Jeneric Jeneralities ~ by JenIG
April 26th, 2006
Nearly The Sound of Music

Today I started giving two of my kids guitar lessons (BoBo and Peachy).  Ryann
has also been learning a bit over the years. They are off to a good
start. My dad taught me how to play the guitar when I was about five
and I am really glad to have that ability now that I'm all growed
up-like.  Plus it's fun.  Are you making your kids play music
stuff?  If so, what are they learning?  I'm curious.  I
sort of wish I would have learned to play the piano.  One thing I
never learned was how to read sheet music.

Lastly, today I put in part of our garden.  I started a bunch of
seeds in paper cups (which they have quickly outgrown) and now they
need to go into the ground.  Nobody ever told me that gardening
was hard work.  And hot.  And dirty.  And there are all
manner of bugs involved.  I think I want my money back. 
Maybe I'll feel differently when we are gorging ourselves on fresh
fruits and vegetables galore.  I dislike the word 'galore'. 
It reminds me of Al Gore.
The End.

April 26th, 2006 - Posted in Uncategorized | | 0 Comments

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  1. iluvmy3chickiesandtheirdaddy2 said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 7:58 pm

    Algore..

    if you say it really fast three times, it sounds like a fungus or something! HA

    My oldest has been playing the piano since she was six, she is almost 12. She really has a talent, but here lately it’s been like pulling teeth to get her to practice. I’m hopin that will change once we start h/school and things aren’t built around the public school schedule anymore!!

    Annemarie said she has my blogger shirt!! Yeah!! You’ll love the fruits and vegetables from your garden!!

    ~Dawn

  2. TNMOMTOMANYBLESSINGS said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 8:09 pm

    Untitled Comment

    fjksdfghfdgsjk

    Funny post. Sorry but yeah..gardening is well.. work. Its’ a four letter word that many don’t want any part of.

    I’m glad you are gardening, work, sweat and all. It is worth it when you see the fruits of your labors. Our garden is beggining to produce…. weeds as well as plants. I like the plants but not the weeds. Here comes the real work. Planting is much easier so just think of this as an easy work day. : )

    Maria

  3. Jaybird said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 8:23 pm

    Just came in from my little garden….

    working the land here for 10 tomater plants that will go in on Saturday.

    And music—i have the makings of a brother bluegrass band here. I have one that wants a fiddle, one playing the guitar and a 4 yo that likes to blow on a harmonica.

    Look for us in Branson in a few years…..LOL!

  4. nsremom said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 8:50 pm

    Untitled Comment

    I will forever more relate the word GALORE with AL GORE. Gee thanks….shivers…..

  5. OreoSouza said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 8:59 pm

    Untitled Comment

    galore. Al Gore. The End.

    I usually chuckle a bit at funny things I read on the computer.

    I’ve laughed out loud pretty hard a few times.

    But I so followed your thoughts in your last paragraph, it was like I was thinking them just before I read the word, and by the time I was thru I thought oh! how witty I was and started laughing.

    Then I realized it was *you* who had been witty and my milk went all over my desk via my nose and I’m still enjoying the ride.

    LOLOL!

  6. Sandlappersue said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 9:27 pm

    Music and galore….I mean Al Gore

    I will also never see galore the same again. You don’t have one for Clinton do you? Oh, I don’t want to know so don’t say it!

    Anyway, I can’t say that we “make” our children take music but our oldest, who is 12, took piano for 3 years and this is her gift. She now plays sometimes at church and also plays the organ every Wednesday night at church. Also, we got her a student guitar about a year ago and she began playing chords on that very well! This past Christmas we bought her a mandolin and she’s getting pretty good with that too. Our second child, who’s eight, just began taking piano lessons a month ago and he’s doing well. It’s our desire to at least give the opportunity to each of our children to learn music. For the record, both my husband and I do not know how to play or read music.

    As for the gardening. It is hard work but very fulfilling. Isn’t everything fulfilling hard work?

    Look at it as an opportunity to collect all those neat bugs and study them this summer.

    The magazine has inspired us for the summer!

