Planting tulips today

I planted 24 bulbs today. The weather was gorgeous (sunny and warm) and my boys were sleeping most of the time.

Hopefully they will look like this:
and this:
Here's to hopes of spring beauty!Pin It

Book Review - Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

I finished Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See way back in August while on vacation. It was on the list for my bookclub. Here is a synopsis from Publisher's Weekly:

See's engrossing novel set in remote 19th-century China details the deeply affecting story of lifelong, intimate friends (laotong, or "old sames") Lily and Snow Flower, their imprisonment by rigid codes of conduct for women and their betrayal by pride and love. While granting immediacy to Lily's voice, See (Flower Net) adroitly transmits historical background in graceful prose. Her in-depth research into women's ceremonies and duties in China's rural interior brings fascinating revelations about arranged marriages, women's inferior status in both their natal and married homes, and the Confucian proverbs and myriad superstitions that informed daily life. Beginning with a detailed and heartbreaking description of Lily and her sisters' foot binding ("Only through pain will you have beauty. Only through suffering will you have peace"), the story widens to a vivid portrait of family and village life. Most impressive is See's incorporation of nu shu, a secret written phonetic code among women—here between Lily and Snow Flower—that dates back 1,000 years in the southwestern Hunan province ("My writing is soaked with the tears of my heart,/ An invisible rebellion that no man can see").

What I liked about the book
- learning about life in 19th Century China.

What I didn't like about the book
- the foot binding. A big "ick" factor. I can't believe how long this horrible practice continued in China. Centuries! It reminds me of female circumcision.

I was a bit disappointed in this book. Like I Capture the Castle, I had high expectations of it. I expected to *love* the book but it was just a good read.Pin It

Apparently I'm not working hard enough

Last night it was way past C's bedtime. He was in bed with the lights out but not asleep. He called out for Daddy/Mommy. I went upstairs, talked to him for a while, tucked him in and then he said, "you need to do laundry." I guess he's losing sleep about the laundry backlog.Pin It

Who needs to go to sleep?

Tonight, my son A had already gone to bed and was listening to music. My hubby went in to check on him.

A said "Teddy wants to listen to the music, but he needs to go sleep. I want to listen to the music."

Apparently, Teddy is not getting enough sleep.Pin It

Preschool milestone

A had his very first "show and tell" at preschool today. He brought Teddy with him. Oh how I wish I could've been a fly on the wall for that!

He seems to be loving school. One thing that I'm surprised by is that A has an *increased* need for structure since starting school. I thought that it would be the opposite. In the afternoons he asks me "what can I do now?" "what are we doing after nap?" It's a bit draining. He used to be quite content to find his own activities. I'm not big into structure and planning. I suggested a craft (that I wanted to do) today but he didn't want to do it. Time to make a crazy can, I guess.

p.s. The crazy can idea is from this book.Pin It

I changed my name!

Well, of my blog, that is. I've been unhappy with the name for a long time and today was the day. I asked for suggestions and received many great ones. I decided to go with Dodging Raindrops while holding little hands. Thank you, Jennifer, for the fantastic suggestion!

Welcome to my new blog. Now I just need a fancier background.Pin It

Works for Me Wednesday - backwards edition

Today is Backwards Day at Works-For-Me Wednesday. Instead of sharing a tip that has worked for me, it's time to ask for advice! I couldn't think of any problem to ask about that was simple or straight-forward. :)

Then, I got an idea. I've been thinking of renaming my blog for ages but haven't come up with a catchy title. It seems that all the good ones are taken! So, here's my question, can anyone think of a better blog title? One I thought of yesterday was "Dodging Raindrops" since I live in a very rainy place. I'd love any and all ideas. If you think I *shouldn't* change it, tell me that too. I just think my blog name is too long.

For more advice-giving opportunities, visit Shannon at Rocks in my DryerPin It

Children's book review - Max's Words

I can't remember where I heard about this book but it is a winner with my 4 year old. Max's Words by Kate Banks is about a boy who has 2 older brothers who have collections. One collects stamps and the other coins. Max wants a collection, too. He decides to collect words that he cuts out. He collects enough words to create an exciting story. His brothers are intrigued and eventually give up something from their collections in order to get a word from Max. My son loves to read so this book was right up his alley.Pin It

Book Review - I Capture the Castle

A friend of mine loaned me this book. She recommended it to me, knowing my tendency to enjoy all things British. I also read this book as part of Semicolon's Saturday Review of Books challenge.

