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Celebrating Purim

Posted on March 20, 2011 12:00 am by TheAngelForever

As a child, I have many memories of celebrating Purim with my family. My mother, father, brother and I would go to Shul with my Mimi and Poppy. I often dressed up as Queen Esther since this was her big day. For years I would not go near our rabbi because he scared me in his Megillah Gorilla costume one year. I am happy to report I was able to get over it since he was also the one that married us almost ten years ago.

TechyDad and I have also taken our kids to synagogue for Purim celebrations.

The boys adore dressing up and taking part in the Megillah reading celebration. Groggers to make noises each time we hear the name Haman uttered, only adds to the fun and excitement for a child.

Today, the boys and I will be celebrating Purim a little differently. To help get you in the mood and tell you the story, I wanted to share the Maccabeats Purim Song video. Enjoy!

For previous Purim related posts that I have written, you can check them out here.

Categories:
fun holidays jsl looking back Music nhl TechyDad video

Shabbat Shaboom – Mama Doni’s Challah Day Celebration For the Whole Family

Posted on March 3, 2011 9:10 am by TheAngelForever

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:

The Introduction
Shabbat Shaboom
Challah-Day
The Best Shabbat I Ever Had
Mazel Tov
Quiet On The Set!
My Mishpocha
The Sabbath Queen
A Grape Juice Break Dance
The Bat Mitzvah
Synagoguersize
Shabbat Happens 52 Times a Year
Fahklempt (Remix)
Jewish Cowgirl (Remix)
The Coolest Friend I Ever Had Was a Chicken
The Finale
Shabbat Shaboom Sleepytime
Bonus Track – The Friday Night Blessings (Mama Doni’s New Melody)
Bonus Track – Saturday Night Blessings (Havdalah, Melody of Debbie Friedman)

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.

Categories:
holidays looking back Music Product review

I See the Light – a la Disney Every Day

Posted on January 30, 2011 12:13 pm by TheAngelForever

My friend Amanda Tinney, from Disney Every Day, is up to it again. She is taking on a new Disney song and putting it into pictures. Just like in the past, the song is broken up line by line. People then submit photos with the lines on it. After this, Amanda does her magic and sets it up to music for the final video.

This time around the song selected is “I See the Light” from Tangled. I just volunteered to do a line again. Here is the photo that I sent Amanda:

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to Disney Every Day and sign up for a line. Amanda said there are plenty still available.

To see past Disney Song in Pictures please check out the following:

Categories:
bloggy friends Disney fun interesting Music photos

Monkey Monkey Music with Meredith LaVande (Review/Giveaway)

Posted on August 29, 2010 7:36 pm by TheAngelForever

Music has always been an important part of my life. When I was little, I remember rocking out to favorites of my parents generation along with my own music. These days, childrens music has come so far. In addition to music that goes along with television programming, independent artists are stepping up and creating music that is genuinely appropriate for kids.

I was recently asked by Waldmania! to check out What Are The Odds? Monkey Monkey Music with Meredith LaVande. This CD is being released in a matter of days, on August 31. Since we are always looking to expose our boys to different music, we agreed to receive a complimentary CD for review.

More about What Are the Odds? and Meredith LeVande:

Here is an introduction about what Monkey Monkey Music is from the website.

Monkey Monkey Music is a children’s music program developed by Meredith LeVande, an educator and songwriter who has close to a decade of experience working with preschool aged children. Monkey Monkey Music is a continuously evolving project that’s committed to conscious and quality based music and media which puts the best interests of children first. Learning and music is a fun, joyous, experience for children, which is why Meredith’s collection of songs and live performances continuously engage both children and adults for years on end. Celebrations can be educational, and education should be fun which is why her shows, parties and programs are so successful.

Both Meredith’s live performances, and simple listening experiences galvanize and unify groups of people, both young and old to "jump high", "shake it loud," and celebrate the topics that reference the lives and desires of young children while fostering connections between groups of people as a whole.

