a squash and a squeeze

A little old lady lived all by herself,
With a table and chairs and a jug on the shelf.
A wise old man heard her grumble and grouse,
"There's not enough room in my house."
She said, "Wise old man, won't you help me please?
My house is a squash and a squeeze."
etc

I brought this CD from Julia Donaldson along when we drove down to Nuremberg last Friday. And now this song is ringing in my head 24/7!

Bryan is so amused by this song and listened to it again and again that by the time we reached Nuremberg last Friday, he was already singing part of the song. And by the time we came back, he could point out the mistakes I made when I forgot some lines of the song. Gee, if this is what I get when he doesn't know how to read, wait till he starts reading proper. I think I can't skip lines anymore nor add anything I fancy. Sigh! I think gone are the days when my children worshipped me, thinking Mommy knew every single tune and rhyme.

Another Bryan's favourite is Julia Donaldson's Sharing a Shell Song. Even Kristin will hurry to the computer each time I play the song. You see, I need to learn this song quickly too. Every time when I read the Sharing a Shell story to Bryan now, he'll request me to sing some of the verses out.

It's quite interesting to observe how he entertains himself with Julia Donaldson's books. The other night, he didn't even come out of his room to complain that he couldn't fall asleep - very unlike his usual self. I heard him singing "A Squash and a Squeeze". I could almost see him through the door, flipping through each page and singing out the verses. I really can't wait for the day he can read independently. Too bad I need to return the copy of A Squash and a Squeeze to the school's library. I'm terribly embarassed to say that it's quite worn out by now and Bryan's name is the first on the check-out card... oops! We really need to get our own copy soon.

By the way, in case you wonder whom this is that we adore so much and rave about, this is Julia Donaldson performing the Sharing a Shell song with her husband: www.gruffalo.com Isn't she awesome?