Sunday Funny: Cutesy Cat Massage

Singsongy Saturday: This Must Be The Place

Such pretty lyrics. And Shawn Colvin's girly version (of the Talking Heads original) is even more prettified. Take a listen:

This Must Be The Place mp3, the Shawn Colvin cover version, (via Cover Lay Down.)

Home is where I want to be
Pick me up and turn me round
I feel numb, born with a weak heart
I guess I must be having fun
The less we say about it the better
Make it up as we go along
Feet on the ground, head in the sky
It's okay, I know nothing's wrong, nothing

Hey, I got plenty of time
Hey, you got light in your eyes
And you're standing here beside me
Out of the passing of time
Never for money, always for love
Cover up and say goodnight, say goodnight

Home is where I want to be
But I guess I'm already there
I come home, she lifted up her wings
I guess that this must be the place
I can't tell one from another
Did I find you, or you find me?
There was a time before we were born
If someone asks, this where I'll be,

Hey, we drift in and out
Hey, sing into my mouth
Out of all those kinds of people
You got a face with a view
I am just an animal looking for a home
Share the same space for a minute or two
And you'll love me until my heart stops
Love me 'til I'm dead
Eyes that light up, eyes look through

Cover up the blank spots
Hit me on the head

Say Goodnight

Whimsical Leafy Clothespin Forest Fairies

"Fairies are invisible and inaudible like angels. But their magic sparkles in nature." ~Lynn Holland

These little leafy ladies make supersweet giftlets. They're lottsa fun for dramatic play, and can be easily transformed into tree ornaments, garlands, or even cake toppers. These are easy enough for older kids to make on their own, while littler (less skillsy-fingered) kidlets can help with the design (which is a great opportunity to discuss colors, textures, sizes, shapes, and concepts like "same," and "different.")

Here's What You Need:

Clothespins (the oldfashionedy, round-topped-peg kind)

Markers

Four Leaves (from the craft store)

Adhesive (glue gun for adults, tacky glue for kids)

Here's What You Do:

1. Draw a face on the round-top, and shoes at the bottom clip area.

2. Draw a shirt (a heart shape works nicely.)

3. Choose two small matching leaves for the skirt, two larger matching leaves for wings.

4. Glue the skirt leaves on (one on the front, one on the back.)

5. Glue the wings on the back (one on the left, one on the right.)

6. Let dry.

7. Imagine, Pretend, Repeat..

"If we opened our minds to enjoyment, we might find tranquil pleasures spread about us on every side. We might live with the angels that visit us on every sunbeam, and sit with the fairies who wait on every flower. "~Samuel Smiles

EEBOO Educational Naturey Kidlet Games

EEBOO makes my very favorite games for kids: they're fun, brainy-but-simple, and have beautiful, colorful graphics. They also make really lovely illustrated counting and alphabet wall cards. Take a peek at the website to see for yourself :)

Piglets as Teachers: Three Empathetic Animal-Themed Children's Movies

These are some of my veryveryfavorite movies that encourage thoughtfulness towards animals. For some reason, they all star piglets. I don't know, maybe I just like pigs...

Please bear in mind that they may not be appropriate for your individual child, depending on that child's age and sensitivity-level. Even as an adult, animaly movies always seem to leave me in a search for my box of Puffs Plus... :)


* Babe: A sweet, charming, and funny movie about a piglet who herds sheep. Themes: loyalty, friendship, family, creativity, kindness, forgiveness, teamwork, courage, faith, following your inner voice, the silliness of stereotypes.

* Babe, Pig in the City: This wonderful sequel follows Babe's adventures with new animal friends in the city. Same themes as before, although this movie also touches lightly on sensitive ethical topics like animal experimentation and neglect.





* Charlotte's Web: I like both the animated 1970s one, and the more recent actory version. Themes: friendship, family, creativity, courage, following your inner-voice, life cycles, literacy, cause and effect.

A Child's Inner Voice: Three Easy Ways to Encourage Artistic Musical Expression

Research shows that children who are actively involved in music:
*Play better with others
*Have higher self-esteem
*Are better able to control their bodies
*Are better able to focus
*Do better in reading and math when they start school

Kids who grow up singing songs, listening to music, and moving to the beat are immersed in what experts call "a rich sensory environment." Researchers believe this exposure forges more neural connections (pathways between the cells in their brains.) These are three easy ways to encourage your kidlet's artistic musical expression:


1. Give children the opportunity to listen to all different sorts of music (not just the "kids stuff.") Classical, country, big band, classic rock, ska, folk, reggae, latin, gospel, the blues... if given the exposure, children will often form their own astonishingly specific and unique preferences early on. As long as the music isn't over-stimulating, and as long as it's language and topic-appropriate, "grown up" music can be a wonderful addition to the Yo Gabba Gabba and Raffi collection.


