Songs for Children

Our collection of children's songs range from popular 40's songs to made up songs to camp songs to toddler action songs. I love every one. Here's the list: "Spider's Web," "Counting Sheep,""Gunk, Gunk," "Cannibal King," "The Princess Pat," "Old MacDonald," 
"I Know a Little Girl," "Oh Susanna," "Eliza Jane," "Ride a Little Pony," "Ride a Cock Horse," Punky Pumpkin," "Bumblebee," "If You're Happy and You Know it," "Put a Song in Your Pocket," "There's No Business Like Show Business," "The Fox," "Hokey Pokey," I Wanna Be Like You," "Little House In the Woods," "Cow Down On the Farm," "Great Big X," "Great Big Ax," "The Itsy Bitsy Spider," "Down By the Bay," "I Love the Mountains," "Do As I'm Doing," "Thumb in the Thumb Place," "Popcorn Popping," "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes," "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home," "Giddy Up Napoleon," "Apples and Bananas," "Cuckoo Song," "When Ducks Get up in the Morning," "Jean Pierre and Anne Marie," "Nairobi," "Down By the Station," "I'm a Little Pile of Tine," "3 Little Speckled Frogs," "I Love Mommy," "Day-O," "Zum Gali Gali," "Little Red Caboose," "Watermelon Song," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Mambo Italiano," "Safety Kids," "Down By the Old Mill Stream," "Tiny Scout," "If I Had One Wish To Make," "3 Little Fishies," "The Wheels On the Bus," "Follow the Prophet."

Spider's Web

It's a web like a spider's web
Made of silver light and shadows
Spun by the moon in my room at night
It's a web made to catch a dream
Hold it tight 'til I awaken

As if to tell me my dream is of you.

It's a web,

 like a spiders web.

Spun by the moon in my room at night.

It's a web

made to catch a dream.

As if to tell me my dream is of you.

Counting Sheep by Colin Raye

I'm counting the cracks on the wall by my bed
'Cause I cant get to sleep and my mother said
To try counting sheep as they're jumpin' the fence
But the fence has a hole and the sheep snuck out

Their tails are wagging
Back and forth in celebration
Farmer Sam is calling out their names

But hes yelling to loud and I cant get to sleep
And its all on account of those runaway sheep
Now they're out in the woods eating ice-cream and cake
Dancing round and around that's why I'm awake

Unless I'm dreaming
This is all too silly to be really happening
 They've all got party hats

Every one of those sheep has a bell on its neck
Going ring-a-ding-ding, I'm a nervous wreck
They 're ringing so loud tell me why it wont stop
A familiar sound just like my alarm clock

Hey, no wonder
I can hear Mom say good morning
Time for breakfast now tell me what you dreamed

Sweet, sweet, sweet
Sweet dreams

Gunk, Gunk

Gunk, gunk went the Mister Bullfrog.

Gunk, gunk went the lady froggy too.

Gunk, Gunk went the both of them together

and their eyes went gunk gunk too. ( Open your eyes big when you say gunk, gunk on this line)

Kiss, Kiss(Make the real kissing sound.) and then they started smacking.

Kiss, kiss the way that froggies do.
When he said goodbye she said, " Oh my,"

Gunk, gunk, kiss, kiss I'm coming too.

Cannibal King

The Cannibal King with the big nose ring
Fell in love with the husky maid-ai-aid
And every night by the pale moonlight
Across the bay he came-a-ame
He hugged and kissed his pretty little miss under the Baboo, tree-e-e and every night by the pale moonlight sounds like  this to me-e-e.

Boom boom, kiss kiss(real kissing sound)
Boom, boom,kiss kiss
Under the bamboo tree-ee-ee.Boom boom, kiss kiss(real kissing sound)
boom, boom,kiss kiss
Sounds like this to me-e-e.
We'll build a bungalow; big enough for 2
Big enough for 2 my honey
Big enough for 1, 2, 3, 4.
And when we are married happy we'll be
Under the bamboo
Under the bamboo tree.

If you'll be M-I-N-E mine, I'll be T-H-I-N-E
And I'll L-O-V-E love you all the T-I-M-E time
You are the B-E-S-T best of all the R-E-S-T rest
And I'll L-O-V-E love you all the T-I-M-E TIME!Whoo! T-I-M-E, T-I-M-E, T-I-M-E,time, time time.

America

America, America,

Let us tell you how we feel.

You have given us your treasures

And we love you so.

The Princess Pat

Have two groups for this song, the 2nd group repeats the 1^st group

The Princess Pat (echo) lived in a tree (echo)
She sailed across (echo) the 7 seas (echo)
She sailed across (echo)the channel too (echo)
and took with her (echo)  A-RIG-A-BAMBOO (echo)

A RIG-A-BAMBOO (echo) now what is that?(echo)
Its’ something made (echo) by the Princess Pat (echo)
It’s red and gold (echo) and purple too (echo)
That’s why it’s CALLED (echo) A RIG-A-BAMBOO(echo)

Now Captain Jack (echo) had a mighty FINE crew(echo) 
they sailed across(echo) the channel too(echo)
His ship did sink (echo)and so will YOU (echo)
If you don’t take (echo) A RIG-A-BAMBOO (echo)

A RIG-A-BAMBOO  (echo) now what is that? (echo)
Its’ something made (echo) by the Princess Pat (echo)
It’s red and gold(echo) and purple too(echo)
That’s why it’s CALLED(echo)
A RIG-A-BAMBOO (echo)

Old MacDonald (A Different Version)

Old McDonald had a farm, ee-i-ee-i-o.
And on that farm he had a tree,
Well they chopped down the old pine tree. Timber!
And they hauled it away to the mill, Log! Log! Log!

Old McDonald had a farm, ee-i-ee-i-o.
And on that farm he had a home,
Home, home on the range,
Where they chopped down the old pine tree. Timber!
And they hauled it away to the mill,  Log! Log! Log!

