"Never seen anything like her before. There must be something in the water"

Day 76:

I didn't take a singe photo today, so instead I'll leave you with a song...

"Some days, the supply of available curse words is insufficient to meet my demands!"

Day 58:

Todays #creativelockdownproject word is 'Unfinished', the original plan was to start a new piece and leave it incomplete but I walked past my disappointing piece from the 'Music' day and realised that that needed to be my piece for today. No matter how many times I drew Opeie's mouth I just couldn't get it right, so I had just rubbed it out completely and he sat on the shelf mouthless... unfinished. 

I really didn't want to attempt that mouth again only to be left frustrated so I gave that little potty mouth of mine a fitting replacement and the piece made me smile again.

"We fade to pastel blue, Like the sky painted perfect in the pano view. But i keep my eyes on you"

Day 43:

Music has been getting the pair of us through most of these bizarre days. We've nearly always got something on in the background while we play and create. So rather than a photo today I thought I'd just leave a music video. Enjoy.

"Despite the weather, it gets better, You won't do this alone"

It's been a while since I wrote an update about the music that is having an impact on Opeie but I think it's really important as his love of music gets him through the confusing emotional things going on in his life. When we are at home we have music playing most of the time, it has always been an important part of my life and the love of (all kinds of) music has definitely rubbed off on Opeie too. So here's 10 tracks that he's been listening to recently. Hopefully he can look back on these and remember what an absolute dude of an 8-year-old he was.

Modern Baseball - Your graduation

With Confidence - Voldemort

Hit the lights - No filter

The chats - Smoko

Two Year break - Change my mind

Our Last night - The Middle (cover)

Kid Quill - Daily Routine

SonReal - Everywhere we go

Shakey Grakes (feat Esme Patterson) - Dearly Departed

Queen - Don't stop me now

"Music can change the world because it can change people."

Blogging has opened up so many interesting doors over the years, We've been invited to so many amazing events and have reviewed some really interesting products. One product though has stuck out above all of the others recently because of the huge impact it has had (and will continue to have) on Seth. Back in 2016 we had an email asking if we would be interested in reviewing a pBone, the first professional plastic trombone. If I'm honest I read the email and had a little chuckle to myself at the sheer randomness of it, but I was also really intrigued, so of course I said yes. The pBone arrived and we all had a little toot and followed it up with a review. As much as I loved the idea of the boys being musical the following few months left the lovely purple pBone collecting dust in the boys room.

Then another email came through from pBone inviting us to one of their events at the symphony hall which had a real impact on Seth and catapulted him into the amazing world of music. He left the event feeling inspired and asked if he could start trombone lessons. I'm fully aware of the fact that I have covered all this in previous posts but stay with me because the pBone adventure just gets better and better. I wrote about the event and Seth began his trombone lessons at school. He said he enjoyed the lessons but he never seemed to practice at home and I genuinely thought it was going to be one of those things that eventually fizzled out. Until one day he came home and told us that he was playing a song at his schools music show. As I hadn't heard him practice at all I was worried that he may have jumped in and offered prematurely to be a part of it but on the day he completely shocked me and played in front of his peers and the all the parents, with all the audience getting involved and clapping as he played we will rock you. It was one of those moments where a wave of pride washes over you as a parent. So this is where I have covered before in previous posts.

Seth has just finished his final year at primary school so the last few months have been pretty busy with sorting out the transition to secondary school. Seth (like all of the kids in his year) had been visiting schools trying to work out which was the best fit for him. Which, after viewing quite a few was made really clear to him early on. Unfortunately the school was out of our catchment area and we were pretty sure it was going to be a no go. The school however is big on music and their many bands travel all over the world for shows and when entering the main doors you are greeted with cabinets full of the trophies that the amazing children have won over the years. Seth had his heart set on the school. Despite being out of the catchment area the school offered a handful of places for musical children to join their bands. To be in with a chance Seth had to attend an interview and complete a musical aptitude test. On the morning of the test Seth was so nervous but  he went in and gave it his all. Weeks passed and a letter arrived through the post. Obviously you know whats coming, I wouldn't be writing about the failings of an 11-year-old.

