Favorite Songs as a child

Back before 8 tracks and cassette players were installed into cars, we would spend time singing songs in the car when we traveled back and forth from relatives houses. Sometimes we would sing when we were out and about and around Robin Hood's Barn, but mostly it was on longer trips like when we went to Maine for our summer vactions or out to Colorado to take our oldest brother to college. Whatever the trip, we had fun singing in the car. And mom would often harmonize with us and sing the alto part.

One of our favorite songs which I have taught my kids and my grandkids (along with some other kids) was Wait for the Wagon. It was a song for the days of the week. So of course you don't know the tune, but here at the words using my family.

Every Sunday morning with mommy by our side, we'll hop into the wagon and we'll all take a ride. Wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon and we'll all take a ride.

Every Monday morning with David by our side, we'll hop into the wagon and we'll all take a ride. Wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon and we'll all take a ride.

Every Tuesday morning with Anne by our side, we'll hop into the wagon and we'll all take a ride. Wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon and we'll all take a ride.

Every Wednesday morning with Timmy by our side, we'll hop into the wagon and we'll all take a ride. Wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon and we'll all take a ride. 

Every Thursday morning with Susan by our side, we'll hop into the wagon and we'll all take a ride.
Wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon and we'll all take a ride.

Every Friday morning with Daddy by our side, we'll hop into the wagon and we'll all take a ride. Wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon and we'll all take a ride.

Every Saturday morning with Duffy (dog) by our side, we'll hop into the wago and we'll all take a ride. Wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon, wait for the wagon and we'll all take a ride.


That's a classic song, and so much fun to sing. When I was teaching a release time class (this is when kids can leave school for a Bible lesson), I taught it to the kids on the bus ride to and from school. They loved it - and we would go on to include all 16 kids, plus the teachers, and the bus driver. Thankfully, he put up with the noise it created.

Another song was from the musical Mary Poppins - it was Let's go fly a kite.

When it's tuppence for paper and strings. You can build your own set of wings. With your feet on the ground you're a bird in flight, with your first holding tight to the the string of your kite. / Oh, oh oh Let's go fly a kite, up to the highest height. let's go fly a kite and send it soaring, up to the atmosphere, up where the air is clear, oh let's go fly a kite. / When you send it flying up there, all at once you're lighter than air, you can dance on the breeze over houses and trees, with your first holding tight, to the string of your kite / Oh oh oh! Let's go fly a kite up to the highest height. let's go fly a kite and send it soaring. Up through the atmostphere, up where the air is clear. oh let's go, fly a kite.

Wow - that brings back memories. I'm singing again already. Our family loved musicals and so here is another song we would sing - Do re mi from The Sound of Music

Do a deer, a female deer, re a drop of golden sun, mi a name I call myself, fa a long long way to run, so a needle pulling thread. la a note to follow so, ti a drink with jam and bread and that will bring us back to do. do re mi fa so la ti do. / so do la fa mi do re, so do la ti do re do When you know the notes to sing, you can sing most any thing. (keep singing)

Miss those times in the car but glad also for them, to be able to pass on some of those traditions to my kids and grandkids. And even though my grandkids have a DVD player installed in their van, I still love to teach them these songs, so that they in turn can share them with their kids.

We also sang many rounds in the car - sometimes we would pair up, depending on the number of parts. So here are a few of our favorites.

Row row row your boat, gently down the stream. Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.

Here's another favorite: 1 bottle pop, 2 bottle pop, 3 bottle pop, 4 bottle pop, 5 bottle pop, 6 bottle pop, 7 7 bottle pop. / Fish and chips and vinegar, vinegar, vinegar, fish and chips and vinegar, pepper pepper and salt/ Don't throw you trash in my backyard, my backyard, my backyard. Don't throw your trash in my backyard. My backyard's full.

Hey, ho nobody home, meat nor drink nor money Have I none. Still I will be mer-r-r-y.

Frere Jacques, Frere Jacques, Dormez vous? Dormez vous? Sonnez les matines, Sonnez les matines. (It's a good thing I took French in school).

And then there were some classic songs - just loved to sing them - and repeat faster and faster.

