MMM - December 2014

Like some many grand plans I have, and then never follow through on, I was soooo going to blog about my monthly Maya mix CDs. And now it’s September and I’m planning Maya’s 6th birthday CD, and I’ve written how many posts? One.

M'kay, well, let’s make this two.

The good news is, I did manage to make a new 10-song CD for the girls every month since November (save for the month of June, when Maya spent most of the month at her grandparents). And slowly, I’ve converted her into a fan of some non-Disney-related songs.

Here’s the December 2014 mix:

Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Maya had previously shown some interest in this song after watching Mom and Dad's full Wayne’s World reenactment. And despite the nearly 6-minute length, this song continued to hold her attention after multiple listens. Her favorite line? “So you think you can stone me and spit in my eye?” Parents of the year, over here.

Happy (from Despicable Me 2) – Pharrell Williams
She already loved this song before I put it on the CD, so that was an easy win. Plus, I must admit I love it, too. So catchy!

Blackbird – The Beatles
My continual attempts to get the kiddos to like The Beatles. Once again, not all that interested. Maya mentioned that her teachers play this song during naptime at school, so I’m probably not winning any brownie points with any song associated with sleep.

Twelve Days of Christmas – John Denver & The Muppets
I immediately regretted putting this song on this CD. It got annoying and repetitive after about two plays. Fortunately, Maya agreed and didn’t really want to listen to this one much.

New – Paul McCartney
As previously mentioned, I have Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 to thank for the girls interest in this song. Whatever it takes.

(I’m Your) Hoochie Coohie Man – Muddy Waters
For my two little born-and-bred Chicagoans, I thought it was only appropriate to begin indoctrinating them into the blues culture. Maya, bless her, pretended to like this to humor Chris and me, but I know she’s not really a fan. But I hold out hope she’ll come around someday.

Daughter – Louden Wainwright III
Children under the age of, say 30, are in full ego, center-of-the-universe mode. It's not their fault; that's just part of growing up. And I'm not above using that to my advantage to get my kids to like different kinds of music. So this song was a hit simply because Maya feels like it's about her.

When I See An Elephant Fly - Jim Carmichael, Cliff Edwards & Hall Johnson Choir (Dumbo soundtrack)
Disney movie. Easy win. I like this song because of the grammatical puns in it ("I've heard a diamond ring, I've seen a front porch swing"). I think it's long overdue for a modern, and perhaps less offensive, makeover, don't you? I could totally see Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros covering this, right?! Or Billy Corgan.

Christmas Time Is Here - Vince Guaraldi (A Charlie Brown Christmas)
This is one of my favorite Christmas songs. Hearing it immediately makes me think of watching snow fall on a quiet, dark night, sitting at my parent's fireplace. All of which is a very strange thing to think about when it's 90 degrees out in early September. but back in December, it made sense of course. Maya liked it, although she really hasn't seen much Charlie Brown. We'll have to fix that this year.

Ravenswood Run 5K: Race No. 10

Amazing what a difference a day makes. The Race to Wrigley and Ravenswood Run was my first set of back-to-back races. Saturday’s Race to Wrigley was cold, rainy and, for me, slow. Sunday’s Ravenswood Run was crisp, sunny, and my fastest 5K to date.

This was also the first race of the year both girls participated in – not the full 5K, but shorter kids dashes.

And they were all about it.

This is always one of my favorite races of the year because it’s in my neighborhood, the weather is generally great for running, and it’s relatively small — small enough that I spotted my neighbor Rahm on the sidelines cheering on the runners with his family this year. Yes, that Rahm.


Race Summary

Race name: Ravenswood Run 5K
2015 Challenge Race No.: 10
Location: Ravenswood, Chicago, IL
Organizers/Sponsor: Fleet Feet Chicago
Beneficiary: Ravenswood Community Services Food Pantry and the Student Health Centers at Lake View and Amundsen high schools.
Cost: $29
Distance: 3.1 miles
Best parts of the race:
- Location
- Size
- Organization
- Easy packet pick-up

Worst part:
- No complaints! Love this race.

Following events:

May:
Tough Mudder, May 9 @ Richmond Hunting Club, Richmond, IL
JPMorgan Corporate Challenge, May 21 @ Grant Park, Chicago, IL
Soldier Field 10 Mile, May 23 @ Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
North Shore Classic Half Marathon & 5K, May 31, Highland Park, IL

MMM - November 2014

I'm starting to plan the Monthly Maya Mix (MMM) for March 2015, so I thought I'd start recapping some of her MMMs to date.

The first 10-song mix I made for Maya was in November. After listening to her 5th birthday CD for a few weeks leading up to her party in late September, then for a few weeks following, I was ready for some new tunes by late October.

By the way, this is a good time for a little PSA: If you're a parent and you encourage your children to like some of your favorite songs, and they actually do like them, hooray! ... Within 3 weeks, you'll hate those same songs. Because no matter how great the tune is, if you listen to it on repeat for weeks on end, it will become the most annoying sound in the world. So, you know, proceed with caution.

