There is one restaurant in the Seattle area that resonates with almost every “type” of customer, from the casual lunch, to the eclectic date night, to the business outing – and that’s the Purple Café. Purple Café, owned by Heavy Restaurant Group, has expanded to four Purple Café satellite locations (all located in corresponding Studio3Music studios) of Kirkland, Woodinville, Seattle and Bellevue. In addition to the Purple Café, they added a little spice to the mix and introduced a Mexican cuisine restaurant, Barrio, to the Capitol Hill neighborhood and an Americana fare restaurant, Lot No.3, to downtown Bellevue.

One of my favorite questions to ask our Studio3Music families is where they enjoy a date night in the Greater Seattle area. The Purple Café is continuously referenced and the daydreaming begins as everyone rattles off their favorite menu dish and recommended wine pairing.

• “Basil Pesto Pasta is divine!”
• “The large wood table you can reserve at the Woodinville location. It really sets the mood for a gathering.”
• “The Apple, Walnut, and Stilton Salad!”
• “The way they help you choose just the wine you’re in the mood for.”
• “The salted caramels. Melt in your mouth goodness.”

This year, we proudly partner with the Purple Café and encourage you to visit this savvy, distinctive, rustic-inspired restaurant the next time you are entertaining a date night, a luncheon after a Symphony Serenade concert, or a business meeting. The cuisine, the atmosphere and service are bar-none. The Purple Café, Barrio and Lot No. 3 all exemplify the very best of dining in the Pacific Northwest.

-posted by Miss Kim, a frequent Heavy Restaurant Group patron (always seeking a date night with a hubby and a little chicken marsala).

With its rhythm, expression, emotion and meter, music is poetry without words. Just like poems, music expresses the thoughts and feelings of the composer. In fact, lyrical poems are the form of poetry set to music. (Some of the best at that were Lennon and McCartney.)

A couple of days ago, I asked our Studio3 staff and some good friends of mine from all over North America (who are also musicians) to tell me what their favorite authors were. Were they ever passionate! And prolific in their answers! Which is a great thing.

By far, their number one pick for kids’ poetry was Shel Silverstein. Which was not surprising. This beloved writer has “the official site for kids”, so check it out.

Jack Prelutsky was a new one for me, but I wish I’d found him sooner! He was born in Brooklyn, NY, but lives right here in Washington State. In his bio on the Scholastic website, he says, “I have always enjoyed playing with words, but I had no idea that I would be a writer. There was a time when I couldn’t stand poetry! In grade school, I had a teacher who left me with the impression that poetry was the literary equivalent of liver. I was told that it was good for me, but I wasn’t convinced.”

He also is a musician, and on the audio versions of his anthologies, he sets his poems to music, often singing and playing his guitar.  In 2006, the Poetry Foundation named Prelutsky the inaugural winner of the Children’s Poet Laureate award.

He’s written more than 50 collections. Here’s the name of just a couple to get you started at your library: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep, The Mean Old Hyena, Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant and Other Poems.

One of my favorite poets (when my sense of humor grew slightly more sophisticated) was Ogden Nash. He’s a lover of puns, and witticisms. Take his “Song to Be Sung by the Father of Infant Female Children”, for instance.

Poetry is good for grownups, too! Poetry can help us to slow down, think, appreciate, and express our own emotions more clearly.

Here is a list of favorites I collected (they were often mentioned my multiple people):

ee cummings, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Robert Louis Stevenson, Emily Dickinson, Maya Angelou, Edgar Allan Poe, William Shakespeare, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Lewis Carroll, John Keats, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Naruda, Bob Dylan, John Lennon

Some of Robert Frost’s poetry was set to music by Randall Thompson in a collection called Frostiana. Worth a quick search on YouTube.

Love Poems From God is a translation by Daniel Ladinsky of great saints and mystics from both western and eastern religious traditions.

Ten Poems to Open Your Heart, compiled by Roger Housden.

Heartsongs, by Mattie Stepanek. Mattie was an American poet who had six books of poetry published before he passed away just before he turned 14. All six books reached The New York Times bestsellers list. He suffered from a rare form of muscular dystrophy, and all three of his siblings also died from the disease. He started writing poetry at the age of three when his older brother died. My friend said his poems always warm her heart with his innocence and belief in humanity.

