I swear we had some red white and blue outfits… (Patreon)

…..…but dang I'm the worst!

Forgot to take a pic before we changed to swim at this little July 4th shindig!!

Surely someone took a pic of Oscar in his red shirt, jean shorts and multi colored shark shoes, I just haven't seen any yet! 

I have been practicing singing along with the online course. Since my Mom is working up the harp part, and we have some time before the October deadline, I'm just letting the singing develop in the background. My teacher is always saying the first requirement to this method is not caring what it sounds like. That's why I don't film much of those exercises for you guys. It would be hard to not care what it sounds like while making a video for the world's best and dearest patrons.

The exercises are odd. Like making a particular cow sound in your throat and then opening up to an "ahhh" sound straight from cow. 

You're not missing anything in other words. :-P

I do think you might hear the difference when I go and sing it again for the final version! 

Every night I sing two songs to Oscar. The first is a song that I learned from a grey mechanical whale that was among Oscar's belongings transferred by his first foster family to me when he was just 18 months old. It clipped to the crib and had a yellow plastic arm with fish hanging that would swim in a little circle when you turn it on.

They used it for his bedtime routine, so I did too. 

It had a strangely nice voice (for a robot) and would sing,

The ocean is still
The animals are asleep
Lay your head down
It's time for you to rest

Go to sleep my baby
Sleep now safe and sound
Sweet dreams I wish for you
Your sea friends all around

Then there was a little musical glockenspiel type interlude that would change keys and into Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. 

Every night I still sing those two songs. (Even though it's been a while since Oscar learned to disassemble the mobile as a personal hobby project to fill the time, since sleep is for suckers, everyone knows that.)

This is all a long story to say that I can tell these songs are getting a lot easier. I used to get stuck sometimes even singing stuff like this just for Oscar.

Meanwhile update on my latest diversion with the singing bowls.... (notice I want anything that sings BUT ME!!!)

I still want to get some but it's not as urgent because I've realized I don't think they record super well. The nature of the sound is that they are cool in person but kinda overload and just sound like feedback or something in a recording. Maybe there's a way, but I have a new hunch they are better for experiencing live. So I may get some, but I'll get a starter type set to see what you guys think of them. 

I wouldn't be surprised if it's much more enjoyable for me to play violin and harp for you guys since much of our connection here is via video and recording, at least at this point. 

I hope you have a great weekend. Thanks so much for being here!!

Best,
Jenny