Unwind Your Life

unwind August 14th, 2009

As I’ve said seven billion times before…I really like to use music to create a comfortable, calming ambiance in my home.  As Trent starts back to school on Monday, I thought I might tell you a little about the music that helped/helps my own children wake up, calm down and start their day right.

You’ll laugh, I’m sure…but this time of year, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” is/was playing when my kids wake up.  I find it’s mellow, soothing…not too Christmassy, but just enough so to lighten their hearts.  (The first day of school always finds Pumpkin Cookies waiting when they arrive home, as well…thus, scent helps lift their spirits and relax them after a long day.)  Furthermore, we listen to the “Home Alone,” soundtrack in the care on the way to school…another soothing, yet heartwarming selection of music.

Here’s a list of music I use in the mornings before school…it’s a progression toward Christmas…then a positive “we can make it through winter” type series…and then a “spring is here” type series…ending with a “school is almost out” wrap up.

September-“Autumn in New England” or “A Charlie Brown Christmas” float softly through the house as Trent wakes up, eats breakfast and gets ready for school.  The soundtrack to “Home Alone” keeps us calm and happy in the car on the way to school-helps to settle nerves and remind him that home is just 6 or 7 hours away.

October-“Christmas Treasures” begins our morning.  “Christmas in the King’s Court” soothes us on the way to school.

November-“The Glory of Christmas” starts the day with Nat King Cole’s “The Christmas Song,” “A 1940s Christmas,” or “A Merry Christmas with Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters” playing in the care on the way to school.

December-Any variety of Christmas music from, “Christmas with Conniff,” to the soundtrack to “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” greet us at breakfast and in the car.

January-The soundtrack to “Nicholas Nickleby” is usually my January wake up music.  In the car on the way to school we listen to the soundtrack to the movie “French Kiss.” I also use the soundtrack to “Sabrina” at dinner time starting in January.

February-The Soundtrack to “Emma” gives a light, hopeful, “Spring is just around the corner,” feel to our morning, and the soundtrack to “Anne of Green Gables” soothes us in the car.

March-The Soundtrack to “Chocolate” perks us up and gets us going.  “Chocolate” usually continues with us all the way to school.

April-I usually rotate between “Emma,” “Chocolat,” or anything by Brian Crain, in April.  In the care I start playing 80s tunes on the way home from school-they’re are perky and fun and remind us that summer is almost here!

May-Again Brian Crain in the morning and 80s tunes in the afternoon!  (80s tunes like “Ain’t Nothin’ Gonna Break My Stride” and “Big Country”…the perky, happy stuff…)

June -This is where I struggle.  My “Christmas Spirit” has kicked in full gear…but I try to hold off…stick with Brian Crain80s tunes on a mellow day… on a bright “we’ve got to get going” day!

July-”Same as June”

August-I’m easily back to “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in the morning!

Now, of course there are tons of collections I play throughout the year…these are just the ones I tend toward!  What do you use to fill your home with a sense of warmth, cozy security?

As a final note…the same thing works for me at night!  When my kids were little, I found that Kenny Loggins, “Return to Pooh Corner,” was the absolute BEST at settling my small children before bed!  I love it!

Do let me know what you incorporate in your home!  I’m always looking for new music!

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unwind April 30th, 2009

There are sooooooooooooo many ways to let our children know that we love them!  Slathering them with affection is important…telling them we love them is important…showing that we love them in everything we do is so important!  Children who know they are loved, who are comfortable giving and receiving affection, and who know how to express their feelings in a variety of ways, grow up to be happy, well-balanced adults!

Now, I’ve mentioned before the way I used to (and still do) sing to my kids in the car or when we were lingering around the house.  I’d like to add to that just a little.  Certain songs we sing to our kids can further express our love for them, as well as entertain them.  I’m sure all of you now this song from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang…“Truly Scrumptious.” Yet, beyond simply teaching it to children…I would suggest singing it to them!  My kids always loved this song!  And I used to sing it to them…not just to them…do you know what I mean?  It’s such a sweet and clever song…delightful lyrics and lilting melody! (How can you NOT love a line like this…”So do lollies in a lollipop jar!”)  It’s a perfect way to let our children know how truly scrumptious they are…and how much we love them!  Don’t you think?  Furthermore, what a wonderful, happy phrase to incorporate into our vernacular!  I love it!  Every day…try to find something in life that gives you cause to say, “Oh it’s truly scrumptious!”  How fun!