What Are the Odds? is the second full length CD from LeVande’s Monkey Monkey Music project. It will be released on August 31, has a run time of 46 minutes for ages 2-7 and will cost $14.99. Here is a description from Amazon:

With What Are the Odds? Meredith LeVande has created something remarkable, finding the middle road between baby songs and pop band songs where kids lyrics are simply added to music that would otherwise be played for adults. Meredith’s music is not only child-friendly, it s truly child appropriate, having been created with the healthy growth of the child in mind.

Tracks on the CD:

Hello (New)
What Are the Odds?
Shake It Loud
This Way, That Way
In the Garden
Wheels
Air Guitar
Frogs Eat Butterflies
Circle
Turn Your Body Around
Bubbles
Who’s a Knickin’?
Silly Animal Friends
Guess What I Am
Willow Tree in the Wind
Goodbye (New)

What we think:

From the moment we saw the titles of the songs on the CD, we were all focused on one in particular. A few months back, NHL wrote a poem at a school event called Butterfly and Frog. In the short and sweet poem the frog eats the butterfly, so "Frogs Eat Butterflies" intrigued us. It was interesting to note that the song is adapted from the Wallace Stevens poem "Frogs Eat Butterflies. Snakes Eat Frogs. Hogs Eat Snakes. Men Eat Hogs." This is NHL’s poem:

We wanted to see if this song made NHL’s first grade poem come alive even more. Yes, we went right to that song and then listen to the rest! The song begins by telling you to be careful who is in your company because they may be hungry. Then, it goes into describing how parts of the food chain works. Sharks eat seals, crumbs are a party for ants, and of course frogs eat butterflies. The country twang of the song is quite different from most of the other tracks on the CD, but it works perfectly for this title.

As a parent and teacher, I really liked how Meredith LaVande meshes learning into all of her songs. Not only are facts included, but favorites take on a new spin. The song "Wheels" teaches children about different modes of transportation that include wheels. The chorus includes a new tempo and take of The Wheels on the Bus song, a favorite of children and parents because it gets everyone moving. I also appreciate that the Monkey Monkey Music website includes the lyrics to all of the songs. This is often helpful when you want to make sure your child is trying to sing along. JSL really enjoyed "Hello" when we listened. It really made him listen and get involved. He was able to clap his hands, sway sideways, jump up and down, spin, shake it silly and then make monkey noises.

I have been trying to put my finger on LaVande’s singing style and it is hard to do. When I listen to her voice and the background beat to a lot of the songs, it makes me think of female musicians from the 50’s and 60’s. I could just imagine her belting out tunes with a band at a Sock Hop.

The only criticism that TechyDad and I had was on the title song. In "What Are the Odds?" it has the following lyrics:

But what are the odds?
Let’s count the odds
Let’s count the odds to 9
1 … 3 … 5 … 7 … and 9
9
9 planets counting Pluto
Let’s say them in a row
Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto

Do you see a problem here? Why yes, Pluto is no longer a planet. When we grew up it was one of the nine planets, but scientists have since downgraded Pluto to a dwarf planet. A technicality, but as a science teacher it bothered me a bit. I only hope that this song was written long before the recent developments.

Overall, we enjoyed the What Are the Odds? CD. The song mixture was great to use with toddlers, preschooler and even my elementary aged son. The songs were gender neutral, so they are great for all children.

Giveaway:

Thanks to Waldmania!, one lucky reader will be able to win their own copy of What Are the Odds?.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Answer the following question: Who will this CD be for and what age are they?

For all bonus entries below, please be sure to leave a separate comment for each extra chance you are allowed.

1-2 Bonus Entry – What was your favorite children’s CD (record/casette/8 track) from when you were a child? and/or What song are you most excited to hear on this CD? (Be sure to leave two comments if you answer both of these questions)
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and Monkey Monkey Music Giveaway in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): Chance to #win a new #kids music CD from Monkey Monkey Music and @TheAngelForever http://bit.ly/cKegPr Stop by to enter the #giveaway
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of August/September. Be sure to leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done only twice per person.
1 Bonus Entry – Enter any of my other current giveaways (keep checking back – more being added all the time). Be sure to leave a comment here to let me know which one.
3 Bonus Entries – Add my blog button to your website and leave a link with the location. Be sure to give yourself 3 comments for credit.
5 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the giveaway. Be sure to leave 5 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries.

