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The Best Kind of Hat Head

Awesome sun hats for kids

Continue Reading Add comment May 20th, 2011

Folk Rock Your Kids World—this Sunday!

I just laid hands on Laura Doherty’s “Kids in the City” CD—all about her town, Chicago—and we’re hooked! The kids and I rock out the mini-van to and fro school with Doherty channeling through the speakers. Very psyched that she’ll be at High Noon Saloon this Sunday, March 27 @ 3 pm!!

Doherty’s accoustic folk-pop for kids is pretty dang delightful—which explains why the album is award-winning. How to describe it for adults? Bright. Happy. Toe-tapping, head-bobbing fun. Doherty’s voice reminds me of Sarah Harmer, one of my fave female singers for the grownup set. In our house (and car), kid music has to be something mom and dad like to listen to. I, in fact, listened to it by myself in the car today because, well, I like it that much. So, pardon me as I continue to wax on about her…

Our fave tracks: “Kitty Cat”(Kitty cat, kitty cat I’ve got a pretty cat—can’t stop singing it! So catchy it could make Doherty big bucks as a commercial!), the down-home “Uncle Ukulele’s Band,” “Farmer’s Market” (cuz we’re into messaging on green, fresh, local + sustainable around here), “Wheels in the City,” and “El Train” (what kid doesn’t like to ride trains?) The range is folk-poppy, with smatterings of jazz, a capella, good banjo strumming mountain sounds, and even a Spanish numbers lesson via song thrown in. And, in super coolness, all the lyrics are posted on her web site.

Doherty tours nationally. And maybe you’ve heard her lovely voice before: she’s sung with other national artists for Walt Disney Co. She’s just begun recording vocals for “Record-A-Song” books, including Dora the Explorer and Thomas the Train. She directed and taught Chicago’s Old Town School of Music’s Wiggleworms program before going full time with the kid-gigs.

Doherty’s show is the perfect antidote to this lionlike March weather we’re socked with. Head down to High Noon Saloon this Sunday. She’ll brighten your blustery day.

$10/adults, $5/kids, under age 1/free

—Mama Kate

Add comment March 22nd, 2011

Culture Your Kids

The lineup for the International Festival, this Saturday, March 5, at the Overture Center, looks culturally spectacular.

Put a new tune to your ear, open it up to a new language, watch someone dance a traditional jig, celebrate the richness of diversity. Crafts, foods, music, dance, and other performances will keep you and your kiddos enthralled and entertained for the day. As the event is billed, “Local Goes Global”—all the performers call Madison home. Indeed, culture beyond the curd runs deep here.

Some specific examples of what you can take in: Hmong fiber arts; African storytelling, drumming, dance, artifacts, clothing, and jewelry; Celtic and British Isles dance, language, and music; UW’s Russian folk orchestra; Taiwanese traditional puppet troupe; traditional and modern dance from the Middle East and more. And, you can meet with local international community groups. Other cultures represented include: Polish, German, Chinese, Lithuanian, Argentine (tang0!), Bulgarian, Haitian, French, Cajun, Greek, and more!

Better yet: The event is FREE.

It’s fun straight through from 11 am to 5 pm.

—Mama Kate

Add comment March 4th, 2011

Blackbird Family Yoga—soooo OHHHHHMMMMMMMM!

Blackbird Family Yoga studio is a lovely space to practice. Cork floors. Walls painted a green that is at once calming and invigorating. High ceilings. Natural light streaming in through windows.

And a kid room. That’ right—there is childcare available during adult yoga sessions. Finally! That has been the thing that has prevented me from so many workouts and ohm sessions.

And then there’s Amanda Uphoff, our kid-parent yogi and studio owner, who is as lovely as her space. She hooks the kids in with a song about ohm, her voice as sweet as birdsong, then takes suggestions from the crowd about where we should go for our yoga adventure. Turns out we’re headed to a zoo in outerspace. We blast off and soon are doing tiger and horse poses, and kids are riding their grownups back while parked in plank. At class’s end, we snuggle up with our little yoga partners in shavasana under a fleecy blanket, and Miss Amanda comes ‘round to massage all the little feet and toes.

Amanda directs us well, but keeps it loose, too. Many of the younger kids explore around the room. And then there’s my little guy, who, because we are in outerspace, insists on incorporating lightsaber duel poses and Darth Vader breathing into our yoga session. Sigh. I try to center and I breathe more deeply.

Next time I’m going to go for parent-child yoga Mondays at 10, then stay for adult hatha at 11, while my kiddo plays away in the cozy and fun kid room. And, dear husband, I’d love a yoga party for my birthday.

On our way home, I ask my son, “What do you think of yoga, buddy?”

“I LOVE yoga!”

No better testimony than that!

Check back soon. Amanda will guest post about her fave poses for busy mamas!

