The Ultimate Lullaby Playlist

Mommy 4 recently shared with me a lullaby playlist she created for her little one. And it was so fantastic I nabbed a copy for myself...this is the rare sort of music selection that is great for young and old alike and has the gift of instantaneous transfer to the happy place. If you can say 'yes' to any of the below, you definitely need it:

a. It takes you two hours to fall asleep, and that's WITH the medication.
b. You get agitated at work and need a way to unwind that doesn't involve a flask or the torture of small animals.
c. You have a small person in your household, one that needs to go unconscious on occasion so that you can pull out the flask and small animals.
d. You've completely exhausted every one of your itunes playlists and want to music-eff one more.

If any of these described you, then you need 'The Rockin' Lullabies of Baby Four':

1. I Bid You Goodnight (Aaron Neville)
2. Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby (Alison Krauss, Emmylou Harris, & Gillian Welch)
3. Baby Mine (Bette Midler)
4. Lullabye (Goodnight, My Angel) (Billy Joel)
5. Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ra (That's an Irish Lullaby) (Bing Crosby)
6. Godspeed (Sweet Dreams) (Dixie Chicks)
7. Twinkle Twinkle Little Star (Elizabeth Mitchell & Lisa Loeb)
8. Russian Lullaby (1958) (Ella Fitzgerald)
9. Golden Slumbers (George Benson)
10. Slumber My Darling (Gilbert Kalish & Jan De Gaetani/Paul Dunkel/Donald Anderson)
11. Lullaby (Jack Johnson & Matt Costa)
12. You Can Close Your Eyes (James Taylor)
13. When You Wish Upon a Star (Johnny Mathis)
14. Over the Rainbow (Judy Garland)
15. Brahms' Lullaby (Linda Ronstadt)
16. What a Wonderful World (Louis Armstrong)
17. All the Pretty Little Horses (Mary Stahl)
18. Daddy's Little Girl (The Mills Brothers)
19. Hush-a-Bye (Peter, Paul, and Mary)
20. All Through the Night (Peter, Paul, and Mary)
21. Rockabye Baby (Vocal Version) (Sherry Goffin Kondor)
22. Lazyhead and Sleepybones (They Might Be Giants)
23. Hush Little Baby (The Weavers)
Bonus Track from Rona: Lullaby (Pedro the Lion)

If any of you would like a personalized Rona-copy of this mix (all copyrights above board, of course), complete with decorated covers, please let me know. I may get it to you sometime next year, along with your Elephant Art. The price of each album will be determined by whichever Trader Joe's good I'm craving at the moment, at which point we will execute an international swap. All proceeds will be split with Mommy 4 for her creative genius.*

*That is, if she reads my blog and catches me pimping her work.

And that's how to get a job.

Yesterday, 2:47 p.m.:

Mommy 9: The baby totally shifted and his head is RIGHT ON MY BLADDER. I can barely walk right now.

Me: Really? When is he due?

Mommy 9: December 15th.

Me: That's what YOU think. He's so coming early.

Mommy 9: Don't SAY that.

Me: No, I'm serious. He's on his way. AS WE SPEAK.


Yesterday, 11:32 p.m., voicemail:

"I just had the baby. Can you start tomorrow morning?"


And so began Day 1!

Maximum Velocity and a Walk through Notting Hill

Ladies, it's time to line up! Meet Max, the funniest, most happenin' guy cruising the London streets, and the darling with which I get the honor of spending my afternoons. Please note his crazy-cool drool-bandanna (or the 'drool-danna' I like to call it), handmade by a local writer and DIY mother. The drool danna does a killer great job of keeping Max's clothing dry and is WAY more stylin' than the average bib. Needless to say, he owns every room he enters.

This is the ridiculously awesome view from Max's Manor. Please note the gherkin on the left...it's everywhere you look, people. 30 St. Mary Axe OWNS this half of London.

Now let's go to the other side of town!

Today I met Mommy 6, who rapidly became one of my favorite Mommies yet. She has the good fortune to live in Notting Hill, which is where I'll be headed once a week for the next few weeks to watch her baby studmuffin. And I am PSYCHED about it. Check it out...

I know what you're thinking: I totally colored this in photoshop. I wish (mostly because that would mean I owned photoshop). But no...this is Portobello Road. The most charming street EVER.

When I first saw this book title, I thought, "WHOA! That is RACIST!" Then I looked at the image. Talk about disappointing.

Apparently there are two sorts of markets on this street: a Friday wares sort of market, and a Saturday fruit-and-veg market. I don't know if the antiques and costume jewelry and racist books are still pimped at Saturday's market, but they probably are. I'll have to go and check it out, though, just so I don't lead you astray. Even though that means fighting crowds. And we all know what crowds do to me. But for you, Notting Hill? Anything.

Bracelet? Orange? Tapestry?