Groove Kid Nation - Music in Motion CD {Review}

Little Guy cannot stand kiddie music. You know, those cutesy nursery rhyme songs? I tried many fine times to play some of those popular children's CD's (I think you know the brand name I'm referring to?) and he became a different kid. He'd throw his toys, get crabby, and turn into a little monster. On the other hand, he has always been soothed by "grown-up" music (especially John Lennon!) So, when I had a chance to review Groove Kid Nation's Music in Motion, I really didn't know what to expect...

He loved it! The music sounds grown-up, but the lyrics are easy to understand and it's fun to sing along with the Kool Katz band. We don't listen to a lot of soul music around here, but we will from now on - Little Guy is always a happy camper when I play the kids' songs on his Music in Motion CD.

And, while he's being entertained, he's learning, too! The songs really bring the instruments and rhythm of the music to the forefront. Children are invited to dance, nod their heads, and even play air guitar along with the songs - all of which Little Guy enjoys. The CD also comes with a pretty cool little 10-page book. Each illustration features one of the songs on the album and highlights one of the members of the Kool Katz band along with the instrument they play. For instance, on Little Guy's favorite songs is "Fast and Slow". The song features the flute and children must lay down when the flute plays slowly, get up and run around when it plays fast, and stop when the back-up music plays and the flute stops. And so, the corresponding page for "Fast and Slow" in the book features Jasmine on Flute:

Other than being a CD filled with very cool and groovy, Music in Motion does something else: 10% of the wholesale price of the CD goes to CARE, an organization that fights global poverty.

You can listen to the songs and order your own copy of Groove Kid Nation's Music in Motion, and their first album, The Wheels on the Bus, on their Web site, at Amazon MP3, and iTunes. Also, if you sign up for their newsletter, you will receive FREE STUFF: an MP3 of the Itsy Bitsy Spider from the "Wheels on the Bus" CD, an MP3 of Funky Chicken from the "Music in Motion" CD, 2 Coloring Book downloads of the characters from both CDs, and an eclectic EP of their son's heartbeat and acoustic piano. You can also find Groove Kid Nation on Facebook. I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Shout! {Music in the Park}

Tweet

This is only about 1/3 of the crowd that showed up!

Remember how I started writing regular posts about our Music in the Park outdoor concerts? (Yeah, I should never try to do things like this - I almost never complete them!) Anyway, the one concert that I look forward to most took place a week and a half ago! My family knows that it is mandatory to attend this concert and no one ever makes excuses to skip out.

MANDATORY! Guess who the most enthusiastic one was...

Who was playing, you ask? It was a Beatles tribute band called Shout! (if you're ever in Michigan, check to see if these guys are playing near you.) Little Guy's favorite DVD all summer has been Yellow Submarine (I swear, we sometimes have it playing 2-3 times a day. I hate to admit this, but I'm kinda getting sick of it!) Oh, and ever since he was just a few days old, we've used a CD I made of John Lennon's slower songs to put him to sleep every night. Just seeing that kid's face when he saw the group on stage was worth going down to the park. He was actually star-struck!

Little Guy's Musical hero - John Lennon!

Shout! played three sets - each with different costumes. The first was the Fab Four black suits and Beatles haircuts, the second was the Sergeant Pepper's outfits, and finally (this was new) they came out dressed as the Beatles were on the cover of Abby Road - Paul was even barefoot!

Needless to say, we all ended up having an amazing time. Little Guy even got into the fun by repeatedly requesting "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" at the top of his lungs between songs. They even played one of my favorites - Rain. There's one line at the end of that song that is recorded backward on the track. They got it perfectly! Oh, and I have to brag - I managed to impress both my sons when I showed them I knew all the words to "I Am the Walrus" (goo-goo-ga-joob!)