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. The contest starts today August 29 and ends at 10:59 EST on September 12, 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. residents only.

Disclosure: This review and giveaway was made possible by Waldmania!. They provided me with the What Are the Odds? CD to facilitate this review. The opinions of this review are mine and I received no other compensation.

Categories:
fun giveaway Music Product review

Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles (Review & Giveaway)

Posted on August 19, 2010 12:56 pm by TheAngelForever

It’s confession time again. Seven years ago, when I was a first time mother, I was introduced to The Wiggles. At that time, they were part of Playhouse Disney and on several times a day. Now, The Wiggly Waffle is part of Sprout, which we sadly do not have on Time Warner Cable – BOO!.

When I first saw Greg, Anthony, Murray and Jeff, I didn’t know what to think. As a teacher, I was familiar with other children’s musical groups, but not this Aussie sensation. The true confession is I was not a fan at first. I would quickly turn off the television when The Wiggles would come on because I just did not get them.

My tune (pun not intended) changed when my son perked up and wanted to dance to their music. As a curious new mother, I looked at the background of the group. It was interesting to see that The Wiggles are educators. After a few shows, I was hooked. I liked the messages in their songs, and I especially enjoyed how the group managed to get kids and parents up off their rears to dance together to fun and catchy songs.

Fast forward seven years and we have been to three Wiggles concerts (and counting – I hope), own a lot of Wiggles DVDs and CDs, and frequently go to Wiggles World at Six Flags. We were at a concert just weeks before the official announcement of Greg handing over the yellow skivvie to Sam. These were big changes for kids and parents alike. We mourned losing Greg and wished him a speedy recovery, but looked forward to the future with Sam.

Recently, TechyDad and I were contacted by The Wiggles PR team to check out their new DVD called Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles (Amazon Affiliate link).

About Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles:

The most successful children’s entertainment group in the world has finally released a collection of their most loved songs, Hot Potatoes! The Best of The Wiggles. The Wiggles’ songs have drawn millions of people over the years to see their live concerts. The New York Times called The Wiggles, “the band that rocks the cradle” and this is certainly true. They have set records for their sold out performances everywhere from Madison Square Garden in New York to the Hammersmith Apollo in London to their home town of Sydney, Australia. Their songs are instantly memorable and get you wiggling in seconds! Those same songs have seen music royalty line up to record music with the fab four of fun! We’ve picked the best for you to listen to, but snap it up as this DVD will go like….hot potatoes!

The songs/videos included on this DVD are: -> Hot Potato, -> Can You (Point Your Fingers And Do The Twist?), -> Fruit Salad, -> Rock-A-Bye Your Bear, -> Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga, Big Red Car, -> Wake Up Jeff!, -> Wiggly Party, -> Captain Feathersword Fell Asleep On His Pirate Ship (Quack Quack), -> Wiggle Bay, -> The Monkey Dance, -> Get Ready To Wiggle, -> Go Santa Go, -> Dorothy (Would You Like To Dance?), -> Ooh It’s Captain Feathersword, -> Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport, -> Dressing Up, -> Move Your Arms Like Henry, -> Lights, Camera, Action, Wiggles!, -> Do The Owl, -> The Zeezap Song, -> Play Your Guitar With Murray, -> Rockin’ Santa!, -> To Have A Tea Party, -> Here Come The Chicken, -> Getting Strong!, -> Murray Had A Turtle, -> Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, -> I’m Dorothy The Dinosaur!, -> You Make Me Feel Like Dancing, -> Dr Knickerbocker, -> The Shimmie Shake!, -> Over In The Meadow, -> Wags The Dog Is Chasing His Tail, -> Monkey Man, -> Hot Poppin’ Popcorn

In addition to the songs listed above, there are a lot of special features on this DVD. A few of them include interviews with The Wiggles’ Mums, Original clips from 1991, and Growing up with The Wiggles (Clare and Larissa). Some of the special guests that are on the DVD are Kylie Minogue, Leo Sayer and Steve Irwin.

