Instagram message: Whole lotta celebrating today! Cheers for Colton, G and Cinco de Mayo! {Mother's Day is Sunday so go to thoughtfulpinch.com now for an idea if you need one}
Mix tapes have made a come back. Well not actual tapes with the ribbon and rewinding etc. Images of mixed tapes are everywhere because the nostalgia of when you would wait for your favorite song to play on the radio and hit RECORD after the dj (are they still called dj's?) would announce the song is so sweet. Now we've got streaming and playlists etc. but to see that happy little tape deck makes those who can relate smile. From May 2014 - May 2015, I compile songs into a playlist which I burn onto a CD to share with mom friends, my sister-in-laws, teachers for Mother's Day thoughtful pinches. This tradition started in 2010. My heart was heavy as I thought of a mom who lost her nine month old son Micah in July 2009 and Mother's Day was approaching. She must have been feeling so much sadness and I decided to put lullabies together as a playlist to soothe her. I just could not think of anything else I could do for her. Tragically, the next year, a dear friend lost her two year old son, Chase in March 2011. I decided to create a playful playlist for her to celebrate Chase who loved to dance and a heartfelt playlist to soothe her as much as music could. That CD had many of the same songs I gave to Micah's mother the year before - a common thread. I began sharing the cds with more moms and so the tradition of A Mother's Mix began and hopefully will continue for many years.
I usually just cut where the dotted lines are, fold over, tape the sides and make a CD jacket. If I need to mail it, these make perfect jackets for the plastic CD cases.
The gift (thoughtful pinch) of music for the moms in your life include songs you love or songs they love or songs that are popular or songs that are oldies but goodies. There is ALWAYS a story behind each choice of songs you include. To go along with the pinches I write a note so that those who have been receiving them for years and those who are just receiving it for the first time will know a little bit of Micah and Chase. All of my mixes are like bowls of ingredients that make up a mom - the good, the bad and the ugly. Songs are upbeat, serious, silly or contain pearls of wisdom. I have included songs from musical artists who may have passed away that year like Whitney Houston and Donna Summer. This year, I'm adding a male artist. My first dance at my wedding was to You Are So Beautiful by Joe Cocker who passed away in 2014.
I'm hoping Bella or Beau will illustrate my CD cover for A Mother's Mix 2015 so for now, it looks like above.
For Mother's Day 2014 I gave the PINCHES in this card: inside is Bella's illustration of a Pineapple Princess in Hawaii and I finished it off with a bow around it.
Mix tapes - we loved them when tapes were actually around. Before you know it, CD's will be obsolete soon too. But for now, pinch someone with a mix of songs. Make someone smile each time they listen to it, knowing that you thought of them. I wish all of the moms - here on Earth and above - a Happy (insert shiny jewelry, dinner reservations and a spa treatment here) Mother's Day on Sunday, May 10, 2015!
Pinches,
Barb