By the time the group was through, we were all thoroughly exhausted. It was a hot and humid night and, with the crowd that was there, the little bit of breeze we had wasn't noticeable. Unfortunately, we had to stay a little longer than expected. You see, as I was packing up our stuff, I looked around and saw a ton of trash laying everywhere. I couldn't believe the mess that was left behind. It's not as if there were no trash cans - they were everywhere! So, much to the kids' dismay, we stayed and cleaned up the best we could. I know the park has workers that would come the next day, but I just couldn't leave it like that. The park is on the river, which leads to Lake Erie. We were expecting rain and wind overnight, so I could just imagine how much of the mess would be blow away. Anyway, we did our good deed and even managed to make a few bucks - cans and bottles are worth $0.10 each when you recycle them in Michigan!

Not cool... I'm very disappointed in the people who live in our community.

Stay tuned - This weekend we will be attending the yearly River Raisin Jazz Festival and Fine Arts Fair!!! Three days of music and art! I can't wait...

Did I Just See ELVIS?! {Music in the Park #2}

Tweet
So, last week was a huge disappointment in the Music in the Park department. As we walked to the park, I watched the skies with trepidation. They were cloudy when we left the house to go see the Saline Fiddlers, a teen group of string-instumrnt-playing virtuosos. Ten minutes later, when we were about half-way there, the clouds turned black and the temperature dropped a good 15 degrees. We turned around and went home. Nothing like being 20 minutes away from home without shelter and on foot - with a toddler!

But, last night made up for it. The weather was beautiful! It was 80 degrees out, a little humid, and a nice 10 MPH wind blowing to keep everything good and comfortable. I mad a yummy picnic with Little Guy consisting of fruit salad and veggie sandwiches earlier in the afternoon. Hubby was actually excited to go (usually, he goes, but lets me know it's because I'm making him - ugh!)  Our walk there was fun, and Little Guy even managed to let us take breaks to enjoy the river!

The park was filled! Everyone and their brother showed up! (See the little spot Hubby staked out for us in the foreground, on the right? The guy in the brown shirt!)

When we got there, Elvis was already revved up and gyrating! Did you know we have our very own Elvis in residence? Here's a good story: Elvis' daughter is the same age as my oldest. When he first started school (second grade), he came home one day cheezed off at me and his dad. "YOU SAID ELVIS WAS DEAD! YOU LIED TO ME! HE CAME TO SCHOOL TODAY AND PICKED UP A_____! HE'S NOT DEAD!!!" Little did we know, but "Elvis" lived less than a block away from our own home. It took a LOT of explaining to my then 6 year-old about impersonators and tributes!




Now, I'm not really an Elvis fan, but this guy is GREAT! His real name is Sherman Arnold and he really does get the crowd going. Who doesn't like a nice rendition of "Love Me Tender" once in a while, right? The females (and a few males!) in the audience had their "knickers twitchin'", as my friend, Tiny Temper, would say. He didn't stay up on stage, where it was safe, he was in the audience, singing to women, young and old, nearly the entire length of his set. Little guy just wasn't sure what to make of it, but, apparently, rockabilly isn't on his list of favorite music!

Gotta love the irony of the "Do Not Enter" sign and Hubby actually trying to get Little Guy not to enter!

Rather than dancing, he was busy making new friends on the playground. now, I have to mention that, until last night, he never really played with the other kids. He played alongside them. So, he crossed a "developmental milestone" as he played with his new friends! He played tag - both as "It" and as the "Target", he played catch, he raced, he even helped someone who had been pushed down by an older kid. That last one needs some work - he tried to "help" his friend by beating up on the bully - a little girl who was about 7. (Hey, she was a brat and deserved it, but Little Guy, at 2.5, was no match!) I am glad I was close and was able to direct his attention to the hurt kid and how to be empathetic and helpful, rather than retaliatory!

 Now, the second act of the evening was one I had been looking forward to since I first saw them on the calendar, way back when there was still snow on the ground: THE BLUES BROTHERS! OK, I have to tell you, my dad loves The Blues Brothers - my entire childhood was filled with quotes from the movie, watching the movie, singing the songs... you get the picture. I mean, even now, he dresses up with a friend of his and shows up a parties to do the act. Not for money - for fun. The car chase scene in the movie is one that, as soon as VCR's came out and we had one, my brother played over and over.

