Song From A Grandchild

Here's Miley on Oprah singing her song about missing her grandfather after he died. Sweet.

Nice Nose Noise

Remember Carole King? So far away, doesn't anybody stay in one place anymore?

The lyrics have that ring of familiarity to them and as of late, so does the nasal sound she sings them in. (So fa a whay)

For Christmas Kenz got a karaoke microphone, which she played with right away, singing along to the Hannah Montana tunes. Forget about the ones that came with the mic set, songs like Row Row Row Your Boat and Polly Put The Kettle On. She is a KGOY (see last post) and loves the bigger girl music.

So I am the audience loving it, thoroughly entertained, when I notice Kenz's voice is resonating behind her nostrils. That tinny errr sound was hiding behind every word.

It was an interesting sound, rusty, but not unpleasant and the fact that she could keep up with lyrics was quite impressive.

"Kenz, why are you singing through your nose?" I finally asked her.

She ignored me, probably because it was a dumb question or she didn't understand what I meant. (Duh, the words were coming out of her mouth.)

Fast forward a week or so and now Hannah Montana's second CD is in my car and we are rockin' out, listening to it on our drive home from school when I hear it... the unmistakable nasal sound. The vocalists are all singing in that high-pitched nasal sound. I had not noticed it before. Even stranger than that, I like it.

I don't know if I like it because that is how Kenz sings it or if I like it because of that extra ring sound the words get when they spin around in the back of your nose awhile.

My lesson in all this was... if Kenzie is listening and imitating, she is copying what she hears. Since pop music is new to her, of course she's gonna pick up on the nuances that slip by my old ears.

By the way, I like Hannah Montana's music, most of it. The Disney clean songs have some good messages behind--- all the noise. I hope Kenz is hearing these, too.

Mistakes

Nobody's Perfect

Everybody makes mistakes...

Everybody has those days... 1 2 3 4!

Everybody makes mistakes...

Everybody has those days...

Everybody knows what what I'm talkin' 'bout...

Everybody gets that way... [x2]

Sometimes I'm in a jam

I've gotta make a plan

It might be crazy

I do it anyway

No way to know for sure

I'll figure out a cure

I'm patchin' up the holes

But then it overflows

If I'm not doin' to well

Why be so hard on my self?

[Chorus]

Nobody's Perfect!

I gotta work it!

Again and again 'til I get it right

Nobody's Perfect!

You live and you learn it!

And if I mess it up sometimes...

Nobody's perfect

Sometimes I work a scheme

But then it flips on me

Doesn't turn out how I planned

get stuck in quick sand

No problem, can't be solved

Once I get involved I try to be delicate

Then crash right into it

My intentions are good

Sometimes just misunderstood

The lyrics to this song got jumbled a bit in the copy process. (My intentions were good.)

This is a popular song even with the five-year olds. The heavy toy catalog in the paper this morning has tons of Hannah Montana. Kenz likes Hannah.

Hannah is a big girl who wears pretty clothes and sings in a rock band. She's like a cousin that's older, lives far away and never visits. (She does sends posters, tee shirts, and and all sorts of accessories.)

"So whats that mean?" I asked Kenz after she told me that she and her mom listen to the Nobody's Perfect song on a CD.

"What does what mean Nana?"

"What does nobody's perfect mean?"

She looked at me and thought a second. "It means everybody's perfect."

In a young child's world, everybody is perfect, especially the people they love.

The last two books I've read (and added to my Grand list) are both rich in illustrating this experience. Blackbird is written from the viewpoint of a child. The Glass Castle does the same in the beginning chapters. Both of these memoirs show how a child loves even a very dysfunctional parent, interpreting the behavior as normal, at least for awhile.

I don't interpret this song as giving license to make a mess of things, but as a 'keep trying your best' song. And one that reassures that our best efforts could be--- good enough.

Sometimes I gotta work it! Again and again til I get it right!

