roadtrip playlists
Have you heard that my fam is going on a roadtrip? Kidding. To say the least, we're pretty excited about getting away for a couple of weeks. Don't let New Yorkers fool you. In spite of their avid pride for their city, all city dwellers long to escape every now and then. We're at fourteen days and counting before we head out!
Our prep for this trip started long ago. We've been in contact with doctors asking "What if?" kind of questions. We've notified our home healthcare provider to get other information from them about other providers in other cities. We're having a nurse fly to meet us on a leg of our trip to alleviate a little of the stress that is taking care of Ira. Our car is being serviced as I type. A friend from high school who works for a major hotel chain has hooked us up with hotel rooms as we travel. Much has been done and there is much more to do. Wanna help?
See, I need to make some playlists for our trip. The first thing you can help me with is thinking about what kind of playlists we'll need for this trip. As I narrow those playlists down to a manageable number, I'll then ask you to help me choose songs for those playlists. But first things first, we need to decide what playlists are needed. This is what I've come up with thus far:
1) Getting Out of the City playlist - something fun, rockin', sing along to, a bit rebellious because, after all, it is a bit rebellious that we're loading Ira up and leaving the comfort of NYC
2) Dancin' In Our Seats playlist - this playlist will be when we all need a little pick-me-up
3) Chill playlist - this is when the road is long, all conversations have been exhausted and everyone (okay, Laura and me) are in a contemplative mood
What other playlists do we need to round off this trip? Remember, don't think songs here but think playlists. We'll fill in the songs later. Laura and I will look over the comments and see what fits our family and go from there. C'mon, don't you wanna help the Hayses make this roadtrip a blast?! ...or at least bearable? :)
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Our prep for this trip started long ago. We've been in contact with doctors asking "What if?" kind of questions. We've notified our home healthcare provider to get other information from them about other providers in other cities. We're having a nurse fly to meet us on a leg of our trip to alleviate a little of the stress that is taking care of Ira. Our car is being serviced as I type. A friend from high school who works for a major hotel chain has hooked us up with hotel rooms as we travel. Much has been done and there is much more to do. Wanna help?
See, I need to make some playlists for our trip. The first thing you can help me with is thinking about what kind of playlists we'll need for this trip. As I narrow those playlists down to a manageable number, I'll then ask you to help me choose songs for those playlists. But first things first, we need to decide what playlists are needed. This is what I've come up with thus far:
1) Getting Out of the City playlist - something fun, rockin', sing along to, a bit rebellious because, after all, it is a bit rebellious that we're loading Ira up and leaving the comfort of NYC
2) Dancin' In Our Seats playlist - this playlist will be when we all need a little pick-me-up
3) Chill playlist - this is when the road is long, all conversations have been exhausted and everyone (okay, Laura and me) are in a contemplative mood
What other playlists do we need to round off this trip? Remember, don't think songs here but think playlists. We'll fill in the songs later. Laura and I will look over the comments and see what fits our family and go from there. C'mon, don't you wanna help the Hayses make this roadtrip a blast?! ...or at least bearable? :)
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posted by jch at
10:14 AM
19 Comments:
Life Is a Highway Playlist - complete with Road songs like "Life is a Highway" and "On the Road Again"
- Songs that help the kids fall to sleep playlist (sermons by Dusty Rush)
- Someone's gotta pee and there is no exit in sight playlist (Bands that sing like their constipated)
- The kid's aren't getting along, and need some peppy tunes to distract them playlist
- We've had our vacation and now have a long ride home playlist (songs about New York)
I had to go to wikipedia to find out what a playlist was!
HEEE!! Making playlists is one of my favorite pasttimes. Back in the day, I'd spend hours and HOURS in front of my jam box, hitting rewind and forward, record and pause, on my double-deck tape player, making tapes for various occasions. Just last night, I sat here perusing iTunes for playlist songs for OUR upcoming road trip! I need to make your Mom another copy of "Poolside at the Hays's". The one I gave her last year didn't play.
But for you...
"I Can See for Mile and Miles" - for those long stretches of corn and wheat fields where you can see horizon all around you. I have the actual playlist brewing in my head already!
"The Home Stretch" - fire it up as soon as you cross the Texas border and make it last until you pull into Mom's driveway. Songs about... TEXAS... and home.
"America and the Heartland". Ooooh, this is gonna be a good one.