  7. eyecorn said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 9:33 pm

    Untitled Comment

    Sure, mock the inventor of the Internet, but it weren’t for his cleverness in starting this whole cyberworld, there’d be no hsblogger!

    Hey, isn’t his family from Tennessee? LOL…oh, but it beats Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein…they’re everywhere, aren’t they? CA, TN even NC has The Breck Girl (John Edwards…remember him? Yuck!)

    But onto more pleasant pleasantries…the gardening sounds fun. Yummm, fresh tomato sandwiches…oh, and if you do tomoato sandwiches…the secret ingredient…. potato chips layered in between the bread and ‘mater slices.

    Regarding music, DS has been playing the piano for 6 years. DD will start in a year or two. I’d love for her to do violin, but the piano lessons are free with MIL.

  8. MuckFootMom said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 10:07 pm

    SFIRIOLTMH

    now see, I often use the acronym “LOL” when I’m actually smiling quietly to myself. I rarely actually Laugh Out Loud at the computer. But your last paragraph not only earned a true LOL but also a SFIRIOLTHM — So Funny I Read It Out Loud To My Husband.

    My children are sort of self-teaching themselves piano and possibly guitar. Is that bad that they’re muddling through it themselves? I am probably stunting their ability and potential by not finding them real lessons.

  9. quietcajun said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 10:09 pm

    music lessons

    Kaitlyn took two years of piano when she was 8 and 9. She also taught herself to play the recorder. I taught Jordan and Ian a little bit of piano last year. Kaitlyn had two years of clarinet… homeschool band and Jordan gave it a try (trumpet), but just kept marching to the beat of his own drummer!

    Ian has a drum and my husband has taught him a little bit (my husband is an awesome percussionist!) and would like to try homeschool band next year. I am thinking I might start teaching Noah a little bit of piano next year. He expressed a little interest. We’ll see.

  10. chickadee said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 10:10 pm

    about rabbits and other stuff

    email me anytime you have a question and i’ll do my best to answer it. everything except how to cook them which i’ve never done.

    my oldest is taking piano lessons from my mom.

    you’ll dislike the weeks when you garden as well. that’s one of my least favorite parts. i always liked digging potatoes the best. we made it a big family project. i may have to blog about that. great memory.

  11. amada said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 10:29 pm

    Teach me, too?!

    I want BADLY to learn to play guitar. I am taking my 8yo to the piano lessons I never had… I hope it will be valuable and not me trying to live out the music-rich childhood I never had!

    Someday, I WILL learn to play guitar too …and then we will be that exceptional musical family (you know the one that sings in 6 part harmony, each member with a different instrument…)

    Well, here’s hoping!

    Amy

    Cajamarca, Peru

    PS. I finally got pictures of Peru up, have a look… http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/amada

  12. Cre8iveMom said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 10:38 pm

    Untitled Comment

    I always wanted to learn the piano, but never did. My son is now learning the trumpet and my daughter is learning the flute. Both take lessons, because I don’t have a musical bone in my body! My DD wants to learn the piano, too. I told her that once daddy retires from the Marine Corps maybe then we can look into buying a piano, then we can BOTH learn!

  13. SandBetweenMyToes said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 10:53 pm

    Untitled Comment

    There’s some spanish phrase that sounds like Al Gore. It may just be one word like algor, but that is a joke around here. We have a spanish cd program, and somewhere on it they say, “Pregunta me algor.” Or something like that. My girls thought that was too funny, so they say it all the time.

    Briana started piano when she was 5, and has been taking now for 12 years. She asked to take them, and we have never made her. She has always wanted to take harp, but I refuse to drive to Knoxville. Ashley took guitar for a year or so, but she was learning finger picking and didn’t care for it. She switched to flute, and she played that for several years (6 or 7, I think). She wants to learn chords and play guitar again, but needs a teacher. I taught Marissa piano for about 4 or 5 weeks (I can do the beginners), but got bored quickly. Maybe she’ll try again later. She wants to take voice lessons.

    I am really hoping that all this flooding rain did not wash our garden seeds down the hill. It has happened before.

    Please say a prayer for Briana’s cat. He has disappeared for several days now. He is 3 years old, and is her baby. She will be so heartbroken if he doesn’t come back.

