In honor of National Pancake Day yesterday, I decided to forgo the free pancakes at IHOP and instead make pancakes for my family at home.   More specifically, I decided to make crepes.   The fact that I have never made crepes before didn’t stop me one bit; I knew that I could find a recipe online and that I probably already had the ingredients at home.   I used a basic recipe from WikiHow, but I added more milk, maybe as much as a cup more.   The batter has to be thin.   If it’s too thick, like pancake batter, add some more milk.   A YouTube video by Foodwishes.com was also very helpful in helping me learn how to work the crepe batter in the pan.   It was a little tricky at first, pouring just the right amount of batter and knowing when to flip the crepe, but by the third crepe I had it down (and I ate the first two “bad crepes”).

Now that I know that crepes are so easy, I’ll be making them all the time!

I was invited to attend Disney’s first ever Social Media Moms Celebration in February of 2010 and since I love Disney, I jumped at the chance.  If you’ve been reading my blog within the last month, you have seen this badge proudly displayed:

Since our families were invited to join us at the Social Media Moms Celebration as well, I took my kids out of school for three days.  That was quite a hard decision for me, but besides our normal fun at Disney World, I knew that my family would experience special Disney magic on this trip and I didn’t want them to miss it.  Because my mother joined us on the trip as well, my husband was able to be an attendee like me and go to all the conference events; I was happy to share this with him and glad that he could join me.  There’s so much to tell about this fantastic event that you might have to read this blog post in stages, but do read it all because it’s an event worth hearing about.

The Social Media Moms (and Dads)

Quite awhile before the event at Disney World tweets were flying with the hashtag #DisneySMMoms and all the attendees were connecting via Twitter about what to wear, what to bring, and just general excitement about the event.   This is when I absolutely love Twitter because I “met” people that I hadn’t previously been following and developed a rapport even before we met in person.  Indeed most people knew each other’s Twitter name instead of real names and upon meeting each other it would go something like this: “Hi, I’m Sherrelle.”   I would get a pleasant smile and handshake.  Then I would say, “I’m Funkidivagirl on Twitter” and the smile would turn into a big grin and the handshake into a hug because we would realize that we “know” each other already.    A Facebook page was created with multiple discussion panels and one dad even created a Ning site for the dads to meet.  Yes, this was a social media event alright!   While at Disney World it was fun being with old friends that I know in real life or have met previously at other conferences while also meeting new friends.  There was never a dull moment or lack of somebody to talk to; everyone was friendly and engaging.  My husband, one of the few male attendees, remarked that at a predominately male conference there would never be so much chatter on an early morning bus to breakfast.  Hey, we talk a lot online and it doesn’t stop in person!

The Hotel

Our conference fee included three nights at the Polynesian resort and I was very excited because I had never stayed there before.  It is one of the few resorts on the monorail line and that was very convenient for our families to be able to travel around Disney World while we were in the conference sessions or at media events.  The hotel room was HUGE compared to the other resorts that I have stayed in (Animal Kingdom, Saratoga Springs and Riverside) and my family of 5 was very comfortable.  There was plenty of space for our clothes and enough room to lounge about or for my daughter to play.   We had a beach view and if it hadn’t been so cold, it would have been very nice to sit on the balcony.   We were able to watch the water parade from our balcony; my kids loved that.   Since we were there for a specific event (and it was very cold, I have to say that again, I mean freezing), we didn’t get to experience all the hotel amenities like the beach and volcano pool, but I have a feeling that we will return to the Polynesian on another visit.

The Conference

Our first conference event was a breakfast with Guy Kawasaki at Epcot’s American Adventure.  He was a fantastic speaker and talked to us about how he uses Twitter.  First of all, I loved how he–and all the speakers–assumed us to be social media savvy and talked to us like peers (as they should have).    His speech was both informative and engaging as he took us through the various ways to use Twitter: to sell, to search, for customer service and to gain more followers.   I learned many take-away points about how to take my Twitter game to the next level.

The big conference day on Friday was an all-day event at the Contemporary Resort and Conference Center.  I was not a fan of the Contemporary years ago, but lately I am loving it; the decor has changed from an out-dated 70s look to more of a hip, sleek W Hotel.   And you can’t beat the convenience of the monorail stopping right inside the hotel.

