Studio3Music Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Miss Anna’

Apr
14

Dreaming for Your Child

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family, parenting

When do you start having hopes and dreams for your children? I know that a lot of women (and men) will answer this question by saying “from the moment we conceived”.  But I have to answer this question with kind of a shoulder shrug. I can honestly say that up until about a month ago, I had no dreams for my little guy (he’s almost 8 months). Of course I have the big ones, like I hope he’s polite and gentlemanly and I just know he’s going to be cute! But I’m talking about discovering talents and how are they going to be creative and what kind of person are they going to be.

I was sitting in a class of Jr. Highers when I started thinking about dreams. An adult couple had brought in some examples of things they meant a lot to them. One was made by one of his sons who was about 11 years old. This particular item was a little figurine that was made out of household stuff; pipe cleaners, toilet paper rolls, googly eyeballs, felt and a hot glue gun. The figurine was skating on a skateboard and had shoes and hair and everything. I was totally impressed!

I could tell that a lot of man-hours had been put into this craft.  After getting over the initial awe, there were two things that struck me most. First, it was how the dad was talking about his son. He was so proud of what his son created by himself, with just time and things around the house.  It was really neat to see this dad speak aloud what made him proud!

The second thing that hit my core was how the son (who was in the group), was excited to share his creation with his peers.  He was not embarrassed in the least to show off his piece of work.

I grew up with a lot of shame in me. I was often embarrassed about what I was good at or not good at. I never had a problem with standing up in front of a ton of people and singing a solo, but put me in a small group and I was mortified by what people would think of me. I’m a people pleaser and that sometimes gets the best of me. It’s only been in recent years I will ‘own’ who I am. I’m learning to not be ashamed of what my interests are and I am free to share that with people instead of keeping it in.

So, how does this relate to dreams? Well, knowing where I have come from, I know that I want my son to be proud of who he is. Watching this 11 year old be so proud of what he created is what I want my son to have.  Putting myself as a peer to this 11 year old, I would have totally thought that he was weird; as an adult, this is what I so admire about this kid! He stuck to his guns when sharing his creation amongst his peers and had no shame or embarrassment about what he’d done. There was an innocence that surrounded him. THIS is what I want for my son!

It wasn’t until this meeting that I really started dreaming for Miles. Whether it is music, art, math, or science, it’s going to be from him and it’s going to be great! I am so excited to see what he will become and I know that I will be a proud mama when he shares with the world who he is!

I’d like to end on a quote I read not to long ago. I saw it on Pinterest and it’s really stuck with me. In the corner of the quote there is a picture of a mother cradling her baby… The mother says, “I plan to give you love, nurturing, and just enough dysfunction to make you funny.”

I know that I’m not going to be the perfect mom and I’m going to make mistakes. I’m human. I need to be able to give myself grace in this parenting process. I also know that my child will not be the best at everything J But what I will strive to do is to love and support my son in whatever dreams he may have.

-posted by Miss Anna, who hopes her son will discover this world through a child’s eye, always.

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Mar
6

The Magic of the Theater

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Symphony Concerts, Things to do

There’s just something about it. The anticipation of seeing magic happen on the stage.  The whole evening, from the time you start getting dressed for the show to the car ride home, is just the best thing to go through. But to top it off is seeing a production through a child’s’ eye.

This last week, my husband and I went to the musical Beauty and the Beast. WOW! What a production.  I have seen this show once before when it came through town about 12 years ago or so. I had one memorable scene that has stuck with me through out the years and has made me want to see this musical again. I was SO excited when the Paramount Theater announced its line up for the 2011/2012 season and Beauty and the Beast was on it! I went so far as to mark it on my calendar, each month, reminding me when tickets went on sale and to save money to be able to afford them.

When the day finally arrived, I was over the moon happy. Now, a couple things came into play that could’ve dampened my mood but I was not going to let that happen! The biggest thing that I was worried about was my son. He is 6 months old and we had yet to leave him in the evening to be babysat. I have NO problem leaving him with Nana or trusted friends but this was the first time that we would be breaking up his evening routine. Thankfully, he had taken a bottle from my husband that day so I was hopeful that he would do that at night as well.

After giving all the instructions to my mom, who was watching him, off we were to the Paramount Theater.  We went with a couple of friends and on the way down we were talking about our favorite parts of the movie. Singing the songs, recapping the story and talking about the anticipation of the costumes were all in our conversation. As soon as we parked the car, I saw it. There it was – a sea of gold amongst the theater goers.

Now, I have to say, we were lucky in that the night before was technically opening night. However, the trucks couldn’t make it over the pass and so the people who had opening night tickets had to be rescheduled for closing night. That meant that we had opening night tickets! This element just added an extra excitement in the air.

About the sea of gold. As you know, Belles’ dress when she dances with the Beast is gold and very elegant. There were so many little girls dressed in gold dresses holding roses. You could just see and hear them, non-stop talking to their parents about how excited they were to see the show. The sparkle in their eye was so bright you could see it from across the room.