I did enjoy the book but not *nearly* as much as I expected. Funny to have high expectations of a book and then be disappointed.

I'm too lazy to write an original review so here is Amazon's plot summary.

Seventeen-year-old Cassandra Mortmain wants to become a writer. Trouble is, she's the daughter of a once-famous author with a severe case of writer's block. Her family--beautiful sister Rose, brooding father James, ethereal stepmother Topaz--is barely scraping by in a crumbling English castle they leased when times were good. Now there's very little furniture, hardly any food, and just a few pages of notebook paper left to write on. Bravely making the best of things, Cassandra gets hold of a journal and begins her literary apprenticeship by refusing to face the facts. She writes, "I have just remarked to Rose that our situation is really rather romantic, two girls in this strange and lonely house. She replied that she saw nothing romantic about being shut up in a crumbling ruin surrounded by a sea of mud."

I read Carrie's review of this book and I have to agree with a lot of what she said. I found it hard to stomach the father's laziness and unwillingness to be a man and support his family. He reads detective novels while they struggle to eat! The poverty at the beginning of the book wasn't romantic in the least.

I enjoyed the witty dialogue and the bear story is very funny. My final comment - read it for fun but don't expect it to rival Jane Austen.Pin It

All things pumpkin

I've been burning these candles from Yankee Candle, drinking Pumpkin Spice lattes from Starbucks and today it was time to make pumpkin bread!

A few years ago I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and tweaked it a bit.

Pumpkin Bread

* 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2/3 cup water
* 3 cups white sugar
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
(optional) 1/2 cup golden raisins
(optional) 1/2 cup brown raisins
(optional) 1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Add raisins. Pour into the prepared pans. Top with walnut pieces (optional).
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.Pin It

In case you didn't already know this....

I am 35% Normal
"You sure do march to your own beat...

But you're so weird, people wonder if it's a beat at all

You think on a totally different wavelength

And it's often a chore to get people to understand you."

How Normal Are You?

I'm playing around with silly quizes when I should go to bed!Pin It

Activities for a boy who doesn't go to school

So, I'm worn out this afternoon. I did errands with C while A was at preschool (which is going just fine, by the way, after that terrible first day). I have tendonitis in both of my elbows and it can flare up if I lift the boys too much like I did this morning. Too many trips in and out of the car and into the stroller.

I think C and I should go back home while A is in school. I found this terrific website thanks to my friend Bo Tai Tai called Toddler Toddler..

This is the activity Bo Tai Tai did with her daughter - and her photo is much better than the one on Toddler Toddler's website.

Its easy to forget about planning fun activities for the second child!Pin It

Max and Ruby.....Ruby and Max

My boys love Max and Ruby. This is my boys' favourite video right now. I enjoy them because they are funny. Max doesn't talk very much. He says "delicious" many times during the lemonade episode. He makes ant and acorn pancakes. I hope C. doesn't get ideas from Max. He is a bit like Max.

The website is pretty fun, too.Pin It

Menu plan Monday

This week we'll be having (in no particular order):

- Meatball Soup

- Turkey chili

- Lentil Barley Vegetable Stew (recipe from Gooseberry Patch)

- Crockpot Chicken Curry and baked Acorn squash

- Creamy Chicken Rigatoni (thanks to Scribbit for the recipe)

Head over to I'm an Organizing Junkie to see a whole bunch of menu plans!Pin It

Free trial of Netflix

I have a coupon for a free month trial of Netflix. If you would like to try out this awesome service, please e mail me so I can forward this coupon to you.Pin It

Hymns, choruses or both?

I found this on Mrs. Wilt's blog tonight. I was laughing out loud.

I'm a fan of both, if you're wondering.Pin It

Summer memory

 

I'm editing and organizing photos tonight and had to share this one.

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Survived the first day of preschool..... barely

My oldest son (4) started preschool today. I actually thought it would go pretty well since we met his teacher yesterday and he seemed "keen." Unfortunately, I was wrong.

