Paper Bowl Tamborine

This was a fun and easy after lunch craft we made with two bowels, some beans, brads and staples, and pipe cleaners for decoration. You can really use anything that makes a jingle sound like pennies, rice, or any type of hard bean. Enjoy your new band!

Zydeco Music Review with a taste of New Orleans

If you ever want to take a vacation with out leaving the US, just visit New Orleans! There is so much more than just crazy Bourbon street. You have the unique flavors of food, History, architecture, and music all rolled into one amazing place. It's so different from any other city in the US....it's like the openness of Miami, the look of Savannah, with a Caribbean flare.

The girls and I had the opportunity to hear Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience in concert a few weeks ago. In all honesty, I did not know what to expect. I had heard of Creole before, but never Zydeco music. The concert was fantastic....the sounds of the accordion and frottoir (rubboard) are not easily forgotten. Jem walked away singing and rubbing her belly like a rubboard, while Olive clutched the Mardi Gras beads that were flung to her during the interactive show.

Terrance Simien, a Grammy award winner, told a tale of his people, introducing us to Louisiana Creole culture and the History of Zydeco. I was so excited when we were given the opportunity to review his CD, Creole for Kidz, especially since the girls were talking about being on stage and playing the washboard for days after the concert.

The 10 track CD is one my girls really enjoy listening too and so do I. Their favorite song is "Creole Mardi Gras Run," track #3.  This CD is mix of Zydeco music, Louisiana history, and Creole heritage set to music.  If you have seen the new Disney movie Princess and The Frog, then you have heard Zydeco music. The song "Gonna Take You There" was inspired by an original Zydeco song by Terrance Simien.

Click here  to read more about Terrance Simien and how you can purchase his CD's.


I hope you get the chance to visit New Orleans because it's a fun experience....I sure enjoyed my first trip to the city.

Easter Songs and crafts

 The girls made these easy "Hosanna" branches to use in church on Palm Sunday, but we also use them as Easter Egg holders.  Just use a sheet of green construction paper, fringe it with scissors, wrap the paper around a toilet paper roll, and secure with tape for a "Hosanna" branch.

Add an Easter Egg for an egg holder... we also like to have races around the house with this one. If the egg falls out, you have to go back to the front door and start again.

I can't believe Easter is just 2 weeks away. I discovered this site on Friday and it's really great. Delicious Ambiguity has a wonderful Easter song book to download here.

You can also find some other ideas to go with this bunny book here at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman.

Ladybug projects

I'm a Little Ladybug
(to the tune of: I'm a little teapot)
I'm a little ladybug, as you can see.
I am a beetle, pretty as can be.
I am brightly colored, red and black.
Look at the pretty spots on my back.

I picked this cute idea up from a craft store. You will need a small flower pot, red and black paint, eyes, pipe cleaner, paint brushes, and hot glue. We used a small pom-pom to dot on the spots. These pots will be a great grandparent gift. I also thought that you could easily make them into bunnies for Easter and fill them with grass and candy.

We are just about to order our ladybug kits from Insect Lore here . It's always fun to watch them grow and set them free in our garden.

Ladybug
(author unknown)
Ladybugs all dressed in red,
Strolling through the flower bed.
If I were tiny, just like you...
I'd creep among the flowers too!