• The first speaker of the morning was Maxine Clark, Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop.   Her story of a “dream”–a dream that is now a gazillion dollar business–was perfect for the location and backdrop of the Cinderella castle behind her.  Our tables were decorated with Disney Princess Build-A-Bears and my daughter is still upset that I didn’t win the raffle for the bear at my table.

• Next up was Marissa Jaret Winokur, actress and Tony Award winner for her role as Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray.  Marissa did her speech interview-style; it was funny and entertaining, but the audience mostly connected with her talking about how she juggles being the mother of a young child and her career.

• I think Kathy Ireland’s speech was the most surprising to us all.  We knew her as a once super-model and yes, knew that that she had an extremely successful lifestyle brand and business, but didn’t know just how inspiring she is as a woman, wife and mother.   This is a woman who has her priorities in order–faith, family and then business–and really tries to live her life accordingly.  She has been married 22 years to an ER doctor and commercial fisherman (who knew, right?) and together they have built a personal life and business that has not been free from trouble, but that is real and true.   I know that I became a fan and I would venture to say that the whole audience–including my husband and other men–did too.

• Chris Brogan followed Kathy Ireland and while he said it was a tough act to follow, most attendees were eagerly awaiting his moment on stage.  Known in social media circles as a “rock star,” he’s an entrepreneur and New York Times best-selling author.  We all knew this as he has a constant presence on Twitter and well, everywhere.  What we didn’t know was just how funny he was!   While he talked to us about how to make our blog posts better, more engaging, and more community-oriented, he also had us rolling in the aisles.   I am breaking one of his rules now, “make blog posts shorter and more concise,” but at least I am following another rule “be helpful.”   Chris was around for most of the conference days and was very accessible for questions and conversation with all the attendees.

• The conference ended with a very funny comedian, Mary Ellen Hooper, who had everyone in stitches about her observations both in social media and real life.

The Press Events

Part of our time at the Social Media Moms Celebration included media press events with traditional media (print and television) as well.  Our first event was at ESPN Wide World of Sport’s Milkhouse (a very nice facility with posters of athletes wearing milk moustaches).  There at the Milkhouse we learned “What’s New, What’s Next” at Disney World.

• One exciting thing that I have to come back for is “Summer Nightastic,” which includes the return of the Main Street Electrical Parade.   Just watching the video clip brought tears to my eyes as it is my most favorite thing at Disney, and currently it is only shown at Disneyland in California.   Other fun events of “Summer Nightastic” include new drop sequences for Tower of Terror (I won’t be riding that–once is enough), a special fireworks show and the return of Sounds Like Summer concert series to Epcot.

• The Disney Cruise Line has some big things in store for the next few years; in 2010 the Disney Magic will sail to Europe for a 5-month season and in 2011 the Disney Wonder will sail for the first time to Alaska.  I’m not a fan of cruising, but I think that Disney can entice me to try one of their cruises because they look like so much fun as well as luxurious (I’m all about luxury on vacation).    However, I think that I will be the only one in my family to try the AquaDuck, a water roller coaster that goes out over the water, on the new Disney Dream.

• Disney World is about to undergo the largest expansion in Magic Kingdom history–a three-year construction project to expand Fantasyland.  When it’s done, the expansion promises to make Fantasyland even more magical than it is now.  Each Disney princess will have her own village for an immersive encounter, there will be a new ride with Ariel and friends and the classic Dumbo’s Flying Circus will expand to twice it’s current size as a brand new circus-themed attraction.  Two new themed restaurants, Be Our Guest and Gaston’s Tavern will provide fun culinary experiences.  I’m really looking forward to the new Fantasyland!

The other media event we attended was a ceremony at Epcot’s World Showplace honoring volunteer families from around the world as part of Disney’s Give A Day, Get A Disney Day.  Just 6 weeks into the program 600,000 people have committed to or completed their volunteer activity–this is more than halfway to Disney’s goal of 1 million volunteers.