What we thought:

As I mentioned before, we have a lot of other Wiggles DVDs at our house.

Still, I think we have a new favorite Wiggles DVD. From the moment we put the DVD on, both of the kids were actively engaged. Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles is chock full of Wiggly classics. As a parent, I really loved that before each song one of the familar Aussies comes out to introduce the songs. This really worked well with the flashback style that was used on the DVD. Yes, each of the songs is in the original format from their television show, DVD or live performance. Thanks to this, we are able to see both Sam and Greg in the yellow skivvy.

The other items that I really enjoyed were the extras. It was so much fun listening to the Mums of The Wiggles talk about their little boys. The women really were a hoot and we were able to learn a lot about Anthony, Murry, Sam and Jeff. My older son also enjoyed the section with Clare. Clare is Anthony’s niece who has grown up around the Wiggles. She appeared on earlier shows with them and now travels as one of the Wiggly Dancers. NHL recalled seeing her long ago and when we went to the Go Bananas show last fall.

There was no doubting what JSL thought about the DVD. Here is a glimpse of him in action at Nana and Papa’s house:

From the moment the DVD went on, he was non-stop singing, dancing and running around. He loved each and every song and asked for it again. When I asked what his favorite was, he said Popcorn.

If you are a Wiggles fan, we highly recommend adding this to your Wiggly collection. The best part, you could win a copy here!

Giveaway:

Thanks to The Wiggles, one lucky winner will receive their very own copy of Hot Potatoes! The BEST of The Wiggles DVD.

Rules for Giveaway:

MAIN RULE – Answer the following question: What is your all time favorite Wiggles song? Yes yours, not your childs (will be asking another bonus question below).

The following Bonus Entries may also be done. Please be sure to leave separate comments for each that you complete below to make sure you get the right number of entries.

1 Bonus Entry – Who will this DVD be for and what is their favorite song by The Wiggles?
1 Bonus Entry – Tweet about the giveaway on Twitter. Be sure to include @TheAngelForever and The BEST of The Wiggles DVDGiveaway in the Tweet. Please leave a direct link to your Tweet in a separate comment for each daily entry. Example Tweet (feel free to use): Get ready to Wiggle. Chance to #win The BEST of the Wiggles DVD from @TheAngelForever http://bit.ly/cAh1al. #Giveaway #kids
1 Bonus Entry – Subscribe to my RSS feed (or let me know if you already are) in a separate comment.
1 Bonus Entry – Who is your favorite Wiggle or character from The Wiggles and why?
1 Bonus Entry – Leave a comment on any of my non-giveaway posts from the month of July/August. Leave a comment here to let me know which one. This Bonus entry may be done only twice per person.
3 Bonus Entries – Add my blog button to your website and leave a link with the location. Be sure to give yourself 3 comments for credit.
5 Bonus Entries – Write a post on your blog linking to my blog about the giveaway. Be sure to leave 5 comments about this to get credit for all of your extra entries.

To enter, please follow the rules above within the comment section. Contest starts today August 19 and ends at 10:59 EST on September 2 , 2010. You do not have to be a blogger to enter, but must leave a valid e-mail address for me to contact you for mailing address once the giveaway is over. I will select the winner using random.org and contact you via e-mail. You will have 48 hours to claim the prize. If there is no response, another winner will be selected. Open to U.S. and Canada residents only. Also note that TechyDad is having a giveaway on his website where you increase your chances for another DVD there.

Disclosure: I received this DVD complimentary of The Wiggles PR agency in order to facilitate this review. They were also sweet and sent a few other Wiggly surprises for my sons that included a T-shirt, CD and Henry the Octopus doll. No other compensation was given. The opinions expressed in the review are my own and you can see we have been long time Wiggles fans. The Wiggles are also providing the giveaway item to my readers.