"TV" - old commercials, TV themes, and short comedy sketches
"Shackles" - favorite worship and praise songs. I'm tellin' ya... our family has done some of its most sincere (and best-sounding) worship and singing while flying down the road in the car, camping gear and kids piled to the ceiling.
I would have to add:
- Songs that help me relax while my husband drives like a loony! playlist.
That's all!
I can't wait to see what else pops up here.
"God Bless Texas" playlist. Appropriate when you cross the state-line.
"Time for Ira and Sophia to take a Nap". Self-explanatory.
"How Great Are You Lord". Some God-music is always in order.
On our recent trip to Colorado, I made a "Save the Children" playlist, for those times when their behavior/whining/fighting is leading their parents to the sins of anger, frustration, and I-will-stop-this-car-and-you-won't-be-able-to-sit-for-a-week-when-I'm-done-with-you.
It started with some Billy McLaughlin, George Winston, Enya -- just to get eveyone's blood pressure down. Then moved to some sweet love songs that remind us how we do love our children even when they're driving us crazy -- "Born at the Right Time" by Paul Simon and "Shower the People" by James Taylor. And then moved to some funny ones that make us smile as we sing along -- "Oh How Happy" by Stormy Weather or "If She Knew What She Wants" by the Bangles. We end with "Hello, Goodbye" by the Beatles, which we have decided is the theme song for Joey's life. (You say yes; I say no. You say stop; I say go, go, go... I don't know why you say goodbye I say hello...)
For getting out of town...Get Out the Map by the Indigo Girls.
VeggieTales songs. No kidding. My kids - and we're talking teenage kids - sang every single VeggieTales song (w/o aid of CD's, I might add) from St. Louis all the way home (2 hours). They entertained us - and themselves!
My personal kid faves are DoNut Man, though. I can really get into them.
It's always better if you already know the songs and can sing along!
I just got back from cross country roadtrip (Malibu, CA to NYC) and recommend 1. The shuffle of everything on said ipod/mp3 player (if you are having to make cds - used said computer to pick out completely random songs for you).
2. As many options as possible - it is amazing what you long for on the road.
Our two iPods are two very big reasons why my good friend and I loved the journey.
Add some Cat Power, Feist, Tristan Prettyman, Kate Walsh, Regina Spektor and Ibrahim Ferrer to the Chillin' List!
3 words, 'Born to Run'. The Boss temporarily puts aside his undying love for Jersey to wail a song about getting out of the Garden State. Its a great tune for when you're navigating the aesthetically unpleasing NJ Turnpike, assuming thats along your way.
I am begging you to go to NPR to hear the "Morning Edition" segment about the perfect wedding playlist. (It's not just for weddings; a cross-country trip needs at least one romantic list!)
One of the music producers at NPR was asked to compile a romantic CD for his niece's wedding; he excluded anything with infidelity or heartbreak and only picked The Good Stuff.
It was touching and lovely and you MUST go to
http://tinyurl.com/2lxy7b
to hear this story and then, when it's the part of the trip for the "Joe and Laura's Alone-Time Playlist," you will thank me.
And that NPR guy, too, of course!
Happy Trails, Pardners.
In the same vein as Dusty's, but with out driving yourself crazy...
Kids Music For Grownups Playlist
Also...
Roadmap Playlist (features songs about the places you'll be driving through)
Broooooce! (features traveling music specifically by the Boss)
Covers Playlist (familiar songs by unfamiliar artists)
http://www.artofthemix.org/AOTMCommunity/profile.asp?intMemberID=38049
in case you're looking for something more
Idea one:
"Blog Playlist"
Every person who reads your blog gets to e-mail you one song. From those e-mails you compile a list and just let it run. Then you can see how random and diverse the people who read this blog are.
Oh, man. I'm with j-wild!!
I love the idea of you guys listening to the Blog Playlist in rapturous wonder as you motor across this great land of ours!
"Why is the water blue?, I want it to be pink." (songs that can answer a kids why questions)
"Summer breeze"
"Urban playground"
I also like the "brooklyn and beyond" blog playlist idea that someone proposed.
Good luck!
I love the new album I got for my son, his wife and our grandson. It is by Elizabeth Mitchell and is called "You Are My Little Bird." It has some variations of all kinds of songs. Lots of fun to travel by.
But be sure to include the White Album, Beatles and sing to Rocky Racoon. Lots of fun.
Have fun!
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