Spoken Word Songs from Erin Lee and Marci

Children’s musicians Erin Lee and Marci bring us the next of their regular posts with thematic recommendations for kid-friendly music, plus activities to make the songs an interactive experience for the whole family. This month, they take a slightly different tack with recommendations for some spoken-word tracks from favorite children’s artists.

Look for Erin Lee and Marci here on the first Monday of each month, or visit their homepage, www.gottaplay.org. (Yes, today isn’t Monday. Posting late this week because of Blogging for LGBT Families Day.)

I’ve created links to Amazon for the full albums (click the album image or name), plus links to Amazon MP3 downloads, when available, for those who want only the singles. (Click the song name.) I also have a widget after the jump that will let you preview all three songs without leaving Mombian.

Alas, one of the recommended tracks this month, Bill Harley’s “Why Kids Sing to their Parents” is not available as a single. The protagonist, you see, has two moms, though that’s not at all the main point of the tale, for which Harley gets bonus inclusion points. I may just buy the entire album, myself. Read the rest of this post »

This Is How Change Is Made: A Story from Blogging for LGBT Families Day

Of all the posts submitted to Blogging for LGBT Families Day, the one that has made the greatest impression on me is: “The One Where I Come Out… And Say It,” by Haley Montgomery, aka eyeJunkie. Haley describes herself as “a politically conservative, white, heterosexual, middle class evangelical Christian from Mississippi. And, I’m probably pretty close to who you think I am when I write those words.”

In her post, she makes the surprising admission of being a regular reader of LesbianDad, a blog likely familiar to many of you. For those who don’t know Polly and her wonderful blog, Haley’s description is actually pretty accurate: “one of those crazy, liberal Californians, Berkeley graduate, feminist, Buddhist, lesbian activist. She’s also a ‘Baba’ of two children and an excellent writer and photographer. She and her wife have one of the 18,000 marriages that were upheld by the California Supreme Court last week when it also upheld Proposition 8.”

Haley observes that her reading of Polly’s blog “is likely to ilicit [sic] the same ‘duh’ response of outrage from both the LGBT and conservative reader-types, but I’m sitting squarely on the (barbed wire) fence on this whole gay marriage issue.” Read the rest of this post »

Blogging for LGBT Families Day: Thank You!

I am once again dazzled by the range of contributions to Blogging for LGBT Families Day. We heard from LGBT parents across the gender spectrum, children of LGBT parents, other LGBT people, and allies. There were a number of posts in Spanish. There were old timers, who have contributed to all four years of this event, as well as many new voices. Thanks to all of you who participated and who continue to define and illuminate the great diversity of LGBT families.

Over the next few days, I’ll be reading through the posts and highlighting a few that catch my eye. Please leave a comment if there are some that catch yours (other than your own).

(And if you didn’t participate, but would like to, go ahead and sneak in your post. I’m a parent. Late is standard.)

Blogging for LGBT Families Day 2009: Contributed Posts

Welcome to Blogging for LGBT Families Day! Below is the master list of contributed posts. Please enjoy!

To submit a post, complete the form at the end of this post, after the jump. If you don’t have a blog of your own (but only then), please leave your contribution in a comment.

[It's not too late: I'm lax about the end time, anyway—I'm a parent and know what it means to be running late. Thanks to all who have already submitted posts!]

A special thanks to the Family Equality Council for sponsoring the event and donating a free registration to Family Week in Provincetown for the drawing. Thanks also to author Sarah Brannen, who contributed a signed copy of her book, Uncle Bobby’s Wedding. (See end of post for details of drawing.)

Thanks as well to The Bilerico Project, COLAGE, HRC, PageOneQ, and the many others who went the extra mile in encouraging participation.

I hope you take the time to read other people’s posts and enjoy the diversity of the LGBT community and our allies. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing up some posts that pull together various themes that emerge.

Posts are included in submission order.
Read the rest of this post »