The morning quickly deteriorated into a major battle over clothing. He has become very particular about what he will wear and it usually the opposite of what I want. He refused to wear any of the polo shirts I recently bought for him (I'm tired of t shirts.) I gave in on that one but then he freaked out about his pants. I bought him some new brown fall-like pants that have an adjustable waist. The school doesn't want the kids wearing belts since they might need help doing those up after potty trips. Almost all of his jeans require belts so those were out. I wouldn't budge on the pants. He was screaming and crying forever. He said the pants were "too comfy and too soft." Then he said they were scratchy. ?? He cried all the way to school. My hubby went with us since we *thought* it would be a fun milestone to share. Ha! He clung to Daddy like white on rice! We waited until all the other kids had gone into the classroom and then we had to hand him over (physically) to the teacher's assistant. He continued to scream behind the closed door. We could still hear him as we walked down the hallway. I cried on the way home. It seemed like an eternity until pick up time. I was worried that my phone would ring and the school would call and ask me to come pick him up.

On a bright note, my youngest son handled it fine. I wondered if *he* would cry and want to go to school. (There was another little brother doing just that).

When it was time to go in and pick up my son, I stood at the doorway with nervous anticipation. I looked at the teacher with panicky eyes that said "did he do OK?" They said he did fine. I think he loved it. He was proud of the Fruit Loop necklace he brought home and is excited about the Scholastic book catalogue. Is that thing a racket or what?

He even let me take his picture this afternoon with the sign I made that says "First Day of Preschool 2007." A great idea I read in Family Fun magazine.

Oh - A said that he cried until circle time was over. Those poor teachers and kids!

I heard today that the son of a mom at my church reacted pretty much the same way as A did to his first day of preschool. We'll have to chat and commiserate!Pin It

Beach at sunset

 

This is my hubby kissing my little boy's sweet little toes at the beach at sunset. I love the lighting.

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We're going to the zoo, zoo, zoo, how about you, you, you...

Love that Raffi song although I don't think he wrote it. I heard it on Peter, Paul and Mommy which predates Raffi. OK, back to the real subject of this post.

On Friday we went to the zoo with Colette and her kids. It was a beautiful day and I enjoyed that it wasn't very busy since summer is over, well, sort of.

Welcome to the zoo! A loves the zoo map, probably because he can read the names of some of the animals.

My boys feed the giraffes - a fun treat to be that close to such a tall animal.


C enjoyed the "bear cave" where he could hide.

He loved the otter sculpture.

We saw an ostrich close up as well as a peacock.

We also watched the orangutans but getting a good picture of them behind the glass isn't possible.Pin It

Free Kashi snack

Sign up here for either free cookies, free crackers or a free granola bar.

I love Kashi products, especially the TLC crackers which are whole grain and contain no high fructose corn syrup.Pin It

Works for Me - Motts for Tots Juice

I heard about this in a magazine and I knew it was for me.

My boys drink lots of juice. Too much, really. But to minimize the sugar I always dilute it. Usually 50% water, 50% juice. Sometimes more water.

When we are out and about, I carry small cans of juice in the back of my car to fill up their sippy cups. I used to have to also carry water bottles and then do the mixing. Now I can just carry these Motts for Tots juice boxes. *For SAHMmy Says - I buy them at WalMart*

I wish they had more flavours but they are still a great idea.

Now, if I could only get my impish 2 year old to stop pushing that straw through into the juice box!Pin It

How I wasted several hours today

While one son napped and the other played happily with Daddy, I played around with Rhapsody, going down memory lane and creating a playlist of some music. I used to go to Christian rollerskating in the late 70s and early 80s. Yes, its true. These are a few I remember from those days and other CCM favourites from my past.

Click here to listen to My Rhapsody Playlist called "Christian Oldies."

By the way, I'm open to suggestions. If you remember some songs from that era, please let me know. I might add them to the list if I like them.Pin It

What I'm listening to right now

Jars Of Clay's song Worlds Apart
from the album Furthermore - Live

I am the only one to blame for this
Somehow it all ends up the same
Soaring on the wings of selfish pride
I flew too high and like Icarus I collide
With a world I try so hard to leave behind
To rid myself of all but love
to give and die

To turn away and not become
Another nail to pierce the skin of one who loves
more deeply than the oceans,
more abundant than the tear
Of a world embracing every heartache

Can I be the one to sacrifice
Or grip the spear and watch the blood and water flow

To want you - take my world apart
To need you - I am on my knees
To love you - take my world apart
To need you - broken on my knees