It was a thrill for me to see Kermit The Frog because I’m a big Sesame Street fan, but most of the audience loved Ty Pennington from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  He  urged the audience to shout with him “move those balloons!” to reveal the Guinness World Record-certified world’s largest canned food sculpture–more than 115,000 cans.   Later that day there was a volunteer event to dismantle the sculpture and pack the canned food into boxes for distribution to food shelters.

The Cast Members

I know from past Disney media events that I have attended that Laura Spencer, Social Media Manager and Leanne Jakubowski, Director of Social Media, do everything first class, so really I didn’t expect anything less than what was presented.   Disney as a company is impressive in their execution of excellence, but it’s the customer service that makes Disney stand apart from similar experiences.   From the bus drivers to the cast members who held the flashing light to always point us in the right direction, we were always taken care of.   When it was cold outside, we were given hand-warmers and heaters.  When it was dark, we were given flashlights.  When it was raining, we were given umbrellas.   Our comfort, safety and enjoyment were always the first priority of the cast members; I don’t think we could have asked for a better experience.

The Dinners, Parties and All-Out Fun

Oh, but it was not all work; we had time to play as well and let me tell you, when Disney throws a party, they know how to get down!  There was a DJ at every dinner and the kids were encouraged to dance and play.   The food was plentiful and tasty.  Here are some highlights from the different events:

Wednesday night was our first event at ESPN Wide World of Sports and WOW, it was fabulous.  The characters, dressed in sports gear, visited all the tables for photos.   The food was tail-gate fare (originally supposed to be served outside, but it was too cold) of burgers, hot dogs, make-your-own nachos, sausages and beer cheese soup.  Cracker Jacks and peanuts decorated the tables.  My daughter went wild for the display of cotton candy.   It was a really fun event and set the mood for all the fun yet to come.

Me & Laura Spencer

After a breakfast with Guy Kawasaki, we spent all day at Epcot with our families.  My family loves Japan in World Showcase; my daughter learned origami and we bought our favorite Japanese candy.  We also spent the day looking for hidden Mickeys; we found a really cool one in Epcot’s France.

Thursday night’s event was held outside at Epcot’s Future World and it was cold, but hand warmers and heaters kept us warm.  The food was prepared by–surprise!–Chef Robert Irvine from Food Network’s Dinner Impossible.   We had tasty little dishes inspired by the Disney Princesses; my favorites were the seafood shepherd’s pie (with lobster and scallops) and the cheesecake push-pops.   My daughter is a huge fan of this show and was so excited when Chef Irvine briefly took the stage to explain his dishes; we can’t wait to see the show when it airs on Food Network sometime in the spring.   After dinner we were treated to a concert by a new band, Allstar Weekend, winners of Disney’s Next Big Thing contest, before the big stars Joe Jonas and Demi Lovato took the stage.  The concert ended with fireworks.   It was a great ending to a fun day spent at Epcot.

Our last dinner party on Friday night was held after hours at Hollywood Studios.  Originally the event was supposed to be on the set of Lights! Motor! Action!, but  the rainy day forced the dinner inside.   Characters were present to dance with the kids while we dined on a buffet dinner.   But after dinner was when the fun really began because we had Toy Story Mania, one of the most popular rides at Disney World and easily a two hour wait in line, ALL TO OURSELVES!   Yes, that’s right, they opened up the ride just for our group!  My kids were so excited and even I entered the building screaming.  We ran in, grabbed our glasses and rode over and over again trying to beat our high scores, because guess what?–we could; there was no wait!  It was so much fun!   Across from the ride Buzz, Woody, Jessie and Bullseye were waiting just for us, to take photos and interact with the kids (and adults too–I was excited to see them!).  This was such a fun way to end the conference; as you can see from the photos, we had a blast.

Chris Brogan & my husband James

Chris & James battled; Chris won.

You can also check out this 12 second video of Chris and James on Toy Story Mania.

