Studio3Music Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Miss Jesikah’

Jan
11

The day a man leapt through a window for me.

Posted in Bits and Pieces

I frequent the drive-thru Starbucks by my house often and know the brew crew…and they know my name, my van, and even the drink I order the most. That Starbucks is like my “Cheers”, where everybody knows my name. One of the baristas, during our conversation, forgot to give my credit card back to me before I drove off. With a serious brain fog desperately in need of a good cup of Joe, I had not even thought about my card. As I rolled up the window and driving away I hear “Jesikah!”, so I stopped and looked in my mirror saw him waive my credit card out the window. I waved back to let him know I heard, then planned on parking and walking in.

The rest is a memory I will cherish forever: I look in my mirror one more time and I see him leaping through the drive thru window as another car is pulling up (the car saw it coming and crept in slowly, no Starbucks barista was harmed). He is at least 6’ 2”; a tall man! He comes bounding toward me waiving my credit card in the air. Then he leaps to my window, takes a formal stance, bows and then says, “Madame, your card”, gives me a boyish smile like he is oh so charming. The only stupid thing I can think of at that moment, “I could have walked in, but thanks, that was awesome”. I’m so very clever in chivalrous moments ;-) He replies (boyish smile still in place), “But that was so much more fun”, then turns, and runs back to the drive-thru window and climbs back in, not going back in through the front door.

My morning is complete. I can now say, I had the man who made my morning coffee leap through a window for me with a wink and a bow!

Although our teachers do not have drive-thru windows to leap through for you, I know they cherish each and every child that walks through their door. We want you to leave every class blessed and with a smile on your face with memories and stories to share with your friends and your loved ones!

Have a funny story to share? We would LOVE to hear it! We may even post it : ). Share a funny customer service story, a funny memory or even something hilarious your child did or said (children are great resources for humor); and we’ll give you a special $10 voucher toward tuition or merchandise. Share with your friends and when they register and we’ll make it $25 for each of you! Send all funny stories to jesikah@studio3music.com and stay tuned for more!

-posted by Miss Jesikah, who looks forward to sharing a laugh and a smile with you, so be sure to send a funny story her way!

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Oct
26

A Boy and His Fish

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family, Things to do

With a tug on a line, a surprised fish leaps out of the water without the faintest idea of how his little sacrifice has given my 8 year old Myles one of the greatest days of his life. Since beginning school this year, Myles has been enamored with the idea of fishing for classic northwest fish like salmon and trout. He checked out a book from the local library all about salmon and trout, sharing nuggets of fish facts to any willing listener….even to the man cleaning his catch (but we’ll get to that in a minute).

My husband and I couldn’t resist turning our son’s knowledge into first hand experiences. We loaded up the van and headed out onto highway 2 toward Gold Bar to visit the Wallace Falls Salmon Hatchery. There are other famous hatcheries, too, such as the one in Issaquah, which even sports Salmon Days during the fall. But as we live in Monroe, we decided to visit one more in our backyard.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by fishermen who were loading up their truck with glistening Silvers (a nickname for Coho Salmon). My three children, Myles (age 8), Colin (age 7) and Violette (age 3), all stared in awe at the large fish. Then my oldest declared that those fish would make a great lunch! The fishermen laughed and heartily agreed. Inside the hatchery, a man busy at work separating salmon eggs greeted us. He let the boys hold tiny salmon eggs with little black dots, which are the “eyes” of the developing baby salmons. My boys were in awe and Violette declared they were cute babies.

We finished our time at the hatchery watching the adult salmon swimming and jumping around. My oldest thought it was fun, like watching “Air Jaws” on the Discovery Channel….I am sure watching great white sharks leap from the water would be far more exciting (and terrifying), but in his eight year old mind, watching these salmon leap around was just as good.

We packed back up into the van and then traveled to Woodinville to round out the day visiting Gold Creek Trout Ponds. We kept this part of the trip a surprise, and the look on the boys’ faces when they realized they got to go fishing was a moment I will never forget. The owners gave them bamboo poles, bait, and showed them the ponds where they could catch their dinner!

