I get asked all the time (read: never) why I sing so well. I have to confess that a majority of the singing I do during the week is around 7:45-8:15 PM while I brush Abigails teeth. I don’t brush her teeth for thirty minutes, but the brushing usually happens within that range of time. Before you panic and think of our dental bills, Jessica brushes her teeth in the morning. I brush my teeth at lunch so that our lone toothbrush is usually dry by the time each family member uses it. That way whatever we spend on dental bills we more than make up for by saving on toothbrushes.

Abigail enjoys brushing her teeth because her Grandma Forland whilst working at the poshe dental supply company, J.B. Dental, purchased her a Mickey Mouse, song playing, electric, rechargeable tooth brush. After each minute of brushing (assuming that being on is equal to brushing time) it plays a little encouraging song. The song is helpful because it lets me know when one minute is over and then it also makes children wish that everything else in life played little songs every minute. Fortunately the toy companies are onto this and so our apartment is a constant cacophony of beeping, laughing Barney sounds, giggling Abby sounds and bleep-bloop-bloop sounds of various edutainment contraptions.

Of course many of these toys play songs that Abby wants me to sing with her. These songs, singing times and repetetive melodies keep my voice in tip-top shape ready to break out into the A-B-C’s, Old MacDonald Was Quite Alarmed, Twinkle, Twinkle Kenneth Star, and my personal favorite: B-I-N-G-O. I can clap that song like a pro, I’m a clapping fool when that song comes on. That song is particularly dangerous during teeth brushing time, I’d sure hate to be holding Abby’s toothbrush in her mouth and accidentally try to clap at the wrong time 😉