Old McDonald had a farm, ee-i-ee-i-o.
And on that farm he had a dog,
Oh where? Oh where, has my little dog gone?
Oh where? Oh where can he be? He's,
Home, home on the range,
Where they chopped down the old pine tree. Timber!
And they hauled it away to the mill,  Log! Log! Log! Old McDonald had a farm, ee-i-ee-i-o.
And on that farm he had a sweetheart,
Let me call you sweetheart,
I'm in love with you.
Let me whisper in my ear,
Oh where? Oh where, has my little dog gone? 
Oh where? Oh where can he be? He's,
Home, home on the range, 

I Know a Little Girl Named...

I know a little girl named Laurie (insert name)
She stands about 3 feet tall
Her eyes are blue and starry
She comes whenever I call.

Well she likes to run and sing and dance.
She plays all day in soggy, wet pants
That's my little girl my Laurie
She's the cutest one of all

Written by Rob Miller

Oh Susanna

I come from Alabama

With my banjo on my knee

I'm going to Louisiana,

my true love for to see.

Oh, Susanna,

Don't you cry for me

I come from Alabama

With my banjo on my knee

It rained all night

The day I left

The weather it was dry

The sun so hot,

I froze to death

Susanna, don't you cry

Oh, Susanna,

Don't you cry for me

I come from Alabama

With my banjo on my knee

You're Not Sick You're Just In Love

MALE VOICE:

I hear singing and there's no one there

I smell blossoms and the trees are bare

All day long I seem to walk on air

I wonder why, I wonder why

I keep tossing in my sleep at night

And what's more I've lost my appetite

Stars that used to twinkle in the skies

Are twinkling in my eyes, I wonder why

FEMALE VOICE:

You don't need analyzing

It is not so surprising

That you feel very strange but nice

Your heart goes pitter patter

I know just what's the matter

Because I've been there once or twice

Put your head on my shoulder

You need someone who's older

A rub down with a velvet glove

There is nothing you can take

To relieve that pleasant ache

You're not sick, you're just in love

Okay, here's the deal with this video. I inadvertantly left a lot of the video on the clip, but I like it this way.  If you just want to hear the song it starts at 8:06. :)

Eliza Jane

I got a gal and you've got none.
Little Liza Jane
Come with me and we'll have fun
Little Liza Jane
Oh Eliza. Little Liza Jane
Oh Eliza, Little Liza Jane

Ride a little pony

Ride a little pony down to down to get Rosie some candy
Woah horsie. Don't fall down and spill all Rosie's candy.
Modified version-Don't spill Rosie's oranges bananas, grapes and pears,
apples, sugar plums and teddy bears.

Ride a Cock Horse 

Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross
To see a fair lady upon a white horse
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes
She shall have music wherever she goes.

Punky Pumpkin

Punky Punkin's a happy pumpkin
And do you know why?
Cuz he's a jack-o-lantern
'stead of bein' in a pumpkin pie

Bumblebee

Bumblebee we love to see
Busy making treats for me
Buzzing high and buzzing low
Way up in the sky-o
Buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz, buzz

Written by Melinda

If You're Happy and You Know it

If you're happy and you know it clap your hands
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands
If you're happy and you know it 
then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it clap your hands

If you're happy and you know it stomp your feet
If you're happy and you know it stomp your feet
If you're happy and you know it 
then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it stomp your feet.

If you're happy and you know it shout "Hooray"
If you're happy and you know it shout "Hooray"
If you're happy and you know it 
then your face will surely show it
If you're happy and you know it shout "Hooray."

If you're happy and you know it do all three...

Put a Song in your pocket

Put a song in your pocket and another in your pack.
Put a song in your lunchbox too
Put a song in your pocket and another in your pack
Put a song in your favorite shoe.

Keep a song nearby, in your pack,
 one to keep in your old knapsack.
Put a song in your cuff and if that's not enough
put a song in your favorite shoe.

There's No Business like show business

There's no business like show business there's no business you know.
Everything about it is exciting...

The Fox

The fox went out on a chilly night,
he prayed to the Moon to give him light,
for he'd many a mile to go that night
before he reached the town-o, town-o, town-o,
he had many a mile to go that night
before he reached the town-o.

He ran till he came to a great big pen
where the ducks and the geese were put therein.
"A couple of you will grease my chin
before I leave this town-o, town-o, town-o,
a couple of you will grease my chin
before I leave this town-o."

He grabbed the grey goose by the neck,
throwed a duck across his back;
he didn't mind their quack, quack, quack,
and their legs all a-dangling down-o, down-o, down-o,
he didn't mind their quack, quack, quack,
and their legs all a-dangling down-o.

Old Mother Flipper-Flopper^[3] jumped out of bed;
out of the window she cocked her head,
Crying, "John, John! The grey goose is gone
and the fox is on the town-o, town-o, town-o!"
Crying, "John, John, the grey goose is gone
and the fox is on the town-o!"

Then John he went to the top of the hill,
blowed his horn both loud and shrill,
the fox he said, "I'd better flee with my kill
or they'll soon be on my trail-o, trail-o, trail-o."
The fox he said, "I'd better flee with my kill
or they'll soon be on my trail-o."

He ran till he came to his cozy den;
there were the little ones eight, nine, ten.
They said, "Daddy, better go back again,
'cause it must be a mighty fine town-o, town-o, town-o!"
They said, "Daddy, better go back again,
'cause it must be a mighty fine town-o."

Then the fox and his wife without any strife
cut up the goose with a fork and knife.
They never had such a supper in their life
and the little ones chewed on the bones-o, bones-o, bones-o,
they never had such a supper in their life
and the little ones chewed on the bones-o.

Hokey Pokey

You put your right hand in
You put your right hand out
You put your right hand in
and you shake it all about
You do the hokey pokey
and you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about.

Repeat with left hand, right and left foot, head, back side and whole self.