Seth had been accepted, which was amazing news. He had only technically been playing a few months but they had seen something in him that they were looking for. Part of the acceptance letter stated that he needed to start taking lessons at the school on Saturday mornings on the run up to the summer holidays to get him ready for the musical side of his secondary school experience. So, he started attending the Saturday classes which he enjoyed and on his third week they asked him to stop the lessons and move into the schools big band. Which again was the most amazing news for Seth and us ever doting parents.

Within a couple of weeks of that his teacher just casually threw in his grade one trombone exam without telling him which he passed no problems and although he came out from his class trying to play it cool I could see that there were secretly fireworks going off inside. Its amazing to think that all of this amazingness has come from a chance email sent our way, for something that we would have never even thought about looking at had it not had been pointed out to us. 

I always wanted the boys to try and take up an instrument because despite wanting to when I was younger it was never an option. Every moment of the pBone being introduced into our lives has been an amazing experience for me as a parent. Not only has it boosted Seths confidence more than I could have ever imagined, it has also ended up putting in some serious groundwork for Seths transition into 'big school' helping him to meet new friends in the band before he had even reached his start date in September. Since starting his first term he has now also been invited into a second school band, adding to the excitement of it all. Watching his big brother learn to play an instrument has also given Opeie the passion for learning to play an instrument and he has started drum lessons too. pBone has had such a huge impact on us all as a family and I can see that its going to get even better. 

Seths passion for the instrument has also got him desperately wanting to share what he has learnt and I find it so moorish that Ive even considered getting one myself (I quite like the pink one) so he can teach me too and we can play together, watch this space.

Thinking of getting your kids into music and want to find out more? Visit the pBone website here.

"I'll stop wearing black when they make a darker color"

7 years feels like it has gone by in the blink of an eye. One minute I'm watching that amazing boy of mine make his dramatic entrance in to the world, the next I'm celebrating his 7th birthday. As quickly as it has gone though, that time has been packed full of amazing experiences that have made him the most amazing human being. I have never been more connected to another person and knowing that I have taught him how to read and write etc through his homeschooling is such an amazing feeling, he has taught me so much about myself though too.

You always hope as a parent that you can introduce your little ones to the things that you love yourself, and these things become an interest to them. Sometimes though they take the things that you love and then take that passion one step further. Music has always been a huge thing for me, for as far back as I can remember and I'd say Ive got a pretty eclectic taste. This passion for music has become a big thing with Opeie too, In fact I'd say big chunks of his days revolve around it. If he's not listening to it he's singing to himself, and has now started drumming lessons so that he can play like the artists that he looks up to like Andy Hurley or Travis barker.

It was inevitable that we would eventually get to the point where I could introduce him to one of the things that I loved to do most growing up. Any chance I could get to go to a gig, I was there and over the years I have seen so many amazing bands from all sorts of music genres. As we use Spotify to play all of our music, we are always receiving emails letting us know when our favourite artists are playing locally. When an email came through letting us know that Fall out boy were playing in Birmingham we were so excited. Although I was a little apprehensive about taking a 6-year-old  to a rock gig, they were playing the evening before his birthday, it seemed like an opportunity not to be missed. 

There was so much excitement during the days building up to the gig but on the day that excitement turned to anxiety and Opeie was really worried about being in an arena with so many people (he's never been great in places with lots of people). We headed up to Birmingham a couple of hours early though and pottered about, hitting coffee shops and places of interest along the way. Before we knew it it was go time and the excitement was back. 

