Mama Loves: Kiddie Music!

When our girls were infants, I remember being so desperate for “awake time” ideas.  There are only so.many.books. that one human can read.

And then I had the bright idea that I didn’t have to read to the girls every waking moment…I could sing!

I ordered a couple of children’s CDs online, and this SusieTallman collection of childhood standards quickly became our favorite.   

I played it at some point almost every day…the three of us sitting on the bed, me moving the girls’ arms and legs in time to the music, occasionally trying to feign “Itsy Bitsy Spider” movements with their itsy-bitsy hands.  Most of the songs I knew, but a handful were new to all of us.

As the girls got older, we moved away from time spent on the bed, looking at each other for hours on end…but we continued to listen to our CDs.  Particularly as the girls really got into sign language, around 14 months or so, we had lots of fun signing words in the various songs.

For the girls’ second birthday, a very sweet friend gifted us copies of some of her kiddos’ favorite music.  She did the same for their third birthday, including a compilation of Laurie Berkner songs.  Those have truly been some of the best gifts we’ve ever received…the girls have SO enjoyed all the new tunes.

At any given time, in the CD changer in the den, we usually have a couple of kiddie CDs, some classical or big band music, and a couple of Mommy’s picks.  I think it’s a well-balanced mix, one we can all enjoy.

And for a long period of time, I kept the Susie Tallman CD in the car.  We wouldn’t be out of the driveway most days before the girls were requesting a particular song.  For a long time, it was “B-I-N-G-O!”  I wonder if the neighbors thought we teaching the girls to gamble early with the fervent calls for “BINGO!!!” they must have heard on a regular basis.

For no particular reason, we hadn’t listened to the Susie Tallman CD in a few months.

We were on a trip to the zoo last week, and the girls were starting to get a bit antsy, though we still had another 30 minutes in the car.  I motioned to Daddy to load the Susie Tallman CD, promising the girls a special treat for the end of our drive.

I couldn’t see their faces in their car seats, but I’ll bet they were pretty priceless.  At the very first train whistle (the opening of the first song, “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”), the girls squealed with delight.

They sang almost every single word to every single song…and so did Daddy and I.  The remainder of our trip was made super easy by the reappearance of a long, lost “friend”…one who has been with us through spit-up and sitting up, walking and signing, and now singing and dancing.

I'm linking up with Julia at Pontifications of a Twin Mom today for her awesome series, "Mama Loves".  This mama loves some kiddie music...particularly those great gems that are pleasant enough for the whole family to enjoy (at least in moderation!).