I’ve never met an adult who regretted learning to play an instrument. Instead, time after time I hear from adults who wish they had been given the gift of early musicianship- children soak up new skills like this in a way that adults only dream of! So what is the best time to start our children on a musical journey? In fact, beginning musical learning and music literacy development right at babyhood prepares our child for the most success as they grow.
It’s 4pm, you are trying to get all the things from your to do list done in the last hour of the “work day” while shuttling children back and forth to sports and playdates. Then, you get the call, “what’s for dinner tonight?”. Ahhhhh! This is the thing nightmares are made of. Planning dinner every. single. night. Who else is with me on feeling the burden of this chore?
WAHM/D, SAHM/D, Work out of the home or other?
# of Kids? Ages?
I remember listening to her practicing for gigs in the basement, her voice would fill the house. I remember watching her play shows and perform in musicals, she was and is captivating.
I was simultaneously drawn to singing and annoyed by it. I was in absolute awe of her but a part of me wanted to rebel which I imagine a lot of people can relate to. You look up to your parents but you want to find your own path in the world.
My Mom gave me a guitar when I was a teenager. She started playing when she was 12 years old – it was everything to her and she wanted the same for me. I opened the gift and was disappointed. That was not what I wanted so I ended up selling it to my little cousin. Most likely I spent the money on clothes at the mall. Ugh. I cringe at this memory.
The moment we found out I was pregnant was the moment I knew my life would be complete. I knew you were the missing piece to our family puzzle. You were the last member of our already amazing team and you would be the best friend your sister was searching for. A baby boy was what we needed in our home.
I have to admit, I was terrified to have a second child. I was already past the baby stage with your sister and the thought of starting over was scary. I had finally started sleeping and being able to refocus on myself. I couldn’t possibly imagine loving another child the way I loved your sister. Would I even have love to give you? Also, I was totally clueless about raising a boy! I only had a sister, most of my cousins were girls and I just had so little experience with baby boys. All these fears flooded my mind. What do I do about changing him? What do baby boys even play with? Will I be able to relate to him? How will I be able to raise a son that is brave but kind, a leader with compassion, motivated but tolerant? Perhaps these fears seem so trivial now, but they were very real at the time.
To all the parents who send cards and gift bags to school for my kids on Valentines Day, thank you. I know the time and effort you put into those cards and if you send them, gift bags, take. Pouring over the lists, sitting with your kids making sure they’re spelling the names right, making sure no one was forgotten.
I’m going on a vacation this month…alone, well, not alone, but without my spouse or kids. It’s a week in an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. The type of vacation that you dream of. No cooking, no yelling at (your own) children, margaritas by the pool, real heat and no snow and did I mention, margaritas by the pool.
You’ll look like the cool mom when you serve cookies for breakfast. Just don’t tell the kids they are actually really healthy! The best part about these banana oat breakfast cookies? There are only two steps, one bowl and one spoon needed, AND they freeze really well. It’s basically the unicorn of healthy cookies.
Welcome to a new feature on AlbertaMamas.com! Collectively, one of our big passions is giving back, and we know many of our readers feel the same. So, we’ve created the Charity Spotlight, a place where we will be posting information about Alberta based charities and how to get involved! Up this month, the Edmonton based Weehelp Foundation.