Once we were seated, you could hear the buzz in the audience when the lights went down and the music started. It really was electric. Every one, adults and children alike, were sitting on the edge of their seats soaking up every note played, word spoken and song sung.  Through out the musical you could hear children laughing and little comments like ‘oooo, look at the Beast!’, ‘Belle is so pretty’ and ‘I just love this song’.

At one point in the show, I took a moment to look at my friends on my left and then my husband on my right, and all of them had smiles on their faces and an intent happiness in their eye. How can one musical, one show, one experience evoke so much emotion and reach an audience of young and old? It’s the magic of the theater!

Once the show was over it was a popcorn conversation between us about our favorite scene, song, dance and just about everything. As I was soaking everything in, an overwhelming feeling came over me. I can now share this love with my son! Obviously, I’m not going to take him to the paramount theater at 6 months old, but I can take him to Benaroya Hall for the symphony concert that Studio3 puts on. I can play music around the house and as he gets older introduce him to musicals, plays and art.  And, when he does come of age, I WILL be taking him to see a musical in the theater so that he can experience how a musical comes alive on the stage and not just the TV screen. : )

When we finally got home we learned that Miles had not taken his bottle and it had been a rough night for him. But, he didn’t starve, and my mom had a wonderful time with him. Even though things hadn’t gone ideally at home, the night couldn’t have gone any better. The memory of it all will stick with me for some time and I look forward to my next time at the theater. But, even more than seeing a musical myself, I cannot wait to introduce Miles to the art of the theater!

-posted by Miss Anna, who will jump at every chance she can get to attend a show!

 

 

 

 

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Dec
14

The Wonder Weeks – or How I discovered the magical leaps forward, that made the fussy times a little easier to bear.

Posted in Child Development, parenting

This blog is a continuation of my story I started yesterday.

The special thing about this book is that it has excerpts from real moms who documented how they were feeling week by week as their baby was growing. They would also document what their babies were doing as the weeks were going by as well. Again, for me, this was reassurance to know that each baby has different temperaments and is going to grow differently.

Miles at 5 weeks.

Here’s an example: I remember when Miles hit the 5 week mark. He was very fussy and it was very hard to get him to sleep. He would put up the greatest fight to go down and sometime he never made it down. He just cried the whole time until his next feeding.

This is when I picked up The Wonder Weeks and started reading as fast as I could! Well, wouldn’t you know, 5 weeks is when babies have their first fussy time, which leads into a ‘magical leap forward’.

After we made it through the 5th week, both my husband and I realized that Miles was actually responding to music and he was starting to notice and play with his hands! He had started showing off his new skills that he was processing through during his fussy time.  What a pleasure to be able to watch and participate in his learning.  We were able to enjoy this because we knew what to expect.

Another thing that has been helpful about  The Wonder Weeks, is that there is a graph in the beginning of the book that charts out predicted fussy times. I’m a visual person, so this is very nice. I can quickly flip to this chart and see where Miles fits age-wise and see if he is in a sunny period (his personality is shining through) or a stormy period (more fussy than normal).

Here is one last example: Miles has been really cranky lately. I’ve stopped telling people how many weeks he is because I just can’t keep track. So, when people ask how old he is I’ll say 3 ½ months instead of weeks. But because he has been so cranky lately, I decided to count the weeks and check the chart in this book. Sure enough, Miles is in a stormy period and things are changing.

Miles has been very testy when it comes to sleeping. He has been having a really hard time going down and we can’t figure it out. He also doesn’t like my husband putting him down. He will cry and cry and cry with Casey, but then I’ll take him and he’ll quiet right down. This process has been really rough for both Casey and I because Casey feels rejected and I feel like I don’t get a break.

Miles at 17 weeks.

After counting how many weeks old Miles is, 17 weeks, he falls smack in the middle of a fussy time. I should’ve known! So, I just opened the book to refresh my memory about some of the changes that are going to be happening to Miles and about every description in the book is exactly what Miles is going through. Trouble sleeping, being cranky, shyness of strangers, entertaining him while he is awake; all of these things are written in this book and documented by the Moms who participated in journaling what their child was doing during this time. Talk about not feeling alone!

I am so grateful for this book, The Wonder Weeks. It has helped me a lot with being patient with my baby and myself. It will be a go-to book for me as Miles grows and gets older.

-posted by Miss Anna, who will be recommending this book to every Mom that she knows, and thinks that if you get the chance, you should check it out.

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Dec
13

The Wonder Weeks – or How I stopped trying to do what all the parenting books told me to do.

Posted in Child Development, parenting

I’m a new mom. My hubby and I had our first baby this August and officially made our family of 2 into a family of 3 (excluding pets, of course).  With that being said, we had no idea and still have no idea what in the world we are doing!

People have recommended books galore for us to read, Baby Wise, The Baby Whisperer, Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, Happiest Baby On The Block and the list goes on.  Being the new mom that I am, I figured that I should start reading up on some of these so I can know what I’m doing, right?

Newborn Miles (before the fussies start)

Well, I remember my second day alone with Miles and my mom had said she was headed over to help and hang out. As soon as she opened the door to our apartment, I burst into tears! It had been an awful day the day before and a really tough night. I was so ready for some reinforcements by the dawn’s early light!