Arriving when the doors opened meant that we could get to our seats and watch the arena fill up slowly which definitely worked out better for my little rock enthusiast. The only other issue was always going to be the late night. Come 7:30 any night of the week, Opeie will start to say "I'm tired" and this night was no exception. During the second support act he fell asleep... Bummer! I thought for sure that I was going to have to take him home but I held on and as soon as Fall out boy hit the stage Opeie was up and headbanging all over the place. Ive been to some amazing gigs in my time but this one was unbelievable, maybe it was being there with Opeie, maybe the music? all I know is it was a very special night.

They belted out all of Opeie's favourite songs, which was great because that kept him awake. As we started getting to the end of the evening though it was clear that all the excitement and great music was too much and he looked exhausted so we ducked out a couple of songs before the end. The cold air outside quickly woke him up and the walk along the canal back to the car was filled with singing and talking about what an amazing night we had had. I'm not sure I'd book anymore tickets just yet but what amazing experience for that little rock enthusiast of mine.

Happy 7th birthday Opeie, you are my world. 💖

"Yeah, thats a song for another time"

Music is such an important part of human development, I can't image what life would be like without the music I adore. It has been such an important part of my life since as far back as I can remember. Going to gigs and watching the musicians I loved was how I spent a lot of my evenings gas a teenager and I've been lucky enough to see some amazing bands over the years. With Opeie being so into music too, it was only a matter of time before we moved from listening to music at home and in the car, to being in the stalls seeing the amazing bands live.

Last night marked that awesome milestone of Opeie's first gig and WOW! what a great gig. Thanks to the wonders of Spotify I'd had noticed that one of Opeie's favourite country bands were playing 4 dates in the UK so we quickly booked tickets. It seemed like such a long wait but well worth it. 

As Old Dominion took to the stage last night Opeie's little face beamed, this was clearly where he needed to be more often. He was in his element, dancing and singing along to all the words. He must have been the youngest person there (we did have to lie and say he was 8 after all! shhhhh.....). What was truly amazing to see was that he had a lot of me in him, lost in the music and going for it like no one was watching... and people were watching. I could see groups of people looking at Opeie singing along to every song, telling their friends and smiling. I was so proud of him.

All the excitement was clearly exhausting and when the headliner, Thomas Rhett came on (another of Opeie's favourites), he was clearly shattered so we didn't stay till the end. He did manage to muster up some energy for a little dance off at the end though which really made our night. The excitement in his voice as we walked back to the car was awesome to listen to. I knew being a dad was going to be amazing but this little guy blows my mind, I'm so smitten!

Of course, Old Dominion had to be Immortalised in LEGO too!

"Setting my mind on a musical instrument was like falling in love. All the world seemed bright and changed."

I couldn't be more proud of how the boys are growing up. There's not a week that goes by where they don't blow me away in some way. Seth especially over the last few weeks has made me so proud. When I was given the chance a while back to review a pBone I had no idea what it was, so I googled it and when I first saw it, I was desperate to give it a go. The first professional plastic Trombone and it came in a variety of colours... I'm quite sure that I'm not the only person that got excited about that. As much as I hoped they would, I never for one moment thought that either of the boys would take a serious interest in it, but there was a slight chance and I really couldn't pass that up.

When the awesome purple pBone arrived, the following nights fell in to a routine of Seth dropping his school bag and going straight into the lounge to watch Youtube videos and try to learn as many notes as he could. It was lovely to see him trying something new and feeling motivated to learn more. Weeks passed and things then started to slow down and the pBone started to come out less and less. It was a little disheartening and I attempted to get things going again but I was never going to push it, so I just let things be.

Then one afternoon we received an email from pBone inviting us to one of their events at the Birmingham Symphony hall, followed by the Birmingham Symphony Orchestra playing songs from the movies, which even to this day has been one of the most amazing nights that we have had together as a family. We were able to try out the pBuzz at the event as it had just been released and we were also given a trombone lesson which was a lot of fun. The show itself though was truly magical and as we left the Symphony hall, Seth, very excitedly, asked if he could have trombone lessons.