All said and done I stand alone
Amongst remains of a life I should not own
It takes all I am to believe
In the mercy that covers me

Did you really have to die for me?
All I am for all you are
Because what I need and what I believe are worlds apart

I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
and wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
More and more I need you now,
I owe you more each passing hour
the battle between grace and pride
I gave up not so long ago
So steal my heart and take the pain
and wash the feet and cleanse my pride
take the selfish, take the weak,
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
the sin-soaked heart and make it yours
take my world all apart
take it now, take it now
and serve the ones that I despise
speak the words I can't deny
watch the world I used to love
fall to dust and thrown away
I look beyond the empty cross
forgetting what my life has cost
so wipe away the crimson stains
and dull the nails that still remain
so steal my heart and take the pain
take the selfish, take the weak
and all the things I cannot hide
take the beauty, take my tears
take my world apart, take my world apart
I pray, I pray, I pray
take my world apart Pin It

Fun contest!

I would love one of these! An HP photosmart printer. It would be so convenient to be able to print my own photos.

Hey I won another drawing at Five Minutes for Mom, so it *is* possible to win! Enter here.Pin It

Wordless Wednesday

Almost all the guests at A's 4th birthday party this past Saturday. Notice the red icing all around C's mouth! That's from the birthday cake.Pin It

Our summer vacation 2007

Warning - long post ahead! Grab a cup of tea/coffee.

This year we went northeast to Winthrop and Lake Chelan. We wanted sun, sun, sun!

Winthrop is a western-themed town. We wanted the boys to ride horses/ponies and we found a place willing to do that for a short ride. Unfortunately, A fell off of his horse! My hubby and I were with C and his horse and the handler was with A. I looked up to see A's horse running off! Pretty scary! We think that A accidentally kicked his horse when he was fiddling with his sandal and the stirrup. He fell onto soft ground and his face was scratched up and his back and hip hurt for several days. It could've been so much worse. Here's C on his horse.

At Lake Chelan we stayed at a wonderful B&B up in the hills, away from the town. It was a log cabin with a pool and a hot tub. The owner had some sheep that the boys got to help feed (although they were too shy to actually feed them). We picked blueberries twice and enjoyed a BBQ supper at a local vineyard twice. If we like something we go back! They had a small jazz group and C loved listening to that. We listened while we waited for our food and then went back to our table. C said "go back to me jazz, Mommy!"

A played miniature golf in both Winthrop and Chelan.
We had a motorboat ride and the boys were uncertain at first. A enjoyed when the boat would go over a wake so the driver went around in circles so that the boat would go over its own wake. A loved that! We did that over and over and over. Guess who slept through almost the whole thing! (That would be C who sucked his thumb and sat happily on my lap as the boat went up and down and round and round).
One downside of Lake Chelan was the smoke from a nearby wildfire. By the third day we could hardly see the other side of the lake. (Hence the photo of the mural!)

After Chelan we went to Wenatchee. I found a great little antique store with terrific prices. I want to go back there! I found a great ring with a pink stone for $14. I'm not sure if its real but I don't care.
In Wenatchee we found a farm/orchard where we could have a private tour and pick some fruit. The owner was so friendly and kind. A really wanted to pick an apple and he was able to even though it was a little early. Floyd the farmer didn't even charge us for the fruit!

We went through Leavenworth on the way back. What a beautiful drive.

The boys did great. A missed a few too many naps and so he got whiny in the afternoons on the last few days.

Here's one more photo:
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Funny video about going to sleep ..... or not

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Menu plan Monday

Well we're back to our regular routine here. It is nice to have some meals at home after eating out so much on our vacation.

Here's what we'll be having this week in no particular order.

- Bratwurst Stew (Taste of Home recipe)

- Spaghetti with homemade meat sauce and veggies

- Kraft recipe for Creamy chicken with spinach and rice

- Meatball and veggie soup

- BBQ Salmon, Orzo and Spinach

- Quinoa Chili


E mail me if you'd like any recipes.Pin It

Mom do I have to stay here?

 

for the whole road trip???


Just kidding.
I'm back from vacation. Too many blogs to read. Too much laundry to do!

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I won something!

I enter lots of contests at Five Minutes for Mom and today I finally won something! Its a Babeebrite night light. I think I'll use it for checking on my little guy in the night or for giving medicine in the night.Pin It

Works for Me - subtitles

OK, so this tip may only work for moms whose kids are crazy about reading like my 3 year old. Yes, he reads. It is pretty amazing. I can't take much credit. He showed so much interest in letters and reading when he was 2.