When the music started, Little Guy ditched his new friends and made his way toward the stage... mesmerized and bopping his little butt t the beat! Yep, he's definitely got the gene! And these guys were good. They didn't have a back-up band, so the music was all pre-recorded with scenes from the movie dubbed in. Little Guy was shocked (and a little proud, I hope) that his mama knew ALL the words to ALL the movie lines and ALL the songs! He especially loved "Rawhide" because he has a special dance of his own that we call the "Roll-It" - in the style of The Hustle. This was the first year that these guys have played our little community outdoor concerts. I sure hope they come back next year!

These guys had some fantastic choreography and dance moves.

Hubby "enjoying" the music!

First Outdoor Concert of the Year! {Music in the Park #1}

Tweet
Last night was the first concert at St. Mary's Park in our town. Every Thursday, throughout the rest of the summer, there will be live concerts featuring different genres of music. On the list this year are fiddlers, acoustic guitarists, blues, and lots of impersonators: Rod Stewart, Elvis, The Blues Brothers, and (my personal favorite) The Beatles!

Last night, as a kick-off, there was a DJ playing oldies. The 50's and 60's oldies, not stuff from the 80's which has somehow gained the label of being "oldies", too, making me feel... well, old. We're talking about Fats Domino, The Beach Boys, Sha Na Na... you know, great dancing music! Unfortunately, the first half hour was rain-filled. It was just one big cloud, and the sun was still shining down on us. Quite a few people packed up and headed home, but we stuck it out. Those of us who weren't afraid of a little rain were rewarded with a nice rainbow and a beautiful scene of downtown,afterward:

 
The DJ was located at the tennis courts, making for a great place to dance. Little Guy loved it and was amazed by all of the people who were all doing the same dance (the Twist, for example.) He really got into it and had a blast - even got me (a huge introvert) to dance with him! At one point, everyone cleared out of the way and gave him his own little circle to dance in, with cheers and applause for him when he was through! How cool is THAT?!


**The really good photo of him doing his "moves" was, of course, "server rejected". Thanks, Blogger!





In addition to the music, there were a few classic cars on display and even a few artists, caturing the evening's activities on canvas. The cars, though only a handful, were really nice to look at. I'm proud to say that Little Guy knew the make and model of just about all of them. And it was fun for us to watch an artist painting the dancers! Little guy just loves painting (his medium of choice for its messy qualities!) and I was happy to show him what people can do with a set of paints and some brushes. I wonder if he'll try to apply what he saw to his next painting...

And, finally, there's the playground. I have been taking him to this playground nearly daily to get him ready for the tons of kids who will be running wild during the concerts. He's not all that steady yet and, when older kids get into games of tag, he could easily get pushed right off of the raised platform. So, I've been teaching him to hold on to the railings and to just get familiar with the slides and other components. Since a lot of people left early, it was a good day for him to get acclimated to having more kids around. There were only about 15 kids, rather than the usual 50+ that will be there next week!

When it was time to go home, sticking it out through the rain was, once again, rewarded. There were lots of puddles to splash in and we had a beautiful sunset to end our fun!

"No! Stay out of the puddle... please?!"

Roger Daltrey Was in My Kitchen!!!

Tweet
Did I ever tell you that I was born an entire generation too late?  If my birth date were just twenty years earlier, I'd have had the pleasure of seeing and hearing all of my favorite rock bands LIVE. But, then, I'd probably be living in England right now because, after selling everything I owned to get myself on a rowboat across the Atlantic, I'd have been too broke to ever get back this way. Anyway... I guess what I'm saying is I LOVE British rock from the 60's and 70's: Pink Floyd, The Beatles (Lennon!), Jethro Tull, King Crimson, Traffic, The Animals, The Yardbirds (Jeff Beck!), Moody Blues, Led Zeppelin, and, of course, The Who. (No, I don't take psychedelics!) Not only is the music spectacular, these guys (well, most of them) were HOT. [Disclaimer: Please notice the "were" part in the previous sentence. I once had the pleasure of waiting on Robert Plant when I waited tables in L.A. and he looked... um, melted!]

