What\u2019s your decor like? \u00a0\u201cKids<\/strong>.\u201d (Legos on the floor, raisins stuck in the carpet, stuffed animals everywhere\u2026 \u00a0and everything just a little\u2026 STICKY.) :p<\/p>\n What\u2019s the soundscape of your home? \u00a0\u201cKids<\/strong>.\u201d (Singing, shouting, \u201cYou took my ____!\u201d \u00a0\u201cI want more maple syrup!\u201d \u201cMama, talk to ME!\u201d)<\/p>\n The more we try to balance in our busy lives, the harder it can be to create the kind of home space we\u2019d like to have. \u00a0But the truth is, now that we\u2019re parents, we need home to be a refuge<\/strong>. We need it more than ever. Our children need it too<\/strong>.<\/p>\n There are so many pieces that contribute to creating a cozy, nurturing home space. \u00a0The kinds of objects we surround ourselves with\u2026 The foods we cook\u2026 The activities we do in our day.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s one other aspect that\u2019s less often talked about \u00a0– and that\u2019s what I want to talk to you about today – the soundscape of your home.<\/strong><\/p>\n What kinds of sounds do you and your children hear while you\u2019re at home? \u00a0Does the teakettle whistle when it boils? Do you vacuum, or run the blender or the washing machine, or use an electronic toothbrush?<\/p>\n Which of the sounds in your home are the most anticipated? \u00a0Which are the gentlest and most restful?<\/p>\n Some sounds that my own family finds soothing:<\/strong><\/p>\n The current mainstream parenting\u00a0culture in America is\u00a0oriented towards stimulating children.<\/strong><\/p>\n What if, instead of this, we tried to create spaces (and spaces in our day) that would help relax them,<\/strong> and us?<\/strong><\/p>\n I love, when my children are playing, to sneak in a few little touches that make our one room studio feel a little less like a crowded scream fest, and a little more like a spa<\/strong>. \u00a0A drop of lavender oil in a diffuser\u2026 Some\u00a0relaxing music, played softly in the background. If you’re sourcing it online, try searching\u00a0\u201csoothing celtic harp\u201d or \u201cspa music\u201d.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The children don\u2019t always comment on\u00a0it, but it often mellows them, even making their play more harmonious.<\/p>\n Then again, maybe it’s just me!<\/strong>\u00a0 As parents, our own inner state\u00a0is one of the most important factors\u00a0affecting our children. \u00a0Most of the time, when we can relax, they can too. \u00a0These things relax me and, by extension, my little ones!<\/p>\n As a working mother, I spend so much time rushing from place to place, carting instruments around, chauffeuring\u00a0children, trying to get everyone everywhere on time and in one piece. \u00a0Trying to remember to respond to that email, to pick up the salmon for dinner, sort out the medical insurance. \u00a0There’s no end to the things that must be done or remembered.<\/p>\n So I cherish, when I can find it, that moment of peace at home.<\/strong> \u00a0Just an hour in our basement studio apartment, watching the children play, doing what I can to nurture our family culture of warmth, creativity\u00a0and togetherness.<\/strong><\/p>\n Thinking about this, I\u2019ve felt deeply called to bring more peace<\/strong>\u00a0to my own children, and to other families too. \u00a0So last week I added another instrument to my growing fleet, one that I find so calming and relaxing. \u00a0A Celtic harp!<\/strong><\/p>\n So I made a little video \u00a0\ud83d\ude42 \u00a0I’m just a beginner, but if there’s one thing I’ve learned in my midlife is this – life’s too short to wait for perfection. \u00a0Dive in, and\u00a0you’ll have lots of room for improvement along the way. \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n This harp will also make an appearance on the new Meadowlark Music Class<\/strong> album, upcoming this summer.<\/p>\n And I\u2019d love to hear from you! \u00a0What ways are you finding to bring more peace and spaciousness to your time with little ones?<\/strong><\/p>\n In love and music,<\/p>\n Noe<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_code admin_label=”Code”]<iframe width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rVCo5pa2gOQ” frameborder=”0″ allow=”autoplay; encrypted-media” allowfullscreen><\/iframe>[\/et_pb_code][et_pb_cta admin_label=”Call To Action” url_new_window=”off” use_background_color=”on” background_color=”#9cd8a9″ background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_button=”off” button_letter_spacing=”0″ button_use_icon=”default” button_icon_placement=”right” button_on_hover=”on” button_letter_spacing_hover=”0″ saved_tabs=”all” body_font_size=”18″]<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this post, here are a few ways to go deeper:<\/span><\/p>\n If you’re in the SF Bay Area<\/strong>, join us in person for:<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_cta][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” text_font_size=”16″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_padding=”|15%||15%”] If your home had a color, what color would it be? \u00a0If your home had a soundtrack, what would it sound like? \u00a0How do you want people to feel when they walk into your home? \u00a0How do you want your home to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":" If your home had a color, what color would it be? \u00a0If your home had a soundtrack, what would it sound like? \u00a0How do you want people to feel when they walk into your home? \u00a0How do you want your home to make you feel?<\/p> For many of us, it\u2019s hard to find the time or presence of mind to consciously create our home space, especially once we become parents. \u00a0In fact, as parents, it sometimes feels like any of the questions above can be answered with one single word. \u201cKIDS.