John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt, His name is my name too. Whenever we go out, The people always shout, There goes John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt.

Dah dah dah dah, dah dah dah

Late one night, when we were all in bed, Old Lady Leary lit the lantern in the shed, And when the cow kicked it over, She winked her eye and said, “There’ll be a hot time in the ol’ town tonight!” Fire, Fire, Fire (shout this part out each time, as you sing the other quieter)

Sharing two more songs - maybe this will bring back your own memories.
 
I’m just a piece of beat-up tin. Nobody knows where I have been. Got four wheels and a running board. I’m a chevy not a ford. Beep beep rattle rattle crash boom bang. Beep beep rattle rattle crash boom bang. Beep beep rattle rattle crash boom bang. Beep beep rattle rattle crash boom bang. BOOM! 

There were three jolly fishermen, There were three jolly fishermen,
Fisher, fisher, MEN, MEN, MEN. Fisher, fisher, MEN, MEN, MEN.
There were three jolly fishermen./ The first one's name was Abraham, The first one's name was Abraham, Abra, Abra; ham ham, ham, Abra, Abra; ham ham, ham. The first one's name was Abraham. / The second one's name was I-I-saac, The second one's name was I-I-saac. I-I, I-I- zik, zik, zik, I-I, I-I- zik, zik, zik, The second one's name was I-I-saac. / The third one’s name was Ja-a-cob, The third one’s name was Ja-a-cob. Ja-a, Ja-a; cub, cub, cub, Ja-a, Ja-a; cub, cub, cub. The third one’s name was Ja-a-cob./ They all went down to Jericho, They all went down to Jericho. Jer-i, Jer-i; cho, cho, cho, Jer-i, Jer-i; cho, cho, cho.

They all went down to Jericho. /They should have gone to Amsterdam,They should have gone to Amsterdam, Amster, Amster, Shh! Shh! Shh! Amster, Amster, Shh! Shh! Shh! They should have gone to Amsterdam

(Our version had these verses) We musn’t say that naughty word, We musn’t say that naughty word. Naughty naughty word word word, Naughty naughty word word word, We musn’t say that naughty word./ We will say it any way, We will say it any way. Any any way way way, Any any way way way. We will say it any way./ They all went down to Amsterdam, They all went down to Amsterdam. Amster, amster, dam, dam, dam. Amster, amster, dam, dam, dam, They all went down to Amsterdam.

So there you have it - a bunch of songs to help pass the time away, and genuine classics incuding one I didn't write here called The Bear went over the mountain. That one you can sing for miles at a time. Ha ha.

So I hope you enjoyed the songs today - please feel free to share your favorites from your childhood - would love to hear them.

Condo Living

Take a right, then a left, and then a right again and soon you'll see the entrance to Forest Hills Condos. There's a small building into between the entrance and the exit with gates that close during the night to keep the onlookers out. So no pizza deliveries after nine pm. Actually, they could still get in by buzzing your home and keying in a code to open the gate. This is the life inside a semi-retirement community. I am most likely one of the youngest members of the association. There are no children living here - though I don't remember reading any rules about having any. It would be a great place to teach a child how to ride a bike - with all of the small roads and long driveways leading out from the condos. Plus all of the residents drive slowly down the lanes (well, most do). Some of the residents walk their dogs around the block. I was thinking of getting a mechanical dog just so I'd have something to walk around the block with, as it would be a great way to meet the neighbors - with or without a dog. Some people refer to the homes by their dog's name - oh that's were Lilly lives, or Prince lives over there. Kind of funny, really.

Maintenance free, but not free of charge. That is, we pay a monthly fee that pays for the lawns to be mowed; the leaves to be raked, blown and gathered; driveways to be plowed; sidewalks to be shoveled or snowblowed; outside windows to be washed twice a year; and even the cleaning out of the dryer vent every couple of years. Not bad living - though I do miss mowing the lawn on a riding lawn mower. I spent plenty of years mowing with a push mower. But when Barry and I were married, we invested in one of the zero turn mowers. That was a lot of fun and it made for great entertainment when family came over to visit. Now it's just me in a square building with three other residents. Thankfully, there are fire-proof and sound-proof walls between the units.

