March | 2015 | Raising Jane

Today, I have a treat for you … three awesome kids with big accomplishments.

First, I’ll introduce you to Lennon and Maisy.

Photo, www.lennonandmaisy.com

Lennon and Maisy are sisters, just 15 and 11 years old, who are phenomenal singers. They’ve been appearing on the TV drama “Nashville” since 2012. The girls come by their talent naturally—their parents are the country music duo The Stellas, who finished fourth place on the CMT singing competition “Can You Duet” and have since gone on to make albums and tour with the Zac Brown Band. And their grandfather was once a member of the 1950s mega-group, The Platters. I’m not the only one bedazzled by Lennon and Maisy’s talents—their You Tube channel has over 60 million views! Here’s my favorite:

Since I’m not much of a TV watcher, I hadn’t seen Lennon and Maisy on “Nashville.” Instead, I was introduced to them by another amazing kid, a little guy with a big name: Kid President.

Kid President, 10-year-old Robby Novak, is a YouTube sensation, with scores of videos produced by his brother-in-law, Brad Montague, that have gathered over 75 million views. Robby has osteogenesis imperfecta, or “brittle bones disease” (Robby says, “That means I break easy.”), resulting in over 70 fractures in his short life. Brad was so inspired by Robby’s positive attitude throughout his trials that he knew they could inspire others with their videos. In the words of Kid President, “Life is too short to not be awesome.” He’s even written a book called Kid President’s Guide To Being Awesome. Robby and Brad have inspired millions to “dance, celebrate life, and throw more parades.” I’ll bet that after you watch Robby’s take on “20 Things We Should Say More Often,” you’ll be watching more Kid President videos.

The icing on the cake? These three amazing kids, together in one video! Enjoy “A Love Song from Kid President and Lennon & Maisy.”

Want to see something lovely?

Well, you’re in luck. This video clip is just a taste of a full-length feature film that’s being produced by a partnership of Films for Action and Overgrow the System, a grassroots organization dedicated to “raising awareness around our food system and how to live a life that is more in tune with nature.”

Free Range Child: Raising Children Connected to the Earth & Their Food examines the connection between children’s development and their connection to the natural world and to food production. “It celebrates the lives of families and their support networks, both rural and urban, who are engaged in linking children with nature,” explains the film’s website. “And it savors the bounty of precious moments of discovery, magic, and growth that spring forth from these connections.”

Photo by Moonsun1981 via Wikimedia Commons

In case you were scrambling to jot down the fabulous quote at the beginning of the video, attributed to author and filmmaker Valerie Andrews, let me save you the trouble of re-playing it again:

“As a child, one has that magical capacity to move among the many eras of the earth; to see the land as an animal does; to experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; to feel the earth quiver and breathe beneath us; to know a hundred different smells of mud and listen unselfconsciously to the soughing of the trees.”

Winnie Nielsen says:

March 28, 2015 at 5:49 am

What awesome kids, for sure! I love Maisy’s red boots a lot!! And Robby just takes the cake. He is one adorable and cool kid!

LISA VONSAUNDER- seed woman says:

March 28, 2015 at 8:15 am

can you spell INSPIRE ? coz thats what these kids do, especially “kid president ” whom I have heard of but needed to be reminded again how positive he is.
Thanks for the upper MaryJane

Cindi says:

March 28, 2015 at 11:07 am

Oh my gosh ~ I see “uplifting” videos that people post all the time but these three are absolutely the very best. Thanks so much. I had never heard of them. Oh, and those girls might actually make me like country music.

Sylvia Jacobus says:

March 31, 2015 at 1:36 pm

These girls are amazing. Wonderful voices. I love them!

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Winnie Nielsen says:

March 27, 2015 at 5:03 am

Coming soon….. Ice tea at the Plum Pit and smiles all around!

Cindi says:

March 27, 2015 at 3:01 pm

Sun tea! And we even have sun! i don’t know what the Plum Pit is Winnie, but it sounds like some place I would like to go for iced tea 🙂 Just let me get these raspberry twigs out of my hair first

Winnie Nielsen says:

March 24, 2015 at 4:44 am

Not too much longer until those first ripe ears of corn are ready to eat! The first of our local Silver Queen corn is usually ready by Memorial Day.

Winnie Nielsen says:

March 23, 2015 at 4:55 am

More Spring popping through!

Cindi says:

March 23, 2015 at 5:20 am

Each day a little bit more ~ Every year I think this will be the year I catch those trees the minute the first bud opens and photograph the process. Carefully I watch. The first signs of swelling. A little node. A clear bud. It’s bigger today, it won’t be long now. Not quite yet, but soon. A couple more days and the first bud will open… Nope. The very next day I look out and bam – there they are! Every single tree in full beautiful bloom and I missed the first bud opening again. They are like children growing right under your nose until suddenly you wonder when they got taller than you. I can’t wait.

Winnie Nielsen says:

March 19, 2015 at 4:06 am

Look at Tomkin Kitty’s beautiful blue eyes! Is he not the prettiest boy ever??!!

