We’ve had a sleepy kind of theme going on over the last few Fridays, but hey, when it comes to kids and sleep we figure we need all the help we can get.
As we all know, getting the little ones ready for bed is almost always a challenge – one needs the skill set of a labour relations mediator or a hostage negotiator, and you’re typically the one being taken hostage.
However, we here at yoyomama are firm believers that “music has charms to soothe a savage beast”* and that a little music at bedtime can work wonders. And that music need not be the sappy kiddy stuff you are familiar with.
Below is a list of ten tunes that are guaranteed to help your tots drift off to dreamland. One family we know swears by this mix as it has helped preserved their sanity on more than one occasion, including a long drive to the Interior.
| Shepherd Moons | Enya |
| Fragile | Sting |
| Trouble | Coldplay |
| Cannonball | Damian Rice |
| Wonderwall | Ryan Adams |
| Hallelujah | Jeff Buckley |
| Heartbeats | José González |
| Sand and Stars | The Silencers |
| Gabriel’s Oboe | Ennio Morricone |
| MLK | U2 |
All the songs are available on iTunes.
Pamela Francis, yoyomama’s music correspondent, is a music maven and devoted aunt of four, who makes it her mission to introduce her nieces and nephew to the wider world of music.
*With apologies to the English playwright William Congreve.
New today on our list of things to do around town that aren’t affected by the strike:
Have you visited your local firehall lately? Here’s a map of Vancouver’s firehalls, call ahead and see if they’re up for a tour: city.vancouver.bc.ca/fire/about/map.html
Festival Vancouver starts this weekend, and with 55 concerts over two weeks, and the ability to search their site for family oriented events, there’s probably something for everyone: www.festivalvancouver.bc.ca/home
And she told two friends and so on, and so on, and so on. . .
When you subscribe to yoyomama in August you’ll be entered to win a great selection of books from Random House. Green mamas will want, Ecoholic, a guide to the most environmentally friendly information, products and services in Canada. We’re guessing most mamas could use Whining & Dining, which offers mealtime survival tips for parents of picky eaters and Healthy Mum, Happy Baby which is all about feeding and taking care of yourself while breastfeeding your baby. And the list wouldn’t be complete without something for the little ones, Cock-A-Doodle Quack Quack, a funny, noisy quack along story.
Want to win but already a subscriber? Every time you use the forward link at the bottom of each daily email to spread the word about yoyomama you’ll get your name in the hat!
A friend of mine recently turned me on to Rockabye Baby, which is a company that makes CDs of lullaby versions of rock songs. They’re really fantastic, highly sleep-inducing, and the music ranges from The Cure and Bjork to Metallica(!), Bob Marley, and Coldplay. Check out their website (http://www.rockabyebabymusic.com) to listen to samples or order directly. I know they’re also selling them at Red Cat Records on Main Street at 27th Ave.