Welcome to my universe! I have so much to share with you: reviews, causes, personal experiences etc. I want to shine a light on the positive things in life, encourage kindness & praise good works, remaining hopeful that a better tomorrow is always within our reach. My heart belongs to my devoted loving husband & our exceptional 2 sons who, I believe, make this world a better place with their strong minds & tender hearts. They are my inspiration. I write to express not to impress.
My family and I did some efficient multi-tasking this weekend by doing two things that we enjoy doing: eating and making a difference. Now through the rest of September (so hurry, the month is speeding by) come to Corner Bakery Cafe and donate to No Kid Hungry and receive rewards in a variety of ways.
Donate $1.00 and receive a free Bottom Ups Bundt cake. Donate $5.00 and receive a coupon book that continues to give you savings worth up to $25.00.
Plus, if you purchase anything from their "lemon" menu, a portion will be donated to the cause. We ordered the frozen lemonade, and if you're a lemonade fan (like we are), you'll enjoy it. It's refreshing!
Here are some points taken from the No Kid Hungry organization.
More than 16 million children in America, almost 1 in 5, struggle with hunger. Your donation will support "No Kid Hungry" to END CHILDHOOD HUNGER in America.
More than half of K-8 teachers say they purchase food for hungry children in their classrooms. Through "No Kid Hungry" both students and their teachers can FOCUS ON EDUCATION without hunger as a distraction.
Since its launch, "No Kid Hungry" has brought more than 345 million more meals to hungry children across the nation. THANK YOU for making a donation to keep the momentum going.
A lack of nutritious food impairs a child's ability to concentrate and perform well in school. Your donation helps to provide healthy breakfast to KIDS IN NEED.
For many children, the last meal they receive at school is the last meal they get until school the next day. YOUR DONATION HELPS "No Kid Hungry's" work to bring healthy snacks and meals to more afterschool programs in communities like yours.
Whenever you can, shop for a cause, dine for a cause, buy to give. Makes life so much more fulfilling.
Music is a natural and living breathing entity in my family's life. I'm not a musician myself but I love listening to my favorite pop songs. And I'm lucky enough to call myself a Musicians' Mom. Both my boys play instruments: My 12 year old is a talented bass player and my 9 year old plays the keyboard.
Here is my 12 year old on vocals and bass helping out at his friend's talent show this past June:
Here is my 9 year old on vocals and keys at his school talent show this past May.
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I'm re-sharing and re-posting.
I proudly declare that my boys are musicians—my oldest (now 11 years
old) is a bass player & my youngest (now 8 years old) is a
keyboardist and percussionist. A little shake-up at their school around 4
years ago prompted the husband & I to make a conscious decision to
sign them up with some special music teachers we knew & trusted. Our
goal for our boys was not to “become rock stars” or learn music for
profit, but simply to be exposed to instruments, music theory, &
performance. We heard all the studies about the connections between
music & the brain and how learning music assists kids in academics,
etc. We believe in all that. We agree with all that. Four years later,
we are still part of a community of extraordinary people teaching,
learning & appreciating music & the creative arts.
This summer our boys have focused a majority of their energy into
crafting their music talents. They have worked hard—practicing
individually & with their groups—all toward the goal of performing
in front of an audience. Being able to get up in front of a bunch of
people & performing is not easy. I’m glad that we are able to give
them the opportunity to do that & we are privileged to see them grow
& mature & reap the benefits of having music as a part of their
lives. As parents, a large part of our responsibility is to cultivate
high self-esteem in our children. Music performance has certainly done
that for our boys.
Fresh off their live performance at a local restaurant/pub, the boys
have been given the gift of pride in their accomplishments. They
received so many gracious & generous compliments.
My 11 year old is often praised for his growing skills as a bass player
& given added props for being able to sing & play at the same
time. Apparently, this is a very difficult feat to accomplish. He admits
it’s challenging but has found a process that works best for him. I can
see the joy on his face (and trust me, this kid is not big on large
displays of emotion) when he’s describing learning a new song & the
confidence he exudes when he knows it well enough to perform it. For a
child not seeking attention or the limelight, being a musician has given
him another facet to his journey into being a more well rounded person.
Click to hear my Big Dude perform I Wish by Stevie Wonder.
My 8 year old has worked harder than ever to improve his skills on the
keyboard. There are times I know he has struggled & is very hard on
himself (he is my sensitive & emotional child) when he feels he
can’t perfect something. Sometimes he just needs to vent his frustration
& then he’s at it again. Before I know it, he’s making music come
out of those keys. I love how confident he becomes when he knows he’s
doing well. And I think it only benefits him to know that even at a
young age, he is expected to hold his own & it’s okay to set the bar
high for yourself. The results of a successful performance is its own
reward. Click to see my Little Guy practicing It’s Time by Imagine Dragons.