The Goodies

Ahh, the goodies; Disney gave freely and it was all good.  We got a big bag ‘o goodies when we checked-in: watches, a game kit, a blanket, a laptop bag and my favorite, a desktop box of post-it notes.   What can I say; I like post-it notes!    After the ESPN dinner we were given a really cute hat.  During the conference there were many raffles for gift baskets, purses, Build-A-Bears and the most coveted prize of all–an overnight stay in Cinderella’s Castle (insert copious oohs and aahs here).   Cinderella and Prince Charming themselves presented the golden key to the lucky winner, who, alas, wasn’t me.  What I wouldn’t give to stay in Cinderella’s suite!   During the conference we were given cute pink polar fleece jackets which really came in handy due to the cold weather, but also useful for identifying each other in the parks after the conference was over.   We also left the conference with a plush Mickey doll and a red sequined Mickey bag–both which my daughter took as her own.

Our conference fee included 7 day park hopper tickets, with add-ons like the water parks, miniature golf and Disney Quest.  While we didn’t use the water parks because it was too cold, my mom took my kids to Disney Quest on Friday while I was at the conference because it rained all day.   Having the park hopper tickets was fantastic and we did use them for the two days that we stayed after the conference as well; I wish that we would have been able to take advantage of the full seven days.

The park tickets were great.  The gifts were great.  But the ONE THING that made this trip over the top, the ONE GOODIE that was beyond fantastic, beyond fun and simply mind-blowing for my family was this baby right here:

Yes, it is unassuming, but I hope you understand the seriousness of this little white card: this media Fastpass allowed us to NOT WAIT IN LINE for any ride that had a Fastpass, which are all the most popular rides at Disney World.  Soarin‘, a 90 minute wait?  Not for us; we slipped in our card and bam! Fastpass tickets came out with times stamped for that very minute.   Expedition to Everest is out of Fastpasses for the day?  Not for us; we still get Fastpasses!  Because we never had to wait in line, I was able to talk my husband into riding all the roller coasters with me.  I usually ride by myself on family trips; he hasn’t ridden with me in over 10 years, but this time he rode them all.   I even talked my kids into riding Expedition to Everest (who normally don’t ride roller coasters);  my son loved it and my daughter still isn’t sure about how she feels.   Because of the Golden Ticket, as everyone at the conference took to calling it, my husband and I rode Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster for the first time together and loved it; we highly recommend it as a “must ride” attraction.

The Rest of My  Trip

My family stayed an extra two days after the Social Media Moms Celebration ended.  We moved out of the Polynesian resort to the Sheraton Safari; it was off-property but only a 10 minute drive into Disney World.  I was very nervous about staying off-property because I have never done it before and let me tell you, I will never do it again.   You would think a Sheraton would be nice, but the hotel was old, out-dated and the rooms were tiny;  it is not a place that I would recommend.  The only good thing about it was that we used my husband’s hotel points and we didn’t pay a dime.  I don’t think it was worth saving the money; although we had a car, we didn’t have the convenience of Disney transportation nor were we allowed Extra Magic Hours.  And I didn’t like being “out of the magic” and into the chaos of that section of Orlando.   My advice would be to stay on-property or if you elect to stay off-property, do your research.

Because we had the Golden Ticket, we were tired from the conference activities, we stayed off-property and it was freezing, we didn’t get up early and out to the parks like we normally do.   We were with the chaff, not the wheat as we prefer to be.  True, with the Golden Ticket we were King of the Chaff, but chaff nevertheless.   It was a busy week at Disney and lines were long for food and non-Fastpass rides.  My original mantra, “get to the park before it opens” still stands; it makes for a much less-crowded and more pleasant park-going experience.

Besides riding Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster for the first time and my family finally experiencing my favorite ride at Disney, Expedition to Everest, we used our limited time to experience our favorites.  Again, we didn’t see Indiana Jones at Hollywood Studios.  Next trip we have to do that, but it was just too cold this time.   We ate at Casey’s on Main Street in Magic Kingdom; eh, it was okay as is most of the food in that park.  We rode the ferry from Magic Kingdom’s Ticket & Transportation Center for the first time because the monorail was packed and we really liked it.    We were going to the park to see the Spectromagic Parade and caught the ferry just in time to view Wishes from the top deck; that was a nice vantage point to see the fireworks and highly recommended (although you do miss hearing the accompanied audio track).  As always Spectromagic was beautiful and magical; we were prepared for the cold with our new Disney blankets from the conference, but it wasn’t too bad that evening….not with all our layers: a short tee, long tee, hoodie, winter coat, hat and gloves.  I told you, it was freezing.

