There is no doubt that Alex loves music. Not surprising when you consider that every member of my family is musical. I have made an effort to make sure Alex has been exposed to a lot of music since he was born including outdoor and kids’ concerts. I have also tried to give him access to a lot of different instruments. I had a piano, a violin, and a cheap guitar in the house before he was born, and we have accumulated some odds and ends since then.

February 1, 2012

I see a lot of shows at Milagros because the venue is easy to get to from my house, they host performers on a regular basis, and the price is right. $3 donation per person is pretty easy to come up with even for me. Milagros use to have Van Oodles on Wednesdays, and I got to see him perform once, but he moved to Korea for a job last year, and the space has been vacant ever since. Until now…

January 29, 2012

My father taught in the music department at the University of Nevada, Reno, and when I was growing up I would often go the music department’s Christmas party. Many years the party featured a shortened version of Hansel and Gretel, and one year my aunt played the wicked witch. As a result I have very fond memories of the opera.

Last year when the Portland Opera produced Hansel and Gretel I wanted to bring Alex. After much consideration, I decided he was not old enough to go to an opera production, especially since he can’t sit still for a 90 minute movie yet.

Christmas was over a month away and I am ashamed to say I have not finished sending out Thank You cards yet. I’ve always found the quicker I get the cards out, the more likely I am to remember who gave me what and not forget anyone. Having a toddler makes things that much more complicated, as I need to be sure and thank everyone for the gifts they gave him as well.

January 24, 2012, 9:30 am

Mr. Ben plays two shows on Tuesday mornings. We have been to the Milagros show several times, but this morning I decided it would be fun to go to the earlier show at Woodlawn Swap and Play instead. As an added bonus, my husband, Brian, was available to join us this morning. Brian does not get to go to many of the kid’s concerts and events with me because most of them occur while he is at work. Brian is, however, familiar with Mr. Ben’s music as Alex watches the videos on U-Tube regularly.

January 19, 2011

The sky is falling! All this winter weather makes me feel a bit shut in, so as a result, Alex and I have been finding every excuse we can to get out of the house. We have gone to see two shows at Milagros so far this week. On Tuesday we went and saw Mr. Ben. I was expecting to be among the only people there, but was surprised to find the place packed. It was a good show nonetheless. Today, Thursday, we went back to Milagros to catch Mo Phillips.

What age should parents start kids if they want them to play an instrument? I don’t remember how old I was when my parents started me on the violin or the piano. I was little, I know that much. My older sister started on the violin when she was two. Both of my younger brothers also played instruments from a very young age, starting with the violin and later switching to the cello.

About a year ago I saw a toddler on a leash during story time. Whenever the kid started to wander off, his mom gave the leash a little tug and he fell down. It was kind of funny at the time, but it got me thinking. How many kids wander off and get hurt or killed running into traffic or get lost. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea in certain situations such as walking in crowds or along the street.

I just got home from a visit to my parents’ 60 acre ranch in Nevada. Alex and I had a great trip, but I really had to watch my two year old every second as there were plenty of opportunities for a daredevil kid to get hurt.

I am lucky to be able to work on my computer at home, so I can take care of my 2 year old son myself instead of having to send him to daycare or find a caretaker for him. Of course, before Alex was born, I never realized just how difficult it would be to get any work done with an infant or toddler in the house. The first few weeks were a real wake up call.

I still have a hard time getting my work done each day, but I have gotten better. Here are a some things that I learned along the way.