I Wanna Be Like you

Now I'm the king of the swingers

Oh, the jungle VIP

I've reached the top and had to stop

And that's what botherin' me

I wanna be a man, mancub

And stroll right into town

And be just like the other men

I'm tired of monkeyin' around!

Oh, oobee doo

I wanna be like you

I wanna walk like you

Talk like you, too

You'll see it's true

An ape like me

Can learn to be human too

Little House in the Woods

There was a little house in the middle of the woods.

A little old man by the window stood.

He saw a little rabbit hopping by knocking at the door.

Help me, help me, help me he said or the hunter will tickle me red.
Come little rabbit, Come with me. Happy we will be

Cow Down on The Farm

O I got a cow down on my farm.
Golly ain't that queer.
And she gives milk without a darn.
Golly ain't that queer.
One day she drank from a frozen stream
and froze her tail like an iron beam.
And ever since then she's given ice cream.
Golly ain't that queer.

Great Big X

Great Big X with a dot, dot, dot
Crack an egg on your head.
Let it drip on down.
Spiders crawling up your back.
Spiders crawling down.
Cool breeze, Tight squeeze
Now you've got the chills

Great Big Ax (The big brother who thinks he's sooo funny version)

Great big ax with a chop, chop, chop
Crack a rock on your head.
Let it tumble down.
Dragons crawling up your back.
Dragons crawling down
Rain storm. Choke
Now you're dead.

The Itsy Bitsy Spider

The Itsy Bitsy Spider crawled up the garden spout
Down came the rain and washed the spider out.
Up came the sun and dried up all the rain
And the itsy bitsy spider went up the spout again.

Down By the Bay

Down by the bay.
Where the watermelons grow.
Back to my home I dare not go.
For If I do, my mother will say.
Did you ever see a moose kissing a goose?
Down by the bay.

Repeat inserting: a whale with a polka-dot tale, a fly wearing a tie,
a snake baking a cake, have a time when you couldn't make a rhyme?

I Love the Mountains

I love the mountains
I love the rolling hills
I love the fountains
I love the daffodils
I love the fireside
When the lights are low

Boom di od a boom di od a boom di od a boom di oh
Boom di od a boom di od a boom di od a boom di oh

Do as I'm Doing

Do as I'm doing, Follow Follow Me
Do as I'm doing. Follow Follow Me
I can do it high or low
I can do it fast or slow
Do as I'm doing. Follow Follow Me

Thumb in the Thumb Place

Thumb in the thumb place fingers all together
This is the song we sing in mitten weather
When it is cold it doesn't matter whether
Mittens are wool or made of finest leather.
This is the song we sing in mitten weather
Thumb in the thumb place fingers all together.

Popcorn Popping

I looked out the window and what did I see
Pop corn Popping on the apricot tree
Spring has brought me such a nice surprise
Popcorn popping right before my eyes.

I can take an armful and make a treat
A popcorn ball that would smell so sweet
It it isn't really so, but it seems to me
Popcorn popping on the apricot tree.

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Head, shoulders, knees and toes
Knees and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes.
Eyes, ears, mouth and nose.

I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home

I'm so glad when Daddy comes home.
Glad as I can be.
Clap my hands and shout for joy
and climb upon his knee.
Put my arms around his neck.
Hug him tight like this.
Pat his cheeks and give him what?
A great big kiss!



Giddy up Napoleon

Giddy up Napoleon it looks like rain.
Giddy up Napoleon it looks like rain
Giddy up Napoleon it looks like rain.
I'll be switched the hay ain't pitched

Apples and Bananas

I like to eat. I like to eat. I like to eat, eat apples and bananas
 (Repeat  using only one long vowel sound for the entire verse.)

Cuckoo Song

Oh I went to the rolling streams where the water's so good
And I heard there the cuckoo as she called from the wood
Ho lee ya, Ho lee rah ha hiya O lee rah cuckoo
Ho lee rah ha hiya oh

When Ducks Get Up in the Morning

When ducks get up in the morning they always say "Good day."
When ducks get up in the morning they always say, "Good day."
"Quack, quack, quack quack," that is what they say.
They say, "Quack, quack, quack, quack" that is what they say.
Repeat using every animal you can thing of.

Jean Pierre and Anne Marie

Anne Marie she loves Pierre
It's written on the cafe sidewalks everywhere
Jean Pierre, he loves Marie
It's written on the heart they carved upon a tree

Anne Marie she said one day
I love you ver much, so let us run away
Jean Pierre, he said, "Oui oui"
And went to tell his friends he'd marry Anne Marie

They ran off into the park
But they were getting hungry and it was getting park
They came home before too late
For Anne Marie was seven and Jean Pierre was eight

Nairobi

Oh we're from Nairobi
our team is a good one
we play the Watusis
they're 7 feet tall

The cannibals may eat us
but they'll never beat us
Cuz we're from Nairobi
and we're on the ball

Sing along, sing along, sing along, sing along

Um gowa, um gowa, um gowa, um gowa
um gowa um gowa um gowa wa.
Repeat:

Man Has a Dream

Man has a dream and that's the start.
He follows that dream with mind and heart.
Until it becomes a reality.
It's a dream come true for you and me.

Oh it's a great big beautiful tomorrow,
shining at the end of every day.
It's a great big beautiful tomorrow.
And tomorrow's just a dream away...

Down By the Station

Down by the station
early in the morning
see the little pufferbellies standing in a row.
See the station master turn the little handle
Chug chug, toot toot.
Off we go.

I'm a Little Pile of Tin

I'm a little pile of tin
Nobody know's what shape I'm in.
Got 4 wheels and a running board
I'm a Chevy not a Ford

Honk honk, rattle rattle
Crash beep beep
Honk honk, rattle rattle
Crash beep beep
Honk honk rattle rattle
crash beep beep
honk honk, honk honk, honk honk

Three Little Speckled Frog

Three little speckled frogs
sitting on a speckled log
eating the most delicious bugs.
yum yum
One jumped into the pool
where it was nice and cool
Now there were 2 green speckled frogs...