It was music to my ears (haha) and Mrs M had soon arranged for Seth to start having lessons at school which he instantly loved and his trombone teacher loved his pBone so much that she went and brought one for herself! (the magic of the pBone). When a musical show at school was planned and children were asked if they would like to be a part of it, Seth jumped at the chance. I feel so ashamed to say this but at the time I thought to myself 'I'm not sure what he was going to do in the show as he doesn't know how to play anything, just notes', (how wrong was I!). Seth decided on a song that he wanted to play (based I think on the Mighty Ducks hockey movie that he loves) and each night he would disappear to his room (or sometimes the garden) and the quiet in the house was replaced by his loud tooting.

Even then I thought to myself 'I can't tell what that is?' and I worried that maybe he had bitten off more that he could chew by signing up for the show (I know what a terrible dad!). The show came around (which fell on my birthday) and as we sat in the audience I was feeling so anxious. Seth looked very serious and it was clear that he was nervous. when it was his turn to take the stage I began to brace myself unsure of what would happen next. Seth calmly stood up, placed his music on the stand and erupted into 'we will rock you'. There was silence in the room as he started but this soon turned into all the parents clapping and stamping their feet along to the beat. I was in complete awe of this amazing child on stage that had the confidence to get up and play in front of everyone, it made my birthday.

The lessons have continued and Seth now states that 'he has a passion for music' which I love to hear. Which brings us to the last few weeks that have made me so proud as a dad. Seth has been looking around secondary schools to start in September, one of the schools that he has been very interested in going to is out of our catchment area but they offer the chance of earning limited placements for various skills and passions. With 18 music places available, Seth was invited to an interview at the school and was asked to complete a musical aptitude test. On the evening before the test we were chatting and he told me that he wasn't expecting to get a place as he didn't feel like he was good enough and was yet to take his first grading, Seth being Seth though still went into that test confident that he would give it his all. One week later and he has received a place at the school, which we are all so excite about. Clearly his passion for playing really came through and he should never have doubted himself for a second.

It's crazy to think that something as insignificant as an email asking us to review an instrument could have had such an amazing impact on all of our lives and I am forever grateful for pBone and the magic they have brought to our family. It is going to be so exciting for us all to watch Seth's next steps as he continues following his passion for music.

"If it wasn't for the speakers in the door Telling me a truth I hadn't ever heard before..."

I always hoped that music would become a big part of the boys lives early on as Mrs M and I formed some pretty solid groundwork for our relationship around the music we loved. Seth is yet to really find the music he is passionate about (I'm sure that will all come soon though), but he has instead gone down the playing music himself path, which we are so proud of him for and it is doing wonders for his confidence. Opeie has catapulted himself into music and it needs to be on in the background all of the time. We had bought him an iPod a while back when he was going through his 'bieber phase' (thank god that's over), he'd not really bothered with it since then but over the last few months Opeie's love of 'New Country' seems to have hit a new level. He can heard regularly through the day saying 'Oh yeah! this is my jam!'.

A few days ago he asked me if (in his words) we could "wipe all the trash" off his iPod and fill it up with the music he loves. I thought for sure that it was going to be a long drawn out affair with Opeie not really knowing what he wanted on there but he sat there and reeled off 71 songs for his playlist, artist and title. I don't think I even knew 10 songs when I was 6. As I started filling up his iPod I thought 'what a great idea for a post, I've written a few 'Opeie's top 5' music posts but for anyone out there that loves country music this is the playlist for you.