Anyway, the November mix incorporated "mommy/daddy" songs Maya had shown an interest in after hearing them on the radio, plus a few songs I knew were sure-fire kids' hits, plus some songs that had some relevance to the time of year or plans we had for the month:

1. Blister In The Sun - Violent Femmes
This is one Maya has heard me sing along to on the radio, and due to my over-animated sing-alongs, became a quick favorite. The songs gets really quiet, then very loud, à la "Shout." What could be more exciting for a five year old!?

That said, when the same five-year-old sings, "I'm so strung out. I'm high as a kite; I just might stop to check you out," in public, cue the parental embarrassment.

2. How You Like Me Now - The Heavy
I thought this might be upbeat and repetitive enough for preschooler enjoyment, but no dice. Maya's not a fan.

3. Behind Blue Eyes - The Who
By and large, Maya likes any song that include lyrics about blue eyes (because she has blue eyes) or blonde hair (because she had blonde hair). What she doesn't know is that I've secretly been attempting to make her a fan of The Who since Superbowl 2010. This plan has been somewhat successful, although for this particular song, she only likes the first 2 minutes and 19 seconds. So in other words, the boring part. Once it gets good, she loses interest.

4. Touch the Sky - Julie Fowlis (from the "Brave" soundtrack)
This is my favorite of the recent Disney movies, so Maya pretends to likes this song for that reason. Otherwise, I don't think it's her favorite.

5. Changes - David Bowie
Another excellent song I can attribute to the Shrek franchise. A cover of this plays during one scene of Shrek 2, and that's enough to capture Maya's attention. Thank you, DreamWorks!

6. Nasty Dan - Johnny Cash
I gotta give props to Melinda for introducing this gem to our repertoire, back when Maya was born. We're now fans of the whole Johnny Cash Children's Album.

7. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da - The Beatles
My first of many attempts to get the girls to like The Beatles. I mean, c'mon, it was the theme song to "Life Goes On." What's not to like!? Apparently all of it, say the girls.

8. When the World - Lea Michele (from the "Legends of Oz" soundtrack)
A cartoon sequel to "The Wizard of Oz" came out a while back starring Lea Michele of "Glee" fame. I actually always liked Lea Michele, so I gave this cartoon a chance on Red Box one night. The verdict: It's one of the worst movies ever made. I honestly could not watch this movie from beginning to end without getting up and pacing angrily around the house for the Wizard-of-Oz blasphemy taking place before me. For a sample of this horror, let me offer this clip from the movie:



If you couldn't sit through that clip (and I don't blame you) let me give you the abbreviated version: a soldier made out of marshmallows brings his miniature porcelain doll love interest back to life by removing parts of his marshmallow body, melting them in a fire, and using those melted body parts to glue her broken body back together.

OK, first of all? Ew. And second of all? Eeeeewwwww.

Still, I'm a parent. And like most parents, I'm a pushover and will do things that go against all my moral fibers just to see my children smile. So I put a different song from this movie on Maya's November mix to make her happy. And it did, immensely. What can I say? I'm a big meltable, marshmallow softie at heart.

9. Oh My Sweet Carolina - Ryan Adams
Every year, we head to North Carolina to visit my in-laws for Thanksgiving, so I thought this was an appropriate choice for Maya's November mix. I suspected this song might be too slow and quiet for her tastes, which was a correct assumption. But at least I tried.

10. Mexico Lindo (Pretty Mexico) - Nati Cano's Mariachi Los Camperos
In November, we started talking to the girls about our upcoming January trip to Mexico. So in an attempt to get Maya in the Mayan spirit, I added some mariachi to the mix. She was mildly intrigued, but mostly chose to skip this tune. Once again, at least I tried.

You can also listen to the mix here.

Baby Maker

A little belated, but thought I'd post the video I made for Chris' 5th Father's Day here.

Side note: I've wanted to set this song, "Promise," by Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, to music for years. It's the best.

Bringing Potty Back

Oh my, it's been a while.

Since my last post, I've shaved my head, given birth, and started a second blog. But apparently, none of those events were eventful enough for me to start blogging again.

So what's brought me out of my slumber? Toilets.

While on maternity leave, I've had a little time to dig out those negatives, convert them to digital files and upload them to Picasa. I've actually had time to do a few little household projects, too, and even leave the house everyday. I'm not sure if this baby (a girl named Jane, by the way) is easier than Maya, or if I've just mastered doing multiple tasks while holding an infant, but I managed to accomplish much more than I anticipated this time around. But I'll get to all that less-important stuff in another post.

For today, we have an unknown bar in London, featuring an old-fashioned toilet with an elevated water tank — you know, the kind you'd find in an Italian restaurant with a gun hidden behind:

London, England

Next week, we'll head to mainland Europe. Or I'll get busy and not blog for 8 months. You never know.