I Love Mommy She Loves Me

I love Mommy she loves me
I love Daddy yes sirree
He loves and so you see.
We are a happy family

Day-O

Day O, day O
Daylight come and me wan' go home
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day
Me say day, me say day O
Daylight come and me wan' go home

Work all night on a drink of rum
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Stack banana till the mornin' come
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)

Come, Mister Tally Man, tally me banana
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Come, Mister Tally Man, tally me banana
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)

Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)

Day, me say day O
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Day, me say day, me say day
Me say day, me say day, me say day
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)

A beautiful bunch o' ripe banana
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Hide the deadly black tarantula
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)

Lift six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Six foot, seven foot, eight foot bunch
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)

Day, me say day O
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Day, me say day, me say day
Me say day, me say day, me say day
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)

Come, Mister Tally Man, tally me banana
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Come, Mister Tally Man, tally me banana
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)

Day O, day O
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)
Day, me say day, me say day, me say day
Me say day, me say day O
(Daylight come and me wan' go home)

Read more: Harry Belafonte - Day O Lyrics | MetroLyrics 


Zum Gali Gali

Zum Gali Gali Gali
Zum Gali Gali
Zum Gali Gali Gali
Zum Gali Gali

Hechalutz lema'an avodah
Avodah lema'an hechalutz
(Peace Shall Be For All the World
All the World Shall Be For Peace)

Zum Gali Gali Gali
Zum Gali Gali
Zum Gali Gali Gali
Zum Gali Gali

Little Red Caboose

Little red caboose, chug chug chug
Little red caboose, chug chug chug
Little red caboose behind the train.
Smokestack on his back, back, back, back
Comin' 'round the track, track, track, track
Little red caboose behind the train.

Watermelon Song

Plant a watermelon seed on my grave
let the juice (slurp slurp) run through.
Plant a watermelon seed on my grave
that's all I ask of you.

My mama made some chicken
and she made it mighty fine
but it never can compare
to a watermelon rind

So plant a watermelon seed on my grave
let the juice run through.

Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy

He was a famous trumpet man from out Chicago way
He had a boogie style that no one else could play
He was the top man at his craft
But then his number came up and he was gone with the draft
He's in the army now, a-blowin' reveille
He's the boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B

They made him blow a bugle for his Uncle Sam
It really brought him down because he couldn't jam
The captain seemed to understand
Because the next day the cap' went out and drafted a band
And now the company jumps when he plays reveille
He's the boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B

A-toot, a-toot, a-toot-diddelyada-toot
He blows it eight-to-the-bar, in boogie rhythm
He can't blow a note unless the bass and guitar is playin' with 'I'm
He makes the company jump when he plays reveille
He's the boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B

He was some boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B
And when he plays the boogie woogie bugle he was busy as a "bzzz" bee
And when he plays he makes the company jump eight-to-the-bar
He's the boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B

Toot toot toot-diddelyada, Toot-diddelyada, toot-toot
He blows it eight-to-the-bar
He can't blow a note if the bass and guitar isn't with 'I'm
Ha-ha-hand the company jumps when he plays reveille
He's the boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B

He puts the boys to sleep with boogie every night
And wakes 'em up the same way in the early bright
They clap their hands and stamp their feet
Because they know how he plays when someone gives him a beat
He really breaks it up when he plays reveille
He's boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B

Dat-da da-do-do da-dup
Dat-da da-do-do da-dup
Dat-da da-do-do da-dup
Dat-da da-do-do da-dup
Ha-ha-hand the company jumps when he plays reveille
He's the boogie woogie bugle boy of Company B

Mambo Italiano

A girl went back to Napoli
Because she missed the scenery
The native dances and the charming songs
But wait a minute, something's wrong
Hey, mambo! Mambo italiano!
Hey, mambo! Mambo italiano
Go, go, go you mixed up sicialiano
All you calabraise-a do the mambo like a crazy
Hey mambo, don't wanna tarantella
Hey mambo, no more a mozzarella
Hey mambo! Mambo italiano!
Try an enchilada with a fish baccala and then a
Hey grumpa, I love a how you dance rhumba
But take a some advice paisano
Learn how to mambo
If you gonna be a square
You ain't a gonna go nowhere
Hey mambo! mambo italiano!
Hey mambo! mambo italiano!
Go, go, Joe, shake like a Giovanno
E lo che se dice you get happy in the feets
When you mambo italiano
Shake-a Baby shake-a cause i love a when you take a me
Mama say "stop-a or I'm gonna go to papa"
And a hey chadrool you don't a have to go to school
Just make-a with a big bambino
It's a like a vino
Kid you good a lookin' but you don't a-know what's cookin' till you
Hey mambo, Mambo italiano
Hey mambo, Mambo italiano
Ho, ho, ho, you mixed up Siciliano
it's a so delish a ev'rybody come capisce
How to mambo italianoooooo!
'Ats nice!
UNH!

Safety Kids

We're the safety kids, the safety kids, the safety kids
playing it cool
We're the safety kids, the safety kids, the safety kids
keeping the rules.

We're gonna be around for a long, long, time to come.
The safety kids
The safety kids.

We're the safety kids, the safety kids, the safety kids,
playing it cool
We're the safety kids, the safety kids, the safety kids
keeping the rules

Safety kids
Safety kids
Safety kid

Down By the Old Mill Stream

Down by the old (not the new but the old) mill stream. (not the river but the stream)
Where I first not second but first) met you. (not me but you)
With your eyes (not your nose but your eyes) so blue.(not green but blue)
Dressed in gingham (not silk but gingham) too.(not 1 but 2)
It was there I knew (not know but knew)
That you loved me true.(not false but true)

You were sixteen. (Not 6 but 16)
The village queen. (not the kind but the queen)
Down by the old mill stream. (not the river but the stream)

Tiny Scout

They say there's a tiny, little scout
Who follows you about,
He knows ev'rything you say and do,
You couldn't lose him if you wanted to.
He knows, like for instance, when you try
To tell a big fat lie;
He starts burning up at what you said,
That's why your face gets red.
When you do good
Like he says you should,
You can bet he's as merry as a clown;
But when you've done sumpin'
And your heart starts thumpin',
That's him jumpin' up and down.
He's there any time that you're in doubt,
To tell you what to do,
(Spoken:) Get smart!
(Sung:) Listen to the tiny scout,
He knows you inside,
He knows you outside,
He knows what it's all about,
(Spoken:) Without a doubt!
(Sung:) He knows you inside out.