Not sure where to start? Pick something new. Poems are generally shorter than novels, so it won’t take you long to decide if you like a particular poet. (And you’re not in high school AP English anymore – you get to read strictly for enjoyment!) Someone suggested the website www.poemhunter.com. When you choose a specific poem, the site suggests others you may enjoy as well.

-posted by Miss Analiisa, who suggests to go kiss your mate, and then have some fun with poetry today. She leaves you with this short ditty from Odgen Nash – “God in His wisdom made the fly, and then forgot to tell us why.”

For 10 hours a day, Suzanne Tidwell  of Sammamish knits. Sweater for trees. It’s otherwise known a “Guerilla Crochet”. Whatever you call it, the yarn stripes add much-welcomed color to our Pacific Northwest grey spring days.

Here’s the story that Evening Magazine did about Ms. Tidwell, her knitting machine, and penchant for this beautiful art form. And thanks to Werona A., Studio3 mommy, for sending us the pictures!

Clusters of Geeks began meeting in homes to celebrate an age-old practice that humans for thousands of years have enjoyed – games. The type any techie neophyte or old school Nerd would applaud.

If you feel your inner-Geek resonating with the power of the not-so-dark side, here are a few recommendations from the Austrian game industry, a must for any who pride themselves in Geekdom. To be acknowledged by any in the Gamer Brotherhood (where you get a +5 speech craft for bragging rights), your game closet should include a game with an Austrian Game of the Year Award noted from the official Wiener Spiele Akademie (Austrian Game Academy), which is similar to our Academy Awards (no joke).

Here are a few academy winners from Wiener Spiele Akademie (you might be surprised by a few that are familiar):

Spiele des Jahres (“Game of the Year”)

1995 – Settlers of Catan

2001 – Carcassonne

2004 – Ticket to Ride

2009 – Dominion

The Academy also has winners for family games, children’s games, multi-player games, two-player games…games for wizards, games for elves, games for space cowboys, games for those who like to wear capes simply because capes are cool (hey, don’t knock LARPers, where would Renaissance Fairs and Highland Games be without them!…Nerds, you’ll have to use your apps to find out what a LARPer is, teehee!). There are also games awarded by the Golden Geek Award and other various academy spin-offs which you can search and review at Board Game Geeks.

Most “Game of the Year” award winners are great for elementary age children as well. The family of Geeks who live in a neighborhood far far away, have 7 and 9 year old boys who are Padawan gamers one day hoping to belong to the Jedi Knights of the Gamer Brotherhood, like their mommy and daddy. Their favorite right now is Carcassonne followed closely by Dominion.

Other note worthy games celebrated in the Gamer Brotherhood include:

“Munchkin”, a fabulous game poking fun at Dungeon and Dragon based RPG’s (and the only way you’ll get to wear Boots of Kick-Ass and get away with it); “Forbidden Island”, where players work together to retrieve artifacts before an island sinks into the abyss (go Indiana Jones style Team Spirit!); “Citidels” a layered game where each round players are secretively a thief, assassin, the king, architect and other characters all using their skills to build the biggest city (get the expansion and play the king and your friends will have to say “Your Excellency” when addressing you or forfeit their turn); and “Pandemic”, another cooperative style game where players try to eradicate disease from claiming all of mankind (hmmm….was this inspired by Stephen King’s “The Stand”?).

-posted by Miss Jesikah, who would like to thank The Academy for bringing the Glory Days of Geek Gaming back to her home. Do you have Spiele des Jahres games in your closet?

Here’s the next batch of favorite things to consider:

Cloth Diaper Blankies
My most helpful children’s item EVER is the cloth diaper – but not for their usual use!!!  Use cloth diapers with your baby from day one – as a burp cloth, then as a blanket.  Every time I picked up my babies, I threw one over my shoulder.  They smelled and felt familiar and safe to the baby.  I put one under their head at night, spread flat.  When we got in the car seat, it went next to their head.  My three year old daughter still uses them as a “lovie.”  When they wear out, I can buy a 12 pack and no one knows the difference (as long as you buy the same thickness of diaper.  My kids always shunned the few thick cloth diapers we had in the pile.  The thinner the more snuggly.)   When they wear out, they become the best dust cloths ever.  And they spark happy memories for the older kids.  “Was that my blankie when I was a baby?”  Smile.