2. Have simple instruments on hand for children to casually experiment with (like maracas, bells, tambourines, and rhythm sticks.) Let children feel and manipulate the tools on their own, allowing them to create sounds with out any specific instruction.


3. Play Copy Cat Echo Beats. Drum out an easy three-sound pattern on your lap, (or by clapping your hands, clacking your tongue, or using a simple instrument), and ask your children to copy it.

Play Copy Cat Dancing by listening to music and dancing. Have children imitate your dance moves. Vary the tempo and rhythms. To show descending and ascending pitches, you can use scarves (scarves go up when going up the scale, they go down when lowering; scarves move fast when the music speeds up, they move slowly when it slows down.)



HBO Family has a wonderful special called The Music in Me which is reairing this month. It's great for kids and parents to watch together, and encourages children to follow their inner voice. In the stories told in the documentary, that means music, but the message can easily be applied to whatever resonates with your own child, be it painting, science, sports, or storytelling. Kids can do incredible things! Here's two excerpts:

FREE! Alphabet Animals Preschool Prints

Visit Kind Over Matter to download this pretty 8" x 10" print in your favorite of six snazzy colors ...so cute, and ready for easypeasy framing!

Birdsy Beautification

I'm just gaga over artist Mae Chevrette, and her pretty creations. Right now she's donating 100% of proceeds generated from the bird print above to the Mass Audubon Society. Here's more of her wonderful work:

Sunday Funny: Territory Marking

2010 Belmont Shore Bulldog Beauty Pageant

Ohmeohmy, almost nothing's cuter than a baby bulldog puppy. Get your fill of both pretty pups and handsomey oldtimers at next weekend's event: Sunday, Feb. 28 at 10am. This year, it's near the pond and grassy area of The Long Beach Marketplace (at the corner of 2nd St. & PCH, over by Claim Jumper/Trader Joes and whatnot.) In addition to Bulldogs, there will also be awards for Frenchies, Pugs, and Any-Breed-Seniors.

Visit Haute Dogs for more info.

Singsongy Saturday: Take On Me

In honor of this weekend's Reggae Festival, here's A-Ha, done sleepy-pretty reggae style:

Silly Face Friday

In the course of a week, I got three emails with a photo of this silly-faced puppy attached. I don't know who she belongs to, but she sure is cute...

Cats: All You Need to Know in Less than Two Minutes...

Oh, this mini cartoon is hillarious. If you love cats, you'll love it. If you don't love cats, you'll also love it...

Sweet, Funny Farm Friends

Aren't these two of the cutest little mugs you've ever seen? Hear all about Jubel and Sweetheart's story of friendship over at the always-delightful Farm and Fru Fru.

Quickie Cutification: Foodsy Squeeze Bottle Preschool Paints

Wanna get your kidlets giggling during art time? Start keeping your red, white, and yellow paints in emptied-out-and-cleaned, squeeze-style ketchup, mayo and mustard condiment bottles... Good, silly fun :)

Weirdo Music Cuties

Remember these guys? Here they are again with another beachy music video...

Valentinesy Tunes: Dream a Little Dream

The song itself is a classic: simple & pretty music, simple & pretty lyrics... and how can anyone on the planet not adore a Zooey Deschanel rendition of, well, anything? Happy Valentine's Day!




...Stars shining bright above you
Night breezes seem to whisper "I love you"
Birds singing in the sycamore tree...
"Dream a little dream of me"...

Valentinesy Tunes: Happy XOXO Playlist

Music and holidays just belong together! Here's my current Valentinesy ipod playlist... perfect for playing at parties, or for inspiring your own personal Mix CD giftlet (don't Mix CDs make the bestest last-minute gifts?...)

Valentinesy Tunes: Regina Spektor/ Real Love

Maybe it's because I play the piano. Or my husband plays the piano. But I love the simplicity of just a voice & piano. Music's just good that way, I think. And (sorry Yoko!) but I absolutely prefer Regina's version of this particular song, like 1,000 times more than John Lennon's. Also, may I add that I really love Regina's sparkly flower hair clip?



"All my little plans and schemes,
lost like some forgotten dreams,
seems that all I really was doing
was waiting for you..."