Chorus 2:

So you hate to go to Sunday school,
And that's not bad enough;
You start messin' with the Golden Rule,
You think being good is "sissy stuff."
Get wise, try to mend your dopey ways,
You might be glad you did;
Then you'll never hear the corny phrase,
(Spoken:) "Poor little mixed-up kid!"
(Sung:) When you prove you can't be trusted,
You can say you're mal-adjusted,
You can blame your ma and pa if you're a "schmo"!
But you show a streak of yeller
When you blame the other feller,
(Spoken:) Look out, you may sizzle down below.
(Sung:) You don't have to be a teacher's pet,
(Spoken:) Don't worry, wings won't sprout,
Just get smart!
Listen to the tiny scout,
He knows you inside,
He knows you outside;
You're on the wrong side,
He's on the right side;
He knows you backwards,
He knows you forwards;
You're on the mean side,
He's on the clean side;
(Spoken:) Whew, whew, I'm runnin' out of breath!
Stop smokin'!
(Sung:) You're saying, "Yes, yes,"
He's saying, "Uh, uh,"
You think you got to,
He tells you not to;
He's there beside you
Always there to guide you.

Coda:

Rah, rah, rah,
Sis boom bah,
Ricky, ticky-tic
And ricky, ticky-tah!
How about a cheer for the tiny scout,
'Cause he knows you inside out!
Good side, bad side,
Mean side, clean side,
Wrong side, right side,
Outside, inside!
He's your friend without a doubt;
(Spoken:) He's your conscience.
(Sung:) He knows you inside out!

Music: by Harry Warren
Lyrics: by Harold Adamson and Leo McCarey
© 1957 Twentieth Century Music Corporation Rights controlled by Leo Feist, Inc.

If I Had One Wish To Make

If I had one wish to make. This is the wish I would choose:
an old straw hat, blue overalls and a worn out pair of shoes.

Howdy mister sun. Ho hum. Guess I'll get up today.
Howdy mister sun. Ho hum. Every things gonna be okay.

If I had one wish to make. This is the wish I would choose.
An old straw hat. Blue overalls and a worn out pair of shoes,.

3 Little Fishies

Down in the meadow in a little bitty pool
Swam 3 little fishies and the mama fishy too.
Swim said the mama fishy, swim if you can
And they swam and they swam all over the dam

Boom boom, didem dadem wadem choo
Boom boom, didem dadem wadem choo
And they swam and they swam all over the dam

The Wheels on the Bus

The wheels on the bus go round and round,
round and round,
round and round.
The wheels on the bus go round and round,
all through the town.

The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish;
Swish, swish, swish.
The wipers on the bus go Swish, swish, swish,
all through the town.

The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep;
Beep, beep, beep.
The horn on the bus goes Beep, beep, beep,
all through the town..

The money on the bus goes, Clink, clink, clink;
Clink, clink, clink;
Clink, clink, clink.
The money on the bus goes, Clink, clink, clink,
all through the town.

The Driver on the bus says "Move on back,
move on back, move on back;"
The Driver on the bus says "Move on back",
all through the town.

The baby on the bus says "Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah;
Wah, wah, wah".
The baby on the bus says "Wah, wah, wah",
all through the town.

The mommy on the bus says "Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush;
Shush, shush, shush."
The mommy on the bus says "Shush, shush, shush"
all through the town.

Follow the Prophet

Follow the Prophet. Follow the prophet
Follow the Prophet. don't go astray.
Follow the Prophet. Follow the prophet.
Follow the prophet. He leads the way.

One great big party.

My sister was reading my blog last week and asked, "Is your life just one big party?" I answered, "No. It is not." And I realized, I was doing it. In my desire to write my feelings of gratitude I was leaving out the more common, less appealing, and frankly not very funny elements of my life. So a quick update on those: I did 7 loads of laundry last week.  6 lights went out in our house. My husband's still looking for work. Our garage door code does not work in the winter weather and last week contained 4 days of winter weather, so lots of walking to the front door and opening the garage from inside. I'm still working on my tone with the people I love who live in my house. I'm trying to make my lectures shorter and scan the horizon for things to be grateful for. My husband asked me if I knew where his shoes were and I answered impatiently "I'm not in charge of your shoes." and then quickly realized that a few days ago I had put them in a pretty well hidden place in his closet. My bad, again. And my jeans aren't comfortable. They accentuate my decidedly middle-aged figure and don't stay up very well, but it's too cold to wear my go-to skirts that get me through the summer. Is that enough mundane reality? There's more of course, but I'll save that for later or never.

On the other hand there were some delightful moments. Andrew had to take a security test at Delta so flew home for a couple of days in the middle of the week.  He's fun to have.  he usually has nice things to say about dinner and takes time to play with Gabe and beat Paul at ping pong.  Since we celebrated his birthday while he was here,  Andrew and Gabe played a forbidden-on-school-nights game of "Mario Strikers."

Thursday, my sister Carrie and her cute family stopped by on their way to Connecticut.  We got the playhouse out for her 4 year old daughter to play with. That made my living room look very happy: Grandma and Grandpa sleeping on the playhouse roof, horsies hanging from the playhouse porch lights, playhouse loveseat and chairs placed around the playhouse yard.  Good stuff.