The Spectromagic Parade was a great way to end our magical 5 days at Disney World.  I am so happy that I was invited to attend the Social Media Moms Celebration and I hope that this is just the beginning of many other media opportunities for me at Disney World.   Me and The Mouse…we’re becoming tight.  :-)

*Full Disclosure: I was invited by Disney to attend the Social Media Moms Celebration.  While I did pay a fee for this opportunity, the total package of 3 nights hotel stay, meals and 7 day park tickets for my family of five was offered at a greatly reduced rate.  I paid for my own transportation to Disney World and all meals and accommodations after the end of the conference days.  All opinions expressed are my own.

I’ve just gotten back from the first ever Social Media Moms Celebration at Disney World and let me tell you that it was FABULOUS!  I’ll be writing about that later this week, but first I wanted to give you a few tips about planning your own vacation to Disney World—specifically how to save money.

My family has been to Disney World a few times and we plan to return often; it is one of our absolutely favorite vacation spots.  But as anyone who has been there knows, it is not an inexpensive vacation.   Fortunately, a little knowledge and research before your trip can help you save money.   I’ve taken a Disney vacation when money has not been a concern and I’ve been to Disney when I’m literally counting every penny that I spend.  In either case, I try to spend money on “the good stuff” and save money wherever I can.

Don’t pay for water.   Bring in your own water bottle.  This is by far one of the easiest ways to save money at Disney World.   A bottle of water in the parks can cost a few dollars, but if you bring in your own empty bottle and refill it throughout the day, you could save $12-$16 per day just in water alone.   Refilling a water bottle also cuts down on the consumption of soda.   The Florida sun is brutal and you need to keep hydrated, but it shouldn’t cost you money to do that.

Limit snacks.   Pack your own snacks such as pretzels or crackers to stave off hunger or boredom in line, but allow each person one Disney snack a day.   You’re on vacation after all and Disney World does have some fantastic snacks.  My family never leaves Magic Kingdom without having a Dole Whip.

In another park it might be the Mickey-shaped ice cream bar.  Epcot’s World Showcase is a great place to have a churro from Mexico, crepe from France or red bean ice cream from China and we always make sure to get a mango pie at Animal Kingdom.  We enjoy Disney snacks, but each person is only allowed one special snack per day.   By limiting my family to only one purchased snack a day, we can save $20 per day.  This tip not only saves us money, but it is healthier for our bodies as well.

Eat breakfast in your hotel room.   My family does take advantage of a few Disney breakfast buffets or character meals during our vacation, but most of our breakfast is consumed in the hotel room.  Either I bring food from home (we drive to Disney World) or go to the grocery store when we arrive.  Most Disney hotel rooms have a small refrigerator big enough for yogurt, juice and milk.  Add some cold cereal, fruit and bagels or muffins and that’s a complete breakfast.   Breakfast groceries for a week would cost about $50, while eating breakfast out every morning would be $200 or more for the week–and that’s just a quick counter meal breakfast.   A character breakfast or buffet costs my family $70 per meal, not including tax or tip.   Eating breakfast in our hotel room saves my family tons of money, but it also saves us time because we can eat and get dressed in shifts; we like getting to the parks early to beat the lines and heat.

Share a meal.   Disney World serves huge portions, especially at the table restaurants, so if you aren’t on the Dining Plan, share a meal.  Most of the time the meals are too much food for one person to eat anyway.  By sharing a meal, even just one meal a day, my family can save $175 over the course of a week’s vacation.

Check for special offers.   The official Disney World website is the place to find special offers for Disney World resorts and packages; the button is located on the upper right corner of the home page.  All of Disney’s officially advertised deals are here and depending on the time of the year, there can be some great deals to be had.   Last spring break vacation my family took advantage of the “Buy 4, Get 3 Free” offer and our hotel at Saratoga Springs, the Dining Plan and park tickets for 7 nights cost the same as 4 nights.  This saved us about $1,650.00 and because of the savings we were also able to stay in much nicer hotel than we had on a previous trip.

