I've just loved reading about the ways you take care of yourselves as busy mamas. So much wit, so many good ideas, so many kind words. Thanks for that - it kept me smiling through what could have been a frantic day of design and sewing!

Music always has been, and always will be, the way I recharge my batteries. You might recall that, for the holidays, I received a gift certificate for a violin rental from Patrick. Since then, I've been pitter-pattering around the violin strings. I took lessons, and I plan on starting them up again sometime in the near future. I'm no virtuoso - in fact, the cats still think I make appalling shrieks on the thing and implore me to stop by attempting to grab my bowing arm with their paws. Ahem. I'm not that bad! 

I don't get to practice everyday. I try to do a little bit of playing every other day or so, even if it means ten minutes. Patrick really supports me in my musical endeavors and helps to carve out a space for me to pursue them. I try to do the same for his guitar/piano playing. We figure that since music is so important in our lives, Finn should be surrounded by it from a young age. Once he's old enough to be worn on the back in a carrier, we can play our instruments while wearing him. We also plan on working family music making into our daily routine. We already wake up and fall asleep to classical piano music. Once Finn settles into more consistent awake periods, we'll start our family hootenannies.

Singers will sing, musicians will play, and, just like they absorb human language and movements, babies will take in the music that surrounds them and make it their own. We have a culture of joyful music making, 'round these parts.

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