Visitors will be taken back to the earliest days of Port Royal by hearing a first hand account by long hunter and settler John Montgomery. They will then continue on their journey through time by meeting various residents from the 1830’s through the 1920’s, all have their unique stories to tell. Afterwards there will be hot apple cider, and other refreshments, as well as a bonfire to huddle around and swap stories with present day locals! The event is free and open to the public. This is the perfect fall evening outing for the whole family.

A tour listens to one of the re-enactors tell his tale

Located in Adams, Port Royal was the site of one of the earliest colonial communities and trading posts in Middle Tennessee.  It was first settled in the early 1780s, and also served as a Longhunter camp as early as 1775. The town of Port Royal was founded in 1797 and rose to great prominence in the early part of the 19th century because of its strategic location at the head of navigation on the Red River, serving all of northern Middle Tennessee and South Central Kentucky. Port Royal became the only stop in Tennessee on the “Great Western Road” stagecoach line between Nashville, Tennessee, and Golconda, Illinois, and served as such until the 20th century. In 1977, the state of Tennessee received the deed to 26 acres of land at Port Royal and designated it a State Historic Park in 1978.

Port Royal State Park is the second Tennessee State Park to be named an official site on the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, joining Red Clay State Historic Park in Bradley County.   This park is a satellite of Dunbar Cave State Park.  For more information about the park, please visit www.tnstateparks.com/PortRoyal.

For more information or questions about this event and the park please contact Port Royal State Historic Area at 931-358-9696

Photo Gallery

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Next, Tigger is added to the scene, Mamma Pooh (the classic Winnie the Pooh) then Rabbit, Eeyore, and other motley collections of friends posing as characters from her bedtime book ‘The Adventures of Winnie-the-Pooh. They are carefully seated in somewhat of a semi-circle around the displayed Pooh bear. The players all have conversation with each other, but Pooh bear never speaks.

The play is long and it is involved and almost always the same, a semi-circle of love around their friend Pooh. When the event is over each spectator cheerfully, one by one,dances back to their home in the old wooden toy chest, Pooh rises happily and returns to the bed and the event is over for the day.

My husband and I have tried to explain the event, we even once invited ourselves to the circle and tried to sneak a seat in the back beside Max the Duck, and behind Cherry Monkey, but we were quickly found out and escorted off of the premises.

I like to assume that all of this is harmless and I won’t stumble in one day to find a small alter being built with incense being burned all around. I’m sure it is nothing more than a happy birthday party, and…Pooh is the guest of honor… or an important lecture being given about the history of the 100 Acre Woods,…and…Pooh has a migraine and must lay his head down…to make the pain stop…and…the friends of Pooh are listening intently…and…not plotting anything…….right???

Elle-Girl and Pooh

A woman shopping at the Little Lambs and Ivy fall consignment sale

Little Lambs and Ivy is hosting its 13th Annual Fall/Winter Consignment Sale on September 16th-19th. If you are interested in putting in items to consign you can go online to register for an appointment for the September 10th-12th drop off dates.

Items to be sold are infants to children’s clothing size 14, Infant equipment, toys, as well as Maternity clothing. All items must be cleaned and pressed and must follow the hanging requirements posted on the Little Lambs and Ivy website.

The sale opens to the public 7.am on the 16th, and items will drop to 50% off by Friday morning the 18th at 7am.

The event is held at 121 Union Hall R.d behind Wyatt-Johnson car dealership. This sale is huge! All items are priced by mothers for mothers and all items are in excellent condition!

For more information, or to register go to www.tnconsign.com

Photo Gallery

Images from the 2008 Little Lambs and Ivy Fall Consignment Sale

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The program kicks off today at 2pm with the T’ween Scene Program, where your “T’ween”  can come and express themselves in age appropriate art activities. The first week continues with special guest Scott Shupe from the Kentucky Reptile Zoo, jewelry making, pajama time, song and dance for your little one under five, and crazy science experiments with Mad Scientist Keith Trehy!