\u201d<\/p> What\u2019s your decor like? \u00a0\u201cKids.\u201d (Legos on the floor, raisins stuck in the carpet, stuffed animals everywhere\u2026 \u00a0and everything just a little\u2026 STICKY.) :p<\/p> What\u2019s the soundscape of your home? \u00a0\u201cKids.\u201d (Singing, shouting, \u201cYou took my ____!\u201d \u00a0\u201cI want more maple syrup!\u201d \u201cMama, talk to ME!\u201d)<\/p> The more we try to balance in our busy lives, the harder it can be to create the kind of home space we\u2019d like to have. \u00a0But the truth is, now that we\u2019re parents, we need home to be a refuge. We need it more than ever. And... our children need it too.<\/p> There are so many pieces that contribute to creating a cozy, nurturing home space. \u00a0The kinds of objects we surround ourselves with\u2026 The foods we cook\u2026 The activities we do in our day. \u00a0<\/p> But there\u2019s one other aspect that\u2019s less often talked about \u00a0- and that\u2019s what I want to talk to you about today - your home\u2019s soundscape.<\/p> What kinds of sounds do you and your children hear while you\u2019re at home? \u00a0What\u2019s the sound of the teakettle when it boils? Do you vacuum, or run the blender or the washing machine, or use an electronic toothbrush? \u00a0If there are a lot of machine sounds in your home, what are some of the more organic sounds that you child hears each day?<\/p> Which of the sounds in your home are the most anticipated? \u00a0Which are the gentlest and most restful?<\/p> Some sounds that my family finds soothing:<\/p> The purring of our cat, Rainer.<\/p> Human voices speaking gently, and in loving tones. \u00a0(When my husband and I can remember to slow down in this way, it\u2019s beautiful to see how it helps our children feel at ease.)<\/p> The rustling birch tree in the garden.<\/p> Our culture tends to be oriented towards stimulating children.<\/p> What if, instead of this, we tried to create spaces (and spaces in our day) that would help relax them, and us?<\/p> I really love, when my children are playing, to sneak in a few little touches that make our one room studio feel a little less like a crowded scream fest, and a little more like a spa. \u00a0A drop of lavender oil in a diffuser\u2026 A little relaxing music, played softly in the background. Full disclosure - I actually just search \u201csoothing celtic harp\u201d or \u201cspa music\u201d and find something that way. \u00a0<\/p> The children don\u2019t always notice it, but it mellows them, and their play tends to become more harmonious when these elements are present. \u00a0<\/p> But equally important is the way these things affect me. \u00a0<\/p> As a working mother, I spend so much time rushing from place to place, carting instruments, carting children, trying to get everywhere on time and in one piece. \u00a0Trying to remember to respond to that email, to pick up the salmon for dinner, to book the dentist\u2019s appointment for child #2, there is no end to the things that must be done or remembered.<\/p> So I cherish, when I can find it, that moment of peace at home. \u00a0Just an hour or two in our little basement studio apartment, watching the children play, doing what I can to nurture our sense of family closeness and inner wellbeing that can help them cope in the world.<\/p> Thinking about this, I\u2019ve felt deeply called to bring more of this sort of mood to my own children, and to other children as well. \u00a0So called, in fact, that last week I added another instrument to my growing fleet - a Celtic harp.<\/p> I cannot find words adequate to describe the joy and peace I feel in playing this instrument. \u00a0There is nothing like it. Last week I brought it to Meadowlark for the first time, to sing lullabies to the little ones and the parents out under the trees, and also at my indoor classes.<\/p> There are so many wonderful instruments that can fill this role, if you too would like something to gently strum and unwind with in those times when you\u2019re there with your children. \u00a0Many are tuned in such a way that you really don\u2019t need to know anything about music to play it - so that everything you play sounds good. (Great for beginners!)<\/p> Here\u2019s a video of me starting to pluck out a tune or two\u2026 \u00a0(I\u2019m just a beginner, so bear with me\u2026 :)<\/p> This harp will also make an appearance on my new album, which I\u2019m starting to work on next week for release this summer.<\/p> And I\u2019d love to hear from you! \u00a0What ways are you finding to bring more peace and spaciousness to your time with little ones?<\/p> In love and music,<\/p> Noe<\/p>","_et_gb_content_width":"","_s2mail":"yes"},"categories":[53,3,7,4,1,11],"tags":[117,119,62,118],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2722"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2722"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2722\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2722"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2722"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2722"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.noevenable.com\/singingcircles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/pablo-44.png\")
<\/p>\nWherever you live, you can\u00a0download our latest\u00a0musical release<\/span><\/a> for families<\/strong>. \u00a0It’s pay what you want!<\/h3>\n
Meadowlark Music Class<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>for children and caregivers<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Mothersong Chorus<\/a><\/span>, <\/strong>an\u00a0intergenerational singing circle <\/strong>for women and girls.<\/h3>\n