Brite Music Review

When I was young we loved to listen to the Safety Kids on tape. I think there was only one in the series back then, and now it’s known as Personal Safety. The tape started with a club meeting of some kids and they discuss the importance of learning your phone number, staying safe from strangers and people who try to invade your privacy, and never going out alone. The topic is a fairly common one when discussing safety with kids, but by having the lessons taught by children and through songs, I was more easily sucked into the topic and able to remember the songs that went along with them.

My mom came across the tape when Hunter and Emma were toddlers and gave it to me. They loved it just as much as I did. We played the tape over and over until it started to sound weird and distorted. Several months ago I ordered Personal Safety on CD and discovered that there are also two more in the series, Stay Safe From Drugs, and Protect Their Minds. We have loved all three CDs and know all of the songs by heart. I have already heard the kids talking about why drugs are bad at times when we’re nowhere near the CD, and I had to laugh when someone brought up the evils of pornography in church and Emma looked up at me bright eyed and said, “pornography!” She was excited to know what the word meant now. We also have another CD called Show a Little Love that has some really good songs. Here are some clips of our favorite songs:

Personal Safety: Yell and Scream, The Telephone Song

Stay Safe From Drugs: All You Gotta Say is No, Go For a Natural High

Protect Their Minds: I Want to Have Clean Thoughts, See No Evil –the link is broken on this one 🙁

Show A Little Love: Show A Little Love, Never Tell A Lie

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I Get Paid for Blogging

You may have noticed a new addition to my blog. The big ad banner on the right… Yes, I am now a member of BlogHer, a directory and community of bloggers with an emphasis on blogs written for and by women. I earn a sort of commission based on the number of page views and clicks my blog receives. Rob has been helping me with getting the ad situated. Let me know if things look crazy on your computer. We’re trying to get it so that it sits to the right and doesn’t interfere with the links and things in the column next to it.

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Happiness At Harvard

At Harvard University one of the most popular classes on campus is one called “Positive Psychology.” Taught by Tal Ben-Shahar, it focuses on what makes people happy. These are six of his tips for happiness that I found in an NPR article by Tovia Smith.I think it is fascinating that people (me included) are so interested in figuring out the key to happiness. As if there were some magic recipe that if we all follow it exactly then ta-da! we are living in bliss. It seems like a lot of common sense and the thing that I notice is that it requires an effort and conscious decision on our part. There is no sitting back and waiting for happiness to arrive. We decide if we are going to track happiness down and invite it into our lives.

1. Give yourself permission to be human. When we accept emotions — such as fear, sadness, or anxiety — as natural, we are more likely to overcome them.

2. Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable. When this is not feasible, make sure you have happiness boosters, moments throughout the week that provide you with both pleasure and meaning.

3. Keep in mind that happiness is mostly dependent on our state of mind, not on our status or the state of our bank account. Barring extreme circumstances, our level of well being is determined by what we choose to focus on… and by our interpretation of external events. For example, do we view failure as catastrophic, or do we see it as a learning opportunity?

4. Simplify! We are, generally, too busy, trying to squeeze in more and more activities into less and less time. Quantity influences quality, and we compromise on our happiness by trying to do too much.

5. Remember the mind-body connection. What we do — or don’t do — with our bodies influences our mind. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy eating habits lead to both physical and mental health.

6. Express gratitude, whenever possible. We too often take our lives for granted. Learn to appreciate and savor the wonderful things in life, from people to food, from nature to a smile.

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Homeschooling Controversy

After mulling over the idea of homeschooling for some time now, another obstacle has jumped in my way. A judge has ruled that children in California must be taught by a credentialed teacher, and that includes homeschooling parents. The ruling is in connection with a case of child abuse where the parents claimed to be homeschooling their kids. I can see requiring registration with the state, or using approved curriculum, or having your curriculum approved by the state, but to deny parents the right to choose how their children are educated is crazy. To me this is what parenting is all about—choosing what your children will learn and how they will learn it. What do you think?

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Back to my Small Town Roots

I heard this song on the radio, International Harvester, and it really brought me back to my high school days… Driving past the dairies and being stuck behind a tractor on a long stretch of road with a solid yellow line… Those farmers pluggin along looking oblivious to the line of cars behind them… It makes me smile now.

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