I recently experienced an incredibly difficult and frustrating situation while flying out of Philadelphia on an American Airline Flight. To say it was frustrating is rather an understatement. More specifically I felt abused and discriminated against. My family of four, including 2 small children ages 4 and 1 1/2, was …
When you hear “Clean Up Time” you probably think of picking up toys. Well today we actually mean “Cleaning Time” as in grabbing the broom and mop! One of my one and half year old’s favorite things to do is clean. Literally. He will walk around the house with the …
Spring is here and we are loving it! We have been sweeping away the cobwebs from the porch and giving it new life. With new plants and a little imagination we have been creating indoor and outdoor miniature gardens. Its an evolving process and continues to change daily. In our …
As spring has arrived we have been more and more excited to get outside and explore. Even on rainy days, which we have a lot of here in the PNW, we gear up and head outside. Honestly there is something so calming about taking a walk in the rain. Everything …
When and how to start layering music into your child’s daily rhythm Many parents would like to include music in their child’s daily rhythm but are not sure when or how to do so. Here are a few insights I’d like to offer you based off of common questions …
Xylophone Fun Christmas Edition During my teaching I found a need to create a curriculum for my students to teach them basic music reading skills. Most of my little students were learning to identify and match colors and letters. They were also learning basic reading skills. I found that my …
Apple Picking Our family loves apple picking in the fall. We found an amazing apple orchard north of Seattle that has rows and rows of apple trees, with many varieties to choose from. Last year was our first year going and my oldest son’s first time picking apples. While our …
Kids do not need fancy toys. Give them a box and they are happy for hours. I love how imaginative and creative kids can be with just a stick and some dirt, or a large cardboard box. One of the best things about shopping at Ikea is the great big …
My three year old can spell his name, and his brother’s name. Amazing, I know. I’m amazed! Its actually quite simple however, because I taught him through a song. A very simple song. When I was designing Lucas’ room I decided to make a wall hanging of his name in …
My husband and I have been married for five years and we have two small children, ages 16 months and 3 1/2 years. We both grew up camping with our families and knew that we would want to start camping as a family as soon as we were ready. …
One of our favorite family activities is going blueberry picking. We discovered the many u-pick farms around our area last summer and were immediately hooked. We pick strawberries in June and blueberries in July and August here. Our favorite farm is a local one called Mountainview Blueberry Farm. We each …
I’ve never been a fan of germs. I tend to wash my hands often and am a bit of a germophobe. However I have always enjoyed the outdoors and actually love gardening. Digging in the dirt with my hands. I’m not a fan of the bugs I come across …
My boys and I have been learning how to incorporate worship into our daily rhythms. At our church we are in a series called “Playlist” where we are going through the book of Psalms and learning how to worship. This series has been incredible! (Find the series here.) …
Did you know there are many different ways to use our Xylophone Fun Curriculum (eBooks)? We will be sharing suggestions of different ways to use this great resource. To begin with I thought I’d share with you the different instruments that you can use this curriculum with. Of course I …
Babies and toddlers have lots of toys and as a parent or teacher you are constantly bombarded with new toys to purchase or gift. If your baby or toddler tends to love music (what baby doesn’t) you probably considered purchasing some small instruments for him for his music making and …
