I fully admit that I am a Geek. I grew up with a love for all things related to science thanks to my mother (a biology major) and amazing teachers. It should be no surprise, that I enjoyed watching Bill Nye the Science Guy.
I have so many memories of watching this science crusader. I wrote about Bill Nye this week on The Disney Driven Life. My other Education posts there can be found under NDM183 – that’s me!
Growing up in a very active Jewish family, I remember listening to a lot of different styles of Jewish music. The memories of playing records and dancing at my Mimi and Poppy’s house with relatives is still fresh in my mind. I also recall learning Shabbat songs when I was in nursery school. NHL did the same just a few years ago, and now JSL is celebrating Shabbat with music, candle lighting, challah eating, and role playing as the Abba (father). It makes me proud to know that my boys are keeping the traditions alive. 
These days, it is even easier to celebrate our Jewish heritage thanks to new music that is out there. When I was asked by Waldmania! PR to check out a new CD by The Mama Band, I was very intrigued and agreed.
About Shabbat Shaboom and The Mama Doni Band:
The following is from the Press Release about the new CD:
The inimitable Mama Doni brings her special brand of “funky music with a Jewish twist” to a new “Challah-Day” album, with the March 22 release of Shabbat Shaboom (Mama Doni Productions, $15, run time 42 minutes, all ages).
Doni Zasloff Thomas, aka Mama Doni, is the lead singer/songwriter in The Mama Doni Band. Doni’s “wacky, Jewish indie-rock band for kids” won the Simcha Award for Inspiring Joy Through Music in competition with more than 100 bands from 15 different countries at the 2008 International Jewish Music Festival in Amsterdam. Quirky, zany, offbeat, and unpredictable, The Mama Doni Band expands the horizons of traditional Jewish music with a contagious and unexpected blend of reggae, rock, disco, Latin, klezmer and “Jewgrass” – all woven together with a hip Jewish sensibility.
The original songs and stories on Shabbat Shaboom transport listeners to a place where the album’s warmly sincere pop-rock title track happily melds with a Gloria Estefan-meets-Fiddler on the Roof conga line tune, "Challah-Day,” where the reggae-influenced “Mazel Tov” meets a disco ditty, “Sabbath Queen.” Shabbat Shaboom touches on such aspects as lighting candles, being with family (mishpocha), celebrating bat mitzvahs, and even the “workout” that Mama Doni mischievously terms "synagoguersizing."
Shabbat Shaboom marks the first Mama Doni CD to showcase the entire Mama Doni Band. Says Doni, “Shabbat Shaboom is really an evolution for us. It’s a little less shticky than my previous CDs. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still fun! But this album has a slightly different vibe. It’s more sophisticated musically than my earlier work, a bit more soulful, you might say.”
The raison d’être of Mama Doni’s presentation goes deeper than surface “shtick.” What’s important to Doni is the idea of giving children their own current and positive musical voice. Doni lays out her mission: “I want to share with kids of all ages and backgrounds the humor and richness that effervesces throughout Yiddish language and Jewish culture. Through my music I hope that they can access the joy in this culture in a new way and have a rockin‘ good time in the process!”
Tracks on the CD include:
What We Thought:
The boys and I took the Shabbat Shaboom CD into the car to listen to as we traveled. We laughed and sang along with the fun and unique lyrics. Later on, we played the CD in the house so they could dance around to the high energy songs. The boys really loved the title song “Shabbat Shaboom” and asked to hear it over and over again. They also giggled about Mama Doni’s love for challah in “Challah-Day” and asked if we could listen to it during Shabbat when they eat their challah. Their ears also perked up when Doni mentions her Bubbie – that is what the boys calls TechyDad’s mother.
NHL has been in Hebrew School for several years, so he caught references to items within the songs. He recognized “Mazel Tov” and why they were saying it in the song. He also shocked us and knew what “My Mishpocha” was about. He laughed and said Doni’s mishpocha reminded him of some people in our family. Of course, the banjo playing that introduces everyone was hilarious and kept us laughing as we “met” more of her family members.
For me, the magic of the CD is how much learning it packs into each fun, and quirky song. Mama Doni tosses in so much about Shabbat, using terms, traditions, and family happenings to make it work really well. TechyDad and I kept laughing at “Synagoguersize” because we have always joked that it is a workout going to shul on Shabbat. When our rabbi asks us to please rise – this song will forever be stuck in my mind. I also could relate to “Bat Mitzvah” and all of the hectic preparations that went on when getting my brother ready for his Bar Mitzvah. I knew his Haftorah almost as well as he did at one point.
