Lately, getting the kitchen cleaned after breakfast is quite the event.  Three kiddo helpers to fill the dishwasher…or usually, empty it, is more like it.  Someone is always underfoot, and so much is happening as I try to quickly finish the task.  Drawers full of kitchen items they can use, and a cupboard mini kitchen, do help me accomplish my goal. Yet, some mornings it takes much longer than it should…or better put: longer than I would like.  Sometimes it is difficult to find joy in the dish-washing journey that could take 15 minutes, yet takes 45+.  🙂 

This morning was no different.  Though the pleasant change in the kitchen began with a bang.  An oven bang, to be exact.  The builder had opened the ovens and was using the racks for drums.  Soon the grower and dancer were also involved.  I pulled out the new musical instruments that Nana and Dezzer had found the kiddos, and the home-made shakers we had created together one morning.  They were keen on my idea to add classical music in the background, and our kitchen-born orchestra was in full-swing.  (my apologies to Scott working in the basement below!)

As story time began later, I found one of the new books from Aunt Dea, “There Was An Old Woman Who Swallowed A Fly,” with illustrations by Simms Taback.  We sang, signed as we snag each eaten animal,  enjoyed the added text and funny drawings.  No wonder it received the Caldecott Honor!   

What are your favorite children’s books with song and lyrics?  It appears I need to expand this part of our children’s library.