1. Brad Paisley - Beat this summer
2. Thomas Rhett - Star of the show
3. Sam Hunt - Take your time
4. Rascal flatts - Rewind
5. Old Dominion - No such thing as a broken heart
6. Luke Combs - Hurricane
7. Keith Urban - Blue ain't your colour
8. Elle King - Americas Sweetheart
9. Dustin Lynch - Small Town Boy
10. Old Dominion - Snapback
11. Chris Young - I'm coming over
12. Dylan Scott - My Girl
13. Brad Paisley - Crushin' It
14. Brett Young - In case you didn't know
15. Thomas Rhett - Make me wanna
16. Sam Hunt - Break up in a small town
17. Luke Bryan - Huntin, Fishin and lovin every day
18. Kenny Chesney - Save it for a rainy day
19. Jon Pardi - Heartache on the dancefloor
20. Brett Eldredge - Beat of the music
21. Dan and Shay - 19 You and me
22. David Nail - Whatever shes got
23. Elle King - Devil don't go
24. Florida Georgia line - H.O.L.Y
25. Old Dominion - Break up with him
26. Hunter Hayes - Everybody's got somebody but me
27. LOCASH - I know somebody
28. Maddie and Tae - Shut up and fish
29. Rascal Flatts - I like the sound of that
30. Sam Hunt - Make you miss me
31. Thomas Rhett - Crash and Burn
32. Brett Young - Sleep without you
33. Chris Young - Lonely eyes
34. Dean Brody - Bounty
35. Dierks Bentley - Different for Girls
36. Hunter Hayes - Wanted
37. Jake Owen - Real Life
38. Old Dominion - Be with me
39. Thomas Rhett - Get me some of that
40. Dierks Bentley - Somewhere on a beach
41. Old Dominion - Written in the Sand
42. Jon Pardi - Dirt on my boots
43. Blake Shelton - Mine would be you
44. Florida Georgia line - May we all
45. Brett Eldredge - Drunk on your love
46. Brad Paisley - Today
47. Maren Morris - 80s Mercedes
48. Dierks Bentley - Drunk on a plane
49. Old Dominion - Til its over
50. Craig Morgan - Wake up lovin' you
51. Luke Bryan - I don't want this night to end
52. Jon Pardi - Head over Boots
53. Thomas Rhett - Sixteen
54. Kenny Chesney - Come Over
55. Blake Shelton - She's got a way with words
56. Billy Currington - It Don't Hurt Like It Used To
57. Brett Eldredge - Somethin' I'm good at
58. Chris Young - Think of you
59. Luke Bryan - Fast
60. Leave the night on - Sam Hunt
61. Rascal Flatts - Yours if you want it
62. Jake Owen - American country love song
63. Jason Aldean - Any Ol' barstool
64. Josh Turner - Hometown girl
65. Michael Ray - Think a little less
66. Chris Lane - For Her
67. Joe Nichols - Yeah
68. Kane Brown - What ifs
69. Yeah boy - Kelsea Ballerini
70. Canaan Smith - Love you like that
71. Old Dominion - So you go

I know a huge chunk of parents think they have the most amazing child on the planet but seriously I was nowhere near as cool at 6-years-old as Opeie is, I'm so proud of that little dude of mine. 

"Windows down, country sound, FM on the radio. Just me and you and the man on the moon Cruisin' down some old back road"

 I've written so many posts over the years documenting Opeie's love of music. Seth is yet to find music that really has an impact on him but for Opeie, the music he loves is a way of life. I have really eclectic taste and listen to all sorts, but for me, country music is my big love. Last week Opeie heard this track by Sam Hunt...

and his world has been opened up to a new style of music.  Turns out that that awesome 5-year-old of ours is now seriously into country! so I guessed it was time for a 'What Opeie is listening to' update. I won't waffle on, here are some of his favourite tracks. Time to get him a cowboy hat I think... enjoy!

 

"And all that glitters is gold, Only shooting stars break the mold"

After months of discomfort on my poor ears, it seems that Bieber fever in our house has finally passed. Obviously, I have no problem with Opeie listening to what he wants to, we all like what we like and to be fair there are a couple of Bieber tracks that I do actually like myself but when you have been subjected to songs like 'baby' and 'one last lonely girl' on a constant loop, then its nice to have a break. Plus I have a real issue with the boys listening to songs that state that buying a girl diamond rings or anything she desires and this materialistic way of looking at life is the way to build a healthy relationship. I could spend the entire post dissecting popular tracks for inappropriate content for young kids.