Saturday, Rebecca called from orchestra rehearsal saying she was going to bring her viola friend home for dinner. I love my kids to have company and I already planned to make "Cheesy Chips and Quidditch" for dinner.  Quidditch is nowhere to be found in this recipe, but we concocted it during our 6-year  Harry Potter obsession, so hence the name. The recipe calls for cream of chicken soup and sour cream mixed with cheese and salsa.  Well, upon my attempt to gather my ingredients I discovered that I had no sour cream nor cream of chicken soup. "When the hour of performance is here, the hour of preparation is past." So it was time to be creative. I did have mayonnaise so I mixed that with salsa and chicken and cheese.  It seemed a little runny so I added a couple of new layers to the required chips, sauce and cheese layers. I threw on some black beans and corn, repeated the layers, topped it with extra queso cheese and green onion and heated it through. Bless Rebecca's sweet little friend. She said, "This is delicious. It tastes magical." She is always invited in. And there you have my food contribution. Modified Cheesy Chips and Quidditch.

And then Sunday we went to some really great church. The speakers were inspiring, but I was so lifted by my conversation with a gentleman who was just baptized a couple of months ago. He said, "I love to come here. Something wonderful always happens. I try to explain to my friends what I feel. Being at church is like being under a big warm blanket.  I am learning so much as I read the scriptures. I can read the same page and each time it means something different and something more." He's right of course. Thank you for reminding me.

And Sunday night our family went to choir practice and the music was beautiful and the Savior lives and God loves us and we can be filled with this love and share it in our homes and with our friends and all the people God puts us in contact with.

On second thought, yes, my life is one great big party.

Podners forever-Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

I love my parents' marriage, not because it's perfect and easy, but because it's human and hard.  My father is handsome and intelligent and direct.  My mother is beautiful and talented and sensitive.  If you believe in "The Color Code" you would recognize my father as red (he hates the color code) and my mother as blue. I think the reason my father hates the color code is that he believes people are more than a handful of characteristics. I believe this also, but recognizing the challenges in their relationship gives me a feeling of security and hope. Who cares if you disagree? You wanted a second opinion, right? Who cares if someone hurt your feelings? They apologized and are trying to do better right? 

The secret to the success of my parents' marriage is that their marriage is a big deal.  They are in it for this life and the next.  In my house their relationship always came first. If their door was locked we knew we should not disturb. Friday night was date night and we should not expect a parent to be available.They would buy special treats for their "sweetheart" that would not be shared with the kids. They wanted to sit by each other more than they wanted to sit by us.  Don't get me wrong, children are a big deal too.  We had our date nights and felt their love, but we knew the hierarchy of relationships in our home.

Dad wooed my mom by drawing, sculpting, painting and carving images of her. He wrote her notes and baked her favorite desserts and gave her the heart of his watermelon.  Mom was affectionate and treated him like her hero. She was a warm and engaged companion with whom he could share his thoughts and dreams. They did a lot of hugging and kissing in front of the kids and sent each other letters written in lemon juice that could be held over the stove to reveal secret love messages when they were apart. 

Mom

children

I saw them just last week, and their love is deeper and sweeter than ever.  Dad has had many health problems in his life.  In fact, he never thought he would live very long and is not afraid of death. What he is not very fond of is medical care. Last month he was hospitalized with heart and kidney problems. The medical team would not let my mom go in his room with him, but they told her they would open the door so she could wave.  When she saw him, he was hooked up to a million machines and tubes. He looked at her and said, "I'm doing this for you." They are one.

When I was at the California house this past summer I found some of the sweet evidences of their love. Many of these pictures came from a scrapbook Mom had made for Valentines Day with sweet messages about how much she loved Dad, and how romantic he is, and how life with him has been wonderful. I also found a little poem Dad had written:

To Janet

My sweetie

The Love of my life

My podner

My friend

My Sweetheart

 My Wife

Robert Miller and Janet Miner met at the first dance of summer school at BYU 1958. Rob knew Janet's brother, Alan, from their fraternity, Tau Sigma. Janet was elected Vice President of the summer student body at that dance.  He walked her home and asked her to go fishing  out to the Utah Lake on bicycles.  

Janet asked Rob if he wanted to ride  in the Provo 4th of July parade. They rode in a white convertible advertising the Timpanogos hike sponsored by the student body.

They got engaged in October and married the next month in November.

After graduation Dad taught school for a year in Eastland, UT.

R

Dad went to Dental School in Portland, OR.  Mom taught kindergarten.

Dad graduated from Dental School and began practicing in Corvallis, OR.
The had 2 children, Laurie and Susie

They moved to a little town in CA that needed a dentist.  They had 4 children, adding Melinda and Mary

They remained in Dos Palos until retirement and had 10 children
Laurie, Susie, Melinda, Mary, Heidi, Carrie, Pete, Megan, Charlie and Sam

Podners forever.

Isla, as in Island.

Well, you know how I'm a really lucky girl, so last week I went on another "Welcome to the world. Grandma loves you" visit.  This trip found me flying to Provo, UT, home of the BYU cougars and Jacob and Alexa. Actually, it's home to a lot of other people I love, some of which I was able to see. Apparently it's noteworthy that the airplane that took me there had only been flying passengers for 1 week.  At least the pilot was pretty excited about this.  I liked the nice clean seats and the shiny new wings, but don't you think it would have been festive to offer free movies and a milkshake to celebrate the special occasion?

One thing I love about flying into the Salt Lake City airport is this scene:

A lot of Utah families are sending sons and daughters out into the world to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, so the odds are good that there will be families welcoming their children home too.  Such a happy sight to see.

And speaking of happy sights to see, how about this girl...

This is Isla Kerrie, Isla as in island. My dad's mom's name is Ila so I think she'll be pretty pleased to find out she has a namesake. The spelling's been modernized, but I learned that Isla is a popular name on the Isle of Man in England. This happens to be the place my mother's ancestors originated, so little Isla has a great heritage in her cute little name.

I'd like to take this time to applaud her mama.  Baby girl weighed in at 9' 13". Carrying and delivering a baby that size is a big accomplishment.  Thank you, Alexa, for your courage and fortitude, because now we have this sweet thing in our family.