Each boy caught two fish (around 6-10 inches each). It was a proud moment. Myles brought the bucket to the owner, who cleaned the fish right in front of them…four beautiful rainbow trout. Upon leaving, the man cleaning the fish told us to enjoy our dinner to which Myles replied, “They’ll be extra tasty because they are rainbow!”. I’m sure that fact is not found his library book, but Colin and Violette both agreed that rainbows make everything tastier, even fish.

-posted by Miss Jesikah, who was raised by a professional Bass Fisherman belonging to BassMasters, and fondly remembers her youth fishing whenever she could, catching many dinners for her family from the nearby lake where she grew up in Northern California.

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Sep
13

Making Your own Frozen Breakfast Foods

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Recipes, Things to do

I am heartily convinced my oldest son was born addicted to frozen waffles. At 8 1/2 he could eat a toasted waffle for every meal and be a very happy young man. After each plate of waffles he rubs his tummy and says, “Thanks mom. That was delicious”. It is the same plate of waffles he has eaten since he was a little over one year old.

His favorite way to eat waffles is with peanut butter and syrup. My middle child loves french toast, with extra spices in the batter (just like his mama!). My youngest wants pancakes every morning, especially the cinnamon banana variety that I make. They, too, like their breakfast foods with peanut butter and syrup.

As you can imagine, any grocery store would love my business in their frozen food aisle. I make my own frozen breakfast foods, though. Every 2-4 weeks, I whip up a bunch of waffles, pancakes and French Toast that I freeze for a quick, easy and wholesome breakfast.

The great thing about making your own homemade frozen breakfast foods is that you can make them as healthy and as wild as you want. And your children can self-serve, as soon as they can work a toaster!

One of my favorite ingredients is bananas. They naturally sweeten any food and I always have some that have over ripened before they are eaten. They are also affordable, which is great for families on a budget.

Another favorite ingredient is pureed pumpkin. It blends into any breakfast food, even french toast. (It’s always nice to provide a hidden vegetable with breakfast!) You can also never go wrong with sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove. As I like Chai blends, I sometimes add a little cardamom.

You can easily make a huge batch, let them cool completely, and then freeze using Ziploc baggies. If you want to get fancy, you can cut squares of parchment paper to line between each breakfast food prior to placing in the freezer. You can save and reuse the parchment squares, too.

My favorite waffle recipe:
3 ripe bananas
½ can of pureed pumpkin
2 tsp of vanilla
1 T of cinnamon (or my chai spice blend)
1/3 c of Canola Oil (or your favorite cooking oil for baking)
1 c of mini chocolate chips
3 servings worth of your favorite waffle mix (for me it is 6 cups of mix)
½ c of protein powder

Add up to 1 extra cup of water or liquid as needed to get desired consistency
Do not over stir (that makes the waffles gummy)

1)      Blend bananas, pumpkin, vanilla, spices and oil together until smooth. I used a hand masher.
2)      Add waffle mix, protein powder, chocolate chips and water. Stir until it is just mixed together. There may be clumps; that is ok.
3)      Let it rest for 10-20 minutes (helps the gluten to rest, gives fluffier waffles and pancakes).
4)      Pour into a waffle iron, cook until desired crispiness and enjoy!

- posted by Miss Jesikah, who also is addicted to waffles and remembers as a child timing visits to her friend’s house every Saturday morning just in time for waffles. It was such a common occurrence that my friend’s family gave a me waffle iron as a wedding gift with a sweet note to continue Saturday waffles in my family.

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Jul
23

The Quest for character development

Posted in Child Development, Family, parenting, Things to do

While watching Disney’s cartoon classic, “The Sword in the Stone” with my children, I was stunned by how respectful and responsible young Wart was, regardless of the work he had to do. He knew his value, his job and took pride in what he did. He actually obeyed cheerfully!

My husband and I had been feeling like we were in the middle of a “It’s not fair” and “Why can’t you just give it to me” battle with our children, and our defenses were wearing thin. It was time for a new strategy.

We  realized our children needed a change of heart, not just in outward attitude. We want them to have a sense of purpose, and to have pride in what they do – whether it be completing chores or working at school.

