Sing, Sing a Song Saturday

Sing, Sing a Song Saturday is all about me discovering something that is different. I don't want to post things that you and I have more than likely heard before. I want to find something different. It could be from another country, someone singing from the streets of NY, and more.

There are young prodigies I run into every once in awhile. This 7 year old boy Avery Molek is just that. He's a drummer. Wow can he hang with the big drummers!

Source

Avery lives in a small town outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was born on September 11th 2006. His dad played a little guitar, other than that his parents have no musical background. They love Rock ‘n’ Roll. Avery was always surrounded by music.

Santa brought Avery one toy guitar, and one tiny drum set when he was 2. He watched music videos instead of cartoons, and wanted his mom dress him up and paint his face like the band members of Kiss. 

 

In the summer of 2012, when Avery was five, a local company asked Avery to perform a set at “Rock the Rock”, a benefit concert they were hosting. Avery nailed his performances.

His cover of Van Halen’s “Hot for Teacher” went viral. The phone started ringing and hundreds of emails poured in daily including numerous requests for interviews and appearances from national television shows. With their son’s young age in mind and his well-being as their top priority, Avery’s parents decline all requests…except one. That request came from ABC’s Good Morning America who had featured Avery’s video on their show on a day when country music mega-star, Brad Paisley, was a guest. Mr. Paisley was so impressed with what he witnessed on that video that he encouraged GMA to invite Avery on the show the following week to play with him live. 

Avery LOVES drumming at home, but prefers being on stage with the “Grown-ups”.

Tom Sawyer by Rush

Shoot to Thrill by ACDC

Crazy Train with Code Whiskey - Back when Avery was only 5. 

Such an incredible talent at a young age! He didn't need the best electronic drum set or the most expensive guitar, just a huge amount of passion. It will be exciting to see where Avery Molek ends up!

Check out Avery's website here.
Like Avery on FB.
Follow Avery's YouTube channel.

Do you believe that some people were just born to do certain things?

Random Tid Bits

1. I've defriened 1 person on FB. Every time I went on, they messaged me to chat. It was a male. He kept tagging me in his photos. I asked him to stop all the above, and he wouldn't. I blocked him. At my age I didn't think I'd be stalked. I felt violated. I'm glad he's gone.
   
   I don't think I've ever flagged a picture or video. I watched one last weekend that was child abuse. I didn't flag it because I wanted to show my husband how sick the video was. It was a common acquaintance that posted it. I had commented about how horrible it was that he shared it. He said, "Having Fun With Toddlers". It was men flinging babies around by their arms and legs. Treating them like they are acrobats. Those poor kids probably will grow up with scrambled eggs for brains, and get nursemade elbows. So sick! The guy that shared the video isn't around kids ever. Maybe he lives under a rock, and hasn't watched the news about shaken baby syndrome. I was so bothered by the video. To be honest I didn't think of flagging it at first. When I got back on, the video was gone. A good friend flagged it. It's a great thing she did.
   
   Have you ever defriended someone, or flagged a video? I do it on such a rare occasion that I don't think about it when it needs to be done. Kind of like honking my horn. I just don't do it ever. When I should I forget about it.


2. I just tea tree oil and apple cider vinegar to treat my blemishes these days. I don't have a lot, or very often, but the ones I have get treated. Well I put apple cider vinegar on a blemish, wasn't paying attention, and kept it on too long. I zapped a zit, and burnt my skin a little too much.


3. If all else fails, try and problem solve. I work with some people that solve many other people's problems. I get their frustration. I have to remind them that the printers do say on them, If something is wrong go to so and so. Some people don't even try and solve an issue they are having. If others always do things for you, you rely on them. I think that's what has happened here. As far as I go - I ask for help sometimes. Many problems I fix on my own though.


4. The boy's school did a fundraiser right when they started. It was to sell chocolate bars and beef jerky. Maybe I'm a poop head, but I said, "We're not doing this." The schools are trying to promote eating healthy, and then they want to sell crappy things to eat. I'm pretty sure my boys were annoyed with me. They wanted to win those crappy prizes you know. When we go to the Open House on Thursday I'm going to donate some money. I'd rather do that then to load up on crap that I don't want to eat. My Mom AKA Grandma thanked me.


5. One day this week I was getting my lunch ready. I peered over and saw Lap Dancers Coffee. I got up closer and saw. Tap Dancers Coffee. If you ever market a product make sure it doesn't say something else from a distance. That line under the logo makes it look like the T could be an L.

Lego Club at the Library

One thing I should have done as a parent is take advantage of the library more. Our libraries in Omaha are great!