Isla's Daddy read her a book in the hospital that pretty much sums up the way we feel. It's "Happy Birthday" by Dr. Suess:

If we didn't have birthdays, you wouldn't be you.
If you'd never been born, well then what would you do?
You might be a fish! Or a toad in a tree!...
Or worse than all that...Why you might be a WASN'T.
A wasn't has no fun at all. No he doesn't.
A wasn't just isn't. He just isn't present
But you...You are you! And, now isn't that pleasant?

Thank you, brave and faithful children for inviting these precious souls into our family.
It's always a treat to see children as parents. Alexa and Jacob read the recent Reader's Digest article about the difference between privileged and unprivileged children being the amount of words they hear.  In an effort to give Isla enough words we talk to  her a lot about how cute she is. Her mom tries to read her scriptures, although Isla fell asleep after a couple of minutes. It happens.  Her Daddy likes to tell her about things.  One of the things he told her about was the ceiling. He held her about 6 inches away and said, "That's the ceiling, kind of like the floor, but on the top." Little squishy is in good hands.

Saturday was a very special day. Aaron and Clarissa brought beautiful Lucy to meet beautiful Isla. I thought my heart would burst with happiness.

Then Sunday brought more excellent visitors: Andrew, who's vying for the title of "Best uncle." The word on the street is that he even got a flu shot and whooping cough booster to be more qualified.  It's a win/win, of course in the health department, but it definitely screams baby love.

And these lovely cousins, Polly Johnson (Susie's) and Kat Christensen (Melinda's)

I can see how Heavenly Father's plan for bonding with baby is effective. They are completely dependent on Mom and need attention around the clock.  It's not like you're not going to notice that you have a new baby.  There's also genius in the fact that babies sleep a lot the first few days, and then when Mom starts to feel better they wake up.  Sometimes they wake up crying and that crying can be considerable as baby's body gets used to functioning.  Everyone develops a lot of resilience, but the road to resilience can be tricky, so I have a lot of respect for new parents. I do have one question however, does anyone's new baby sleep in their crib?  I haven't seen much crib sleeping since the baby authorities started sleeping babies on their backs, but it could just be my family.  Anyway, new parents, sleep when you can. No seriously, sleep when you can.

I went to help, but I not only had fun with the baby, I had a little fun on the town, too.  Alexa was kind and said, "It's okay.  We need to get used to doing it alone." I got to spend a little time with this fun sister and her adorable little guy.

On Tuesday my college roommate came and took me to lunch. This girl is as young and beautiful as ever.  She treats everyone like an old friend, even waiters and receptionists, and is loved the world over.  Her grandchildren and nephews and nieces facetimed her while we were out to tell her important things. I could tell that happened a lot in her day, and I thought to myself, "That's what you get for loving everyone."

Wednesday was my day with my gorgeous mom and dad.  They were in Provo being trained on a home-dialysis machine so they don't have to travel an hour both ways, 3 times a week for my dad's kidney treatment.  He's been sick for a while. We've kept in touch by phone, but it felt good to see them and hug them and be "home."  They got to meet little Isla, and Dad was thrilled with her name. I gave my dad a quick haircut in the parking lot while he sat in the van.  (He's not up to taking the stairs to the 3rd floor apartment.) I was a little scared when he said, "I'm going to like this. It's short and won't get messed up when I'm in the hospital bed." I thought, "Uh oh, it's short? Mom's going to be mad if it's too short." But she said it was fine so I'll quit thinking about it, but what I will think about is that even though I'm 55, a girl likes to be with her mom and dad. It feels safe and right and I realize that I am very blessed indeed.

And then it was time for me to go.  No more watching the new little family love each other. No more Jacob running from the car up the stairs to see the people he loves most in the world.  No more baby baths and newborn snuggles.  No more Alexa giving her all to helping Isla grow strong and healthy. Well, it's all still happening, but I don't get to watch it, but it's nice to know it's still there.

My kind sister-in-law, Stephanie, drove me to the airport. She shared her positive outlook with me and then dropped me at the Delta terminal. I checked my bag. The agent saw that I was flying standby and where I was going and said, "Good luck." I should have known I was in trouble.  "Good Luck" as in "I say that to everyone?" "Good luck" as in "It will be close but you'll probably make it?" Or "Good Luck" as in "There is not a chance in the world that you are going to Portland (Brandon and Mallory's) or Atlanta or anywhere else today, for that matter." Well, it turned out to be the latter. But I have friends in Kaysville that are loyal and generous and that I love to be with. Tom and Kathy Gill took in a poor traveler and showed me a lovely time. Tom taught me some tricks for teaching seminary, although things are a little different in the heart of Mormon land, and Kathy showed me her mother's books that had been created for her family.  There were family history books, children's books, family story books. Mind blown.  I have so many projects that I want to do now. Thanks guys, And then the same dear friend got up at the crack of not yet dawn to get me back to the airport. And 3 flights later I was headed to Atlanta, and 1 day later, my suitcase that I had checked to Portland was headed to Atlanta also. The end. Wasn't that a great story?

Get playing (Game on II)

Of course there had to be a follow-up to "Game on" because I didn't even talk about "Big Booty." Before I indulge more secrets to game success I'd like to share a few quotes from this article from the Fall 2014 magazine:  "LIVING THE PLAY-FULL LIFE" by Andrea Ludlow Christensen (BA ’03, MA ’05)

"For decades researchers have noted the wide-reaching power of play and recreation to teach persistence, build confidence, and improve family relationships, while also warning of broad threats to them: schedules packed with extracurricular activities, media overload, and hovering parents."

Patti A. Freeman (BS ’88) and her husband, Eric W. Andersen (BS ’01) [taught],

"Play should be fun, but recreation that is also challenging can help kids build persistence, resilience, and confidence—traits that prepare them to hit life’s curveballs."

 “If we’re not intentional about [recreation], we can let time just slip away and other things can infringe upon it.”