Agave Wash Cloth
My favorite thing is my agave wash cloth, described here:  Flower Valley Ayate Hand-Woven Natural Agave Washcloth restores and stimulates skin to invigorating freshness. Ayate Washcloth is an excellent exfoliator for beautiful skin, and better than a loofa because it is long-lasting, quick drying, and resists mold. (Super important here in Seattle!) When soaked in water, the natural fibers expand and the weave tightens like magic. The Ayate Washcloth is also useful in the kitchen as an efficient mar-free utility cloth. The Ayate Washcloth is hand-woven from agave (century plant) and imported from Mexico.

Pretty cheap too! You can order online here.

Tea Tree Oil
I have just been thinking how much I love tea tree oil.  I use it for many things.  It is a great disinfectant.  I put just a few drops in a spray bottle with some water and use it to clean surfaces in the kitchen and bath.  I also use it on the cruddy scalp that my kids sometimes get.  Helps with athlete’s foot too.

Burt’s Bees Shea Butter Hand Repair Cream with Cocoa Butter and Sesame Oil
Because I travel so much, I buy it in an airline carry-on approved diminutive size of 0.5 oz.  Love it!

Both Tea Tree Oil and Burt’s Bees products are available at most drug and grocery stores or can be ordered online.

Good Earth Original Sweet and Spicy Tea and Herb Blend Tea
My husband and I drink the Good Earth Original Sweet and Spicy Tea and Herb Blend Tea ALL winter and summer long!! It is our favorite beverage hot or cold. It has a zip flavor so you don’t have to add any sugar and you can get in caffeinated or non. Good Earth Teas are available at most grocery stores.

-posted by Donna Detweiler, who is interested in hearing what your favorite products are:  email me at dvdetweiler@gmail.com

I began to think about this as I turned on the electric mattress pad that my husband bought me this fall.  I LOVE my mattress warmer. Every night when I know that bedtime is imminent, I flip the dial on to a cozy “3” and crawl in a while later. Ahhhhhh.  I’m not sure if this is good or bad, but I have spent more time in bed than ever. That warmer draws me to the sack each evening long before crawling between cold sheets ever crossed my mind. Were it to short out, I would likely get another one pronto!

And so I got curious–what products would you sorely miss if you could no longer buy them? What item would you immediately replace if it were to break? What brands or nifty devices or would you prefer NOT to live without?  For what products would you gladly do a commercial?

I asked some friends, and these are a few of their favorite things (sorry, I couldn’t resist):

Electric Tea Kettle: “My friend gave me an electric water kettle for Christmas last year. I think I use it every day!”

BioKleen: “I use a cleaner called BioKleen. It’s totally natural and safe (so okay for the kids to use), but it cleans as well as anything else I’ve used. It cleans stainless steel brilliantly. It smells like grapefruit and orange. Best of all, I buy bottles of concentrate for about $6 each and one bottle lasts me almost a year. (I put one small squirt in a spray bottle filled with water.)” http://biokleenhome.com/

Infusium 23:  “Before my friend told me about this leave-in hair conditioner, my hair was a static electricity afro after I used my alcohol-based mousse and hair spray. It was so annoying!  Infusium added the moisture and kept static electricity at a minimum.  I use this every day on my freshly washed hair, and sometimes again when it’s dry and frizzy.”

M.A.C. Cosmetics: “My favorite make-up is MAC; it’s a little more expensive than drugstore brands but it lasts all day and doesn’t slide, by the end of the day, into the small facial lines (pre-wrinkles) to make me look older.”

Costco Kirkland Signature brands: “I am buying Costco’s Kirkland Signature brands more and more these days, whether it is body wash or cleaning products or electronics or food. The stuff is top quality for the price and the food is almost always organic. I do 90% of my shopping there now.”

Birkenstock Sandals: “My favorite product is my Birkenstock sandals, which I’ve worn since I was 5 months pregnant with my son. I don’t like any other shoes now.”