So, instead of continuing to battle with our children, we created a hero training program we called “Heart Quest”, around a subject they love – knights.  Someday, our children will be kings and queens of their own homes. They are in hero training now, so that later they will have both the heart and character to rule well.

To begin, we had a ceremony and feast as they entered into their “quest”. The children invited family members and special friends as they took their vows.

For completing chores (with a positive attitude) and exhibiting good and helpful behavior, they earn Quest Dollars (fake money I created. ) They have minor and major quests to complete each day as decree of their King and Queen (ahem, mom and dad) such as making beds – minor quest, emptying dishwasher – major quest.

If they do a chore with a good attitude they are paid more than if they grumble. They also earn treasure chest rewards for working through something that is really hard, for being honorable, having a willing and obedient heart, or being cheerful and thankful. These rewards could be  candy, extra video game time, a special trip to Starbucks or ice cream with mom or dad, or used to purchase a toy.

I pay my children when the other is not present so it doesn’t become a competition, and because, like an allowance, children who have more chores generally earn more. (This avoids the “It’s not fair!”) I give treasure chest rewards (a note card with a chest on the front) in their payment box in secret so it is surprise when they find it, with a note as to why they received this reward.

If they gloat or boast about their reward to their brother, it is taken away.  They also lose Quest Dollars if they have dishonorable behavior such as lying, defiance, and throwing tantrums. They must retrieve the Quest Dollars out of their treasure chest and place them in our hands, thus losing privileges. After all, isn’t a heroes’ journey all about the choices they make and the consequences of those actions?

Although we have not totally eradicated the attitude of self-entitlement or the “it’s not fair” whine and tantrum, there have been huge improvements in my home. My children are proud of their work, they know they are valued, and that good behavior is rewarded.

-posted by Miss Jesikah who thoroughly enjoys being the Queen of her home.

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Feb
23

Are Video Game Themes the New Generation of Classical Music?

Posted in Bits and Pieces, Family, Things to do

I never thought, in my wildest imagination, that one day I would be sitting at a symphony concert, with a full orchestra, choir and opera singer in a grand hall, listening to the theme music for video games while watching video game clips on a huge media screen.  Who knew that video games would inspire and encourage musicians to write such beautiful compositions celebrated the world over?  Last month, I sat at the Paramount Theatre with my husband, Miss Anna, and her husband, and received an amazing epiphany, as well as a peek into the musical future.

I looked around me and noticed the crowd was young, and very excited about the music being played.  Is this the new generation of classical music?  I do not believe it is time to tell Bach and Mozart to move over, but the names  Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori, (the composers of the Halo soundtracks for Bungie) are becoming household legends.

Interestingly enough, they are also the same men who wrote the famous jingle for the Flintstone Vitamins that many of us today can sing by heart (for you trivia lovers).   Many other video game composers, such as those for Assassins Creed, Final Fantasy, Zelda, Mario Brothers and even old school arcade games were displayed and honored for their art and talent.

The experience was phenomenal, and I really appreciated Tommy Tallarico, composer and creator of Video Games Live, taking moments throughout the show to foster a love of music for the young crowd that was present.  He was reaching out to all the young people and igniting a flame for classical music in a new and different way.

My oldest, who is 8, is taking private classical guitar lessons and is trying to figure out the meaning behind why he should appreciate this style of music.  I showed him the trailer for Video Games Live and he decided right then and there, he wanted to be a musician so that perhaps, one day, he too, could play theme music to all his favorite video games….and maybe even write one, too.

I encourage you to take 5 minutes out of your day and check out the trailer for Video Games Live on their website:  www.videogameslive.com.  The first part is dialogue with the creators, but the last part shows clips from the concert.  The music through the whole trailer is a piece from the concert, including the opera vocals.  Show your video-playing children, so they can appreciate the music and special effects.  You can also find all sorts of video clips on YouTube.

Now, for all those nay-sayers that go around believing video games dull the mind and do not encourage anything academic or educational, there is inspiration here that is flaming the hearts of younger generations and creating an appreciation for the classical arts, bringing the old and the new together in a beautiful melody.

-posted by Miss Jesikah, who loves listening to her children’s operatic rendition of the Super Smash Bros. theme song while declaring they want to be opera singers…all because of a video game.

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