When you sign up your child will receive a reading log and attendance passport to be stamped. You will receive credits and rewards for reading books throughout the summer. If your child attends for four out of the six weeks and received four stamps in their passport then they will receive a book of their choice free of charge! What a great reward!!!

You also will not want to miss the Scholastic Book Fair running week two of the program June 15-19.

Summer will be over before we know it, don’t miss this opportunity this summer, the program ends July 17th!

She nodded and smiled a bittersweet smile and said “Yes, she is.”

I remembered that moment as I tucked my baby into her “big girl bed” for the night. As she falls asleep she likes me to wrap my arm around her and she snuggles up beside the bed rail nearest me. Sometimes I attempt to sing her a lullaby, in which she promptly shakes her head “No” and holds up her little hand. However, tonight she seemed to welcome it. I softly sang her, her lullaby that I came up within the first early weeks of her life. That song starts out and finishes with:

You are my baby, baby of mine…

Those words are just as true now as they were when she was a mushy, pink ball of a newborn with her head nuzzled against my neck in the wee early morning hours. That song will still be appropriate when I look upon her the night before we move her into her own dorm room, or first apartment someday. Although, I have a sneaky suspicion she won’t let me sing her, her lullaby that night.

While sitting beside her bed as she drifts off into a deeper sleep I think on that with every day that passes she gets farther and farther away from actually being my small little baby. That’s okay. She is developing into such a healthy and smart little girl that I only look forward to what she will bring into our lives, and the incredible person she will become someday. Her father never ceases to amaze me with his talent and intelligence and I see so much of him within her.

I am the youngest to my sister by nine years. While my sister and I are well into our adult years, my mom still introduces me as her baby. When I was a teenager I would roll my eyes at such a comment, and as I got older, I wished she would choose a more mature title for me. Then when I became a mom myself, I understood exactly why she called me that.

You will always be your mother’s baby no matter how old you get. You will always be that tiny newborn breathing sweet milk breath against her cheek, or that busy little toddler that sometimes falls asleep with stray crayon marks here and there on her chubby hands. You will even be your Mother’s baby when you are that stubborn teenager who closes her self in her room for hours on the phone. You are still your Mother’s baby even when you have a baby yourself.

If you are like me and still have your Mother alive and in your life, be sure to pick up the phone and give her a call. She’s always ready to talk to her baby.

This particular blanket was given to us by her Great-Grandmother.

The blanket was trimmed in pink satin and the blanket itself was of the softest flannel. It smelled of Ivory baby detergent and was so supple and flowy from never haven been used that it just enveloped our small little girl wrapping her in warmth and comfort. After nursing that night Elle-Girl drifted off into the deepest of sleep, (However, still not deep enough to sleep through the night) I decided that a child must have a blankie all their own to offer them years of comfort and I gave that particular blanket official “blankie rights”.

Every night from that night on I made sure we had the blanket. I even went out to the department store it came from and bought a back up blanket, just in case. Elle really took to this one, we couldn’t lose it!

As she grew bigger, we learned one of her “preferences” was, and she had many, that she did not like to be covered up. So in an attempt to keep the pink blanket around I began to spread the blanket on top of her crib sheet for her lay her face on. This idea actually helped her to begin to sleep through the night. Apparently another one of her preferences was a soft place to lay her head!

Here we are almost two years later and the pink blanket is still around. It is a little stiff and wiry from countless washes. The soft pink flannel is now a bit gray tinged and at times can have that little puppy smell. If you’re a mother you know what smell I mean. The satin trim is thread bare and ripped in a few places from gnawing of tiny teeth cutting through soft gums. At times I find Elle-Girl bringing the sides up to her face while she is sleeping. Perhaps trying to recreate the memory of once being cuddled deep within its folds. Now, the blanket is quickly shrinking in size as my baby turns into a toddler. However, it only takes a moment for me to return to those baby days by rubbing the slick satin between my fingers and the smell of sweet lavender bedtime lotion returns to my senses.