    Letitia

  14. pajara said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 10:55 pm

    Sound of Music

    Well first of all that is one of the best movies EVER. I know every line (most people loved Grease…I loved S of M) I played the piano and organ growing up. I also took on the clarinet for 8 years and the violin for 1 month. I am now learning the guitar and LOVING IT!! My DD wants to learn piano and probably guitar someday. I’ll make DS play an instrument in another year or two. Right now both kids are a bit young to really practice and enjoy an instrument. For now I will enjoy my DD masterpieces at the piano…singing while playing! It’s great.

  15. redmom said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 11:02 pm

    lol on the Al Gore. Thanks

    for ruining the word for me!

    My older boys have been in band all through school. The oldest taught himself guitar. Paige takes piano lessons a block from the house. She can walk over and it’s on Thurs mornings so that’s really nice. I played flute for many years and still have mine so will probably teach her that eventually.We also have a trumpet lying around in case the younger guys want to take it up, eventually.

  16. proudmommaof3 said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 11:07 pm

    Untitled Comment

    Thank you for coming and visiting my blog. You were my first visiter. Very exciting. Not just any visiter either but JenIg. Senior Editor of TOS!! WOW!! Your articals are usally the first ones I read. DeLyssa

  17. redmom said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 11:07 pm

    Oh yeah,

    the garden. My parent ruined it for me. We had this HUGE (like acre or two!!) garden when I was growing up. I remember picking five gallon buckets of peas and taking them home where we’d shell peas for hours to end up with these little bowls of peas. I was thinking, “There’s no way this can be worth it!! I mean, I’LL pay for the cans of peas myself!!” And then my brother would eat a WHOLE HANDFUL of raw peas. Do you know how long it takes to shell that many peas??!! I wanted to kill him.

    Well, anyway, I’ve never had a garden since. Once my husband planted a bunch of corn, tomatoes and pumkins. I went and looked at them. Actually, it grew tons and I did end up canning the tomatoes and freezing the pumkin. But I didn’t work in the actual garden. Fortunately, it was apparently a one-time thing.

    But…I was actually considering growing a little tiny garden with the kids this year. Little tiny. Like 3′ x 3′.

    Sorry….the whole garden experience is one of my negative childhood memories. I guess a good thing can go bad when taken to extremes.

    And I don’t like vegetables. That could have been part of the problem.

  18. Rebeca said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 11:08 pm

    Untitled Comment

    My 3 1/2 year old is a musical genius. He listens to classical music and bangs away on the side of his bed, which he says is his piano. And he tells me he also has a flute, which he puts up to his lips and out comes a rather flute-like sound. (It’s an invisible flute, so it may be a different kind.) Okay, maybe he’s not a musical genius, but he sure has a good imagination!

    Gardening is fun. I’m planting things too. It really is all worth it when you get to harvest time.

    Rebeca

  19. mistresninos said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 11:34 pm

    Untitled Comment

    My oldest takes Piano formally. We have a lot of music around here and they love to dance. The oldest two are in Ballet.

    We keep planning a garden to practice our skills on but it just never has worked out yet. We plan on using “Square Foot Gardening” since it sounds a lot easier and less wasteful.

    I hope you learn to enjoy your garden. My grandmother had a huge garden and our favorite thing to do was (sorry to the person who didn’t like it but) shuck peas. And she never minded that we’d munch and we shucked.

  20. sprittibee said,

    on April 26th, 2006 at 11:51 pm

    Gardening is Yucky

    I’d probably garden if I had the land, but I wouldn’t like it. I hate to sweat, hate to get sunburned (I glow in the dark), and hate bugs on me… oh – and hate my fingernails to have dirt under them. I really am a bad person to take camping. That being said, we’re probably going to go camping next week (just for one night) so we can go to an observatory and see the stars! Now, that’s something I like. 🙂

  21. ChathamMommy said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 1:45 am

    Untitled Comment

    I love to garden (with gloves on), but prefer long stints. Lately, an hour is the longest stint I get– and that is such a miracle that I immediately go on defense for the rest of the day, wondering what I’ll have to pay to the kids for giving me that much time. *laugh*

    My husband is, sadly, related to Al Gore by some convoluted genealogy thing that I can no longer remember (it has been filed in the black hole). This is one of the bad things about genealogy. You find people you’d really rather not be related to. Galores of them, in fact.