Valentinesy Tunes: Mushaboom

Extracute and sweetsweetsweet :)



"We'll collect the moments one by one..."

FREE! Little Heartbreakers Puffy, Printable, Candy-Filled Valentines

These are so happy and sensory-oriented: superduperperfect for kinesthetic kidlets! Visit MADE for this (and other) brilliant, boy-friendly tutorials :)

FREE! Valentine Looove Coupon Printables

Visit Kind Over Matter for artist Mae Chevrette's tutorial on how to make these fill-in-the-blanksy love coupons (totally free, and complete with printables!)

Valentinesy Tunes: Kina Grannis/ Valentine

You will love Kina Grannis. She does tons of pretty cover songs, and really sweet originals, too. And (BEST PART!), right now, you can download this song for free on her website (yay!)

FREE! Valentine's Day Mix CD Pretty Printables

Just in time, and superdupercute... download these valentine CD pretties at Chronicle Books Blog. Need some tunesy inspiration?... All this week, I'm posting my favorite daily valentinesy tunes picks (and Saturday I'll be posting my full Vday playlist!)

Valentinesy Music: Bohemian Like You

This song feels like a California summer. Upbeat. Catchy stuff. Funny lyrics. Not all lovesy music needs to be slowish and soft, you see...

Valentinesy Tunes: Falling in Love At a Coffee Shop

This song feels like snowflakes. And I love the video: love the joyfully painted nails, love the time freezing, love the awesome anthropologie-inspired wardrobe... it's just 100% lovely...



"I've seen the paths that your eyes wander down, I want to come, too..."

FREE! Valentine's Day Mini Chocolate Candy Bar Wrapper Printables

Visit Nice Package to download these heartsy labels and prettify some yummy Hershey's bite-sized minis...

...Or Design, Wash, Rinse, Repeat for these Hershey's nugget labels (and the boxlet, too!)

Valentinesy Tunes: Wishlist

In honor of Valentine's Day, this week I'll be sharing some of my personal alltimealltime favorite romanticish songs; the ones I unabashedly put on repeat and listen to overandover(andover) like some sort of crazy freak.

The first is Wishlist. The Youtube footage starts off black, but then it gets good because it's supercloseupsy, so you get to see young Eddie singing his incredible lyrics... loveloveLOVE this one... you will too, I promise :)




I wish I was a neutron bomb, for once I could go off
I wish I was a sacrifice but somehow still lived on
I wish I was a sentimental ornament you hung on
The Christmas tree, I wish I was the star that went on top
I wish I was the evidence, I wish I was the grounds
For 50 million hands upraised and open toward the sky

I wish I was a sailor with someone who waited for me
I wish I was as fortunate, as fortunate as me
I wish I was a messenger and all the news was good
I wish I was the full moon shining off a Camaro's hood

I wish I was an alien at home behind the sun
I wish I was the souvenir you kept your house key on
I wish I was the pedal brake that you depended on
I wish I was the verb 'to trust' and never let you down

I wish I was a radio song, the one that you turned up
I wish, I wish, I wish, I wish
I guess it never stops...

Puppy Bowl, Please...

Don't forget to schedule your DVR for the always adorable Puppy Bowl, on Animal Planet today, from 3-5PM. If you like puppies, it's perfect, feel-good background cuteness for when you're doing stuff like bills, lesson plans, dishes, etc.

FREE! Pretty Puppy Valentine Printables

So sweet! Visit Tricia-Rennea to download the canine cuteness!

Family Time Friday

My preschoolers lovelovelove this song... and so do I! Ziggy Marley has always been the awesomest...and, really, how can anyone not love someone named Ziggy?

Anti-Valentine's Day PMS Playlist Mix

This is my go-to PMS Playlist... it's grouchy, grumpy, and MAD (!) in a good-natured and curiously empowering way: Funny fun stuff, and perfectly lovely background music for those who may be going through anti-valentinesy times this year :)

BTW: As you may expect, these songs are mostly not for kidlet ears...

Brainy Dolphin Dinnertime Teamwork

Clever, clever creatures...

Happy Groundhog Day!

FREE Valentine Printables: Fanciful Girly Girl Links List

Print your own set of the whimsical lovelies shown above from A Fanicful Twist.

...or these cozy cocoa girls from Inside A Black Apple.

...or these pastel pretties from Secret Agent Josephine

...or these vintage-feel flowery classics from Ruffled and Two Brunettes...