My favorite song on Shabbat Shaboom is “Shabbat Shaboom Sleepy Time” because of how beautiful the song was. The original was fun, but this version gave me chills and really highlights Mama Doni’s voice and talent. JSL and NHL also liked the bonus tracks of the blessings from Friday and Saturday night. The little guy quickly recognized it from school and asked to hear it again. This shows me that we are doing something right. The boys are proud and enjoying their heritage, and with the help of Mama Doni we can make it even more fun. Now, I am eyeing the Mama Doni Band Purim CD, along with others that are already released to add to our growing collection of Jewish music.
I just hope that one day we will be able to see The Mama Doni Band in concert. To see their schedule check out the tour dates on the left of their website.
Disclosure: This review was made possible by Waldmania!. They provided me with the Shabbat Shaboom CD to facilitate this review. The opinions of this review are mine and I received no other compensation.
We do not have any pets at our house. Thanks to severe cat and dog allergies, and a small house, we are pretty limited. Growing up, we had pet birds, some hamsters (Hammy and Fluffy had many hamster babies), and countless fish. At one point, we had eight feathered friends living in our house. We had the following members of our family:
What pets, if any, did you have as a child? Do you have any pets in your house now?
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Thanks to Kailani at An Island Life for starting this fun for Friday. Please be sure to head over to her blog to say hello and sign the linky there if you are participating.
Aloha #140
The smell of clean ice in the air, the cool breeze whirling around, and jerseys galore. This is what we experienced yesterday when we took the boys to see the Albany Devils hockey game. The minute we stepped into the arena, it was like déjà vu. You see, back before I met TechyDad, I was a River Rats season ticket holder. Back in the day I went to every home game and my amazing seat was located just behind the home bench. Ah, the memories of games gone by. Watching players like Patrick Elias, Petr Sykora, Mike Dunham, and countless others start their careers here and move on to the NHL.
The kids were sick of being cooped up in the house and thanks to Time Warner Cable, they had an amazing deal on tickets. All tickets were $10 or $5 depending on where you sit. So we packed up the kids and went to the early start game. While I went to buy tickets, the boys went and saw the Devil Dawg.
When the players came out for warm-ups, we made our way down to the ice. The kids really enjoy being down there and can see more of the action. 
Of course, the players are always great with kids. At one point, they flipped out a puck. NHL happened to be in just the right place. It bounced, he ran, and this is what he got:
Then JSL was excited to see the zamboni. Yes, my three year old was thrilled to see the red and blue zambonis circle the ice getting it ready for the game. 
Of course, this also gave TechyDad some time to test out his camera and get some photos of the new jumbo tron that the Times Union Center recently installed.
JSL held onto his team roster and watched the first period without fussing too much. Sure he was upset I refused to give him a snack right away, but eventually he kept watching.
Then it was time to stretch and see another visitor that was in the building. The boys went to wait to meet Dora. It is a sad moment in my hockey life to admit it. My three year old son was more excited to see the zamboni and meet Dora the Explorer than watch hockey. *sigh*
Luckily, NHL got into the game. He was intrigued with why the players went into the penalty box, why the ref had an orange band on his arm, and more. I think you can see, he was a very happy camper:
The game eventually ended in a 3-3 tie. We quickly went to a five minute OT period where a lot of penalties came. JSL declared that the game was taking FOREVER. When told that if the Devils would score a goal we would be done he started to loudly cheer “Let’s go Devils!” Of course, a goal would not come during that time. We were able to witness a shootout. We sat behind the Albany goalie (Caruso) who stopped all of the shots that he faced. With one lone goal scored on ex-River Rat goalie Leighton – the Albany Devils won the game 4-3. 
We had a fun time at the Albany Devils game and I look forward to making more hockey memories with my family. Next time, I may feel the need to break out my game worn Sharifijanov River Rats jersey. Hmmmm……
A little over a year ago, I traveled to Disney World to take part in my first blogging conference. For some reason I was not nervous. Unlike my trip to BlogHer, a few months later in NYC, I was at ease going to a location that I knew and loved. What could be more magical than going to meet new people, learn new things, and play with my family at Disney World? The answer, being able to go again in 2011.
Yes, in a few weeks I will be heading back to the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration at Walt Disney World. I feel so lucky to be able to go and experience the magic of this conference. The best part for me is not having to worry about my family. While I am taking part in the events for conference attendees, I know that my husband and boys will be having an adventure in one of the Disney parks.
