iTunes Gift Card Giveway

If I am not downloading a new app for the kids on the iPad, I am downloading my self-declared song of the summer, Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke.(I just love saying the "hey, hey, hey!" part like Fat Albert!)

Wouldn't it be nice to have some extra money in your iTunes account???

Thanks to our friends at MyEmoticons.com, you can win a $40 iTunes gift card!

Please use the Rafflecopter app below to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Good luck!

Move Over Pys, Harlem Shake is the New Favorite in This House

Gangman Style by Pys has been a staple in our house for what seems like forever. But now, thanks to the Harlem Shake by Baauer, it seems like a song (video and meme) has finally knocked Pys off of his pedestal in our house.  (Harlem Shake is the #1 single sold on iTunes right now.)

Here are just a couple of kid-friendly versions of the Harlem Shake craze:

Here's how to actually do the Harlem Shake dance move:

Have fun trying to get the beat of the song out of your head...it's been playing in mine for the past 36 hours.

Posted by Leslie

Friday Funny: My Budding Musician/Composer and his New Instrument

Here is my son's latest composition (an original score) that will hopefully make you laugh into your weekend...

You may also be mortified, but if you watch it a few more times, it actually starts to seem pretty funny.

Happy Friday!

Girly Birthday Party Playlist for My Almost 5-Year Old

With my daughter's 5th birthday upon us, I thought I would put together a fun list of songs for my favorite little girl's special day.

Here are some of her favorites, which are quite frankly, some of my faves, too:

• I Love You Like a Love Song - Selena Gomez
• Super Bass - Nicki Minaj (clean version, of course!)
• Titanium - David Guetta & Sia
• Die Young - Ke$ha
• Hot N Cold - Katy Perry
• Gangnam Style - PSY
• Call Me Maybe - Carly Rae Jepsen
• Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Cindi Lauper (or in my daughter's case, she likes the Barbie Princess and the Popstar version of Princesses Just Want to Have Fun)
• We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together - Taylor Swift
• California Gurls - Katy Perry
• You Should Be Dancing - Bee Gees (she knows it from Despicable Me)
• Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5
  and because she is my daughter, she has to have some Britney...
• Till the World Ends - Britney Spears

With her Barbie Princess and the Popstar microphone that plugs into an MP3 player, she can sing with all of these songs to her hearts content.  The question is, will I be able to survive it!?!  

Give Your Workout a Boost and a Blast From the Past

Thanks to Pandora's cardio dance playlist, I just re-discovered an amazing song that gave my workout a major boost today. Throw on your imaginary leg warmers and cutout sweatshirt and go crazy to Maniac from the Flashdance Soundtrack.

But be warned, even though they can't hear it, people around you might start thinking you are a maniac when they see the sudden boost of energy kick in, as the guy next to me on the eliptical machine who couldn't stop giving me strange looks clearly pointed out.  As Teresa from Real Housewives of New Jersey would say, "They are just jealous!"
 
Here are a few favorites on my workout/running playlist:

Dancing with Myself - Billy Idol
Party Rock Anthem - LMFAO (especially good for me when running uphill!)
Hello - Martin Solveig & Dragonette
Lose Control - Missy Elliott
Good Feeling - Flo Rida
Moves Like Jagger - Maroon 5 (I will work out harder for Adam Levine...is that bad???)
Sunday Morning - No Doubt
Till the World Ends - Britney Spears (Sorry, I love Britney and the whoa oh oh oh oh oh ohhhh's)

What do you like to listen to when working out?

Our Little Conductor

Wordless Wednesday: Piano Lessons are Paying Off

****

"Piano Lesson is Fun"

While I was pregnant with #1, we inherited a beautiful piano from my husband's Great Aunt.  The piano is nearly 100 years old and has survived a move from Northern to Southern California, as well as our 1-hour away SoCal move last year.  But it never gets played.

That is until the kids started piano lessons a couple of weeks ago.  The kids have both learned a few basic songs from their teacher, Ms. Lily, and are practicing daily.  What's great about getting the kids started is that I have started picking up what they are learning and my husband and dusted off some of his old music books.  So far, "Mary Had a Little Lamb" is my strongest piece.  He played the theme song to "Hill Street Blues" but mine was still pretty impressive.

It's exciting to have the piano be more than just a beautiful furniture piece and hear such beautiful music in the house.  And it is nice that we can all get around something besides a TV show, movie or board game.  Let's just keep our fingers crossed we keep at it!

What's My Age Again?

Last night the hubby and I along with some of our friends had a blast seeing Blink 182 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, albeit we were the oldest people there.  In our quest to relive our youth, we even opted for GA Floor seats.

The good news about the floor: most of the people at the concert were kids and we were taller than them!  So we didn't have to stand right up front to still have a great view of the stage.  Of course, the one downside of floor seats was not being able to bring food or DRINKS in for the show.  (Should have planned that out better!)

Since I have been to a few concerts where artists lip sync (Britney Spears I love you, but it's true), it still always amazes me to see bands like Blink 182 sound just like they do on their albums, and in fact even sound better.  I was also amazed at the adorable (and shirtless little boy, maybe 8-10 years old) who was playing the guitar next to Travis Barker the entire show. (I am thinking since the boy was shirtless and Travis is always shirtless during a show, it was probably his son.)  I have tweeted Mark Hoppus to find out who the talented little musician is, but am still awaiting an answer.  I'll keep you posted. 

This is the best my Blackberry could do at the concert.  Pathetic, I know.  Someday I will rise up and get a better phone!

 Here is Travis Barker hoisted above us for his drum solo prior to their encore. 

 Image at top from Blink182.com

12 Days of Christmas...Elmo style!

If you or your child likes Elmo (or perhaps as in the case of my son, Elmo was his third word spoken), then you are going to love the 12 Days of Christmas Elmo from Fisher-Price. Elmo is dressed up as an adorable elf and has his own silly version of the holiday classic. Not only is it a fun toy and a great gift, but a cute holiday decoration for your child's room - or anywhere else in the house you want the furry red monster to sit!


Another fun option is the Very Merry Trio available at Hallmark. The smile these singing penguins and snowman bring to my son's face made it a worthwhile purchase, but the dance moves he displays with this trio makes it priceless. I will be honest, I thought this singing trio might get annoying very quickly, but watching the little penguin tail ring a bell makes it even comical for the hardest to please. And besides, in their TV commercial, this trio lifts everyone's spirits who are delayed at the airport...now if this trio could really do that...we should all be buying singing penguins and snowmen by the truckload. For now, I recommend just starting with one. (The Very Merry Trio is only $14.95 if you purchase 3 Hallmark cards.)