So, here's my tip. To make kids DVDs just a bit more educational and fun we turn the subtitles on. My son loves it. He doesn't like watching VHS because we can't do this with them. He says "do the words!!!"

As a bonus, seeing the words with the images will help my 2 year old learn to read.

Current favourite DVDs?
- Lady and the Tramp
- Truck Adventures - Fire Truck
- The Wiggles - Top of the Tots

For more great tips, see Shannon's Works for Me Wednesday.Pin It

The power of suggestion and advertising

This is a troubling article since the test was done with kids from age 3 to 5.

Anything in a McDonalds wrapper tastes better.Pin It

Yippeee!

My littlest guy just sat on the po*ty and pe*d! It has been a struggle just to get him to sit still. Maybe I can see the light at the end of the tunnel that is 2 in diapers?Pin It

Who do you look like?

Just for fun I tried this. My friend Leah had it on her site so I had to try it out.

Go here if you want to do it. It has an annoyingly long registration process, however.Pin It

July in photos

We got a new stroller - exciting, eh?

Fun new hat.

Enjoying the pool.

Hangin' at the park

Tunnel at McDonalds

Pancake breakfast at the fire station on July 4th.Pin It

More toys recalled

This time it is Fisher Price. Dangerous levels of lead. Toys made in China - once again.

The details can be found here.

We have at least one of these toys in our house. Off to find it!Pin It

Look what I grew!

 

Me and my giant zucchini.

I'm planning to make carrot zucchini bread. Any other ideas or recipes?

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A meme

What's a meme? I wondered the same thing. I still don't really know the source of the word but in blogging world its a "get to know you" game.

Here's a fun one I found.

4 jobs I have held
1. Waitress
2. Chambermaid
3. Extra in a Japanese movie
4. Census taker
(I only listed the interesting ones!)

4 movies I can watch over and over
1. Pride and Prejudice (the A and E version)
2. The Wedding Singer
3. Enchanted April
4. The Thin Man

4 places I have lived
1. Calgary, Alberta, Canada
2. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
3. Banff, Alberta
4. Seattle, WA

4 TV shows I watch
This is a tough one. I only watch 2!
1. House, MD
2. Monk.

4 places I have been on vacation
1. Victoria, BC
2. Quebec City, Canada
3. Death Valley, California (a beautiful place except in the summer)
4. Prince Edward Island, Canada

4 favourite foods
1. scones (they have to be really, really good)
2. banana strawberry waffles that my hubby makes
3. alder plank grilled salmon
4. fun salads from Central Market's salad bar

4 websites I visit
1. local library
2. Drudge Report
3. Amazon.com
4. Bloglines (gotta read my blogs!)


Oh, and the best part of a meme? You get to "tag" your friends and they have to answer the same question. I tag Bo Tai-tai and Colette.Pin It

Just some thoughts

I'm kind of exhausted today. Dealing with my son's encopresis is hard. I don't want to go into details because its all about the poop. We have to back off of any potty training at this time - doctor's orders. That means a lot of diaper changes and messy ones at that. I *so* want this to be over.

I found this quote today and I like it:

"Remember that children, marriages, and flower gardens reflect the kind of care they get."
- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.Pin It

Winner of my giveaway

Jenn at Full of Boys is the winner. Please e mail me so I can mail the magazine to you!Pin It

I found another trading website.

I've been using SwapaCD and BookMooch happily for a while. Today I decided I have a couple of DVDs that I'd like to trade. I searched around for a free trading site and found Switch Planet. It is for more than DVDs but that's what I'll be using it for.

All of these sites work basically the same way. You list the books/CDs/DVDs that you want to give away and then you make a list of what you'd like - a wish list. Someone requests from you and then you mail something to them.

I sent a CD last week and I received a CD this week. Fun, fun, fun!Pin It

Wordless Wednesday

Purple Haze Lavender Farm - Sequim, WashingtonPin It

Dog days of summer giveaway - WINNER!!!

WE HAVE A WINNER!! I printed out the names and put them in a hat. My son drew a name. Jenn at Full of Boys is our winner! Congratulations! Jenn, please e mail me with your address.


