Farmer Jason and Buddies Nature Jams  has 16 original songs on CD and includes a bonus DVD that features four fun music videos! The booklet that comes with the CD is very colorful and features really colorful eye catching illustrations for every song! Many guest artist sing along with Farmer Jason such as REM’s Mike Mills, Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson, Iris Dement, Alison Brown, Suzy Bogguss, Brandi Carlile, Terrance Simien, Webb Wilder, Todd Snider, Tommy Ramone and Hank Williams III, and more!

Farmer Jason and Buddies Nature Jams has  been a huge hit with my children ages nearly 4 years old and a little over 1. My son loves the song Dison the Bison and whenever it plays he’ll go round and round in circles. And my daughter keeps asking when we’ll be able to go hiking at one of our local parks again. I admit I’m itching to get back out explore nature more myself too. The songs are fun and I really like that before each song plays that a background information discussion is added which is a great education aspect!

I encourage you to check out Nature Jams for yourself and pre-order your own copy today! And while you are at it, check out Farmer Jason’s newest record label  myKaZootv, which just launched [http://www.mykazootv.com], a new 24/7 interactive kids’ entertainment channel. myKaZootv features hundreds of kid-friendly  music videos, including several from Farmer Jason and his buddies. We invite you and your family to enjoy the fun, day or night, at: http://www.mykazootv.com.

**Fun fact: This CD has just won a Dove Foundation “Family Approved” seal and “five doves” -www.dove.org! **

-Win it!-

I’m excited that two of my readers are going to get the chance to win the following things;

A copy of Farmer Jason’s brand new CD  Nature Jams  (Value: $15)

One official MyKaZoo kazoo! This quality blue metal kazoo will provide kids with
hours of play-along fun, and it sports a myKaZoo logo (Value: $5)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

Our Christmas day was stress free, calm, and very restful. The children slept in till almost 10am being extremely worn out from Christmas Eve church service and visiting family the day before.  They are usually up out of bed around 6-7am. So this means I got to sleep in for as long as my body would let me ( a very welcome gift).

What toys did my kids receive from us that they loved and have been playing with daily since they were received?

Owen’s Loot

A Green Toys Recycling Truck. This truck is the second in his Green Toys truck collection as we also have the Dump Truck! He loves this truck so very much and I do too! It’s made in the USA, durable, educational, engaging, interactive, and lots of fun! Not to forget to mention that these toys  as they contain no BPA, PVC, phthalates, or external coatings keeping my little guy safe ( A huge deal to me in the toys my children have. ) I’ve taken video that I plan to share along with a short little review soon!

My Big Animal Bookby Roger Priddy. Owen loves books and the more eye catching like this book, the better. It’s the perfect book as it’s durable, bright, bold, and very engaging! I like the photographs of all the different animals from exotic, zoo, farm, and more. It’s a great book for picture, sound, and word association. I’m hoping to collect more books by Roger Priddy.  Owen’s obviously a fan and has been quacking every time he sees a picture of the duck in the book. Other  titles include books about cars & trucks, abcs, 123s, and much more!

Schylling Ambi One Man Band (New Years Gift to ring in the New Year)- The One Man Band by Ambi Toys incorporates many musical novelties into one sweet and goofy character. Kids can use the Ambi Toys One Man Band to play a song with drumming, whistles, shakers and bells. The One Man Band features a swinging tie and head that turns, as well as a whistle that plays two sounds and a ringing bell hat. It’s a great toy that encourages  musical expression. This toy is of high-quality and it’s made with brightly colored recyclable PVC-free plastic. Owen likes this toy, especially the whistle part!

Melissa & Doug First Shapes Jumbo Puzzle- Owen’s first puzzle and it’s perfect for him with it’s extra-large knobs make it easy for small hands to remove each brightly colored piece. He was quite taken with these sorts of puzzles at our local science museum so that’s what prompting me to get one. His sister’s puzzles are really worn out and the pieces aren’t as durable as this one. This will be a great way to teach Owen his shapes and colors! I love the super sized pieces and the fact it’s made out of solid wood. It’s a a fun educational toy that’s built to last!