So, it's amazing, really.
Here I am, getting out the stuff to make brownies when this offer of help comes from out of the blue. The voice went right through me, the smile was heart-stopping. Oh, and I can't forget about that wild, unruly, and curly blond hair. And those dancing, electric-blue eyes! What could I say? "No, you sit down and have something to drink. I can do this myself." Uh-uh!
 

OK, so maybe it really wasn't Roger Daltrey. Maybe I got mixed up. But, in my defense, they are doing a LOT with plastic surgery and wrinkle creams nowadays.

 We've been calling Little Guy's interesting hair style "The Roger" lately. I have this desire to cut a little bit off just so his curls will be curly again. Right now it's kind of weird: straight on the very top, wavy on the sides, and he has the cutest Shirley Temple ringlets in the back - you can pull on them and they boing right back into place! I'm just afraid that I'll screw it up and my cute little guy will end up with a "respectable" Republican hair cut (no offense to any Republicans out there who I am pretty sure aren't reading THIS blog.) We'll see what happens...

*** I need to thank Two Classy Chics' Blog for hosting the giveaway for a That's My Shirt gift certificate that bought Little Guy's totally awesome The Who - Magic Bus shirt! And, no, no one paid me or gave me anything to say that. I just thought I'd be nice and mention these fine folks for giving me free stuff in exchange for liking and following them all over the Internet.

Are you wearing green??

HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

Get yourself in the mood with a nice Irish Jig or two! The first song is one my dad always played on his tin whistle! Brings back lots of good memories!!

The Juno Co. Has TWO Great Promotions Going On Right Now!

First, on the Juno Baby Facebook Page, they are doing a giveaway everyday. The prizes vary from CDs to DVDs. And I won a Juno doll today! Here's what you have to do: Go to their Facebook page each day and after they open the contest that day, write a few lyrics based on the letter of the day. Tomorrow they will be up to letter "L" and each day they will move to the next letter until they get to "Z". The idea is to make sure you name someone special to you. Here are a few of the winners' from earlier in the alphabet:

Excitement throughout my day, 

watching my child's Education grow in Every way. 

My daughters sing and dance to JUNO Every day, 

it Enriches my life with watching her smile, 

sometime it stretches Even a mile, 

it never stops unless she forgets her friends. 

Thanks.... JUNO,MURPHY,INDIE,AND BUNNY 

I won't forget BUZZ because that would not be funny..

~ Jason S. 

________________________________________________________________________

D is for Daddy, who calls out each night
"Dance party in Levi's room!", where we turn out the light.
Then dance in the dark to music with a beat,
Waving flashlights and glow worms while moving our feet.

~ April B.

__________________________________________________________________________

J...is for Justin, 

who jumps, jiggles, and jives.
He's always on his toes... 

he makes us feel alive!

~ MINE!!!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The second promotion is a chance to get 60% off your order!!! Here's how to get your discount:

OH NO! Indie has lost his Teddy! But you can Join and help Indie's Great Teddy Bear Hunt by going to the JunoCompany site and finding Indie's Teddy. The REWARD is up to 60% off. Bring Teddy back home please. Look on all the pages cause you never know where Teddy is hiding!

This is to go with their Juno Baby DVD, "Indie's Great Teddy Bear Hunt". I had a great time looking for the bear with Little Guy's help. We got to check out the entire site, see what products they have available, learn about those who work at the company, the founding of the company... Hey, did you know they have free printable coloring pages?! I do now! For each bear you find, you'll get 10% off, so you can stop looking after one, two, three, etc. bears depending on the time you have and how much you want to save. I can't wait to get a new Juno Baby DVD for Little Guy (oh, and my oldest like Juno, too! He's always putting in our "Way to Go, Juno" DVD whenever he's watching the little one.)