Let kids use their own money for souvenirs.   My kids often get money from relatives for Christmas and birthday presents, but really have nothing to spend it on at home.  Disney World is the perfect place to spend some Grandma Money.   What parent likes to deny their child–especially at Disney World?  But saying “yes” to every desire can really add up.  Kids are usually better consumers when they spend their own money and really think about their purchases instead of asking for everything that they see.

Buy souvenirs wisely.   Disney World is full of wonderful things to buy and your kids are going to want everything, but you should save your souvenir money for the good stuff.   Anything that you can buy in the mall at the Disney Store or Target back at home, don’t buy it at Disney World.   Instead, take advantage of the special items that only Disney sells.   Personalized mouse ears are always fun to buy.  My daughter loves going to Once Upon A Toy in Downtown Disney to buy new parts for her Mr. Potato.

Many of the gift shops outside of popular attractions have souvenirs related to that attraction.  For instance Tower of Terror has really neat hotel-related souvenirs and the gift shop at Star Tours is a perfect place for Star Wars fans.    Epcot’s World Showcase is a fun place to buy souvenirs from around the world.  My family’s favorite store is in Epcot’s Japan; we love Japanese candy and wind-up toys so this is where we spend our money.  It’s different, fun and not something that we can buy anywhere.

I hope that I’ve given you some tips about saving money on your next vacation to Disney World.  For a more detailed review of my trips to Disney World please read my 3 part series, How To Do Disney World Like Funkidivagirl.  You can read about all my Disney World experiences, including media events that I’ve been invited to, in the catergory T as in Tango: Disney World.   If you have any questions about Disney World, please leave me a comment and I will try to answer.

And come back later this week to read about my FABULOUS time at Disney’s Social Media Moms Celebration!

We all have them, those “blah” gray sort of days.  Days when we don’t feel like doing much of anything, but we have to anyway because our work/children/spouse/project demand that we do.  That’s when I put on my Get Happy playlist because these songs never fail to put me in a fantastic mood.  All of these songs either morph me into a happy, Sunday-afternoon-at-the-park sort of mood or make me want to get up and dance.  I’ve got good music and I’m good to go.

“Love Shack” by B-52s

I secretly think that I am a member of the B-52s; I have the white go-go boots already.  ”Love Shack” is my number one song to put me in a fantastic mood.  It makes me want to dance around and do the pony.   I would kill this song at karaoke!

“Pump” by B-52s

If you think the B-52s greatest hits are old school, think again.  Their latest release is just as rocking as songs of old.  ”Pump” is classic B-52s: addictive guitar riffs and esoteric (or just crazy) lyrics.  Listening to this song makes me wanna swing my hips wildly while shaking a tambourine.

“Back to Love” by The Brand New Heavies

Most of The Brand New Heavies music is funky and groovy–perfect for creating a sunny mood.  But this song has the benefit of uplifting lyrics as well.  It’s a message that everyone needs to remember: “…we seem to lose our way, somehow got lead astray, that’s why I’m here to say, got to get back, get back to love.”

“Groove is in The Heart” by Dee-Lite

Do you see a pattern here?  I like groovy music.  Peace signs, disco balls, go-go boots–give it to me, baby!  This song is a flower-child dance party, with a 90s house beat.  I dare you to listen and stay in your seat.

“Cherish” by Madonna

A bouncy, feel-good beat and sing-aloud lyrics about love keeps this song on my Get Happy playlist.  True, I can’t get the image of Madonna wearing all that lace out of my head, but I don’t hold it against her.  How can I?  I used to dress like her!

“I’m Every Woman” by Chaka-Khan

This song makes me feel like I can conquer the world.  Chaka is belting out those lyrics with the force of nature.  By the end of the song when the music crescendos,  all I need is a cape and a big W on my chest and I’m ready to fly!