Cindi says:

March 19, 2015 at 5:04 am

ooooo – pretty puddy tat. Have you ever looked very closely at a cats artwork? Humans, with their many hair colors and skin tones, are not even close in comparison! 🙂 The beautifully purrfect eyeliner around a cat’s eyes that frame their lovely color so beautifully. The gradation of shades on the nose is as if it was done by a master painter. One single hair has many layers of color ~ even the little beauty marks that dot each point that anchors a whisker, such detail. Sigh. I miss my kitty

LISA VONSAUNDER- seed woman says:

March 19, 2015 at 2:38 pm

He’s the prettiest cat in Idaho!!!

Cindi says:

March 15, 2015 at 7:23 am

This makes me want to go back in time and follow my dream instead of following what was expected. Raising children in this type of environment is a wonderful gift that will nurture and carry them throughout life, wherever it takes them. This is such an important film ~ I look forward to seeing the full length.

LISA VONSAUNDER- seed woman says:

March 15, 2015 at 8:26 am

Its almost like the ” back to the land movement” of my earlier ( hippy dippy trippy ) days when I was young and idealistic. It is an important concept and if I were young I would do it again. We raised pigs, sheep and goats, ( the pigs were too heartbreaking – just couldn’t stand to eat them when I knew them so well) and that is part of why children need to know the whole cycle of the earth. We did not have the powerful knowledge and resources that young people starting on this journey have today with the internet. We relied on Mother Earth News Magazine, and prayed a lot . Lovely quote, I shall print it out and put it on my fridge.

- MaryJane says:
  
  March 15, 2015 at 11:48 am
  
  Loved the little kid who got pecked in the video. Wondrous real life BEST lessons.
  
Winnie Nielsen says:

March 15, 2015 at 11:33 am

This is beautiful and so true. Children today are often never able to experience the outdoors and farms which is why city gardens and school gardens can help inner city kids get a glimpse of how the world works outside of the concrete jungle they see every day.

- MaryJane says:
  
  March 15, 2015 at 11:50 am
  
  Again, the idea of suburban “farming” does the trick with youngsters.

Winnie Nielsen says:

March 14, 2015 at 4:37 am

I saw this a few days ago too and it is so, so sweet!!

Cindi says:

March 14, 2015 at 6:30 am

Awwwwww. What a beautiful baby! Now I need grandbaby hugs.

Connie-Kilalrney says:

March 14, 2015 at 5:55 pm

I love it! Our Lily June loves her hair shampooed at only 3 weeks old!

Winnie Nielsen says:

March 12, 2015 at 5:07 am

Yummm, this would be so perfect right now with my cup of hot coffee here at my desk. I love the little brown transfer ware plate too.

Cindi says:

March 12, 2015 at 5:20 am

Irish soda bread, mmmmmmm. Haven’t made that in years. I wonder if there is a gluten free adaption out there some where. I feel an evening project coming on ~ Now there you go inspiring me again!

- Winnie Nielsen says:
  
  March 12, 2015 at 7:16 am
  
  Cindy, why couldn’t you use MaryJanes Gluten Free Budget Mix as your base with any GF scone recipe? I agree with you that Irish Soda bread is delicious. Now you have me thinking I need to make some!
  
  - Cindi says:
    
    March 12, 2015 at 9:04 pm
    
    I use MaryJane’s Gluten Free Budget Mix all the time Winnie 🙂 I especially like the peanut butter cookie recipe that comes in the package. The biscuits are good, too! I’ll have to experiment this weekend with some Irish soda bread. Yum!
    
- MaryJane says:
  
  March 12, 2015 at 8:15 am
  
  I’ll add it to Ashley’s to do list. I’d love to try some gluten-free soda bread myself. Yesterday, Ashley treated us to gingerbread waffles with a cream cheese syrup, buttermilk waffles with a caramel/maple syrup topping, and cheddar cheese/bacon/scallion waffles. I ate them until I burst they were all so good, but not gluten-free.
  
  - Winnie Nielsen says:
    
    March 12, 2015 at 4:40 pm
    
    Oh my, but Ashley’s waffles sound delicious!! I am very intrigued about cream cheese syrup. Wow, I bet that stuff is to die for!!
    
    - MaryJane says:
      
      March 12, 2015 at 7:52 pm
      
      The cream cheese syrup was loved by everyone. Adria especially loved it and asked for some the next morning first thing. It’ll be in the next issue of the magazine. Ashley knocked it out of the park on the waffles.

Winnie Nielsen says:

March 9, 2015 at 5:12 am

What a cutie! Love that white star.

Heather (nndairy) says:

March 9, 2015 at 7:53 am

I love when you post pictures of your jerseys! This one is adorable 🙂

- MaryJane says:
  
  March 9, 2015 at 7:57 am
  
  Sir Anthony, AKA Tony Moroni. Big and bullish now but a very nice guy all around.
  
Betty J. says:

March 9, 2015 at 11:05 am

I just love the heart on his forehead. Even though they are rather large, they look cute and cuddly.

Winnie Nielsen says:

March 6, 2015 at 4:50 am

Early spring onions? I love the intricate veining of green on the white bulb.

Cindi says:

March 6, 2015 at 5:59 am

Onion 🙂 garlic 🙂 leeks 🙂 all my favorites and excellent in the kitchen. My very best memory is that my grandmother’s hands always smelled of onion. Isn’t that a funny best memory? It is even better because onion is something that is used in almost everything ~ so I think about grandma almost every time I cook. Yep. That is a best memory.