A Few of My Favorite Things
I went to story time with my kids last week and the theme was favorite things. While they talked about favorite foods and colors and animals, it got me thinking about my favorites and what really makes me happy. So pretend you just opened up your favorite magazine, of which I am of course the editor-in-chief, and here is my list of favorite things I think you should check out.
1. Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights. A few years ago I was teaching my co-op preschool kids about the zoo and I got a CD out of the library called What A Zoo by Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights. I liked it so much that I brought it on a road trip with us and miracle of miracles, my husband liked it too. Here's why: She considers herself a rock star and even though she's singing songs for kids, they sound like real music. They are catchy tunes and clever lyrics and fun to sing along to, whether you are a kid or adult. I'm wondering if I should be ashamed to admit this or not but I really do love her songs and the only reason I haven't listened to them without my kids around is because it is such a rare occurance. I even went to her concert in Virginia this summer and totally embarrassed my children, and perhaps myself a bit, by my enthusiasm. It is just so refreshing to have appropriate, fun, and interesting music to listen to with my kids. She has a wonderful voice and I just love her originality. Some of my very favorite songs are Bandwagon, I Love NY, Falling, UFO, Froggy Went a Courtin', My Butterfly and Happy as a Clam. (These are off of her Good Egg, What a Zoo and Bandwagon CDs.). Here is the link to her website: Joanie Leeds
2. Cutco knives. Just yesterday I had a friend's daughter come over to give me her sales pitch on Cutco. I did it as a favor to a friend because I already own Cutco knives, but as I was listening it just reaffirmed what an incredible wedding gift this was from my mother. I love, love, love my knives. My mother always used them so I didn't even realize there were people in this world using other knives until I went to college and I was so strange to me. There are lots of things to love about these knives. First, they're sharp and they work well. They don't age because of whatever fancy material they are made of and there is a lifetime guarantee so all you have to do is send them in whenever they get dull (the only cost is $9 for return shipping) and they come back sharpened or even totally replaced. I've had my knives for almost 14 years and they still look and feel brand new. Actually, one of them is because I sent them in this past summer and one of them was replaced. The are easy to clean, can handle the dishwasher (mine have been washed thousands of times and you'd never know it like you might with knives that have wooden handles) and while they are expensive to purchase, it is totally worth the investment. Seriously! They will be the last knives you ever purchase. I love mine so much and I'm confused when people use anything else. If you want to help out my friend's daughter and purchase some, let me know. It will be totally worth it.
3. TCBY. This stands for The Country's Best Yogurt, with which I concur. Mostly because they make white chocolate mousse, which is the most amazing flavor. Mix it with some crushed Oreos and you seriously have a little piece of heaven right in your bowl. They used to blend it together for you and call it a shiver but the TCBY by our house (well, 45 minutes away but totally worth the drive) is a do-it-yourself kind of place so you have to load up on the Oreos and mix it together yourself and it works. The creaminess, the unique and wonderfully not-vanilla-but-not-chocolate mixed with my favorite cookie is just enough to make me close my eyes and go "hmmmmmmmmm" right in public. It is seriously so delicious and better than any other frozen yogurt out there because of its texture and flavor. Find out if you have one close by and do yourself a favor and go get yourself some as soon as possible.
4. La La Land. I saw this movie two weeks ago and I bought the soundtrack right afterwards and the songs are still constantly running through my mind. I find myself humming or singing one of the songs pretty much all day. I love almost everything about this movie. I love Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling and they both are so believable and fun in this movie. I LOVE the music. It is jazzy and upbeat and heartfelt and fun. I love that it is positive and upbeat and all about finding your dreams. I love the dancing and the style in which it was filmed. I'm not in love with the ending and won't spoil it for those that haven't seen it, but let's just say it didn't end up how I was hoping it would. But it is a good story and has fantastic music and it will make you smile.
5. Ballet Caliente. This is the dance studio that my daughter attends and I can't say enough good things about it. I am so in love with the owner's philosophy about dance and the way she approaches teaching it. What I love most is that at the end of the year the little kids perform in a short recital but everyone from about age 9 up performs in an original ballet that the owner creates herself. They are often based on stories, such as Charlotte's Web or Wizard of Oz, but she also writes her own stories too, such as the year it was all about a girl learning American history and every dance was something historical. I love how it teaches them to perform and not just dance on a stage while looking off at the teacher on the side, hoping they do the steps right. It becomes more about the music and telling a story through your dance, which I think is awesome. They have highly qualified teachers and there are only five of them that teach all of the classes, so even little kids get a very experienced teacher. They are extremely professional and have high expectations and produce dancers that are extremely talented and qualified to go on to college programs. I love the focus on classical ballet and only wish that I could have been lucky enough to go to such a studio when I was a kid. They also choose appropriate music for children to dance to, often classical, and the choreography is interesting and uses the stage well, meaning they often move around or go on and off the stage in small groups like professional dancers do instead of just staying in one spot the whole time. It is a fantastic place to learn ballet and I'm so grateful my daughter can have such a good experience learning to dance.
1. Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights. A few years ago I was teaching my co-op preschool kids about the zoo and I got a CD out of the library called What A Zoo by Joanie Leeds and the Nightlights. I liked it so much that I brought it on a road trip with us and miracle of miracles, my husband liked it too. Here's why: She considers herself a rock star and even though she's singing songs for kids, they sound like real music. They are catchy tunes and clever lyrics and fun to sing along to, whether you are a kid or adult. I'm wondering if I should be ashamed to admit this or not but I really do love her songs and the only reason I haven't listened to them without my kids around is because it is such a rare occurance. I even went to her concert in Virginia this summer and totally embarrassed my children, and perhaps myself a bit, by my enthusiasm. It is just so refreshing to have appropriate, fun, and interesting music to listen to with my kids. She has a wonderful voice and I just love her originality. Some of my very favorite songs are Bandwagon, I Love NY, Falling, UFO, Froggy Went a Courtin', My Butterfly and Happy as a Clam. (These are off of her Good Egg, What a Zoo and Bandwagon CDs.). Here is the link to her website: Joanie Leeds
2. Cutco knives. Just yesterday I had a friend's daughter come over to give me her sales pitch on Cutco. I did it as a favor to a friend because I already own Cutco knives, but as I was listening it just reaffirmed what an incredible wedding gift this was from my mother. I love, love, love my knives. My mother always used them so I didn't even realize there were people in this world using other knives until I went to college and I was so strange to me. There are lots of things to love about these knives. First, they're sharp and they work well. They don't age because of whatever fancy material they are made of and there is a lifetime guarantee so all you have to do is send them in whenever they get dull (the only cost is $9 for return shipping) and they come back sharpened or even totally replaced. I've had my knives for almost 14 years and they still look and feel brand new. Actually, one of them is because I sent them in this past summer and one of them was replaced. The are easy to clean, can handle the dishwasher (mine have been washed thousands of times and you'd never know it like you might with knives that have wooden handles) and while they are expensive to purchase, it is totally worth the investment. Seriously! They will be the last knives you ever purchase. I love mine so much and I'm confused when people use anything else. If you want to help out my friend's daughter and purchase some, let me know. It will be totally worth it.
3. TCBY. This stands for The Country's Best Yogurt, with which I concur. Mostly because they make white chocolate mousse, which is the most amazing flavor. Mix it with some crushed Oreos and you seriously have a little piece of heaven right in your bowl. They used to blend it together for you and call it a shiver but the TCBY by our house (well, 45 minutes away but totally worth the drive) is a do-it-yourself kind of place so you have to load up on the Oreos and mix it together yourself and it works. The creaminess, the unique and wonderfully not-vanilla-but-not-chocolate mixed with my favorite cookie is just enough to make me close my eyes and go "hmmmmmmmmm" right in public. It is seriously so delicious and better than any other frozen yogurt out there because of its texture and flavor. Find out if you have one close by and do yourself a favor and go get yourself some as soon as possible.
4. La La Land. I saw this movie two weeks ago and I bought the soundtrack right afterwards and the songs are still constantly running through my mind. I find myself humming or singing one of the songs pretty much all day. I love almost everything about this movie. I love Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling and they both are so believable and fun in this movie. I LOVE the music. It is jazzy and upbeat and heartfelt and fun. I love that it is positive and upbeat and all about finding your dreams. I love the dancing and the style in which it was filmed. I'm not in love with the ending and won't spoil it for those that haven't seen it, but let's just say it didn't end up how I was hoping it would. But it is a good story and has fantastic music and it will make you smile.5. Ballet Caliente. This is the dance studio that my daughter attends and I can't say enough good things about it. I am so in love with the owner's philosophy about dance and the way she approaches teaching it. What I love most is that at the end of the year the little kids perform in a short recital but everyone from about age 9 up performs in an original ballet that the owner creates herself. They are often based on stories, such as Charlotte's Web or Wizard of Oz, but she also writes her own stories too, such as the year it was all about a girl learning American history and every dance was something historical. I love how it teaches them to perform and not just dance on a stage while looking off at the teacher on the side, hoping they do the steps right. It becomes more about the music and telling a story through your dance, which I think is awesome. They have highly qualified teachers and there are only five of them that teach all of the classes, so even little kids get a very experienced teacher. They are extremely professional and have high expectations and produce dancers that are extremely talented and qualified to go on to college programs. I love the focus on classical ballet and only wish that I could have been lucky enough to go to such a studio when I was a kid. They also choose appropriate music for children to dance to, often classical, and the choreography is interesting and uses the stage well, meaning they often move around or go on and off the stage in small groups like professional dancers do instead of just staying in one spot the whole time. It is a fantastic place to learn ballet and I'm so grateful my daughter can have such a good experience learning to dance.
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