Goodbye to 2007 and Hello to 2008!

2007 was a year that will be long remembered in my family for many reasons, both good and bad.  I end 2007 here on my blog with this video, hoping that it will bless you as it did me, that it will be an omen of days filled with laughter and love in 2008. 

Happy New Year  to you and your family! 

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXXm696UbKY]

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Boogie Woogie Santa Claus

I love this song!  For your listening pleasure, here’s Boogie Woogie Santa Claus.  Enjoy!

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMYQ4Cp7SAk]

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The 12 Days of Christmas

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8]

Enjoy!

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What Christmas is All About……………..

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn10FF-FQfs]

Thank you, Charles Schulz!

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A Holiday Favorite – “Scrooge”

One of my very favorite videos to watch at this time of year is “Scrooge,” the musical version of “A Christmas Carol,” which starred Albert Finney.  It’s hard to say which scene is the best, but I’ve always especially enjoyed this one – “Christmas is for children young and old.”  Enjoy!

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iubVXHFHdo]

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WAM 4 Kids 4 Christmas – S.T.O.M.P version

One of the many musical hats that I wear is that of Children’s Choirs Coordinator at Zion Baptist Church in Covington, Georgia.  The Children’s Choirs, otherwise known as the Joyful Noise (preschool) and S.T.O.M.P. (grades 1 – 5) meet on Sunday afternoons at 4:45PM each week, beginning usually in mid-August after school starts. 

This year, due to various church activities which required some cancellations of our time slot, our choir year didn’t even begin until September 16th.  Our choir rehearsal schedule was often interrupted.  In October we missed one week due to Fall Break for Newton and Rockdale School Systems, who both use a balanced schedule.  In November, the Thanksgiving Celebration by the Adult Choir and Orchestra on November 18th meant that almost all of our teachers, including myself, were involved that Sunday afternoon preparing for the service that night, and our class didn’t get to meet that week, either.  

To catch up and give us additional rehearsals, at the beginning of November, I asked the children to come in not only 15 minutes earlier on Sunday afternoons (4:30 instead of 4:45), but also Wednesday afternoons at 5:30 before AWANA began at 6:00. 

This meant giving up precious play-time and hanging-out time with friends between dinner and AWANA on Wednesday nights and coming in earlier on Sunday afternoons – prime play time.  It meant that moms and dads had to make a special effort to get home from work on Wednesdays to pick up their child/ren and get them to the church.  I wasn’t sure, at first, how many would be willing to sacrifice any or all of that just to come to choir. 

Well, since most of my blog readers weren’t fortunate enough to be there tonight to hear them and see them in action, I can testify that these children did that and more.  They sang; they signed; they drummed; they danced, jived, and clapped.  They just kept on giving when most adults would have long given up, moaning, groaning, whining, and complaining.  I couldn’t have asked them to do anything any better than they did.  And they did it all with a smile on each face and a song in their hearts.

To their parents, thank you for your faithfulness in bringing the children to practice, for your willingness to put up with shifted schedules, for your patience when we ran late on Sunday afternoons, and especially for listening to us sing the same songs over and over and over again.  You have beautiful, loving children, and I know you know that, but every parent needs to hear that others think that, too.

To “my kids” as I call them, I love each and every one of you, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your wholehearted commitment to the choir and to your dedication to sing praises to the Lord.  You make Sunday afternoons more than worthwhile.  You put a smile on my face and in my heart, too.  

You guys rock!

Hugs to you all from Miss Merri

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So many angels!

Shared on our Kindermusik educators’ forum:

Today in Imagine That, we were doing a bell play-along with three bell jingles to Jingle Bells.  Sarah, age 4, sitting next to me, was looking positively blissful, and I thought she was just enjoying the song like everyone else.

She turns to me with the biggest smile and says “so many angels!”

I asked her what she meant, and she pointed to all of the bells jingling and said “my mama says,’ whenever a bell rings, a new angel gets its wings!’ “

So many angels, indeed…

Thank you, Wendy Jones, for sharing this beautiful moment with us!

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Need a cool gift idea? Bilibos!

Still looking for a special something for your child to find under the Christmas tree or in his stocking?   Don’t forget that we have bilibos available for purchase in our studio. 

Children find all kinds of ingenious ways to use the bilibo, and the good news is that it’s virtually indestructible!  Being made in Switzerland, it meets all European toy safety requirements.  Check out the different ways the children enjoyed bilibos in class. 

       

    

       

     

We also have the beloved red Kindermusik egg shakers, rhythm sticks, and Jingle Bell Jam Christmas CD’s available for Santa to hide in your child’s stocking.  Just email and let me know what you need.  Imagine your child’s delight in finding any of these under the tree or in his or her stocking!

 

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Phe-*NOM*-i-nal!

Usually, when I hear an musical artist in concert, I will say afterwards that I enjoyed listening to them play.  Once in a while, I run across someone that I not only enjoy listening to them perform, but I also enjoy watching them create musical magic.  This is one of those rare times.  For your listening and viewing pleasure – Hiromi Uehara performing “The Tom and Jerry Show.”  Enjoy!

[Youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0ERlIvwhAU]

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Dear Santa, it’s me, Mom.

Christmas 2007

 

Dear Santa,

I’ve been a good mom all year.

I’ve fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited their doctor’s office more than my own doctor’s, and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground.

I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son’s red crayon, on the back of a receipt, in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I’ll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

• I’d like a pair of legs that don’t ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don’t hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.
• I’d also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.
• If you’re hauling big ticket items this year, I’d like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn’t broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.
• On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, “Yes, Mommy” to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don’t fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.
• I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting “Don’t eat in the living room” and “Take your hands off your brother”, because my voice seems to be just out of my children’s hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.
• If it’s too late to find any of these products, I’d settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a styrofoam container. 

If you don’t mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season.

Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely.

It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back.

Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in to dry off so you don’t catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table but don’t eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,

Mom

P.S. One more thing …you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

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