We always had so many books at home, that I never took the kids to the library very much. Once Mica got into chapter books, we've been there a lot. I just can't keep up with all the reading he does.

There's more than books there. I like that they have story time, computer games, DVDs to check out, and Lego Club!

We went to the Lego Club this weekend.

The theme was space, but I think Mica was the only one that focused on the theme.

Lego's everywhere.

I think it was an hour long. After looking at books myself, I decided to join the boys.

Mica built a Mars Rover type of thing. I thought it was the coolest construction on the table. Mainly because he kept with the theme they had talked about.

 

Isaak built a room of some kind. He took his construction over to a little girl, and talked for awhile. I'm careful about teasing him about girls. He gets pretty worked up if I even mention that he has a friend that's a girl.

What about you, do you go to the library in your area?

Label Daddy | Labels Review

Disclosure: I am compensated for writing this post by receiving a GC to go towards Label Daddy. All opinions stated are my own.  

I just got labels from Label Daddy.

I just know that Isaak is going to be so excited to get them. He said when he started school, "I don't have any labels. Mica got some from Santa; maybe Santa will bring me some this year."

The only difficult thing with this review was waiting for their code. I kept thinking I was missing it in my email. It took them awhile to get the code out. When I have to pre-blog about a product I worry I'm not going to get compensated in the end. All ended up being good. I got the code, and Isaak got his labels.

I really wanted to get labels for Isaak through Label Daddy because Isaak loves Spider-Man. They have Spider-Man labels. It's a win | win. He even has a Spider-Man patch on his backpack. In fact they have more than one design of Spider-Man. Not only do they have Spider-Man, they have other Marvel characters, sports teams, and Disney options.

The Spider-Man Selection

I love you can custom make things now a days. I remember when I was little no one had the name Alissa on products.  My Mom had to make her own labels. My boys have different spellings for their names, so it's great to just type in their names, and get a preview right away.

The Preview

The labels shipped fast! I was impressed with that.

There's one bigger label that has their phone number on it in case the item is found. I blocked the phone number out for privacy purposes.

I know Isaak will love these clips. There are 4 of them. One side has Spider-Man, and the other side has a web with his name. They could go on the zippers of his backpack, some lunchboxes, some trapper folders, some pencil case boxes, and belt loops on pants.

Here are all the other labels they sent us. How cool is that? Isaak's going to love having his own labels.

Perks on Their Labels:

• Super durable 
• Peel-and-stick 
• Washer/dryer safe
• Microwave safe
• Dishwasher safe 
• UV resistant!  

Label Daddy is the number one solution for labeling your belongings! Remember to label all clothing, sports equipment and other personal belongings your kids bring to school, camp, sports leagues, day care, and other places.

We label all the notebooks, crayon boxes, folders, backpacks, and lunchboxes. The other things are for the whole classroom to use. 
 
What superhero would you like to see on a label? Have you used Label Daddy before?

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using USFamilyGuide. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. 

Cuddle Time - What's Up With That?

A year ago this would not have happened:

According to Mica: Isaak was a pest. He wouldn't leave him alone. He wouldn't stay out of his room!

According to Isaak: Mica was mean. He deserved to get kicked when he wouldn't share.

Well Kindergarten must of made Isaak grow up. Mica now accepts him into his world most of the time.

WW: Isaak Got an Award {Linky}

Isaak worked so hard last year; trying to earn a principle award medal. It stands for being respectful, and responsible.

All he got was certificates:

He was happy about the certificates, but he also wanted a principle award medal. It didn't help that his brother got a few of them. A medal is much more cool than a certificate. When they get a medal they get to have lunch with the principle. The principle shows them a magic trick.

This year he got a medal a month into school starting. He's had nothing, but green (good) dots. I put the medal in a safe spot, and he got mad at me. He wanted to wear it every evening last week.

If you have a moment please enter the Cooking with Beans eBook Giveaway.

An Itty Bitty Note

This little boy lost yet another tooth this weekend. It's one that isn't too obvious.

He said to Mica, "I'm going to write a letter to the Tooth Fairy, I'm going to make her a picture, and leave her a feather. She'll like the feather Mom!"

I helped him spell out what he wanted to say. He wrote with yellow on a white piece of paper. Oh so hard to read. ;) His note thanked her for coming to his house every time he looses a tooth. His picture was a paper collage. He likes gluing and taping all different papers together.

He said, "I'm going to stay up really late, and catch her."

The Tooth Fairy wrote a note back to Isaak on shimmery shiny paper. She wrote the note in tiny handwriting.