Catsup:  “It’s good on everything!” (This from my son’s friend who piped in when I was talking about this blog.)

I’m on the lookout now for products that people love. As I get more responses, I’ll tell you about them.

I’ve included information below that will help you find the items above.

Heated Mattress Pad:  http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?SKU=116762

Electric kettle:  http://www.amazon.com/Aroma-AWK-115S-X-Press-2-Liter-Cordless/dp/B000KDVTJI/ref=sr_1_1?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1328158423&sr=1-1

Biokleen: http://biokleenhome.com

Infusium 23:  Available at most grocery and drug stores.

MAC Cosmetics:  http://www.maccosmetics.com. Also available at Macy’s department store and Costco.

-posted by Donna Detweiler, who is aware that the downside of favorite products is that we can get into ruts—so I’m going to keep trying new things too.

And then I wondered why I waited so long. I love being able to access email and internet anywhere(thanks to my phone). Netflix is great for the kids on long roadtrips, Angry Birds is a whole lot better on a larger screen.I’m auditing a Latin class, and I never lose my notes, now, cause they are not on paper anymore.

I love the apps for my kids. My sports minded son had no problem learn those pesky 11′s and 12′s multiplication facts with Baseball Math. And we love Jellybean Tunes. But hands down, our favorite is Where’s My Water? (It’s all about physics and logical thinking), created by Disney.

The creators of Jellybean Tunes have a a blog called Moms with Apps, that promotes quality apps for kids and families.

So, tell me, what are your favorite apps – either grownup or kid-friendly? Leave me a note. I’d love to know.

-posted by Miss Analiisa, who still loves her Samsung Galaxy ANDROID phone, and has no plans to trade it in for an iPhone.

Kate swinging Up, Up, Up, Up and Down, Down, Down, Down

Every parent does it. Every parent to some extent brags, compliments and shares in the excitement of his or her child. I do it. I do it ALL the time. I am so proud of my girls. I think they are genius children and that they really could do no wrong. I sing my child’s praises to friends, family and acquaintances.

In fact, I am about to do it now. My youngest daughter, Kate, has been in the Kindermusik program since two months of infancy. We started her in Family Time, then in Village and now she is a thriving Our Timer. I watched as her progression over the past two years finally came to a head just this last week. I had Kate flying through the air on my legs when I thought – I should do this to the Our Time vocal warmup – Up, Up, Up, Up, Up, Up, Up, Up like a rocket ship… and Down, Down, Down, Down, Down, Down, Down, Down like a shooting star. (I know you just sang this scale exercise as you read that).  It’s addictive and the kids LOVE it.

I introduced this concept of using our scale warmup as a gross motor activity and by the second go-round Kate was singing it by herself.  The next day she was playing play-doh when I overheard her taking the compound containers and stacking them as she sang her scales up and down. My husband whispered, ‘She really is starting to connect things’! He was right. Kate has mastered her scales and she is applying them without my guidance. How proud am I?! Extremely. I want to scream from the mountaintop that my two-year old is a Kindermusik prodigy (though I know this is still just the beginning of her Kindermusik education).

Knowing that parents bask in the little glories of their children, we, as your Studio3Music teachers, want to hear about these milestones whether big or little, whether you deem them inconsequential or bigger than the 2012 Presidential election – tell us! We encourage our Studio3Music community of families to share these tidbits with us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/studio3music.

All geniuses dress this way...

We love our kids, your kids and our community of loving parents. Each child is so different and special in his and her own way, and finding the joy in one another’s growth is only part of the full Kindermusik experience.

My personal next step: getting Kate on video singing her scales. This precious little toddler voice will be gone before I know it. Plus, when she’s 18 and on her first date (yes, she’s not dating ‘til 18) we will remind her that she is every bit as precious to us now as she was when she was two singing her scales wearing only her diaper.

-posted by Miss Kim, who is proud of her children and her Studio3Music Kindermusik community.

Our homework on day one was to make a list of our blessings.  There were dozens of questions by the other participants- “what do you define as a blessing?  How many should we write down, should they be professional or personal? Will we have to read them to the class? Is there a minimum requirement?  Will we be graded?”  They seemed quite overwhelmed by the task.