Anyway, that ex-Bieber fan of mine has now come full circle and has found his way back to his more rocky roots. Years ago it was all about Thin Lizzy, which I adored and now Opeie has found his way to some new headbanging material. Anyway, enough of my waffle! Here's a few tracks that have made their way to Opeie's iPod and have been entertaining him recently...

After a good rock out, sometimes Opeie just needs something to bust a move to and this track has popped up a lot over the last few months. Although I'm not a fan of the song, I think the video is AMAZING! I love that already Opeie has his own style and taste in music. He's got the most amazing personality and is an absolute joy to be around every day.

Rock on ya'll!

"Education isn't just about feeding the brain. Art and Music feed the heart and the soul."

There are so many great reasons for learning to play an instrument. It teaches coordination, perseverence and discipline not to mention that it has been scientifically proven to increase the capacity of your memory. I was never given the option to learn an instrument as a child which was disheartening but the thought of one day playing an instrument was something that stayed with me throughout my adult life to date. Years ago it was the violin that really interested me but I was too scared to take the leap as I was told by a violinist that I know that it was a really difficult instrument to pick up as an adult. Years went by and still I hadn't taken any musical leap, until recently. Seth has been taking Trombone lessons for a few months now and although he enjoys his lessons he is frustrated that he cannot hit certain notes after this amount if time. His teacher keeps telling him that he needs to practice for short periods every evening but sadly he rarely makes time for it and this is something I will never push because I feel that this is something he needs to work out for himself.

That being said though, this was all the motivation I needed to start learning an instrument myself. A few months back it was Opeie's friend Matthews 5th Birthday and we thought it would be nice to buy him a Ukulele. I had always loved the sound and felt like they were a very misunderstood instrument, often being seen as more of a toy. I couldn't shake off this niggling in the back of my mind that I wanted to learn to play one myself and eventually caved in three weeks ago and bought myself my first Ukulele. This was so out of my comfort zone but I really wanted to give it a go. 

As I said, I wanted to learn to play an instrument for many years and this was a very exciting step into the unknown. There was another bigger reason regarding Seth's trombone predicament that was my motivation for taking the leap though. The information that is readily available to us these days means that anybody can do pretty much anything if they put their mind to it. All this information is now available at any time and no matter where we are, and that is a really exciting thought. I want the boys to realise that because of this, NOTHING is out of their reach if they really want it and if they have any questions that maybe Mrs M or myself cannot answer, then the information is only a few clicks away (what an amazing time to be a child growing up). I also wanted to show Seth that if you put the time in to your endeavors you can see the results pretty early on.

So I began to play, and Youtube became my teacher for the first few nights. I learnt to play a few chords and practiced. I sounded terrible! So I waited until everyone was in bed, shut the lounge door and strummed away out of tune. Desperate to learn quicker, I clicked on a link for Yousician that kept popping up in my browser. You've got to love how clever computers are these days, offering you the information before you even need it based on your web browsing. I downloaded the app to my phone and signed up for a free trial. Two weeks on and I still cant believe how quickly I advanced playing. Being able to have a music teacher of this calibre to take with you in your pocket is truly amazing.

Yousician makes the introduction in to learning the Ukulele so simple and each tutorial when completed makes you feel increasingly confident which is what you need from your first few steps. With videos on the basics like strumming and how to play your first chords, Yousician has the sort of direct information that you really need as a newby to the instrument. The Chord and Strumming workshops and lessons on finger picking (which I am terrible at at the moment) steadily advance at just the right rate that it pushes you, but not enough for you to get frustrated and possibly give up. The video's and tutorials are so clear that you could use this app from a young age, which has been really interesting to learn, as Opeie has shown some interest in playing so I think that santa may send a Ukulele his way.