This morning in honor of St. Patrick’s day I made for Elle-Girl ‘Green Eggs and Ham a-la Sam I Am’

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons of butter
• 4 slices of Ham
• 8 eggs
• 2 tablespoons of milk
• 1-2 drops of green food coloring
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper
• *chopped green peppers

Melt a teaspoon of butter in your skillet and add a drop of food coloring to the butter before adding your ham slices. Add your ham and flip over in butter mixture until coated then let fry until edges are brown. Then remove from skillet and wrap in aluminum foil to keep warm, and set aside.

In a medium size mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk,green peppers, salt and pepper. Whisk until frothy and add drops of green food coloring to egg mixture until the desired shade of green is achieved.

Add a table spoon of butter to your frying pan over medium heat until butter sizzles, then add the egg mixture.

Stir the egg mixture until eggs are firm, or make into an omelet if you like!

Then transfer eggs and ham to plates and dress it up a bit with some fresh orange slices, or buttered toast.

This recipe and other fun games and ideas can be found at www.seussville.com

Author’s Note: * I modified this recipe to fit the size of my family as well as adding the green peppers for more flavor and texture.

Jeannette Smith, who has been in charge of this sale for almost a year now, and mother of two children of her own, estimates that it brings out anywhere between 600-1,000 thrifty Moms to shop with usually up to 275 consignors.
Little Lambs and Ivy Sale is located in the unassuming Trane Union Hall at 121 Union Hall Rd. (Behind the Wyatt Johnson car dealership on Wilma Rudolph Blvd.) It may look small from the outside, but inside you will find wall-to-wall, organized children’s clothes from newborn to size twelve, as well as infant equipment, toys and maternity clothing.

You will find prices for these items within your budget, because mothers themselves who know what it is like to clothe a family price them. You have your first opportunity this Wednesday from 7:00 am-6:00pm and then the prices only drop from there!

• Thursday March 12th, 2009 7am-6pm (25% discount)
• Friday March 13th, 2009 7am-6pm (50% discount)
• Saturday March 14th, 2009 7am- Noon (50% discount)

If you are interested in how to get your items in for the Fall sale check out
http://www.tnconsign.com/lli.htm

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Here are some simple arts and crafts and a CHEAP snack idea to try with your child this Valentine’s Day.

Refrigerator Magnet

Check the local Arts and Craft stores, such as Hobby Lobby for discounts as the big day gets closer. I found this  photo magnet kit for less than two dollars, at a 40% off markdown. And! This kit makes 15 magnets!

Homemade Valentine Cards

While you are at the craft store, veer away from everything marked Valentine’s Day and head to the arts and crafts section. There pick out pieces of pink and white felt, and seasonal color paper, for cheaper than you would find in the holiday section.

Elements for a card

We used the felt to cut out heart shapes and glued them to folded construction paper. This can be an independent art project or one you can get your fingers involved  as well. Homemade cards are perfect for Grandparents, and don’t forget to slip in some original artwork and recent photos of your little artist. Top it off with a sweet message like

“You’re the GRANDest Valentine!”

Games

Elle-girl explores a new game

Make your own bean bag toss that will get Cupid active!

Bean Bag Toss

I bought a single sheet of red poster board and cut out a simple heart shape. (79 cents!) Then I let my toddler decorate it with heart shaped stickers. This is a great activity to develop those small motor skills. I used pieces of fabric that I had in my sewing basket to sew up bean bags. (Free) Just cut four even squares of fabric and sew by hand or machine three sides, fill with beans or rice then sew up the top!

If you don’t have extra fabric laying around, you are sure to have stray socks that lost their mate long ago. Round up those socks, fill up with beans or rice, and tie a knot in the end, instant bean bags! (Free)

Have your child or children take turns to see who can get closest to the center of the heart, or allow them to come up with creative ways to play with it on their own.

Snacks

The creation of "Jello Hearts"

After all of this messy art fun and running around, your child will be wanting a snack. Offer this wiggly favorite, Jello hearts!

I found these adorable heart shaped ice cube trays at the Dollar Store. I bought red jello (generic brand tastes just as good) followed the usual instructions and poured it into the tray. After setting for awhile in the refrigerator we popped them out and enjoyed them!

All of the above cost me almost less than five dollars! More than that it has provided quality time with my child. That is something you can’t put a price tag on.