I came back in the morning with a legal sized piece of paper, covered front to back.  The rest of them, the questioners, came back with a sticky note, or a grocery list piece of paper with a couple of things jotted down.  One gal had written her blessings on the back of a receipt from the grocery store- she’d stopped for milk on the way home, so it was a short receipt, and a very short list of blessings.  I immediately felt embarrassed…  and wondered if I had somehow missed the point of the assignment.  But no- I had heard correctly- I was sure of it.  I was, and still am, a diligent student, and have always done my very best with assignments- what’s the point in doing it if you’re not going to do it well?

When it came time to turn in our lists the instructor seemed non-plussed by the tiny little lists, and I felt even more embarrassed by my tome.  I turned it in, and she immediately picked it up off the table and looked at me- I was horrified.  I was sure I had done something wrong.  And then she smiled… glanced down at my list, read a little bit and then asked me if I would read it to the class… if she hadn’t smiled I would have said no, but her smile was joyful and her eyes sparked when she asked me to read it out loud, so I agreed.

Here are some of the things I put on that list:

God, family, friends, and friends I love so well they’ve become like family, music, a sister who is my best friend, a brother who is my best friend, my mom, also my best friend, my dad- yep- my best friend, Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, The Beatles and the B-52′s, soft fuzzy sweaters, feather pillows, snicker doodles, and steak cooked to a perfect barely medium rare, good movies and popcorn with lots of butter, friends to enjoy the movie with, to hold my hand and dry my tears when sorrow was on my doorstep, cozy furniture and books- good books, picture books, fat books and skinny books so long as the had characters I loved, and mostly happy endings. The list went on and on…

When I got done reading my list, at that seminar almost 25 years ago, I looked up and most of the women were crying.  One of them actually said that she felt all those things were her blessings too – how come she didn’t think of them when she made her list, the other women nodded their heads.  The instructor said that was the point of the activity, to find the good things in our lives, every last one of them, big and small, important and trivial and to be mindful of them each and every day.

So I count my blessings often because if you stay focused on the best things in life, the not so wonderful things will be easier to tackle.

Happy Thanksgiving- and kiss your little blessings for me.

-posted by Miss, Allison, who says that she was the only one who got a 100% in the Power of Positive Thinking seminar. And a cash bonus!

I love doing the different dances and movement activities we regularly have in class each week.  Participating in open movement activities is great.  I love seeing the varied and creative ways grown-ups and children find to dance to music, and of course, scarves and streamers always help.

But, one of my favorite things is group dances.  Some are fairly simple circle dances and are easier to pick up; others are more complicated and take a few weeks before they really begin to click.  This process is greatly helped when we dance as one cohesive group.

I never require that everyone hold hands when we dance in a circle, but I always encourage it, because, that way we truly dance as a group.  This is important for several reasons.  First, it is much easier to learn and participate in dancing when we have someone else to do it with. Not only do we see each other around the circle, but we can feel each other as well.  We help each other dance by picking up on the collective visual and physical cues of the other bodies around us, which helps us to communicate better.

What is more, being better communicators leads us to another one of my favorite benefits; when we dance together we create community.  It is my belief that group dancing is one of the fastest and best ways to create a safe and nurturing community in my classes.

Sometimes when I undertake to introduce a new dance to a class, I wonder what the outcome will be.  Will I explain it well enough? Will everyone get it? Will they like it? Usually by the time everything is said and done, all my concerns have flow out the window.  We all get up, we all might feel a little silly or vulnerable at first, but quickly realize that we can and will do something wonderful together, and in this place it is ok to be silly and vulnerable.

I see the confidence and courage of both children and adults take a steady climb upward when they feel the comfort and security created by dancing together.  We know in that moment as we see the smiling faces of those we are dancing with all around us that we are doing this thing together as a team.  It only works if we all work together to make it happen, which results in such a feeling of delight, accomplishment, and solidarity. Even if there are a few bumps and hiccups along the way it doesn’t matter, because hey, we did this thing together and it is glorious!

-posted by Miss Meresa, who thinks the world would be a happier more peaceful place if we all danced together.