The best thing about this app though from a personal view is the impact it has had on Seth as he has seen me advance through perseverence and practicing every day. Last week I played my first song through, which was the Lava song from the Pixar short movie. I still cannot believe I have come this far in 3 weeks. Seeing this has motivated Seth to practice a little more which was exactly what I had hoped for and now I am excited at the thought of one day playing together.

"A frisky spirit makes my trombone sing."

Despite opting to not send Opeie to school this year, I still at times run 'Daddy school' (as Opeie calls it) much like school in regards to the subjects. Outside of the reading, writing and numeracy we cover a lot of science and art, we use museums to cover history and also the cultural side of art galleries and museums to cover geography. PE is covered by all manner of things but mainly the Micro scooters, whizzing around on those is all the exercise we need.

One subject that doesn't get covered though is Music, unless of course you count all the dancing about to Justin Bieber that we do. I was desperate to learn an instrument when I was at school but it just wasn't on my parents list of important experiences for us so it just never happened. I don't want that for the boys and I hope their lives are full of amazing experiences during these important years.

The blog has been amazing for making many of their fun experiences possible and a couple of weeks ago we were asked if we would like to try a product that I probably would never have heard of if it hadn't have been for the email, or unless the boys decided brass instruments were the way forward. The pBone, in their own words is  "the world’s first plastic trombone; it's a lot of fun but also a quality instrument, perfect for beginners and professionals". Now when considering an instrument to learn, the trombone wouldn't have been anywhere near the top of the list for the boys. In fact I probably would have ruled out any instrument from the brass section of the orchestra. The reason being the weight. for a 4 year old and a 9 year old with a muscle condition that affects his hands I imagine a brass instrument wouldn't be the most comfortable to hold up, but this is what is so amazing about pBone as an instrument. The lightweight design opens up the trombone to any age and makes holding this instrument a lot easier for people that would find the brass alternative difficult.

The trombone arrived and we couldn't wait to have a go, I couldn't get a peep out of it but in great Opeie style he picked it up and made a huge sound, I started laughing because I was so shocked. Seth also had a go and after Opeie explained what to do he let out a toot too. Its great seeing the boys have a try because of the size of it, but as I said because of the weight issue being taken care of this instrument is now accessible to anyone, a truly amazing product.

So where are we now? Well we live in a world now where if you want to know how to do something right away you go on Youtube! I have learnt so much over the years from watching video's of tutorials and people doing various things. I made an awesome lamp a few weeks back (which I'll write about soon). With this kind of information readily available to the boys I never want them to feel like they cant do something, they know that if there is something I cant do or need inspiration, that's usually where I turn. The initial induction in to learning to play the Trombone has been no different and Opeie has sat and watched a fair few videos.

The pBone has opened up another fun avenue in the boys development and I really hope that it is something that they stick with as I am interested in learning with them. Since receiving the pBone we have also noticed the pTrumpet too and I wont lie, the thoughts of a possible Gifts from the Pirates brass quartet has come to mind on more than one occasion so watch this space.

"You spin me right round, baby Right round like a record, baby Right round round round"

While driving home one afternoon we were listening to absolute 80s on the radio, it's the station that is always tuned in for when the iPod isn't in the car. An absolutely shockingly awful song came one and I cant for the life of me remember what it was now but what did stick out was the DJ announcing that the song was released in 1984. Me and Opeie were chatting while the radio was on and I explained that the song was released when I was his age, This had Opeie asking what songs I liked when I was his age. I couldn't answer because honestly I have no recollection of being in to music at all back then.

Our conversation that day started a little game one night with us and Mrs M, to go through all of the big hits of 1984 and pick our 5 favourite tracks each. I was quite shocked to find that some amazing songs had come out that year and it ended up being quite difficult to narrow it down to just 5. Here is what we came up with though.

Opeie:

Last Christmas - Wham!