Happy Valentines Day!

The CPSIA calls for any children’s product exceeding the amount of 600-ppm (parts per million) lead content cannot be sold in the United States.  Items that fall under this Act are children’s toys, cribs, pacifiers, children’s jewelry, baby bouncer seats, walkers and jumpers. Any product that can be mouthed, or ingested by a child under the age of twelve must be tested for safety.

This Act will begin today. One year following this date the lead count will drop to a strict 300-ppm, then continues down to 100 ppm. This law will also prohibit against children’s items containing PVC (polyvinyl chloride ) and the chemical phthalate.

This is exciting for parents in that within the year we will be able to purchase toys and products for our children and have peace of mind that it will not cause long term health problems or that a favorite, beloved toy will have to be taken from our children because of another recall.

However, shortly after the Act was passed, some local business owners begin to worry about how the CPSIA would affect them. Local consignment stores such as Once Upon a Child, Sweet Repeats, and Little Lambs and Ivy are all small businesses who would not have the funds to possibly control and test every item of clothing or toy that came through their store. Other stores in the community that provide a service of clothing and toys at a lower cost such as the Salvation Army and Goodwill feared how they would continue to provide a service to children and families that needed them the most. Feeling that their hands were tied, they braced for the worse and prepared to shut their doors after February 10th, and be left with a large inventory of product that would not be accepted anywhere.

January 8th, 2009, an amendment was issued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission stating to all resale shops of children’s merchandise:

“…. Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards.”

“The new safety law does not require resellers to test children’s products in inventory for compliance with the lead limit before they are sold. However, resellers cannot sell children’s products that exceed the lead limit and therefore should avoid products that are likely to have lead content… Those resellers that do sell products in violation of the new limits could face civil and/or criminal penalties.”    ~~ Consumer Product Safety Commission, January 8th, 2009

That’s great news for local resellers as well as consumers. Once Upon a Child’s director, Susan Baustian issued a response to the amendment on the OUAC website saying they are still committed to buying and selling good quality children’s products but will not accept the following:

• Recalled Children’s products
• Children’s jewelry containing lead
• Wood painted or metal toys
• Flimsy toys that can be broken down into small parts
• Dolls, stuffed animals that have buttons eyes or noses or other small parts that can come off and become a choking hazard.

Cindy Corlew of Sweet Repeats also had something similar to say in response to the Jan. 8th amendment:

“It’s business as usual we will still accept clothes and toys three years old or newer and are not on the recalled list.”

She says she is committed to staying on top of all recalled items listed. She will also not be accepting any wood painted surfaces, unless the product was hand made and hand painted using lead free paint.

As a parent, I can’t resist the huge consignment sale of Little Lambs and Ivy that is set up twice a year by Jeanette Smith. If you have ever been to this event you would know that she has wall-to-wall merchandise that is priced by individual consigners. I was curious as to how this new amendment would affect this years’ sale occurring in March.

She commented that she would know the items on the recall list, as would her volunteers.

If any merchandise is spotted, it will be removed and not sold at that sale. If you plan on being a consigner for this sale, please check out the Little Lambs and Ivy website www.tnconsign.com where there will be posted links and addresses of sites where you can obtain a list of all recalled items including cribs, car seats, bouncy seats and other children’s products.

While it would seem that all the confusion over this Act is now cleared up there are still other battles occurring. The American Library Association was approached by the General Council of the Consumer Product Safety Commission saying that it was their “opinion” and “interpretation” of the CPSIA that all books intended and used by children under the age of twelve be pulled off shelves.

In response the ALA has requested that America’s libraries send letters of intent to the CPSC urging them to release an opinion to the General Counsel to send out a statement that more closely reflects Congress’ true intent for the law.  The Act states that books and other non-book, paper-based printed materials should not be subject to the lead, phthalate, and applicable ASTM standards that are referenced in CPSIA because they do not present any of the health or safety risks to children that the law intended to address.

The Clarksville Montgomery County Library said that as of now they do not fear that any thing will happen, and they will wait until after February 10th, 2009 to see if the new law will affect them.