Fun Pages

http://www.coloringbookfun.com/ is a website where you can print out hundreds of pages to color, or as Kenzie's uncle Mike did--- color and customize. They were coloring together when she decided to make her Rhino teach a lesson also, so she wrote "Be Nice Rhino." My 25 year old son Mike is a big fan of Reggae Music, so he gave his picture the Jamaican flag colors and dreadlocks.

http://www.cartoondollemporium.com/ is a website where you can dress all sorts of 'paper dolls,' by dragging the mouse across the page. Keep looking and you'll find Hannah Montana.

Hannah Who?

One of Kenzie's almost daily routines is to watch Hannah Montana before, during or after the dinner hour. Whenever I am visiting her at home in the evenings, it seems like Hannah is visiting her, too.

Recently, she has said, "Nana, we will play, but first I have to watch the rest of Hannah Montana."

She has a Hannah T-shirt (size 5), but I haven't seen any other of her stuff around. Oh, except for a blonde hairpiece that attaches to her ponytail which her mother bought her at Loobie Lu.

"What three things do you like about this program?" I asked four and a half year old Kenz.
She replied #1 She changes into a wig. #2 She's pretty. #3 It's funny.

I've tried to enjoy watching it with her.
"I don't get it, Kenz. What's this episode about?"
"Nana, she changes into a rock star!"

I guess that's all you need to know when you are four, even though these characters are dealing with issues that hit hard in the grammar and high school years.

Several months ago, a mom I was talking to had mentioned that her five year old daughter "loves Hannah Montana."

"Hannah who?" I had asked.

Her explanation was about the same as Kenzie's, "She's a normal girl who turns into a singer at night."

And yesterday, I got a letter from a relative with an almost six year old granddaughter who wrote,"Beth is into Hannah Montana and I called Hannah...Hannah Banana just to tease Beth, as she would say, No Grandma, it's Hannah Montana. Well guess what? She named her dog...Hannah Banana!"

I am still wondering, maybe a little concerned, what the draw for the little girls is, because after all, teenage land is very far away. I know it's the glitter and stardom and all of that, but this is something, Nana will have to "watch."

Two things that "pop" out at me right away are that the girl has a #1 A Big Secret and #2 A Double Life. These are not bad things when you're a pop star, but let's remind our granddaughters that these things are not always the thing to do and are not always 'cool.'

Here's the scoop from one of the hundreds of the idol's websites.

The show centers on 14-year-old Miley Stewart and takes place in Malibu, California. She's a teenage girl who has a big secret. Only her close family, best friends Lilly and Oliver, ex-boyfriend Jake Ryan, and bodyguard Roxy know that she is living a double life as "Teen Pop Sensation" Hannah Montana. She lives in a house by the beach with her father Robby Ray (played by Miley's real life father Billy Ray Cyrus) and older brother Jackson (played by Jason Earles), who works down at Rico's Surf Shop by the beach. The Stewarts are from Nashville, Tennessee. Miley's mother died before the show began, leaving singer-songwriter Robby a widower and the sole caretaker of their children, giving up his previous career as a famous country singer. He is also the disguised father and manager of Hannah Montana. Miley's two best friends Lilly Truscott (played by Emily Osment) and Oliver Oken (played by Mitchel Musso) also live nearby and attend school with her. Each episode deals with life, personal conflicts, or problems that are easily solved with lessons learned by the show's end.


The theme song for Hannah Montana is "The Best of Both Worlds" written by Matthew Gerrard and Robbie Nevil, produced by Gerrard and performed by Miley Cyrus (as Hannah Montana).

These are Program's opening song lyrics.

But schools cool cuz nobody knows
Ya you get to be a small town girl
But big time when you play your guitar
You get the best of both worlds
Chill it out, take it slow

Then you rock out the show
You get the best of both worlds
Mix it all together and you know
that it's the best of both
You know the best of both worlds

Above is a You Tube video from a Hannah Concert. Look around the audience. She sure has appeal to all ages. The lyrics ... the best of both worlds.... is something I can relate to when it comes to being a grandma! Oh dear! the tune is stuck in my head already.