Radio Gaga - Queen

You spin me right round - Dead or alive

Against all Odds - Phil Collins

and...

Mrs M:

Karma Chameleon - Culture Club

Purple Rain - Prince and the New Power Generation

I Just Called To Say I Love You -  Stevie Wonder

Last Christmas - Wham! (clearly a popular song choice)

and...

For Me:

 Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - The Smiths

Against All Odds - Phil Collins

Hot For teacher - Van Halen

Purple Rain - Prince and the New Power Generation

and...

It was interesting to see that we each picked one song from the other two lists. Music is such a huge thing in our house, we sing and dance a lot and Opeie is building quite an extensive and eclectic collection on his iPod. We briefly started working on the year Mrs M was 4 too. It'll be fun to see what 1990 has to offer, Stay tuned (see what I did there!).

"well there's just an empty space..."

If your child is really in to music then there is a good chance that like us you get to hear them walking about singing snippets from different songs, sometimes slightly off key, sometimes with their own lyrics remixed in to the tune but always adorable and very entertaining. Opeie has been singing the same few lines for two days now and although the lyrics didn't instantly make me think of a song there was something about the structure of the two lines that had me racking my brain everytime he happily walked by singing. I asked him what he was singing and he said he wasn't sure what it was but I had played it to him, it was a man playing a piano and he really liked it.

The words "there's just an empty space on my side" and "look at me" had been ringing around in my head for days and as I typed them out just then I realise it should have been as clear as day what he was singing. Opeie even pointed out that it was one of the songs that I had chosen during a game we were playing last week where we were picking our favourite songs from 1984 (when I was Opeie's age) and I still failed to make the connection.

Right before bed I asked him to sing the lyrics to Mrs M to see if she could shed any light on the lyrical puzzle. Using her best friend Google she found the song in seconds. It is such an amazing song that I should have got it straight away. I am loving Opeie's new found love of music and his music taste is impeccable.

"Where words fail, music speaks."

I've written many top 5 posts about the music that Opeie has been listening to over the years. This morning is quite a big milestone on his journey in to musical preference. His number 1 song (which has been the same for a long time) has today been knocked off its pedestal. It seems that Jailbreak by Thin Lizzy is no longer the song that has been putting the biggest smile on his face. I'm sure Phil Lynott would be gutted at the thought of our mini air guitarist devoting more of his attention to a new track but sadly thems the breaks! What song has hit the top spot I bet you are thinking!! That, I will reveal shortly.

The shattering news got me thinking about Opeie's eclectic taste and I realised I had not yet written about the fact he now has an iPod with his own personal soundtrack on, which goes most places with us. Opeie loves popping his headphones in and going in to his own little musical world and I think it is so important to embrace that. Music is a big thing in our house, we all favour it over screen time and it is something that brought me and Mrs M together when we first met.

 It is so interesting to be a part of Opeie's new found love and watching him enjoying certain songs and artists really is awesome. Although there are some recent songs on his play list he definitely seems to favour the 70s and 80s tracks in his collection. The more he listens to the songs the more confident he gets singing a long. the Rupert Holmes classic is no longer "If you like being a Koala and getting caught in the rain" (which honestly, I am a little sad about). Some of my fondest memories during my own childhood were because of the music my parents listened too. I remember many car journeys with my dad listening to Thin Lizzy, Steve Vai and Judas priest and I love being able to pass that love of a great song down to my own musical enthusiasts.

Seth had never really shown much interest in specific songs (apart from intergalactic by the Beastie boys), but his little brothers new found hobby has also go Seth paying more attention to what is playing the car and around the house. Myself and Mrs M listen to such a broad spectrum of music I like to think that the boys have got access to a huge variety of great material.

I know the suspense must be driving you crazy so here's Opeie's new number 1! Drum roll please....

 

 It seems that in less than 24 hours (when I started the post), the top spot has been taken again, So It seems only right to leave you with tonights updated No 1.