This item was originally published in the February issue of Clarksville Family.

So why can’t parents of toddlers do it?

I’m talking about hibernating that is.

Painting by Ruth Stricklen

When Elle-Girl was about eight-months-old I read in one of those parenting magazines that the average age for a child to sleep through the night is six months. I thought to myself that this must have been an isolated study, because my child had never slept through the night. Not once! To prevent ourselves from being total zombies my husband and I committed the “number one cardinal sin of parenting” and we brought our little pink bundle of baby in bed with us. She slept (kinda), my husband slept, and I slept every couple of hours between Elle-Girl waking up to nurse. It worked for us. Everyone was happy.

Around 10-months-old, I was tired of being the pacifier for my now much bigger pink bundle and I tried, in vain, to get her in her own bed. I read up on Dr. Sears, and Penelope Leach, and searched endlessly online for the best way to go about this process. Because we were not under any circumstance going to do the Ferber method which recommends letting the baby cry it out and learn to self soothe. I have heard that this works well for some babies and they “get it” with in just a few nights. Elle-Girl however is a sensitive soul, and has been since the beginning. I knew we had to try something different.

Every night I would follow a specific bedtime routine, and it would go wonderfully until it came time to lay her down. I would pull her fuzzy pink blanket up between me and her so as to break that skin to skin contact. Her head would slide gently down into the crook of my arm while milk crept out of the corners of her open mouth. I would stand on the tip of my toes and lean ever so gently over, to slide her onto her mattress. However, the moment she felt the warmth of my body leave her side her arms would throw themselves out and her almond shape eyes would pop wide open. Back to the rocking chair we would go and repeat the above process. Sometimes, after an hour of rock, slide, repeat, I would “win” and enter the living room victoriously. Only to be awakened an hour later to repeat the same. Usually around 3 a.m. I would become weary of such a process and Elle-Girl would “win” and get to come to bed with Mommy.

I was becoming desperate and at one point before she turned one, I thought perhaps she was scared of heights and laid a firm foam mattress on her floor where I would lay beside her and nurse her until she fell asleep then I would slip away to our bed. This worked great! I was getting four hour blocks of sleep instead of two! Then we discovered a slight spider problem and she was back in bed with us.

To the horror of some mothers I introduced a toddler bed to our Elle-Girl at 12 months. Let me back that up and give an explanation for those feeling they need one. She had been walking well, for several months, and could crawl in and out of the bed feet first. I also padded the cherry wood bed with a bumper pad so she would not bump her head should she roll over or fall on the rail. I started with nap time. Which in my opinion is the best time to try out something new first. She took to it beautifully. She loved it! She loved the independence! She loved that she could pull all of her stuffed animal friends in bed with her, and she loved she could get out of bed and bang like a Banshee on her bedroom door in the middle of the night until I came to her call.

My sleepless baby, slept through the night for the first time at 13 months! I considered this a success. I felt I could write my own sleep training book:

“The “Cry it out” alternative, only takes 13 months!”

We had a few relapses, but for the most part, my husband and I had our marriage bed back, and Elle-Girl could stretch and kick and roll and turn upside down to her hearts content.

Then shortly after the holidays it all went terribly wrong. I felt like the mother of a new born all over again. Only this time I didn’t have my back up plan of nursing her to sleep. She was waking every two hours in the middle of the night, and I had grown accustomed to a restful nights sleep. It was miserable. Another new development came with this restless sleep: super sonic hearing! Every night she would go to bed around 9 p.m.. Two hours later she would wake up banging recklessly on the door. I would crack the door and tell her to go lay down, she would, then I would stand over her bed until her eyes closed and I would tip toe back to the door with the skills of a trained Ninja. I would turn the door handle and slowly drag the door inch by inch over the carpet. As soon as the door closed in its frame I would hear a scream from the tiny bed, and we would start all over again. This would sometimes take up to an hour to break away from and would start all over again a little over an hour later.