The trees are finally full of green leaves and the grass is mowed once a week (by someone else). The first condo you pass on your right is the clubhouse. This is where the monthly potluck suppers are held, along with other gatherings. Plus our mailboxes are on one end. You can rent the clubhouse for family gatherings, but not if you want to have a home-based business party. The only money collected inside the building is for the 50/50 drawings they have each month. 

After the clubhouse, you'll notice that all of the buildings look the same. All of them have four units and everyone has their own garage, with access into their homes. This is condo living. I never thought I would like living in a home that looked just like the one next door. But after being here for a year, it's starting to feel like home. As you drive along the roads, you'll notice that all condos have one unit with a fireplace. Those without a fireplace, have a huge window. My condo has a fireplace in it. Barry would have loved it here. Above the fireplace is his buck - the one he shot in 2008, but thankfully wasn't preserved in 2009 when our house burned down.

My condo cannot be located with a GPS because although my address is on Dawn Dr, my condo sits on a side street that has a road sign that says, to Dawn Ct. So I'm not on one of the main roads. They really should have named my street, as they have other short street in our complex with names. Maybe I'll suggest that. But not finding my place isn't always a terrible thing. It allows me to have some privacy, too. Also my condo is nestled in amongst some trees, so year round, I get to see some of the animals that live in the wild. Last winter,  I noticed some deer beds not far from my living room window. I had wished I had gotten up sooner to see the deer there. But I have seen them throughout the complex, along with rabbits, and raccoons. I am sure there have been some turkey sightings as well. Just this morning, I watched a chipmunk chase a squirrel in and out of the bushes and trees outside my bedroom window. I was surprised because the squirrel was so much bigger. Then when the chipmunk was out of sight, the squirrel circled back to it's original destination and soon ran out onto a branch and jumped onto the neighbors bird feeder. I was just about to take a photo of it sitting on top, when it climbed down to where the seeds were and hid from my view. Silly squirrel. I later told my neighbor that I would be glad to trim those branches for her, but she said she would get to it.

My condo has two bedrooms and two baths and an open concept living room, dining room, kitchen. Plus a small storage room off the laundry area. It's really just the right size or even a bit larger space than I need. As it's just me. So most of the condo stays clean (which is nice). But in my bedroom is currently where my desk is - with my computer, where I sit and type all of my stories into - to share with all of you. And out my bedroom window is a world of adventure for the animals. It's definitely fun to just sit and watch and imagine what life might be like as a small mammal. (That's another story yet to be written).

My repsonsibility of plantings outside are only those from the wood edging to the condo. If I want to plant a garden in the wooded area, I have to get permission from the directors of the association. And so there is a small garden left from a previous owner. That's good enough for me. But some of the shrubs are looking pretty sad, so I'll be replacing some this year, while others will just be removed. Last December, in attempt to place Christmas lights on a flowering tree outside my garage, I decided to trim some of the branches, and well, I trimmed too much. But thankfully, it is still alive, though it does look pitiful. One of my neighbors saw a picture of the trimmed tree and said I wasn't needed to help her in her own garden. I was thankful, too. I did enough weeding for my mom and dad when they lived in Blooming Valley - I'm good for a long time yet. So the only flowers that will come up outside for me are some lillies planted by someone else. I don't have the green thumb my mom had. It wasn't passed down to me, thankfully. Who has time to talk to plants anyway? haha.

My living room has my only TV, and once in awhile I'll relax in the living room in one of the recliners, putting my feet up and eating a bowl of cereal or a sandwich and watch some shows. My main channels are Hallmark and HGTV - for the show Love it or List it. Then when I want some background noise, I'll put on the music channel and listen to contemporary Christian songs - I'll put the volume up a little more so I can hear it in my bedroom. Speaking of music, one of the stipulations here is that you can't play musical instruments outside - or have radios on loud in the garage.  I was actually looking forward to sitting outside on my patio and strumming a few tunes on my guitar. They didn't say anything about opening up all of my windows and playing the drums in my living room. Oh, that's right, I don't have any drums. I do have a keyboard, though. I don't play very often - maybe just once or twice since I moved in last year. But when the grandkids come over, they love to play on the keyboard, espec some of the demo songs - so it looks like they know what they're doing.