— Mama Kate

Add comment October 20th, 2010

mOMMMMMmmmmm

Because I definitely need this right now—and am guessing you do, too. Thanks to Yoga Mama Amanda Uphoff who, in this guest post, delivers the poses all of us busy mamas need to get back to center. Check out her fabulous new studi0 and great lineup of classes for us parents and our kiddos—Blackbird Family Yoga.

Now, go slip into your yoga pants and do this. Repeat daily :

As moms, our days usually begin on someone else’s terms (when was the last time you woke up because you were simply done sleeping!?), at which point we have a choice: we can either hit the ground running or play catch-up all day. So we run. I know that this kind of frenetic pace can take its toll on me, as I think it does for many of us…but yoga can help. Remember, we need to use the oxygen mask on ourselves before we can be of any assistance to our children! Being a mom involves a lot of selflessness, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t allow ourselves a few moments every day to treat ourselves with the same kindness we show our loved ones.

Below is a list of 5 of my favorite poses/ exercises to help me regain control of my breath, my patience, and myself. These poses are great for stress relief, as well as for inducing quality sleep. So put on some of your favorite music, roll out your yoga mat or even a towel/ blanket, and just breathe.

1) Wide-legged Standing Forward Fold
Turning sideways on your mat, place your feet as wide as is comfortable for your body/ level of flexibility. Place your hands on your hips and slowly start folding forward, keeping your back as straight as possible. When you are folded as deeply as your body permits you to, place your hands on the floor, on your feet, or on your shins. Now let your head hang down, using its weight to elongate your spine. This should feel good; if it doesn’t, try moving your feet closer to each other, or alternatively try bending your knees a bit. After taking 3-5 deep breaths in this pose, lift your head and breathe in while lifting your upper body halfway, parallel to the floor. Exhale and fold down again, letting your head hang heavy. After 3-5 more breaths, place your hands on your hips and slowly lift up to standing, using the strength of your legs and your core to do so.

2) Seated Forward Fold
Sit on your mat with your feet out in front of you, legs straight. Lift your arms up to the sky, straightening your spine/ neck as much as possible. Next, fold forward, reaching for the feet, shins, or whatever feels best. Again, this should feel good; you may feel resistance, but there should be no discomfort. Try to keep your back as straight as possible, although a little natural rounding of the spine is okay. Keep your shoulders down and back; if they are hunched up by your ears, see how it feels to open your chest and push your shoulders down and back. You should feel a huge opening in doing so. Let go of the day’s frustrations in this pose, and just surrender to your body in this moment. After 5-10 deep breaths in this pose, slowly lift up and shake your legs out.

3) Seated Twists
While seated cross-legged, take your right leg and place your right foot outside your left knee. Your right leg will be bent and your knee should be pointing up to the ceiling. Your left leg can also be bent, or it can be straight out in front of you. With a straight spine, raise your right arm up to the sky, then lower it back and behind the right side of your body. Take your left elbow to the outside of your right knee, using it to help you twist further to the right. In this pose it is very important to twist only from the upper spine – right between the shoulder blades – and not from the hips, which can harm the lower back. Keeping your spine straight and strong, and only twisting to your comfort level, will help with this. As you breathe in, elongate, as you breathe out, twist a bit deeper. Imagine your body is a washcloth and you are wringing all the dirty water out (all the day’s frustration) as you twist; as you elongate, you are saturating your washcloth with fresh, clean water. Take 5 deep breaths in this pose, and then repeat on the opposite side.

4) Legs Up The Wall
If your mat is not already against a wall, move it to a clear wall space. Lie down with your feet facing the wall, then move in toward the wall so that your straight legs are as far up the wall as is comfortable to you. Keep your upper body flat on the ground, perhaps placing a rolled-up towel or blanket under the arch of your back for support. Open your chest as you open your arms wide to the sides. Palms should face up to the sky. Eye pillows feel great in this pose, as do my kids’ beanbags! Relax all the muscles in your face, and try to quiet the mind. Stay in this pose as long as feels good, but at least a couple of minutes.

5) 5 Great Moments exercise
This is a good exercise to do in Legs Up The Wall pose, as it helps keep the mama judgement/ criticism of ourselves at bay. I also like to do it with my kids, because it never ceases to brighten my day. Reflecting upon your day, think of that day’s 5 Great Moments. My first great moment is often a hug from a sleepy, warm kiddo, or a hot cup of coffee, or a hot shower. My last moment great moment also often involves a hug or two from my kids, but it can also be a really great glass of red wine or an interesting, funny, uninterrupted conversation with my husband after the kids are tucked in. This exercise helps us practice gratitude towards ourselves and our lives, even though we may have had many moments throughout the day that we are decidedly NOT grateful for Yesterday a little girl in one of my yoga classes said that her first great moment of the day was “now,” which was so perfect. Enjoy the now. Try not to judge yourself too harshly for things you think you could’ve or should’ve done differently that day – take a note and move on. Remember to breathe. Remember to thank yourself for taking the last few minutes to tend to your mental and physical health. You deserve it!

— Yoga Mama Amanda Uphoff, owner of Blackbird Family Yoga in Middleton, WI

Enjoy!