Frances England Revisted

There has been much interesting discussion in the car lately, including a recent conversation about wanting to go to school. Orion brought this up again recently, and I told him I wasn't sure if he knew what school was all about. I told him the point was to learn about things like letters and numbers, and he yelled, "Nooo!!!" hahaha So I asked him what it was about school that he was interested in, and he said, "Meeting lots of friends!" Hmmm, just when I decided one on one playdates might be the best thing for him for now. I told him I would really make an effort to plan places for us to go and be with friends as many days as possible, and he seemed OK with that idea. He seems to get easily overwhelmed in places with too many kids, but he also craves the social interactions. It is a fine balance I am still trying to figure out how to achieve.

We have also continued listening to our Frances England CD. I took this picture of her off her website:
I think she is adorable and really interesting looking. I am still really enjoying most of the music. Of course Orion had to pick a favorite that has nothing to do with my beloved banjo and is instead a more rock influenced electric guitar type song that I wasn't fond of at first. But then some of the lyrics kindof grew on me.

from I scream, You scream:

I’ve got an idea
It’s the best one I’ve ever had
Yeah, I’ve got an idea
I hope you’ll agree that it’s rad
Let’s get an ice cream cone
Let’s get an ice cream cone
Put down your cell phone
Replace it with an ice cream cone

OK, first of all, she says "rad". Gotta say that brings back the days. But the part about putting down your cell phone just cracks me up. Somehow I have gotten more into text messaging these days. I have a couple friends I text with, and then I use it with Ron and Sarah as well. Which means I am holding onto my cell phone probably more than I should these days. And you know what? I think this is a pretty darn good sentiment, even if I am not eating dairy right now LOL.

Another song that has really gotten into my heart is Firefly:

Fireflies flash when they like what they see
They see you, they see me
Their tails light up when they say hello
How do you do? How did you know
That your little light could make me feel so good
All those little lights shine out through Tanglewood
Fireflies flash when they like what they see
Green lush hills, sweet ice tea
Summertime nights are long and warm
We stay out late behind our home
Where the big sky is brightened all night long
By the fireflies singing their evening time song

This is one of those songs that has OK lyrics, but somehow the way the lyrics mix with the music just elevate it to a piece of art. There is no way to convey this without listening to it, so I guess you will just have to check it out for yourself!

We have had alot of fun talking about The Animal Inside You. I started asking Orion which animal is inside him. His favorite answers are bat, hippo, giraffe and sloth. Not much in common there. Guess it is good he has so much variety! (I always say otter.)

There is really only one song I don't care for, which is one that focuses on endangered species. I always had an uncomfortable feeling about this, and then I read this great article that summed it up for me perfectly. I tried to find it to link here, but don't remember where I saw it. The basic idea was that it isn't a good idea to talk to young kids about this because it freaks them out. If you want kids to develop a love of nature, make sure you are taking them out to really experience it. And if you want them to get interested in activism, start with something where they can really see the effects, not with something that may be out of their hands no matter how much they do.

And there is the pride thing. She has lyrics about pride in a couple songs I otherwise love. I have talked about my issue with this concept on this blog before. But yes, I do tend to overanalyze things. ;) On the whole, I am still loving the CD and appreciating it as an example of children's music I can listen to over and over without going insane!