I’m happy that he’s interested in everything we gifted him and no worries from me about products are potentially unsafe or could be on recall list in the future.  Toys that are all battery free, imagination friendly, and to be well played with and loved for years to come!

Melody’s  Loot…

Melissa & Doug Alphabet Puzzle Book- Since Melody has taken quite an interest in learning to read. I prompted to find a fun gift that would help give her a boost in that area. This is a fun little puzzle book. It features both upper and lower case letters followed by a corresponding word picture such as Aa is for Apple and underneath the apple piece is the word Apple spelled out. It’s a great little puzzle book as it’s colorful and has great educational benefits. I do wish that the magnets in the book were a bit stronger. They sometime tend to fall out when turning the pages. I’m thinking about knitting a little bag to put this in so as to keep everything together when it isn’t being played.

Melissa & Doug Deluxe Magnetic Calendar (New Years Gift) – This calendar reminded me of one I shared with my sisters as a kid. We homeschooled so we always got really cool things for our classroom. Well Melody has taken an intrest in wanting to know how calendars work. I figured this would be a great gift and learning tool! There’s nothing I don’t like about this product…in fact, I highly recommend it! It’s very colorful, includes 134 magnets depicting most holidays and childhood activities and  the board it self can be used with dry erase markers. It’s currently hanging up in our kitchen. And we’ve every morning gone in and had a discussion about what day it is and what’s coming up soon like New Years and Baby Brothers  1st Birthday! A great learning tool for children ages three and up!

Schleich Figurines- My daughter loves her Schleich collectable figurines!  She plays with them almost daily and loves them so much that occasionally whenever people come over she brings them out and shows them every single one. We could be collecting these till she goes to college and far beyond on that. These awesome hand painted one of a kind creations are durable, life like, great for learning, and nice to even just display.  Melody’s recent additions include the Emperor Penguin, Zebra Foal, and a Panda Cub. I know she’s hoping for some dragons, unicorns, and even some of the fairies for her birthday and even before that. I’m the kind of mom that doesn’t put off giving gifts for specific celebration. It is okay to give something any other day of the year too. Life is short, so why wait?

And last but not least, Melody received a Casio SA-76 44 Key Mini Keyboard. She had been asking about one for several months now. And was thrilled when she received it! I know a little bit about playing but I’m basically a guitar player so I’m not as much help there as I’d like to be. We are thinking of signing her to take piano lessons next fall. I am so happy that she’s shown such interest in a musical instrument.

There’s a trend in the gifts I pick out for my kids… something musical, books, puzzles,  and something they particulary enjoy like the truck and the figurines. Also I purposefully did my best to  pick items that are eco-friendly, made in the USA, and are built to last.

Where there any presents that you or your kids got that you didn’t like? Any favorites? I’d love to know.

Air Picks are pretty neat. They are shaped like an actual guitar pick just slightly larger. Currently there are three picks to choose from Classic Rock, Rebel Rock, Rolling Stones. Fans will rejoice in being able to play songs such as Jumping Jack Flash, Satisfaction, Born to be Wild, Smoke on the Water, and Sweet Home Alabama to name just a few.

Users can select which song they’d like to strum in rhythm with on the back of the pick itself. There’s also a whammy bar button on the back to really mix things up. It’s not completely full proof, you have to “play” correctly in order to really rock out releasing the chords at the right time.

There’s no volume control but I found this not an issue as it’s not too loud or to quiet. I liked that there’s a clip that you use to hook to a belt loop or backpack though can easily remove it too if you so choose. Batteries for this toy are included which is a plus as well. No body likes receiving a battery operated gift and not having the batteries at the ready to use it, especially  during the Holiday.

