So its no secret that this mama needs a vacation. I work too much, I sleep too little, I run on stress & rarely get a chance to kick back and relax. Its just part of being a small business owner, a single mom, and well... a Leo. If life isn't a challenge then it isn't fun! Right!? Well I've been bugging the boy for months about a getaway. "Just take me somewhere... let's sleep til noon and not work, and stuff ourselves with good food, and take naps and read books... you know, all those things we don't get to do otherwise!" And try as he might, scheduling always gets the best of us. With 4 kids between us, its just been impossible to work out. We always have 1 night a week in which we're both kidless for a few hours but by the time that night gets here, we're usually just content with pajama pants & DVDs. I'm as guilty of it as he is, always turning on my computer the second we get a chance to "rest" because there's always work to be done...


Date Night

Well this week we had a real bona-fide date. Dinner at Hugo's- our favorite date night spot, and Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific at the Walton Arts Center. Now let me pause to thank this boy of mine for not only re-arranging his schedule so that we could do this, but let's be honest... showtunes don't really rank the highest on the "perfect man date" scale.


He didn't scoff at my choice of dates, in fact when I told him I got a ticket from the Walton Arts Center as part of a blog contest, he was very proud. He even put on a nice jacket, toted my tookus all over downtown, and opened doors for me all night. Though he wasn't singing along with me during the show, he's been breaking into a very over-zealous version of "some enchanted evening..." randomly since Intermission. I think that means he maybe dug it a little.


Mat wasn't familiar with the story, but I have loved it since I was a child. My mom, always the entertainer, was a choir director & choreographer when I was a child. This meant a lot of REALLY lame dance routines to go along with youth choir songs about loving your friends & trusting Jesus, I mean like serious jazz-hands kind of stuff... but it also meant some really fun and hilarious performances too. The most memorable one being the Honey Bun skit enacted by a group of high school seniors when I was 5 or 6. Its one of my fondest childhood memories, seeing my mom laugh and dance along with all of these kids... We grew up watching the movie and I've seen a couple of small theater productions, but wow- Last night was completely amazing.


Reading up on the show, the Lincoln Center's production won 7 honors at the 2008 Tony Awards, and I can believe it. It was incredible, it most definitely rose above all of my expectations. The characters could not have been more perfect, from Nelly's fantastic Arkansas accent (which the crowd of course LOVED!) to Bloody Mary's "stingy bastard!" and Billis' "Twirly Whirly" hips, it was just totally right.


Keala Settle as "Bloody Mary"
photo by Peter Coombs (taken from southpacificontour.com)


My favorite part of the show though was actually watching the woman in front of me... About 75-80 years young, she caught my eye because she reminded me of my Gram... beautiful, dressed very nicely with her hair perfectly curled, sitting with her daughter. She was obviously very excited about seeing the show and as it went on you could tell she was really enjoying it. Towards the end, she was singing along with every song. The smile on her face was just as big as springtime. She was 100% in the music, in the story... nowhere near Fayetteville Arkansas for the night. It was fantastic to watch. That escape, getting lost in the show... that's what its all about, isn't it?


I couldn't help but look over and smile at my boy. Maybe the vacation wasn't panning out like we hoped, but we certainly had an absolutely lovely night together. The music, the show, the dinner, the walk up Dickson Street... it was all just different. It was relaxation and excitement all wrapped into a completely unique experience for both of us. I'll spare you all cliche mentions of enchanted evenings, but I bet you can all guess what I'm humming today...

<3

I'm so sorry I've been neglecting you guys!! Preparation for Take Your Kids to Dickson has taken up all of my time, and we're almost there!!

In the meantime, my very good friend One Smarmy Mama agreed to guest blog for me, so without further ado... enjoy, kids!


Heather is one of my favorite people, so when she asked me to guest blog for her today, I was stuttering and stammering for just the perfect post to fill her space. What would be important and earth shattering? What would thoughtfully and eloquently fill her lovely blog for a day? What OH WHAT is worth of putting on momuncommon?

There are a lot of things that are important to me, many issues that are near and dear to my heart. But it wasn't until I was contemplating this while on the pot after lunch that it hit me....I needed to write about an issue that is afflicting children all over the country. An issue we simply cannot ignore anymore.

The infliction of crappy music on our children.


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When I was a wee child, I was blessed with an musician father who had, for the most part, superb taste in music. I was raised on all things Beatles/Wings/Macca (natch) but also was exposed to Boston, The Eagles and The Beach Boys as well as then unknowns like T Bone Burnett and Tonio K.

My dad would make me sit and listen to particularly amazing instrumentations while 12 year old me rolled my eyes and groaned. It wasn't until I was a bona fide grown up that I realized what a freaking awesome musical education I had been raised with.