    *snarfing*

    Chelo

  22. Anonymous said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 4:01 am

    Enjoy reading your blog….

    gardening….well, I recently tried that with carrots, tomatoes , beans and cauliflower. All was going well until two days ago I went to water them (they are container gardens on our 3rd floor balcony) and the containers were there but the plants were GONE!!!!! my carrots were doing so well too. I am wondering if it was the birds NO ONE HAS access to that area, so it’s not like kids were there.

    Music, I play the piano (since I was little, but stopped til I got married and my pastor husband said “we need a piano player so start practicing!!!), dh taught himself the guitar but can’t read music. DS1 has played the piano for 1.5yrs now and also plays the ceramic flute (ocarina). Him and I play (his is 6 holes and mine is 12holes), but he won’t play in public. I also play the trumpet. I want ds2 to play something, we may start with the xylophone…that’s his kind of instrument!!!

    deana

  23. Panshrmu said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 4:02 am

    for some reason…

    I came up anonymous?? go figure!!!, oh, I should be there now!!!

    Deana

  24. writmm said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 6:32 am

    Piano

    My DH played took piano lessons for 12 years and we have DS enrolled in them now and plan to enroll DD. I can sing, but cannot read music a lick! I love listening to DS on the piano…especially when he is picking out the themes to tv shows or movies he likes (by ear). I think that is so cool!!! DD has a lap harp that she enjoys playing.

    I am with you on the gardening…hot, dirty, bugs…yep! But you will feel much better when the produce starts rolling in. I have a terrible time with growing things, but this year I planted 50 strawberry plants and they are doing great…they are even blooming! Today I am going to be buying some morning glory seeds (for a hideout for my DD) and some tomatos and then that will be the end of my gardening endeavors for this year:)

  25. Garrisongang said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 8:07 am

    Gardening inspiration

    Charles H. Spurgeon was an avid gardener and often declared that he got his greatest revelations when “my hands are working with God’s glorious brown earth”. Does this mean we should anxiously await your upcoming editorials, as you soar to new heights of revelation (albeit with dirt under your finger nails), much like good ole C.H.?

    If Galore/Al Gore is anything to go by, then the sky (or perhaps the depths, depending on one’s perspective) is the limit. You remain my etymological guru. (grin)

  26. Buckeyeblog said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 9:44 am

    Music and veggies … yum, yum!

    I have regretted not learning guitar – my brother is excellent and SHOULD have been famous, or at least the lead guitarist for someone famous. But I don’t think that both of us would have survivied his teaching me – SOMEONE would not have come out alive! We love each other, it’s just that sibling dominating another sibling “thing.”

    However, I do play keyboard, flute, penny whistle and hammered dulcimer. I’ve taugh my girls the basics of reading sheet music and the keyboard scale. I’ve also taught them flute and Jasper can play a few jigs on the hammered dulcimer. She would REALLY like to play a mountain/lap dulcimer. One of these days, maybe we can afford to get her one and then she and I could do a few duets!

    I’m trying out gardening this year, too. You’re scaring me, Jen!! 🙂 TN is about 10 days ahead of OH, weather-wise. I don’t like them bugs! Eeeesh! You should put this on homesteadblogger.

    Blessings from Ohio, Kim Wolf<><

  27. TOSPUBLISHER said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 12:05 pm

    Untitled Comment

    Please save me some carrots-al-gore.

  28. kphillips5 said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 1:10 pm

    Gardening and music….

    I was going to add the other part but then I would look like a copy-cat. 🙂 My daughter is taking violin lessons and is really quite good. My son keeps asking me to find him a Saxophone teacher so he can learn to play the Sax, but I am not sure that I am ready for that. But the love of music runs deep in our family and that is a very good thing.