While being able to process out loud some of my thoughts, I realized that I was carrying a ton of weight on my shoulders about how Miles should conduct his days and nights. All of these books were telling me how to do things and I was thought that I was gleaning from all of them. I would read a book and then try to put into practice what they had ‘suggested’.

Finally, I realized that my sweet baby boy did not fit into any book! He is his own little person and he has to figure out a schedule of his own. His tummy will tell him when he is hungry and his eyes will tell him when he is tired.  And as for being a mom, I had to trust my instincts and listen to my baby.  So, I returned all the books to the various friends and libraries and set out on my own to figure this new thing out!

With all of this new information being thrown my way, I did retain some. One book, however, I pick up and read as Miles grows. This book is called The Wonder Weeks. I have to say, this book is such a lifesaver to me! If anything, this book gives me peace of mind that whenever I couldn’t and can’t figure out what is going on with my new little one, he is more than likely growing. And with that, comes a whole bunch of changes in behavioral patterns.

This book covers the 10 fussiest phases in a baby’s first year and a half. Through these fussy phases come wonderful leaps forward in a baby’s development. He learns new skills through these fussy times and is proud to show them when they are through the storm.

If anything, this book taught me to let go of having control. To know that if Miles is in a proven ‘fussy time’, that his normal day to day patterns might be a little off. So if he wants to eat every 2 hours and sleep for 4, it’s ok. If he is staying awake for 3 hours at a time, it’s ok. If he is crying and clinging to me, it’s ok (even if I’m totally annoyed with this!).

-posted by Miss Anna, who will tell you the rest of the story (aka “magical leaps forward”) tomorrow.

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May
10

Wine Less, Smile More, Drink Root Beer!

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family, Things to do, Things We Love

THAT is the saying outside the store of my new favorite hobby, root beer tasting. I stumbled upon The Root Beer Store one day on the back side of The Home Depot and Target in Redmond.  As you are driving on that road, you see lots of signs saying ‘The Root Beer Store’ and ‘60+ Root Beers’ (7102 180th Ave NE).  Taking a mental picture, I went home and told my husband that we needed to go to this place and check it out (he’s a big root beer lover, too).

So, one Saturday, we made the trek back to Redmond to go buy some root beer. Being that I’m pregnant right now means that wine tasting is out, so why not go taste and rate some root beer, like we would wine? We thought this was a brilliant idea, and so with critical eyes we set out to get our first 6 bottles of root beer.

When you walk in, you’ll see that all of the walls are lined with different root beers, ginger beers, sarsaparillas, birch beers, diet root beers and one section of cream, orange, grape, lemon and huckleberry sodas.  And every third Saturday of the month, they offer free tastings in the store. The store normally has a couple out to taste, but I believe if you want to sample one all you have to do is ask.

We started out our selection process… Now, I have to say, this next part is all my personal opinion. I LOVE a good ginger beer or a root beer with a little bite (more the sarsaparilla side of things). I don’t like root beers that taste too much like vanilla or are too sweet.  I do like a good head; otherwise the root beer is to flat by the time you get done drinking it.

My hubby and I differ in some of our tastes, which has lead to some wonderful conversations! I’m serious; we have had full half hour discussions after we’ve tasted a root beer about our differing opinions.  It’s been a lot of fun!

For our first 6 pack, we got a variety of root beers, including a fair trade, organic root beer from Maine, a ginger beer from Hollywood, CA, and the store’s favorite root beer from Michigan.  This brings me to our rating system. We put together a rating system from 1-5. 1 meaning you wouldn’t even finish the root beer (diet Shasta), to 5 being you would buy this root beer every chance you get (Sprecher Root Beer, WI).

In order to keep track of all the root/ginger beers we taste we are taking pictures of all the ones we buy and recording our ratings next to the pictures. Out of the 2 root beers and 1 ginger beer that I mentioned above Casey and I mostly agreed.  The Ginger beer was a 4, having a wonderful burn down the back of your throat after you are done taking a sip (again, I love ginger beer).

The fair trade, organic root beer from Maine received a 4 for a really good head and no high fructose taste. The store’s favorite received a 2. We were really disappointed about this one because we had high hopes for it. It just didn’t deliver the root beer taste we had wanted and it was really too sweet.

As I taste the Jackson Hole, Snake River sarsaparilla for the first time (which at first sip is smooth and has a hint of licorice root in it) reflecting on this experience has really brought a smile to my face.  Root beer is a classic past time and it has been very enjoyable to see how many families it brings together. Every time we have been in The Root Beer Store, it has been packed with families having similar conversations on what to try and what they liked last time they were there.

We’ve even brought friends from out of town to this store and they are emailing us their ratings on the different root beers they have tried. This is a family friendly activity that everyone can participate in. Besides, who doesn’t love a good root beer! I encourage you to go check this store out and I would LOVE to hear your reviews on the different root beers you have tried.

­-posted by Miss Anna, who wonders if her little one will prefer ginger or root beer…

To find out more info on The Root Beer Store go to www.therootbeerstore.com

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