One Sunday at church, a wise mother of four suggested moving her bedtime back an hour, perhaps she’s getting overly tired? My child, tired? At this point it was worth a try. We developed a routine of 7 p.m. pajamas, 8 p.m. a sippy cup of Pediasure, 8:30 a book or two or four, sound asleep by 9 p.m. sharp, sometimes earlier! So you may ask , has it worked? Yes! All of those books and magazines and online googling and the best experience came from a mom whose been there!

Just in case you don’t take my word for it, here is what Johnson & Johnson suggests doing to help your child drift into a sweet nights rest.

• Start with a warm bath using their bath soap
• Follow with their Lavender bedtime lotion
• Next add their lavender massage gel
• Lay baby gently down while still drowsy and watch them peacefully fall asleep.

Glenda the Good Witch: “You don’t need to be helped any longer, you’ve always had the power to go back to Kansas.”

Dorothy: “I have? But why didn’t you tell me before?”

Glenda the Good Witch: “Because you wouldn’t have believed me. You had to learn it for yourself.”

—– The Wizard of Oz—–

Beth Britton and "Elle-girl"

Across the country excitement is mounting. We have the wind of change filling our sails and we are coasting toward a better tomorrow. Pledges are being made by the celebrities and the common man. School children are being encouraged to reach for their dreams and being told that nothing is impossible for them. We are picking ourselves up, dusting off our shoulders and standing united.

I have been following all of the media leading up to the inauguration of Barack Obama. I too have been swept off my feet and have begun to make my own list of changes that I want to make. Tonight as I was tucking my daughter into bed and brushing the soft stray hairs across her brow I began to think of our nation and what we have been through in the past and how much all of us, all different races have over come.

It occurred to me that we as a nation have always had the power to “return to Kansas.” We have always had the power with in us to make this monumental change. We just needed someone to encourage us a little and someone to step up and show us the yellow brick road leading to our destiny.

I am not here to steal Obama’s thunder. It is rightly deserved and well earned. I have my Tivo set to 3 different stations tomorrow so as not to miss a moment of it. However, we must realize that change is not in this one charismatic man. It is found in us! We are the ones to look into our children’s eyes and motivate them to the future, we are the ones that will walk over, knock on that door and introduce ourselves to the person living next door, we are the ones to save energy by turning off lights when we leave the room, recycle more, and drive less. We will be the authors of letters to our Representatives, and we will be the authors of the next four years. We can make this nation what it needs to be. It started with one man who had a dream for bigger things, it can continue with one person carrying the torch.

Whether we agree or disagree with the way the election turned out we should now all come together and work toward the good of the nation. And our nation starts in our own backyard.

What was at the heart of the Great Depression?

What was there when everything else was gone?

Kindness for the fellow man.

My granny told me stories of people “up in the holler” of the West Virgina mountains that cooked meals for one other and gave what they had to someone who needed it more. They were a nation of frugality, they did not waste anything but reused it and reinvented it until it was gone. They were a people who believed in change, and worked together to bring it back.

In the coming months, the bright beacon of light from Washington D.C will undoubtedly begin to fade from the cast over our eyes and we will be faced once again with the world. We cannot begin to get down on ourselves and we can not begin to cast stones at the man we have placed on this pedestal when he begins to slip. We must stand clustered as a whole and be the change that we want to believe in, the change that we KNOW is possible.

As a mother of a busy toddler I thought that Elle-Girl would really get into this class. She always dances whenever music is on, she enjoys throwing mommy’s scarves up in the air and running through them, and loves singing silly songs and playing the drums on pots and pans.

However, the morning did not play out how I had imagined it. Elle-Girl did not want to sit in my lap during the “Hello” song, nor did she feel like sharing the plush puppy dog during the Sharing song. Sharing is really not a typical thing for children this age to do anyway, but some how the other toddlers in the group were more than happy to pass the dog around. At one point a  small duck was pulled out of Mrs. Hilliker’s box of  plush animals and  the usually reserved little Elle-Girl,  who I swear to you has NEVER taken another toy from a child promptly stood, plush puppy dog still in hand, and took the duck from her “sharing buddy” Hayden. I didn’t feel it was necessary to try to explain Elle-Girl’s long time passion for things that go “Quack” I just quickly tried to resolve the situation.

