music
I know that bedtime can be a highly stressful time for many families, so I feel a little mean sharing how easy it is with Elena. Occasionally she'll be so overtired and late for bed that she cries miserably, but overall we've established a very peaceful routine. Daddy's already laid claim to bedtime though, so I'll have to give over this special time with Elena to him when he comes home.
Tonight after dinner, Elena had finished her movie choice (Toy Story 2, "the cowboy mommy!") so I decided I deserved a little remote control time. Together we snuggled on the couch and watched the Olympic diving competition, men's springboard. "Ooh, look Elena he's about to flip!" "Clap, mommy!" "Elena, we have to wait and watch him, then clap." "Clap, mommy!" louder & more insistently this time. She was funny and loved to shout "Hooray!" For the record, she also cheers "Hooray!" for herself when she puts her dishes in the sink. I suppose we could call that the home olympic dish diving competition?
So after some diving admiration, we went upstairs for bedtime. Each night, she gets to pick "one book, one time" off the shelf. One week her favorite was "There was an old woman who swallowed a shell" (SPOILER ALERT) a beach themed book about a woman who swallows so many beach items she burps a sand castle! (I took the opportunity that week to encourage "excuse me" after burping!)
This week her favorite is "Jesus Loves the Little Children." This book/cd combination was a gift at a baby shower, and I distinctly remember looking at it, being thankful, but wondering when or how I'd use it. I've always been more a fan of white noise than music for bedtime, but I found I did use the cd for several colicky nights or for keeping myself awake during midnight nursings early on. This year, though, it's been so much encouragement for me when she's pulled the book off the bookshelf and I've sung through the hymns inside. Just as much as I love knowing I'm teaching her about God's goodness (and it warms my heart to hear her sing "God is so good to me"), I love the reminder that "This is my Father's world."
For work next week, we're presenting a Early Explorations Music Literacy workshop for the first time, so I'm trying to tease out ideas. Feel free to share!
Elena in her dirndl is after the cut.
Tonight after dinner, Elena had finished her movie choice (Toy Story 2, "the cowboy mommy!") so I decided I deserved a little remote control time. Together we snuggled on the couch and watched the Olympic diving competition, men's springboard. "Ooh, look Elena he's about to flip!" "Clap, mommy!" "Elena, we have to wait and watch him, then clap." "Clap, mommy!" louder & more insistently this time. She was funny and loved to shout "Hooray!" For the record, she also cheers "Hooray!" for herself when she puts her dishes in the sink. I suppose we could call that the home olympic dish diving competition?
So after some diving admiration, we went upstairs for bedtime. Each night, she gets to pick "one book, one time" off the shelf. One week her favorite was "There was an old woman who swallowed a shell" (SPOILER ALERT) a beach themed book about a woman who swallows so many beach items she burps a sand castle! (I took the opportunity that week to encourage "excuse me" after burping!)
This week her favorite is "Jesus Loves the Little Children." This book/cd combination was a gift at a baby shower, and I distinctly remember looking at it, being thankful, but wondering when or how I'd use it. I've always been more a fan of white noise than music for bedtime, but I found I did use the cd for several colicky nights or for keeping myself awake during midnight nursings early on. This year, though, it's been so much encouragement for me when she's pulled the book off the bookshelf and I've sung through the hymns inside. Just as much as I love knowing I'm teaching her about God's goodness (and it warms my heart to hear her sing "God is so good to me"), I love the reminder that "This is my Father's world."
For work next week, we're presenting a Early Explorations Music Literacy workshop for the first time, so I'm trying to tease out ideas. Feel free to share!
Elena in her dirndl is after the cut.