I've decided to join in on the fun. Shannon is hosting the Dog Days of Summer Bloggy Giveaway at Rocks In My Dryer. I'm giving away a copy of the brand-new issue of Scrapbooks etc. (magazine). You can see it here.

If you want to win, just leave a comment, no duplicate entries! I will only ship within the U.S. Just make sure I can find you via your email or blog in case you win and you don't have to be a blogger to win. I'll do the drawing from the comments on Friday, July 27th! So check back sometime then. You can find more awesome blogs that are participating in Rocks In My Dryer's giveaway!Pin It

Ladies who love lavender

I had a mini getaway on the weekend to visit the Sequim Lavender Festival with my friend Colette. We left the kids and hubbies at home.

We enjoyed it very much. One fun thing was seeing how many edible things can be made with lavender. Here's a list:
- lavender ice cream
- lavender lemonade
- lavender margaritas
- lavender vanilla lattes (this is the Seattle area after all!)
- lavender chocolate bars
- lavender tea

There were MANY more but I can't remember them all!

We spent most of our time at Purple Haze Lavender Farm. We cut our own lavender, wandered through the craft booths and enjoyed some food. My hubby and I went 5 or 6 years ago and the crowds were much smaller. I think the word has gotten out! I bought a small lavender plant to add to my garden. It is called Royal Velvet. I had camera issues so I bought some gorgeous prints ready for framing.

It was great to get away for the day. We plan on going back next year and we'll stay longer.


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Music for kids that won't drive me crazy

I've been on the hunt for the last few months to find music to play in the car. We frequently go on outings plus the usual trips to Costco, the grocery store, "war-malt" and the post office. I used to be able to play my favourite - KPLU which plays great jazz during the day. Not for the last year or so!

So, here's a list of CDs we've taken out from the library and a thumbs up or thumbs down for each.

- Veggie Tales - Lullaby Veggie - not good car music! I get sleepy and sometimes the boys get sleepy too which isn't always at the right time! Note: We also have VT Junior's Bedtime Songs and that is A's current favourite bedtime music.
- Veggie Tales - On the Road Again - pretty funny.
- Veggie Tales - O Veggie Where Art Thou. We loved this one. I will admit that I once listened to it when I was in the car without the kids! We got this from the library and then bought our own copy. It has bluegrass gospel songs and the Psalm 23 song sung by Junior Asparagus is the sweetest of all.
- Raffi - Singable Songs for the Very Young - a perennial favourite. I think we'll have to buy this one. Did you know this album came out in 1976??
- Baby Loves Jazz - Go Baby Go! - pretty sophisticated kids music! I had this in the CD player when my parents were visiting and they weren't too fond of it. Jazz versions of Old Macdonald, Wheels on the Bus, etc. C really enjoys it.
- The Wiggles - Top of the Tots - The boys love this one. OK, this is embarrassing but I actually like the sound of Greg's voice. Of course, I do get tired of it fast!
- Ralph's World - Happy Lemons. This was OK. My hubby didn't like it but he doesn't have to listen to kid music as much as I do!
- Nancy Stewart - Oodles of Animals. Nancy is a local musician. We've seen her in small concerts three times! She has great learning songs. I skip "Thinking Cap" because I don't like the new-age-like message. We have her CD Little Songs for Little Me (available here) and it was played in our car all the time when C was a baby. If you are local (and have kids under 7) I highly recommend you go see her at a library near you.
- Dan Zanes - Hello Hello - this isn't your average kids music. It is folk style. A liked it, especially since it came with a book with the lyrics and fun pictures. I'd like to try some other DZ music.
- Hap Palmer - I was introduced to his music at story time at the library. We checked out So Big and Classic Nursery Rhymes. He has a very soothing voice. Best for toddlers and maybe a preschooler who isn't too sophisticated. Favourites are Five Little Monkeys and Teddy Bear Playtime.
- Peter, Paul and Mary "Peter, Paul and Mommy" - My boys didn't like this one. Again, a bit too sleepy for the car.
- Sharon, Lois and Bram - One Elephant Went Out to Play - we liked this one. It like that it is Canadian.

Other CDs we have in the car:
- Wee Sing Bible Songs
- Cedarmont Kids - we have about 6 of their CDs!
- Raffi - Baby Beluga - this is the CD that has been played the most of our collection.

What music do you listen to in the car?Pin It