Drums and Soda

Trying to keep our children well rounded on the road, we have tried to keep our children's music lessons as part of our program. Both my oldest and middle daughter keep busy with guitar lessons and piano lessons. However, my son is much more laid back and both of those options didn't seem to be a good fit for him. Well, while trying to get new strings for Jayelle's guitar, Jen and the minions visited a music shop. They were quite friendly and helpful. They even installed the strings for Jayelle. That is a plus because normally, I am the one having to do it for her. I don't mind, however this gave her the opportunity to practice during the day while I am at work.

JJ found his calling I believe. He wanted drums. While we don't have the room for a full percussion ensemble, we did find a djembe. It allows him to practice rhythm and work on different sounds made by striking the skin of the drum in different ways. I am excited for him. Normally, he loses interest rather quickly. I think when things become difficult or a sibling may be more gifted, he likes to stray away.  Since nobody in the house plays the drum, it is his opportunity to shine all by himself. We may have to struggle with him banging his lil' drum for a while, but I say 'bang on, my son!'

We also ventured out to the local outlet mall in Michigan City. Pretty cool place. The weather was nice for walking even though T-Rex, our littlest decided not to cooperate. We visited one of the chef supplies places and found a SodaStream with all the different flavors. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love Diet Dr. Pepper. Being a soda addict is an affliction, I know. However buying all those expensive cans and bottles does hurt the budget a little. More so, having storage for all of it doesn't make good sense. We are so limited in space, buying extra and storing like we normally do at home is not an option. There have been nights I have had to do without (how sad, right?). With the SodaStream, they even have a Diet Dr. Pepper flavor. I guess that is all I needed to splurge on the unit.

I am very impressed .The flavors are great. They taste so close to the real thing, you will be surprised. The added benefits of cost, no plastic bottles to throw away, and the reduced calories in the other flavored drinks  makes this a real win for the Barnes family on the road!