Overall this toy would totally make a fun stocking stuffer this year for kids ages 6 to 13 years old, especially if they like music too. Air Picks retail at $11.00 each and can be purchased in numerous places such as Think Geek, Amazon.com, Target, and at the at the Ohio Art Toy Store - www.world-of-toys.com!

Disclaimer: I was sent the above product mentioned for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

Rocknoceros is an award winning band of family-friendly music behind are new favorite turtle friend. I’m excited to let you know about their brand new CD Colonel Purple Turtle which has also been paired with a beautifully illustrated 24 page companion book for children of all ages!

The musical tracks on the CD focus on life lessons as well as scientific facts! Children will get a kick out of songs that explain echolocation, the power of the sun, and the life cycle of ladybugs, to just name a few! I for one love that this CD is educational as well as plenty of fun.

Coach Cotton, Williebob, and Boogie Woogie Bennie bring listeners 19 brand new Rocknoceros songs all about themselves and their friends living in Soggy Bog!  Songs are played in a variety of styles such as a bit of jazz, barbershop quartet, string ensembles and more. Run time of the CD is 47 minutes.

The complementary hard cover book has beautiful artwork throughout and features the characters the kids come to love through the CD. My kids for one were very taken with the illustrations and enjoyed pointing out all the different types of animals seen! Every page was a treat! I for one loved how the type in the book expressed what was being told in such a way! Storybook readers can really appreciate that as their queue to possibly stress the words a bit more that they are reading to children.

Overall I and my husband agree that the Colonel Purple Turtle – Rocknoceros CD and Companion Book  is  a must  have for any household, classroom, and library setting!

You can purchase  Colonel Purple Turtle at rocknoceros.com, Amazon.com, cdbaby.com, and iTunes. The colorfully illustrated companion book, Colonel Purple Turtle’s Purple Turtle Journal will be available at rocknoceros.com, both individually and as a specially priced package with the Colonel Purple Turtle CD.

How about winning a CD of your own? Be sure to enter below for a chance!

Disclaimer: I was sent the above product mentioned for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

The album uniquely showcases cellist Yo-Yo Ma, bassist Edgar Meyer, mandolinist Chris Thile and fiddler Stuart Duncan. While each musician is a renowned superstar in his own music sphere, they have come together now as a unified ensemble on a most remarkable and organic cross-genre project stemming from their friendship, and the title concept. The album also includes two vocal tracks featuring Thile and guest artist Aoife O’Donovan, the lead vocalist and writer for progressive bluegrass group Crooked Still.

While everyone personalized their own definition of “goat rodeo” Yo-Yo Ma sums it up: “In the end, what we’re trying to do is simply make music that transcends whatever roots or categories or backgrounds that it starts from–that just exists as something that we’re trying to express, through our community of values, as a moment in time creating very special music.”

I would say to hurry on out to get this title! It’s sure to be enjoyed with any one for a love of instruments and exceptionally well put together music. It’s so good I’m about at a loss of words to express my general gratitude that I get the opportunity to play this music in my home daily.  It’s exciting, eclectic, and absolutely indescribable. I honestly can’t pick a favorite track because they are all so good. This album is sure to take your very breath away and refresh your soul.

For email updates and information on this title please visit www.SonyMasterworks.com. If interested in owning this wonderful CD, you can purchase The Goat Rodeo Sessions on Amazon.com for 11.88 eligible for free super saving shipping. Available through other known retailers as well. It would make a wonderful stocking stuffer this Holiday season!

I’m excited with the opportunity to giveaway a copy of Yo-Yo Ma The Goat Rodeo Sessions CD to one of my readers! Please enter below through Rafflecopter. USA and Canda only please.

Disclaimer: I was sent the above product mentioned for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

Tumble Bee features  guest vocals by Colin Meloy (From the band The Decemberist), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Béla Fleck and more. The instrumentals and the twist on the classics bring a  new sound that most absurdly creates something unique!