And so, today, in an age of T Paine and Flo Rida and TPDs and 3 year olds dancing on YouTube to Beyonce, I say this to you, my fellow parents...Stop The Insanity! I know it's cute when your little one sings along with Taylor Swift in the car, but this is almost downright abuse. These poor children are being raised on the musical equivalent of Hostess Cupcakes and Wonderbread. Let's give them some musical health food...you know, the gooood stuff that is tasty and good for you too.

So, my friends, I present to you..........
The Ten Albums/Artists You MUST Expose Your Children To Before They Start Ignoring You.


1. Pearl Jam - Ten

The grunge era brought us out of crappy pap pop music and bad boy bands and back into real musicianship, insightful lyrics, and concerts that were practically spiritual events. I personally find Eddie and crew to be a little bit more appropriate and palatable for the kids than Kurt, but that's just me. Pick one and make sure your kids know them and love them.


2. They Might Be Giants - Flood

Many followed in their footsteps, but John and John pioneered geek rock and made it an art form. I mean, come on...."Particle Man"??? "Istanbul (not Constantinople)"??? CLASSICS. When our kids are in high school, the cool ones are gonna be rocking "Birdhouse in Your Soul". You know it.


3. Semisonic - Closing Time

Let's face it, our kids are going to hear "Closing Time" a million times on classic radio when they are teens, let's show them why it was so much more than a one-hit-wonder song. If you've never heard this album in it's entirety, shame on you! It's pure pop perfection. Evocative, sentimental lyrics, sweet and clean guitars, crisp, peppy drums. The entire album is just simply adorable, and enjoyable listen from start to finish and makes you realize these guys were more than just "You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here".


4. Elliott Smith - XO

Before "shoegaze" there was Elliott. The kind of music Elliott Smith produced could easily take a minuscule step to the side and be contrived crap. But his songs are haunting and beautiful, his voice both wistful and so incredibly real. His talent and impact on a whole new generation of sad bastard music is unquestionable, and you know when our kids talk about famous rock and roll legends, his death will top the list. Do your kids a favor and let them know that Elliott Smith was more than a dude who maybe stabbed himself with a steak knife.


5. Ryan Adams - Heartbreaker


No child's musical education would be complete without a lesson in Alt Country. And, it was a little tough to pick what the best representation would be. I think Ryan is it. When you introduce your kids to Ryan, you introduce them to Whiskeytown, and well, that opens up a whole range of artists. This album is so good, it hurts to listen to it sometimes. You get lessons in blues, country, rock........and it's so so good. And, Ryan is such an interesting character, I'm sure he's going to be making crazy headlines well into the next couple of decades.


6. Stankonia - Outkast

Our kids are going to want to know what the heck was up with all the hip hop and rap and R&B when we were young, so show them something decent, for pete's sake. Outkast is what it's about...writing about real issues, rapping with real talent. None of this effing auto-tune crap, talking about ladies underpants and sh*t like that. Now, there are definitely things on here that aren't appropriate for younger kids, but may get you having some good conversations with your older kids. Good, timeless album.


7. Death Cab for Cutie - Plans

Let's face it. One day, you're going to have to explain "hipsters" to your children. Wait till they are about 14, put on Plans, and I think they'll get it. Death Cab pretty much have defined a genre and era right now and, for that, they do deserve some props. (Oh yeah, and you're going to have to explain "props" and then get eye rolls when you do).


8. Oasis - What's The Story Morning Glory

One of the most important, significant influences on American music is British music and one of the best influences on American pop music in the 90's was Brit-Pop. There are probably a dozen bands that are suitable to share with your kids, I picked Oasis because they are accessible and, much like Semisonic above, you KNOW they are going to hear the HECK out of "Wonderwall" on classic radio someday. If that is all they ever learn of the most pompas band in the world, it would be a true shame.


9. Green Day - Dookie

Ok, the subject matter is questionable for little kids, so I'll let you substitute American Idiot if you must. But Green Day made it cool to be punk while still remaining punk. Your kids are gonna want to know about punk. We didn't start it, and we can't claim it. Luckily, though, we have one of punks greatest sons in OUR generation.


10. U2 - Joshua Tree

DUH! The beginning of it all, kids. U2 is to our generation what the Beatles were to our parents generation. As self-important as Bono has become, it shouldn't take away from that pure genius musicianship, lyrics, and art that comes from these guys. Your kid wants to learn to rock? Slap on Joshua Tree and school them.


And there you have it, friends. Now go, dig out these CDs and play them in the car on the way to school. In 20 years, I promise, your kids will thank you.