It said:

Dear Isaak,

Thank you for the lovly note. It was really kind of you. I'm glad you didn't wait up for me. I simply can not be seen. Little kids like you need your sleep in order to grow. 

Have a good day tomorrow. Don't forget to tell your teacher about losing a tooth.

Love,

The Tooth Fairy

Techno Gears Marble Mania Dual Speedway 2.0 Review

My boys really loved reviewing: Techno Gears Marble Mania Dual Speedway 2.0. It isn't every day that they get things in the mail just for them. 

Dual Speedway 2.0 is the child s creation of twisting and turning racing tracks. With dual launchers your kids can race against each other and see who crosses the finish line first. I do love that they have more than one track. It makes it fun for the kids to race.

There are more than 300 pieces that will create an exciting marble speedway. If your child likes to set things up like Legos or K'NEX building sets, they will love this toy. Part of the fun, and challenge in Mica's case was setting it up. 

The toy is for ages 8 and up. Mica just turned 9. He's usually really good about setting Lego sets up, but something went wrong with this. It had to be disassembled, and reassembled with Daddy's help. In Mica's defense Isaak was pestering him the whole time he was setting it up. Isaak wanted to play with the track. Mica's concentration was lacking.

When Daddy helped, they had no trouble at all.

At this stage I asked Mica, "What size of batteries do you need?" Mica replied back saying, "Energizer will do." Not the reply I was needing. On the box it told me what size of batteries I needed. It requires two AA batteries and two button cell batteries.

The boys showing you how it works.

Mica insisted at the end of the video that they would shake hands. They shake hands in jiu-jitsu after any meet.

The bottom line:

The boys love this toy. I think they'll play with it for a long time. The racing factor is what makes it fun for them.

An older kid does need to set it up, but may loose interest in playing with it. Isaak who is 6 loved playing with it once it was together. Do not let kids that are really young play with this. They say under 3, but Isaak still put stuff in his mouth when he was 4.

You can get Techno Gears Marble Mania Dual Speedway 2.0 on Amazon for $59.99 and it's on sale for $46.18. This toy is compatible with all Techno Gears sets. Like always I'd like to get more of their sets to make this one more fun. They can work together, and be configured different ways.

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Eric Carle Inspired

Isaak is going on a field trip this week to The Rose Theater. He's going to see The Very Hungry Caterpillar & Other Eric Carle Favorites. He is so excited! This summer when he went to the Omaha Community Playhouse for camp he and his camp buddies acted out The Very Hungry Caterpillar. 

Source

I saw that Gymboree has a whole line of Eric Carle shirts, and pjs right now. I knew Isaak would love to wear one of Eric Carle's designs on his trip to the theater. The trouble is, is that the shirts go up to a size 6. Isaak's 6, but he wears size 7 shirts. Mica's just turned 9, but he wears a size 10, and I'm buying a size 14 for him for next year. Our boys are tall. Every time I look at them it seems as though they grew a little more overnight.

I had some plain t-shirts I bought for a rainy day, and decided to make Isaak a caterpillar shirt myself. I would never sell this due to copyright issues. It's not exactly like Eric Carle's work - I made sure of that. Isaak wanted to wear it today, but his field trip is later this week. I'm having him hold out. He did try it on for a few pictures.

Front of the Shirt:

 Close-Up

Here's Eric Carle's illustration:

Source

Isaak's shirt has yellow going all the way around. The caterpillar sections are different to. Eric Carle draws with colored pencil different colored lines on the top of his caterpillar. Isaak wanted red lines. 

The part I was unhappy with are the caterpillar's feet. I decided to use fabric markers. Man, they bleed! It was the first time I used them. 

The back of the shirt:

Close-Up

It goes around more than what I captured on camera. There's an ice cream cone, pickle, Swiss cheese sausage, lollypop, pie, more sausage, a muffin, and a slice of watermelon.

This to is different from Eric Carle's work. He has a piece of cake in there somewhere. Isaak doesn't like cake, so I left that out. The lollypop was originally blue and yellow in Eric Carle's image. I didn't have blue, so I made it green and yellow. The pie had blue berries in the original, and I made it a cherry pie.

I'm debating on painting the sliver of fabric up by his neck a color. Like maybe a darker green. What do you think? Should I, or should I leave it be?  

Do you like Eric Carle's work?

The best part of doing the t-shirt is hearing Mica say, "Wow Mom this is cool!" and Isaak saying, "Thank you Mom! I just don't know how you did this."

Just a secondary thing: My post about the Faux Terrarium was featured on Clairejustine's Creative Monday post. YAY!