There are thirteen tracks on this title and I was actually very surprised that I only recognized a few of the songs. This by all means is more reason to embrace this title and share folk songs once listened to and sung by our own Grandparents and Great Grandparents and so on with our current generation.

I loved that All the Pretty Little Horses was part of this collaboration. It’s an all time favorite lullaby that I sing to my children! I hadn’t heardd sung by anyone else in such a enchanting manner in some time. A few of the others songs I really like are King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki Me O, Down in the Medder, and Jump Down Spin Around. All the songs are growing on not just me but my children too especially my little boy who has in turn heard his mommy sing some of the titles to him through out the day.

I’m excited that Laura Veirs will be promoting locally in Portland. I’ve got hopes in catching a show soon! I highly recommend Tumble Bee and if you are around the Portland, Oregon or Seattle Washington area I hope you’ll try to catch a show too!  Until then if you’d like to pick up a copy remember, Tumble Bee will be available internationally on November 8th, from various retailers. The CD package is really cute and includes a D.I.Y. kit to make your own Tumble Bee mobile. Watch Laura’s instructional video.

Get Connected: http://www.lauraveirs.com | Laura Veirs on Facebook | Laura on Twitter.com |Laura on Myspace.com

I’m excited with the opportunity to giveaway a copy of  Tumble Bee by Laura Veirs album to one of my readers! Please enter below through Rafflecopter. USA and Canada only please.

Disclaimer: I was sent the above product mentioned for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

I’ve been listening to Billy Joel’s new released two-disc Legacy edition of “Piano Man” and have been enjoying it quite a bit.  The Legacy Edition is of  the 1973′s Piano Man album which exclusively features a long-lost fabled radio concert from 1972 which  has never before been released. The concert includes three Billy Joel songs–”Long, Long Time,” “Josephine,” and “Rosalinda”–which do not appear on any other albums by the artist and, of course, the performance of “Captain Jack” which launched one of the most remarkable careers in show business.  The legendary Sigma Sound performance is available exclusively on the new Legacy Edition of Piano Man (and is not included on The Complete Albums Collection). Billy Joel’s music is full of captivating tunes,  thought provoking lyrics, and inspiration to take you through your day.

In celebration of this upcoming release, I’ll be  giving away a copy of Billy Joel’s “Piano Man” Legacy Edition to one lucky  reader.

Disclaimer: I was sent the above product mentioned for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

 ”Play is the business of children.  And Jim’s work demonstrates that music is a very natural medium for playful exploration, leading to engaged learning and even creative thinking.”
- Jon Weber, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

 ”Jim Gill is single-handedly bringing back the joy of using word play and music as a playground for children and adults to enjoy together. He’s like the crossing guard
at the intersection of words, music and play.”  
-Fred Koch, Bestchildrensmusic.com and Chicago Parent magazine

 Jim Gill Presents Music Play For Folks Of All Stripes is a wonderful music CD and DVD combination! If you love interactive music for your children, this is definitely for you! I love that it encourages parents to sing a long and act the songs featured in this fantastic collection  outwith their kids. Children do learn best by example and nothing makes them happier than one on one time with mom and dad! Didn’t someone say a family that plays together stays together? I guarantee the bond you have with your children will grow even stronger by incorporating this music/dvd into you home collection.

On the included DVD are live-action family play videos of four songs Foot Notes, Beethoven’s Five Finger Play, Truck Stop and Bounces Abundant that  each can be on the fifteen track album. There is also a really interesting video of the making of the the song Living Inside a Glass Jar and an interview with Jim Gill himself. If you’d like a sneak peak of the action, be sure to visit Jim’s Youtube channel.

You’ll being introduced to a wide range of musical styles from symphonic music to country to improvised jazz to polka make up the songs on this title. There’s bagpipes, banjos, glass bottles, xylophone styles and so much more. No doubt, there’s something here for everyone and the title got it right when it included music loves of all stripes!