After a cool down period with a quiet little Japanese Lullaby song, in which Elle-Girl stood looking at all the other children laying down as if to say “If you think I’m laying down for a nap at 10 in the morning, you’re crazy!”, we all gathered together to hold hands and dance in a circle. Guess who was standing outside of the circle? Elle-Girl.

Tiffany instructed me to go ahead and join the circle, and perhaps when Elle-girl sees how much fun I’m having she will want to join. With a doubtful smile I joined in with the other mothers and their children and danced and skipped in a circle. While we were heading around and around I happen to notice what my child was doing, she was dancing along with us, but in her own circle. Even going in the direction we were going and stopping and doing the all the motions with us. I wanted her to join me, I wanted her to be like everyone else. Just then the mother beside me said something that I think will stay with me for a long time, she commented on how she was her own circle, and “what would the world be like if we didn’t have women like Oprah, or Hillary Clinton, that moved to their own circle?” You could also add women like Rosa Parks, Barbara Walters, Amelia Earhart, or my favorite Annie Lebowitz. At that moment, I found joy in my little independent girl, who has her own ideas and enjoys other children, but does not feel like she has to do what they are doing. I hope she always feels free to dance in her own circle.

I would encourage any parent to give Kindermusik a try. You never know what your child will discover there, or what you may discover about your child!

Kindermusik is taught by Tiffany Hilliker. The classes are designed for newborns up to children age five.

They are located at Mary’s Music, 305 N. Riverside Dr. Clarksville. You can also call 931-552-124 or contact Tiffany at

The Farmers wife never questioned Mugly why she hadn’t “dropped a litter of kittens yet” though she found it quite odd. Every Spring her female cats would all go into heat and several weeks later produce a wide variety of healthy, fiesty kittens, but not Mugly.

Mugly hated to see the other female cats on the farm run off and abandon their litters. It bothered her so much that she would take on the orphan kittens as her own. She would protect them while they were outside, stand by and watch attentively as the Farmer’s Wife would have to feed some of the younger ones with an eye dropper. As the left behind kittens got older Mugly was the one to teach them to hunt.  Mugly was the one to lead them out to the garden.  She would teach them how to dig and bury objects, and how to cover their tracks to prevent against predators.

She took pride with each new litter that was born on the farm.

The Farmer’s wife would look out her kitchen window and say “There goes Mugly again.” Mugly would be tiptoeing through the yard with a line of mix breed kittens following close behind her.

Mugly still wished to see her own kittens grow into adulthood, she thought of what her own kittens might look like, or smell like, and would she love them any differently? She doubted that much because her love for the left behind kittens was so fierce they were truly like her own.

Twelve years and hundreds of kittens later, Mugly had her first litter of her own!

She had them out in woods just before the first cold snap of Winter. She was overly protective of them, never leaving the small ones side. At night she would hurry to the house to warm up and eat a bit for herself so that she would be able to continue care for her litter. She would rush through  her meals and scurry  back to where she had them hidden.  As nature would have it, she had the kittens in the wrong season, and one winter’s night she showed up at the Farmers wife’s door, slowly chewed her food and then went to lay down. The Farmer’s wife knew that her litter must not have made it.

Spring time came and Mugly bore another litter. This time all of them survived, and not only survived, but thrived. She was most proud of this litter, and for the first time was able to present her kittens to the other cat mothers and clean them and nurse them just as well as they could.

Every Spring for the next several years she would produce her own litter, as well as taking in others along the way. Her heart had no limits. She could love them all.

As Mugly grew older her litters became fewer and fewer, as well as the other litters on the Farm. There just weren’t many little ones needing caring for anymore. One day the Farmers Wife woke up, and Mugly was gone. She never returned. There are some who would say that Mugly went to find somewhere to lay down and pass on, but the optimists and dreamers like to think of her still out there in the hills of Southern Kentucky being Momma Mugly to a new  litter of Left Behind kittens seeking guidance.

This Story was told to me by the Farmer’s son who now is the caretaker of the farm and its long Generation of Cats.