Homegirl Quel (kel) in Austin

The Hey Lollies @ Cherrywood Coffeehouse Austin, TX

When I saw this concert posted on the Parent Wise Facebook page about a week ago, my first impulse was to skip it. Mainly because it was to take place on a Sunday morning at 10:30, when I'm usually in bed, at the gym or at church. Then I considered my son who is a ball of energy, just turned three and who loves music. I fought through my selfish bone and accessed my selfless mommy bone and put The Hey Lollies kid's music and puppet show  on my calendar. I also shared it with my Mocha Moms group. 

Yesterday morning we got off to a late start, but arrived at Cherrywood Coffeehouse just in time to see the second half of the show., and for breakfast! Y'all know I love coffee, I love to sing and I love to get silly-- so to sit with my son and enjoy all of the above was a treat. The performance was awesome and the women were, as expected, so warm and welcoming letting some kids sit on stage and engaging them with hugs and hellos after the show was over. I am an instant fan of The Hey Lollies. 

Here is a video of my son enjoying the show, complete with photos and slow-mo toddler footwork action. Enjoy!

They have more shows scheduled for March. If you're in Austin, get ye there to see them. It's great weekend fun. Show times and locations listed after the jump.

Sam-I-Am Is My Homeboy

Green Eggs and Ham is one of my three year old's favorite bedtime reads at the moment. He picks it about three or four nights a week. Each time, I oblige him...even though the book is like a million pages long. It's amazing how many times I can re-read the longet books and re-watch Disney movies without getting too tired of it. I do not necessarily love it, but he enjoys every time like it's the first time, and I do my best to not be a buzz-kill. 

My son is a picky eater. It's a general toddler pickyness born from a limited diet due to food allergies and texture aversion. When I spotted Green Eggs and Ham on the shelf at my favorite kid's resale store, Kid to Kid, I remembered how persistent Sam-I-Am was in wearing down that fuzzy man until he tried those eggs. Figured I could learn some things from Sam...and learn I did. 

A few days ago my son ate half of a chicken thigh, which we celebrated, as we do anytime he actually swallows anything he's had to chew first. I knew I was one step closer to sending him to school with a non-pureed lunch. So I offered him some stewed potatoes. This is how it all went down:

Photos: GMZ Soular Foods Community Garden Spring Planting 2011

The Spring planting was just as fun and productive as the one last fall. My son was so tickled at the sight of the vegetables in the ground. Now, when we're in the produce section of the grocery store, he says, "...like in the garden" when he points to and names vegetables there. If you're in Austin, you should totally join the facebook group and get involved. It's free. 

What I learned: My First Week Home With A Sick Child

Three things...

1. The voice for the school of fish in Finding Nemo is the same one for Mack in Cars. I watched Finding Nemo, whilst also being my sons human recliner, about 15 times (totally not exaggerrating and may, in fact, be underestimating) over the 10 days we were home fighting his fever. I let him choose his TV entertainment, and the boy loves Finding Nemo. We also watched Wall-E about as many times. And speaking of Wall-E...soundtrack...awesome?! One google search and the whole world of soundtracks for non-musical Disney films was before me. Before I became a mom, I swore I wouldn't be a Disney mom. I don't know how this happened. Just please lord, don't let me ever have a girl. I'm not sure I could stomach the princesses.  
2. I missed my daily morning gym time. I've grown so use to the little conversations and interactions with my gym peeps that I missed that about as much as I did my actual workouts. I didn't realize how much that time accounts for my daily social life. The gym is like my office, if I had a nine to five. I talk to people all throughout the day on the phone and online, but apparently I really value talking to people, even casual acquaintances, in person. 
3. As much as I missed my gym time, I learned that I actually miss being a real stay at home mom. Technically, since my son is in school full-time now, I am a mom who does not work outside the home. There's no mothering going on during the day. I had no idea how much I missed doing it all day. The hugs, the little teaching opportunities, the hugs (I know I said that twice). Glad we're looking to grow our family soon. It's definitely time.