“All This Time” by Sting

Soul Cages is one of my favorite albums by Sting; the writing is incredible.  Even though this song is about his father’s death, Sting’s poetic lyrics and great music makes it a up-beat tribute instead of a dirge.   You can feel the maritime intentions in the song–the waves rolling, the sea breeze, the boat rocking.   I love the beach and this song takes me right there.

“Dancing Queen” by ABBA

Yes, I know it’s clichéd, but despite the over-use of this song, it still puts me in a good mood.  With the disco ball twinkling, I can hear the DJ saying, “It’s time for ladies only skate, ladies only.”  In my tube socks and shiny shorts, I can see myself gliding around the roller rink.

“P.Y.T” by Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson showed his talent through many songs, but whenever I play this song I feel his passion and happiness.  And that happiness is then transferred to me.  I don’t try to moon-walk though.

“I Like It Like That” by The Blackout All-Stars

There aren’t that many lyrics to this song, it’s all about the beat.  Latin music is made for dancing; the horns and Congo drums make me want to throw on a twirly skirt, some high heels and do the merengue.

“Haven’t You Heard” by Patrice Rushen

Another song with limited lyrics, “Haven’t You Heard” is all about the music.  Patrice Rushen is an incredible musician and arranger and her blend of jazz, funk and R&B always has me tapping my toes and bopping my head.  This is perfect Sunday afternoon, life-is-good type of music.

“Let’s Go Crazy” by Prince

A musical genius.   I love many a Prince song and different songs put me in different moods.  ”Let’s Go Crazy” is Prince in a zany mood and the song makes me feel zany too.   With lyrics like “let’s look for the purple banana ’til they put us in the truck” how can you not get in a great mood?

“Rebel Yell” by Billy Idol

I love to rock out to this song.  À la Jennifer Beals I want to wear ripped sweatshirts and leg warmers while dancing a scene out of Flashdance.  Or sometimes I play it really loud in my car when I’m frustrated and it never fails to make me calmer and more in control.

“The Biggest Part of Me” by Ambrosia

This is my singing in the shower song, the one that makes me croon into my pretend microphone.  Singing this song I have my audience in the palm of my hand; all eyes are closed and they’re doing the church wave.  This image never fails to put a smile on my face.

“Sunday Morning” by Maroon 5

Smooth, jazzy and groovy, “Sunday Morning” is what I want to hear while taking my dog for a walk.  Sometimes walking my dog can be a chore, but a song like this puts a skip in my step.  My dog thanks you Maroon 5.

“Flashlight” by Parliament

After the 9 second intro, right when the song really begins, I want to jump up, land in a splits, jump up again and do a James Brown spin.  From there I would go into an impressive robot dance, then snake on the floor.  If only.  Instead, I do my own version of a funky dance.

“8th Wonder” by Sugar Hill Gang

The beat is fresh and the rap lyrics memorable.   It’s my ring tone and I have a mini-dance party every time someone calls me.  An interactive party song asking you to sing along, how can you stay in a bad mood reciting lyrics like: “If you’re ready to party and you’re ready to jam, scream it out and say ‘I am (I am) somebody (somebody),’ now you know you are.  You go ah, ah, ah-ah, ooh, ooh.”

“Love of My Life Worldwide” by Erykah Badu (featuring Queen Latifah, Bahamadia & Angie Stone)

I used to love “Funk You Up” by Sequence back in the day and Erykah Badu took a good thing and made it even better.   The addition of Queen Latifah, Bahamadia and original member of Sequence, Angie Stone, adds multiple layers to an already smoking song.  If I could break dance to this song, I would.  Alas, I have to settle for wearing my shell-tops and doing a quick Kid ‘N Play step.

“Woo” by Erykah Badu

Erykah Badu was on fire with the Worldwide Underground album.  This song puts me in happy mood, but more like a mellow, funky, happy mood rather than maniacally happy.  I can’t be bouncing off the wall all the time.  Right here I’m tipping my fedora over one eye, sipping a glass of Prosecco or champagne and bopping my head to the beat.

“Good Life” by Kayne West

It samples one of my other Get Happy songs, Michael’s Jackson’s P.Y.T., and it gets me hyped.  Although Kayne’s version of the good life is not the same as mine, still I throw my hands up in the air and scream, “I’m good.”