That's just a little motivation to get playing. The next step is knowing what to play.  Not that it really matters that much but it is helpful to have options in your mind. Growing up, we played many of what my  Mom refers to as "Parlour games." 

These games are great for family night. They are also handy when you're in a small group for a long boring time and people forgot their books. Don't tell me they have their devices.  We are taking the high life-skill road and playing parlour games. 

The other objective of this post is to preserve forever the games from my family traditions, so I brought in some guest teachers. Sometimes the important elements can't be explained by text so prepare yourself for some awesome youtube tutorials.

When we were little my mother taught us to play "Ring around the Rosy," "Motorboat," "Duck Duck Goose," "Hokey Pokey" and "Button, Button Who's got the Button?"  I remember her eyes twinkling as she went around to each child seated in a circle with a button hidden in her clasped hands.  We held our clasped hands in front of us.  She slid her hands through ours as we sat hoping the button would drop. The strategy was to always pretend that it had. Then "It" would guess who had the button. The victory came to "It" who guessed correctly and the non button holder who was asked to open their hands to reveal...nothing:) Another game we played as young children was "The Quiet Game." My mom initiated it in the car or in doctor's offices. For some reason she liked it a lot.  I didn't really see the draw until I was a mother on the brink of breakdown after long audio rich days with active (and might I add loud) blessings from heaven. It became a clear favorite.  The goal is to see who can be the quietest for the longest, see where I'm going with this?

As we grew older we were introduced to "Blind Man's Bluff", "Charades," "Hide the Thimble" and our signature family night game, "Here Comes the Jolly Butcher Boy." Technically this isn't a parlour game because it is played outside and involves some running in the back yard. It's a heritage game because My mom learned it when she was a little girl and taught it to us.  So I will now teach it to you. Divide your group into 2 teams with each team on either sides of the yard. Team 1 approaches Team 2 chanting "Here comes the Jolly Butcher boy seeking for his trade." Team 2 answers, "What is your trade?" Team 1-"Ice cream and lemonade." Team 2-"Work away if you're not afraid." At which point team 1 begins acting out their previously planned "Trade." The trade is an object or action that the members of Team 2 start guessing.  If someone calls out the right answer, Team 1 runs back to their home side with Team 2 on the chase.  Any members of Team 1 who are tagged by team 2 this side of their home boundary join team 2. Then team 2 is the "Butcher Boy" and the game is repeated. Because the cadence of the chant can't be detected in text, but is very important, I asked my sister, Heidi, to demonstrate it for you:

As luck would have it, I was privileged to be with my nieces, Polly and Katherine, last week. They shared one of their favorite games from childhood. This game is good for the playground or girls camp. We didn't play this much at my house since I have 7 boys and they were usually out highsticking in the back yard field hockey game so as to take each other's heads off, but I have  played "Little Sally Walker" at girl's camp and it's a good one.  Here it is:

  

"Do You Love your Neighbor?" is a fantastic little game that is played sitting in a circle.  One person is in the middle and asks a guest, "Do you love your neighbor?" If the chosen guest says, "No" the guests on either side of him try to quickly switch places before the  person in the middle, who asked the question, steals their seat.  Whoever is left without a seat is now the person in the middle. The chosen guest may also say, "Yes" but then needs to add that he doesn't like people who...He then adds a description i.e. "Wears tennis shoes," "Has brown hair," "Goes to the same school I do," at that point all guests who qualify have to get a new seat with the person in the middle once again seeking to acquire one for himself.  Definitely one of our tried and true games.

One nice parlor game that we have played is "In the Manner of the Adverb." It's similar to the game played on "A Christmas Carol" with George C. Scott, One person goes out of the room and the remaining guests choose an adverb: angrily, happily, energetically, etc.  The exiled guest returns and gives a direction such as, "Guest, shake my hand in the manner of the adverb." The chosen guest then completes the direction in the manner of the chosen adverb.  "It" is allowed 3 demonstrations by chosen guests before he needs to guess the chosen adverb. A different direction can be given for each guest. Victory is claimed with a correct guess.

Some other popular games are "Hide and Seek" and "Sardines," which is inverted hide and seek. One person hides and everyone else looks for him. When the hiding place is found the finder joins the hider until all but 1 are hidden in one big scary bunch. Then when the final person discovers them he is startled out of his wits as they jump from the hiding place (he he he.)

Red Rover Red Rover is a dangerous game that I have not attempted to pass on.  We played it in elementary school and I witnessed 2 people getting their arms broken from a speeding student breaking their grip.

But Hopscotch is an underrated game which I feel strongly cannot be lost. Do they still have them painted on the elementary school pavement? If not, it's a shame. A few tips for this game are: Use a small chain for a marker-it doesn't bounce out. Don't wear your clunky shoes-it's easier to stay in the lines. Always have chalk- you never know when a good time for hopscotch will present itself. My friend, Cindy Shelton, used masking tape to create a semi-permanent hopscotch in her home for her children and friends.  Don't underestimate the fun level of this game.

And now the game you've all been waiting for. I'm not sure why "Big Booty" was such a favorite. It's probably because saying, "Big Booty" is hilarious. Guests sit in a circle. They are numbered: Big Booty, 1, 2, 3...Then the fun begins. Big Booty starts with...(see video of my sister Carrie demonstrating)

 

In the meantime everyone is keeping time by slapping their thighs in rhythm. After the intro, Big Booty says, "Big Booty-number___" They choose a number. Without breaking the rhythm, number whatever-is-chosen says"Number___-number___They can either choose a number or say Big Booty. Everyone continues saying their number and choosing another. If a person misses the beat and fails to call themselves and another they go to the end of the circle and the numbers are adjusted. Of course it is the greatest accomplishment to oust Big Booty. This game ends when it's time to resume life or everyone's hands and thighs are burning from too much rhythm making.

So in an effort to continue to teach persistence, build confidence and strengthen family relationships let's get playing.