So - that's about it - life in my condo. It's quiet and peaceful. No one really comes to the door much and when my phone rings, I let the answering machine get it, because it's usually a telemarketer and so I don't give them any money any more. Plus, I didn't even give out my phone number, except to the condo association; though I recently changed that with my cell number. Well, I guess I could go on and on, but then I'd have to wake you up at the end to say goodnight. And the sun is about to go down here, also. Sweet dreams - see you somewhere else as we travel around Robin Hood's Barn.

"Jack of all trades" Part One

I thought it would be fun to share with you all the jobs I've ever had - with some funny or embarrassing stories along the way. You know you have to keep it interesting to the reader, to keep their nose in the pages.

Now I will admit right now that I was the spoiled baby in the family - I am sure that my brothers and sisters probably did more work around the house than I did. But I remember pitching in now and then. One of the worst jobs was polishing the silver for those big parties our parents would host - and everything had to be just right. It's not surprising that I never polish any of the silver that was handed down to me, and rightly so, because I have never used it.

Mom taught us how to do our own laundry when I was in the fourth grade. I don't know if everyone learned then - because we had just moved into a new house and so mom must have decided it was high time we all learned. I reciprocated and taught my kids how to do their laundry about the same age. But because either I wasn't paying attention (probably that) or Mom didn't know herself, I didn't pass on any tips about separating laundry or what temp to wash the clothes in. I just threw them all in at the same time - and dried them all, too. Actually, I still do it that way because it's only me in the house - I don't have enough to separate. Though on occasion, I might wash the towels separately. Mom is not here to defend herself, so I will say that it was probably me not listening. She did teach me how to iron - oh, I dreaded that job. Mom would have a pillowcase full of table linens or dad's work shirts. What a tedious job. I did iron shirts for both my husbands, along with the dress pants, but only ironed my own when absolutely necessary. Currently I have an ironing board and an iron, but I have yet to use it in the last year or so. Wrinkles seem to be in, these days. Love the wash and wear clothing.

Another chore at my house growing up was to weed the garden and to weed between the bricks on the patio and along the path by the little fish pond. Oh - the knuckles would ache pulling up strands of grass. And I'm not sure why, but the garden gloves never worked as well as my bare hands. My mom loved her gardens. After all of us kids were up and out of the house, mom and dad moved out into the country and had many more gardens - one was along a split-rail fence that led down the driveway. It took me eight hours to weed that - both sides of the fence. And longer, if I happened to see a snake slither by. Mom would get dad to build another garden and I would try to protest - because I was usually the one who had to weed it. And there were snakes hiding in the garden by the stone wall. Oh - just gives me shivers thinking about them. I'd be moving along quite well, when I would reach under a peonia and lo and behold, a snake would slither away. I would scream and jump up and run away from the garden and then wouldn't return to that area for a few days. I don't know why I thought the snake would have actually left and gone elsewhere. So over the summers, I learned the best sunning spots for those critters and I would always look before pulling. But even that would drive me crazy, because there would be a stick that moves or a big fat worm - and I would still react the same way. Mom didn't fire me. She just kept asking dad to build more gardens. Currently - I have a small area in view of my patio that has lilies in it and a forsythia bush. They were here when I moved in last year. I just raked the area today - but the moment I spot a snake - it's going to become part of the wooded area once again.

The other general chores around the house were the same as everyone elses - cleaning the bathroom, washing the windows with newspapers (less streaks on the windows, but more ink on your hands), vacuuming, dusting, doing the dishes, cleaning our rooms. These were the same ones I taught my children. There were times when my children were younger that I couldn't go to bed at night with a messy house. I would throw all the toys into baskets and make sure the dishes were done, if not put away. It's sort of what I would always do before going on a trip - clean the house, so when we returned, it would only be a matter of putting things away. One day my house was a mess and wouldn't you know, a door to door saleman was coming up to the house to show me some magic cleaner that made mold and mildew disappear. I even had him come into my bedroom and into the bathroom to show me how it would clean the shower. (I don't recommend this to anyone - keep strangers out of your house!). So I had to scrape up some money that we were saving for something else, in order to buy this magical stuff. Only to discover later, that it turned everything orange. The lessons we learn by trial and error. Sometimes priceless.