They don’t get a chance to perform together very often since they
belong to different jam groups (separated by age & playing ability),
but when they do get a chance to team up, I am more than proud. I
really do love seeing them up on stage together. Click to hear I Feel Good performed by the boys.
Not everyone has the same beliefs as we do on the importance of music
in life, in education, in the formation of a healthy self-esteem, and
simply as a tool of joy, but if you are even a little open to it as a
parent, I suggest finding an avenue for your child to be around it— have
them take music lessons, music appreciation, or music theory classes.
If you live in the Long Beach, CA area, I recommend the group my sons
belong to, Da Capo Creative Community. Otherwise, just do some of your own research & find a perfect fit for your own child(ren).
Summer vacation is rapidly coming to a close (less than 2 more weeks
for my boys). And I can honestly say, it’s been a wonderful summer of
music with the promise of much more to come! I’m excited about their
upcoming performances & I’m just truly proud of them–for any &
all musical growth they’ve achieved.
Music has definitely benefited my boys & when it all comes down to it, that’s all that matters. ♥
I hope everyone is having a great September so far as the days seem to be rapidly flowing by. I feel like it's one milestone occurrence after another, and a constant daily reminder that our children are growing up and so are we! Time refuses to indulge my desire to stay in a world of denial. Anyway, just to cheer some folks up, I'm sharing some Labor Day deals and coupons I've stumbled upon. Have a great weekend and a fabulous month!
Okay, so I've heard that season changes and "the beginning" of anything can send people to emotional highs and lows. And since I'm still in start-of-school mentality and feel those emotional bittersweet pangs caused by my rapidly aging kids, I thought I'd put together a laugh track post of some of the things I've encountered on the internet. Granted, you have to surf the same wave of my dry and unique sense-of-humor, but hopefully you'll find something to chuckle at.
**Warning: some humor is laced with strong language.**
I mean, right?
Safety is priority, I always say.
Some advice are more important than others.
Point made.
Some are just naturally loyal.
There goes small talk.
Whoever wrote this one MUST know me.
All you'll see is the back of my head, cuz I'm gone!
And finally, because being corny, cheesy and creative are the 3 C's of humor...
Did you see it? Did you?
I hope you had some LOL moments. And if you didn't, check back again, because I'm gonna keep trying until I have you rolling on the floor laughing.
It's the first day of the new school year (2015-2016) and we're embarking on new territory...the world of the 5th and 7th Graders. Looking forward to what the year has in store for us!
The boys are ready to go!
My 5th Grader's teacher is new to the school but she's already introduced herself through a nice email and a newsletter posted on Schoolspeak (main form of web communication utilized by the school). She has a lot of plans for her students, and I'm looking forward to watching her help my son expand his mind. And since I have a high anxiety child in this one, I wish him continued learning in managing his work-load, all-around success as a student, and to just have a fun & happy year.
The 5th Graders will be reciting this prayer every day.
My 7th Grader's teacher is rearing to go! She also sent out a newsletter and it's clear she has goals --focusing on the children's spirituality, academics and social skills--that she's ready to achieve with her class. They read the book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens as part of their required summer reading and I'm told they will be referring to it all throughout the year. I'm confident my son will learn so much from this teacher and I wish him a fabulous year of growth!
Lots of parents on the first day of school!
My comfort zone, my village, my parent friends. ♥
Dedicated to my boys! ♥
Happy School Year 2015-2016 to all students and parents everywhere! Let's make this year amazing!
What the heck happened? The kids start up classes again in a few days and I feel like "last day of school" was just yesterday. The husband made a comment the other day, "Didn't we just start summer vacation? What the heck?" But reality is reality and we have to face facts. Back-to-school is just around the corner.
So, we've done enough wallying in denial and it was time to head out & do some back-to-school shopping. So we moseyed on over to our local discount department store to tackle their school supply list, 5th Grade & 7th Grade respectively.
Okay, let's get to shopping.
The boys worked on their own lists.
They did really well--only asking for help every once in a while. I even went to the Women's section to peruse some clearance fashions. When I connected back with them, they had pretty much checked off a majority of their lists. This is getting easier and easier every year. Hooray!
Their lists have been conquered.
School supply shopping has worn me out. And I pretty much just supervised! ☺
And we're done! Over and out!
Well, that's one major task crossed off the list. Now, I just have to get myself emotionally ready.
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And in keeping with the theme of back-to-school preparation, here are some articles I've encountered that may be useful to some parents.
I was not gifted with the green thumb myself, but I'm lucky enough to partake in home grown vegetables (camote leaves, tomatoes, bitter melon, eggplant and more!) thanks to my fabulous ecolutionary renegade Step-Dad. And he's a great cook too!
Beautiful bitter melon.
Eggplant power.
So, do what you do best. And gift the world. Thanks Ron Finley for sharing your talents with your community!