• For Our Children , Music
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unwind April 17th, 2009

Good home-cooking and the soundtrack to the movie “Sabrina”….those are the two things I find that, when combined, make supper-time a relaxed and wonderful experience!  I know it sounds crazy…absolutely too simple to be true…but it is true!  A good home-cooked meal and the right music can change your evening meal into something your family really looks forward to.

I discovered years and years ago, that if I began playing some soft, soothing, relaxing music about ten minutes before supper…and let it continue through the meal…my family calmed, settled and enjoyed the meal far more than they did when the music was absent.  When my kids were really small, our CD of choice was “Return to Pooh Corner,” by Kenny Loggins.  (I also used this one at bed time…you wouldn’t believe the soothing effect it had on my little ones!)  As our children got to be a little older (3, 7 and 10) I began using other CDs…the soundtrack to the Emma Thompson version of “Sense and Sensibility,” etc.  But when I first tried the soundtrack to “Sabrina,” I knew I’d found the perfect dinner soundtrack!    I even conducted some experiments to prove my own theory to myself…we had dinner without music, which resulted in a higher noise level of conversation, forks clanking on plates…even the venue of conversation is different.  We tried dinner with something a little more upbeat, which resulted in everyone eating too fast and indigestion.  Other instrumental or classical music worked well, but seemed almost too relaxing…everyone was always way tired after the meal.  In the end, however, “Sabrina” is the one my family responds to the best!  Oh sure, at Christmas we  use soft Christmas instrumental, and I shake things up here and there with a wonderful Brian Crain playlist, the soundtracks to “Emma” or “Nicholas Nickelby,” etc, but “Sabrina”remains our ultimate favorite!

Dinner music is both a subliminal mood enhancer and a conscious one.  It’s why good restaurants are cognizant of what they pipe over their sound systems.  If you go to the Olive Garden and Dean Martin is singing “That’s Amore”…it literally makes your lasagna taste better!  Am I right?  If you go to a diner incorporating an old 50’s theme, with little juke boxes on the wall where patrons can pay a quarter and choose tunes from that era, the whole experience is different than if Bon Jovi (who I love!) was telling you, “You give love a bad name!”

The same thing works at home…when Sting softly croons, “In the moonlight…when the shadows play…when the thought of what could happen takes your breath away,” or the other instrumental pieces are playing…everything just quiets down.  Cares, worries and stresses of the day seem to fade, and the family is able to focus on the joy of being with each other and enjoying a good meal.

As far as the home-cooking part goes…with the crazy schedules we all maintain, and the ease of “home meal replacement,” it’s often very hard to find the time, energy and desire to make a nice meal.  When my kids were little, it was a lot easier…they weren’t so involved and I was younger and more energetic at the end of the day!  However, I think it’s important, and I still try to cook a nice, balanced meal as often as I can.  Still, I think whether you’re eating take out, or a nice pot roast with steamed carrots…or even mac and cheese…the right music can whisk your family away to a more serene and relaxing mealtime!

Click Here to Order your own “Sabrina-The Motion Picture Soundtrack” CD

• Ambiance of Serenity , Music
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unwind April 4th, 2009

When my kids were little, I used to sing to them whenever we were riding in the car.  We’d play tapes and/or CDs, too, of course…but even those often consisted of a variety of songs from old musicals.  I found my children seemed to linger in a happy, satisfied, delighted demeanor whenever we traveled, and I think singing fun, upbeat, often clever songs had a lot to do with it!  Some of our favorites were songs from the 1973 movie version of Tom Sawyer, the 1960’s version of Oliver!, the classic 60’s Christmas movie “Scrooge,” and of course any of the great Disney Movie soundtracks like Summer Magic, The Little Mermaid, In Search of the Castaways, etc.   Chitty Chitty  Bang Bang, Showboat, and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers also offer great material!

My children still cherish the memories of those wonderful “running errand days” or family trips when we (especially my daughter and I) would just sing our hearts out!  I know a lot of people play music and movies in their cars while traveling.  But try something else…”unplug” your kids and try a little something to build everlasting memories in their minds…try singing instead of using the obvious and much easier media forms of entertainment.  And offer some variety…a taste of something vintage and new…something unique to your family.  If you’re already a “sing in the car to have fun with the kids” person…fabulous!

Meanwhile, one of our very favorite songs to sing in the car was “Young Johnny Jonesie” (as we called it).  It’s from the movie, “Two Weeks with Love.”  A clip of the scene incorporating the song is right here!   Isn’t it fun?  Your kids will love it!

Tags: Family Fun, Music, Musicals

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