So my first real job was working as a title searcher at the county courthouse. This was the summer before my senior year, and then I worked during breaks and the following summer after graduation. My dad was my boss, since he was a lawyer. It was similar to being an investigato because you had to go back sixty years to see if there were any leins on the property, before it could be sold. I worked from 9 to 5 with an hour off at lunch. Dad paid me so I would have some spending money in college.

After my freshman year in college, I worked as a dishwasher at a church camp in NW PA. My sister's husband was director there - that's how I got the job. It was fun. I always left work more wet than the dishes. There was a sprayer for the dishes as I put them into a rack and then I would slide it into the Hobart machine, and then out the other side to air dry and then put away. But first - there was the slop bucket. All leftover food on the plates got thrown into the slop bucket. The local pig farmer would come by every few days to pick up the buckets and feed the pigs. Yum. On Saturdays, last day of camp, the kids would get a turkey dinner, complete with a pumpkin pie. I got permission from the cook to have a pumpkin pie fight after camp was over, as long as we promised to clean up the whole kitchen afterwards. Yeah - I know how to have fun.

I know I had a job at Montgomery Wards during a Christmas break somewhere along the way. I remember working in the jewelry department but also having to run the popcorn machine.

I worked one semester in the college kitchen taking silverware off of the plates and trays that were on the rollers - as they slid into the kitchen area. I actually enjoyed it, not only because it gave me some extra money. I didn't have a lot of expenses, except for books. I found a beauty school just down the street from campus that only charged $4 per haircut. I went in a few times, but this one particular time this man was putting my hair into little sections using bobby pins and then proceeded to tell me that I was his first customer. When I left there, my hair was so short, I had to wear a baseball cap for a few weeks til it grew back out. But hey - I was saving some money - plus it was a while longer til I had to get it cut again. (Ok, so that wasn't a job I had - just a funny story.)

[Side note - I was married in 1982, with one more year left in college. We lived in Alliance, OH and then Louisville, OH]

My daugher Amy was born five days before I graduated with a degree in Elem Education and a minor in learning disabilities. I accepted a position as a learning disabilities tutor - it was only half day all year long, so I had to find childcare for Amy. I had her in a daycare (in a house) for a month or so, and then a church friend decided to watch her the rest of the year for me. Then the following summer - my husband's work transferred down to Atlanta, GA. (1984)

I looked into different jobs. I considered having a newspaper route - it would be a driving one, but started at 3am to bag all of the papers first before delivering. Needless to say, I didn't take it - I have never been a morning person. So I opted to work at a daycare that I could take Amy with me for an extra fee. This job only lasted maybe five days. After walking by Amy's room and seeing her wander around with no interaction from the other kids nor the teachers, I couldn't keep her there. And to give me another reason, I found out I was pregnant with our second child - and morning sickness would keep me home.

So I was a stay at home mom off and on for the next 25 years or there abouts. I continued to work part time - to supplement my husband's income. So stay tuned for more writings about jobs I have endured over the years.

Digger deeper to find my Ambit Why

You can't change your past, only your future. They say things happen for a reason and we might not ever know what the reason is or was. You just have to move on and don't let the past hold you back. So keep looking forward - adjust as needed. There is only One who never changes, and that is God. Thankfully He is always there - to guide us on our journey.

My late husband Barry started our Ambit business (July 2012) for us in the midst of his incurable cancer. (He had esophageal cancer and was with us for 18 months and was able to see his youngest graduate from high school.) Barry saw Ambit as a means to provide for our family long after his death, which was in July 2013. He worked hard the first few months and promoted to the next level - Regional Consultant with a team of five levels in his marketing code. His slowed down during the last six months though he kept paying the website, so that the residual income would add up and start paying out.

