Real: The Kitchen and Beyond

Celebrating and Reflecting on Today

Today my oldest son turns a decade old. He has been counting down the days. I have been super busy and choosing to IGNORE that count down. This morning I woke up and my first thought was “I have a 10 year old”.  Then I chose to check my email. I received an email to review a new kids’ CD, “Blink of an Eye” by Frances England.

Usually when I receive an email like this I scan what it’s about, maybe go listen to a preview or two, then decide if I want to review it. This caught my eye – “many of the songs on Blink of an Eye have a wistful vibe that speaks to how fleeting and precious childhood is“. Then I saw “Morgan Taylor’s fluid, lithe guitar work“. Off I went to preview a song or two and before the first song was over, I was crying. You know, that ugly cry you don’t want anyone to ever see. My little boy is turning ten and all I can think of is yes, how fleeting childhood is. I saw in my mind’s eye my little baby who made a dramatic entrance as I listened to “The Day You Were Born“, my toddler getting into everything, the 2 year old counting to 20 and singing his ABC’s off-key a million times, the 5 year old making up knock knock jokes that made ZERO sense, and the 6-8 year old who NEVER. SHUT. UP. Wait, he still doesn’t. Then I saw myself ten years from now, remembering today and realizing just how much faster it will all fly by and in the “Blink of an Eye” he will be a man.

Even now, as Frances England sings, “they’ve got Little Wings on their feet”, he’s growing up, chasing after the next year, the next fun thing, never slowing down, finding his “Place in the Sun“. And me? I’m just trying to catch up as I realize how often I choose to let those moments slip by too fast, too absorbed in saying “yes” to things in life that don’t matter, too caught up in what’s coming next.

Happy Birthday my son! You are ten years old today and sometimes life is going to be hard. Always remember, like the song says “Sometimes it hurts and sometimes you cry. Sometimes it’s not so easy to be young, to be small, to be you, and sometimes you just need a friend to sit down beside you who won’t talk, who won’t ask”. Your mom and dad are here and we will wait until you’re ready to talk but always remember, no matter what you have to say, we will always be here and you can “Tell Me It All“. We love you.

                                                                    Courtesy of Frances England

CD Release and Styling

I received free access to a pre-release copy of Frances England’s “Blink of An Eye” at the perfect moment. It perfectly fits for this big day in our family’s life.

Musical styling -

• likened to Jack Johnson and Simon and Garfunkel

• mellow enough for a lullaby but catchy enough for quiet playtime

• music for a mama’s ears as well as her children’s

Featuring -

• Elizabeth Mitchell

• Caspar Babypants

• Morgan Taylor of Gustafer Yellowgold

• Molly Ledford of Lunch Money.

Releasing -

• August 6, 2013

Frances England has other CDs already available at francesengland.com, Amazon, and iTunes. You can also follow her on Facebook to find out when “Blink of An Eye” will be available for pre-order and released.