No, Not the Sleeping Music!

Billie Holiday

On Christmas Eve we went to a special church musical service. They flew in an AMAZING female singer from Chicago. They all dressed in 1940's attire, with the same microphone's as pictured above and played old jazz style Christmas songs. It was as if you'd just stepped back in time...off the cold streets, straight into a jazz club. That was the ambiance of the evening, very relaxed, layed back & COOL.

The music was incredibly soothing. I found myself finally unwinding from the stressful days of Christmas shopping. Slowly, my eyelids began to feel heavy...the beautiful, melodic sounds of the instruments & voices, lulling me. I fought to keep my eyes open. Finally at the end of the program, they had us stand up & join them in song...snapping me back into reality.

When we got in the car, the boys told me the music had made them sleepy. All of a sudden I flashed back to an earlier time, many years ago, six rambuctious kids in the back of our Astro Van (the only car big enough to cart around all 8 of us back then.)

The Boys When They Were Little-Trip to Virginia City, NV

I had a sure fire way of controlling them on our long family trips to Utah. I'd shout, over the arguing, yelling, crying & whatever else was going on back there, "That's it, I'm putting the SLEEPING MUSIC on!" They'd shout in unison, "NO, NOT THE SLEEPING MUSIC!"

The first time I did this, my husband thought I was crazy, "That's not going to work!" But mom's know. I'd taken a mental note on several occasions, the calming effect that (KOST 103.5) had on my kids. Which I initially put on as a punishment when they were misbehaving in the car. But every single time, they would nod off. So this became my weapon. No threats of pulling the car over & taking care of business needed...just the threat & follow through of the dreaded, "SLEEPING MUSIC."

To my husband's surprise, shortly after a station change, 6 little heads would nod over, leaning on shoulders or laps, followed by the wonderful sound of silence in the back of the car & soothing music to calm our nerves. Time & time again, KOST to the rescue.

I looked back at my now youngest, 16 & 17 year old boys, and asked them, "Do you remember the SLEEPING MUSIC?" They both smiled and said, "Yeah." Later that night when I asked the older kids the same question, they said, "Oh yeah," laughing, "we hated that!"

Those special memories are now words of wisdom to all of you parents who still have young children. There's no punishment quite like SLEEPING MUSIC!

Driving to Utah

Our Family in 2006

Colors of Change

jacket: ambiance apparel, jeans: true religion (billy), scarf: gift from my step-daughter-natascha, sunglasses: gucci

boots: soda, t-shirts: american apparel

 

 There's something to be said for living somewhere where colors transform with the seasons. The first sight of changing leaves gives an old familiar place an entirely different look. On my recent visit to Utah, I decided to drive by my parents old home in Provo, Utah. It took me a few minutes to find the exact street, but once I headed up the hill, the memories of a time years ago came flooding back, joyful, full of life, laughter, unforeseen loss, sorrow...the colors of life. A home where we spent life changing moments together, loving, comforting, encouraging, and lifting up when we needed each other the most.

I only lived in Utah for two short years. Moving when my two boys, Josh & Jullien were babies. As a single mom I needed my family and there's no place like my parents loving home.

 

Memories...Colors....Life...Changes.

Family is like changing colors~nothing stays the same...learning to embrace each new season.