As he was nearing death, I was unsure of what to do with the business. I knew it was both willable and sellable. So I was thinking of selling it. I had not been to a presentation and only knew a little of what it was about by Barry showing me his website. But at the time, I wasn't interested in switching people's electric and gas, I just wanted to have a business that dealt with having home parties and hanging out with all of my friends.  I remember when Barry came home from a meeting in Nov 2012, wearing a pin that read Regional Consultant on it. He told me what it was for and I told him that I would have loved to have been there to support him when he was promoted. But he just replied that he knew I didn't like Ambit, so he didn't ask me to come. Wow, those memories are still emotional. The day before Barry died, one of our friends spoke with me about the business and the potential earnings that Barry witnessed in others and had hoped to achieve himself one day for his family. I had been so selfish and stubborn that year - I had wanted Barry to help me with my home-based business but I wouldn't help him with his. I look back on that now and just think of it as something that he wanted to do for the family - one last effort to provide before God took him home to stay. So after talking with our friend, we went to Barry, and I was able to tell him that I would take over his Ambit business for him, and would continue it to provide for his/our family in the years to come.

I attended my first presentation a month or so later. Everyone welcomed me to the local meeting and continued to support and encourage me in the months to come. In January 2014, I had the opportunity to learn how to present. So I needed to come up with my "how I got started in Ambit and why am I doing it.". Well, my how will never change. My how is because Barry wanted to provide for his family when he himself knew he wouldn't be here to see it make a difference in our lives." But why was I doing it? It couldn't just be because Barry started it for me. It had to be something that I wanted from it - a goal or a dream fulfilled. I had come to know Ambit as the vehicle that can help you achieve magnificent dreams, if that's what you want.

I just wasn't sure what my why should be. I was debt free, so that couldn't be it. I didn't have kids in college to pay for, I was already living in a nice condo, drove a decent car. I found it hard to dream without Barry in my life. He was the one that I was planning on spending the rest of my life with, when in fact, it was me who got to spend the rest of his life with him. I wondered if I even had any dreams? It would be a matter of digging deeper into my past, to the times when I used to dream; like I did as a child.

I am in a writing group and one of the lessons recently was on writing your eulogy - except not as your life is now, but thirty years out. I wrote that I would eventually remarry (husband #3), move to a beautiful house by Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia. Only because I decided I'd rather not live alone the rest of my life and I've always wanted to live in a house by a lake in the mountains. I love to travel - but I'm already doing those kinds of things, so I knew it wouldn't be enough for me to tag on to my "Why am I doing Ambit?"

Last week I had to opportunity to child-sit two 'special needs' children with down syndrome. Neither of them talk and only make noises ever so often. They know some sign language - like eat, which was helpful. Both of them were mobile, though only one walked. And they were still in diapers. It was an experience that will stay with me forever. I was reminded of how they started their life - in a crib for over three years of their lives, in an orphanage in Bulgaria. They were children, like so many others, who were needing a family to love and take care of them. The kids were adopted by on our pastors and have now been in the states for about 13 months. They have some challenges ahead of them, but they are among a family who love them, just the way they are. These children are from God and deserve to be loved and cared for, no matter what. And although it is not my passion to care for children in a long-term situation, I know there are families who would love the opportunity to be a mom and a dad to one of these children, or to a child of an unwed mother, or to a child in foster care because the parents are unable to care for him/her. There are needs everywhere for children to be taken in, cared for, and loved on. God calls us to love one another. (I John 4:11 "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.")

Many thanks to those with the gift of compassion towards children. I have a gift too - of wanting to help other people with tangible gifts - maybe a new umbrella stroller, or a trampoline. Things that would make a little difference in a child's life; or with a financial gift - make a difference in the parents' life - such as giving funds to help them adopt a child into their family. Everyone has different gifts, that's why it does take a community to raise a child, that is, with God's help. (I John 3:18 "Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.")

So now I can say that although my "how I got started" in this business will never change, my "why I am doing Ambit" is so I can use this as an opportunity to help as many families as possible - to make a difference in their lives with tangible items, or help them by adding to their adoption fund; so that they can raise up a child with God's love. Children are worth getting out of bed for. They are the next generation. We need to teach them and coach them and share Christ with them. And to do that, they have to be in our midst. [Though there are several international programs available where you can sponsor a child and keep in contact with them - by letters or emails. Any opportunity to share Jesus with a child is a good one.]