    Gardening is a great joy eventhough it is work but that cannot be avoided. I like it because it is a way for us to fufill our creation mandate of ruling and subduing the earth. Plus the tomatoes always taste better straight from the vine.

  29. UndertheSky said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 1:28 pm

    You are so funny, Jen

    You have to read Amy’s recent post here: http://humblemusings.com/archives/2006/04/25/hatching-melons/

    Better not count those chickens…

    :+) Kate

  30. hakujin said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 1:40 pm

    EWWW – Now I dislike the word galore.

    good luck with the garden. We’re planting ours next week. What did you plant?

  31. lynan said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 1:41 pm

    Untitled Comment

    There is nothing better than picking supper out of the garden on a hot summer day. Nothing. I absolutely adore fresh string beans. Yum. And tomatoes are divine all nice and warm from the sun beating down on them. I so hope we get moved in time to at least plant those 2 things….

    We have taken some piano. However, at present, we are without a piano. If anyone has a nice old upright and you don’t want it and live somewhere near me, please lmk! Oh, when I say we, I mean Zeke, Elijah, and Ethan and I already knew how to play but not well enough to be asked to play for church so don’t ask me! lol

    Mr. Jay–my dh plays guitar AND harmonica at the SAME time, he’s getting Elijah started on fiddle, Eran plays the spoons, Zeke wants a bass, and Ethan will probably want to start banjo, eh? So we could combine our bluegrass bands and go on tour!!! We’ll do homeschool conventions and get real famous. lol

  32. quietcajun said,

    on April 27th, 2006 at 8:24 pm

    A little tip for you…

    When you write “don’t tell anyone this, but…” on a blog comment… people are gonna find out! LOL Like the time I told you not to tell anyone about the 1/2 pan of brownies my children and I devoured and your blog blabbed it to everyone including blubber bloggers everywhere! I even got 14 (or was it 19) emails from Kathy Kin the next day reminding me to eat breakfast! LOL 🙂

  33. dawilli said,

    on April 28th, 2006 at 1:25 pm

    For the Love of Musc

    My oldest are learning piano and violin, we hope to add guitar some day… would love to pick up mandolin and banjo as well. Music has just always been a love of mine and it’s such a good discipline for kids to study! I want to learn to play just about every instrument there is- I play piano,harp, clarinet, flute, violin, cello, trumpet, and guitar… and really hope to pick up french horn, oboe, mandolin, banjo, dulcimer, hmm. what else…? Music is so much fun, what a blessing.

    And what fun to see you trying to jump in with both feet (head first maybe) to the whole gardening life thing, yes- it’s a lot of work, I come from a line of farmers and gardeners, and my uncle even runs a greenhouse… it’s dirty, you’ll get sweaty, and sore muscles, maybe a few blisters, and probably some bug bites, but’s it so rewarding, and it just feels so good to be tired and worn out from the real manual labor that is gardening.

    have fun with it all,

    ali

  34. julie said,

    on April 30th, 2006 at 12:45 am

    I'll teach ya…

    hey girlfriend…I’ll teach ya how to read sheet music!

  35. Stephanie10 said,

    on May 1st, 2006 at 1:53 am

    Gardens and music

    Gary’s dad plants a huge, enormous garden every spring. (By huge, enormous I mean it yields 500 ears of corn, 100 softball-size onions, four 50 foot rows of green beans (those things can produce!), lotsa tomatoes, oodles of strawberries…you get the picture?) No one family needs that much produce. But by last year, the raccoons knew our territory and were very bold. Even the electric fence and radio playing all night did not deter them from ruining every corn stalk. So out of 500 ears, we got…two. I sure hope your garden gives you better than that for all the work it takes. Otherwise, you’ll probably just give it up altogether.

    As for music, our kiddoes have pretty much all played kazoos, harmonicas, recorders, and plunked on Grandma’s piano. Our oldest two are finally getting serious about learning music, though. Danner started harp and Tirzah piano last October. They’re both doing well–and better yet, they enjoy it. Laesha (girl #3) wants to give violin a try, and girl 4 thinks a flute would be the thing. Of course, no one wants to learn alto sax. (Yeah, I still have my band instrument from grades 6-9.)

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