say that it was an easy, breezy time, but honestly it's always a bit of a challenge for us all to get along at every waking moment. It was a lot of WORK. Everyone has so many needs. To eat, to sleep (and get enough of it), to go to the beach, to shower, to have down time, to drink, to entertain, to not entertain, to nap, to eat again, and to just "be." Albert and I also had to rehearse for the 5 performances and music video thrown into the mix.

Fortunately, Liz has a lot of land around her house, and a lot of animals. 1 dog, 1 cat and 4 chickens to be exact. I am not really an "animal lover", but Emma was in heaven as the nature girl that she is, and for the most part, was pretty easy to handle. Sebastian did OK, too, even though he has allergies to the animals, had summer homework to finish, and had to deal with so many parents under one roof telling him what to do and what is "expected" of a 12 year old. Cole is three years old and was a combination of deliciously adorable and, well...not so much.
Anyway, I thought I would share a few moments that really stand out for me on this trip:
1. After a particularly awful show, Sebastian said that he thought the show was "great!"
2. One evening Albert, Liz, Jen and I were outside having some cocktails and Jen told me she thought I was one of the most beautiful women she knows.
3. Emma hypnotizing a real chicken and cradling it like it were her own baby.
4. Emma secretly leaving a post it note on my guitar backstage that said "i love you."
5. Dave throwing Emma up in the sky while in the waves of the ocean and turning around to make sure that I was watching the sheer joy on her face.
6. Albert and his puppet "Raul" as he tried out all sorts of personalities (some not so appropriate for a kids show), and watching Sebastian rolling on the ground cracking up.
7. Sitting in the back of Liz's truck on the way to the beach with music blasting and everyone laughing as Albert broke the beach chair.
8. Cole holding the bottle opener all evening and asking everyone if they were ready for another beer?
9. Waking up in the middle of the night thinking that Cole or Emma was crying out and finding out it was only a chicken squawking outside.
10. Riding with Liz in her truck on the way to a show, laughing, and feeling like she is part of our family.

It was a great trip. Exhausting, but great. Anyway, here is the music video that came out of it. Dave is the master videographer. Enjoy!

Singing with Liz Mitchell and Daniel Littleton

Yesterday reminded me of why I love doing kids music.

Two of my friends, Brady Rymer and Elizabeth Mitchell, were performing at Celebrate Brooklyn. It was the family show that they only have once a summer, on a big, beautiful outdoor stage. I was invited by Liz and her husband Daniel to sing on "Little Bird, Little Bird." This was a great opportunity for me as I have always wanted to sing in that bandshell, and I knew a lot of my friends would be there. I also love the song.

Dave, Emma and I walked over to the park early, and were easily led backstage where we found Liz in her dressing room. It was great to see her again (we performed together back in May for a Haiti Benefit Concert), and she showed us the green room where Emma happily chowed down on all of the cookies and blueberries that she could get into her mouth before they went and took their seats in the audience.

I went looking for Brady and found him in his dressing room, as well as Claudia and Liz, his two beautiful backup singers and musicians. I have known Brady since Sebastian was about 3 years old. It was good to connect and catch up. He has an amazing aura of positive energy, and I love that. Plus, his music is so much fun and I was eager to hear them play.

Soon, it was time to go over our song, which we did quietly in the dressing room, and then it was showtime. As I waited backstage to be called out for my song, I marveled at the way Liz's voice carried throughout the crowd and how calming and beautiful it was. She and Daniel have a wonderful connection (to the band, to the audience, and to eachother). So many people had gathered to hear them. The sky was blue and the sun was just right. The audience was mesmerized. I was mesmerized. I saw Dave and Emma in the crowd, and I was so happy to be doing this. I went out, sang my part (bird call and all) and soon, it was over. It was a beautiful day.

Balance? Mom vs. Summer with her Daughter

Lately I have felt really out of sorts. I feel tired, I feel restless, and overall, in a bad mood. I know that this hot weather is not helping matters, but just a few days ago, I discovered the problem. I have lost my balance. I have zero balance this summer. Why? I have no child care for my soon to be six year old daughter.

I have tried to embrace the fact that Emma is not in any sort of camp and instead we enrolled her in "mommy camp", where she gets to share in the joys of schlepping around with me to work three mornings a week, along with my guitar, big heavy bag, shakers, and sometimes even a parachute, and we get to save a thousand dollars. Then there are my shows. She is dragged around too early in the morning, usually eating breakfast on the way, only to share me with lots and lots of little kids and their grown ups. Not exactly what she would call the best summer of her life. Or would she?

Emma loves to be with me. She is always concerned about where I am and what I am doing and what I am working on on the computer, and is it her turn to "work" on the computer yet? We are attached at the hip. We do everything together, from grocery shopping to laundry to getting pedicures to dressing her new American Girl Doll, we are a team. This is truly a wonderful time in our lives. I should embrace this time. I should rejoice in the beauty of our girlness. And I do. For the most part.

It's that other part that is driving me crazy. The part that can't breathe and needs to walk at a regular pace for five minutes please. The part of me that needs to go to Yoga once a week and to meditate in the mornings and the part of me that needs so badly to just sit in peace and quiet in the evenings and can't stop looking at the clock until Daddy gets home. Dave tries to help me out, but he is focused on his "backyard project" at the moment, and this is what consumes his after work hours...

Last week, I got a break. Albert offered to take Emma and Sebastian to see a movie. It was heaven. I had 2 hours to myself and I got an amazing amount of work done. Then, two nights later, they went and saw another movie. I went to my usual Wednesday night Yoga class without the usual guilt. It was great. The kids came home happy, and I came home refreshed. Tonight, though, really takes the cake. I actually feel as if I am on vacation. Sebastian has a friend over. They have been happily playing Wii for the past 2+ hours (ok, it IS summer vacation after all), and have "allowed" Emma to watch. I have not heard a peep out of her except for the laughs and cries of approval of great gaming, or the occasional cry for food or drink. It's been lovely. It's been heaven. This is the balance I have been looking for! I feel like myself again. If we could just implement this routine every night for the rest of the summer until school starts again...