My children are 3 1/2 years old and nine months. Both are quite taken with this CD. My three year old really gets into the physical follow along movements. I love seeing the expression and how drawn in she becomes. My 9 month old son really likes the clapping along songs, especially when I or my daughter join him. He gets so excited! It totally a win with with my kids! And nothing is better than playing with my children and seeing them develop skills that can challenge and shape who they are becoming.

You can learn more about this title at Jim’s website at www.jimgill.com & be sure to check out his Youtube channel too. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to see him on his Fall Tour, be sure to check out his schedule on his website to.

You can purchase Music Play For Folks Of All Stripes for 16.00 on sell right now by clicking here! It would be the perfect cd/dvd collection for home, the classrrom, mommy and me groups, and more! But how about a chance to win one here first, it would make an excellent stocking stuffer!


Disclaimer: I was sent the above product mentioned for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.

Big Bully: Best Foot Forward Series is a brand new collection of music focusing all about bullying geared toward children age 4-11 years old. This is  CD is a great discussion starter among parents, teachers, and children in addressing attitudes and behaviors of others and how to handle negative situations more positively.

Popular music artist such as Milkshake, The Hip Waders, Renee & Jeremy, and more join in to make this collection really stand out. I found the songs quite catchy , totally kid-friendly, and full of lyrics that are the thoughts that often come to mind when dealing with a bullying situation for a child. A collection that encourage kids to be the very best they can be. Kids are very impressionable so I think something like this would be good to introduce and play quite often during the school year though not limited to.

The music tunes really stand out and there’s a huge variety such as a two – beat country, up to date folk, a ukelele waltz, and so much more. I’m really liked the One and Only Me song by Janet’s Planet. It’s even a good reminder to us grown-ups about valuing our self and to stop trying so much to impress others. I even catch myself trying to do that on occasion. And the song I’m Sorry really tugs at the emotions!

The cover art is really cute. It features bright kid colored monsters that look like they could have been drawn by a child. In entirety, the CD itself very inviting.  I like how inside the cover it reads lots of things like “We dream of a world where music can help and heal”. And oh how that should be how we live to help and care for those around us.

Big Bully covers self validation, Good attitudes, How to Apologize, and so many other great character values on those hard life lessons.  I highly recommend this collection to parents, teachers, and caregivers of school age children!

Musician/composer Ted Jacobs is dedicated to presenting exquisite acoustic musical settings of the world’s most beloved poetry, and it is with tremendous pride that he announces his third studio CD, Back to the Garden, a collection of songs based on poems from Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses.

We rather enjoyed reviewing this wonderful music collaboration. Each song is an adventure and an experience waiting to be shared with it’s listener. Some songs are mellow and others you’ll probably find your toe tapping. When I heard the instruments in these songs put together into such a tune it brought to my mind an image of children parading around a pole with ribbons floating in the breeze,  floral wreaths adorning the crown of their heads, skipping as they went along, hands clenching beautifully woven baskets  filled with flowers. It totally opens ones imagination and brings out ones poetic side.

It’s hard to pick a favorite songs because they are all so well brought together. The melody brings the poems of Robert Louis Stevenson alive in such a way I’d not imagined before! Songs are sung by children as well as adults. It makes this a fun collection for both children and their parents.  If you love acoustic tunes, rich lyrics, and songs that stir up creativity and imagination you’ll love “Back to the Garden”.

Listen to samples of each song here!

Where to Buy

You can purchase Back to the Garden  at Amazon.com, iTunes, and at House at the Corner Music. SRP is 14.99 and the run time of this collection is 33 minutes. You’ll be pleased to know that lyrics are included for every song too.

How about a chance to win this wonderful CD by entering the giveaway below?…

Disclaimer: I was sent the above product mentioned for review. This review is 100% my opinion and has not been edited or reviewed by anyone. I was not compensated in any other way for this product review.