Dance to the music

Not long ago, I overheard my 6-year-old happily singing away, "My lumps, my lumps....my lovely lady lumps"!

For those of you not familiar with the Black-Eyed Peas, this may be a bouncy dancing song, but certainly not one for a 6-year-old to sing! It starts out "Whatcha gonna do with all that junk? All that junk inside your trunk?" (and they're not talking about your car) "I'm gonna get you drunk" or something like that, is the response.

And "lady lumps"? Well, you don't have to use your imagination to know they are referencing a variety of spots, and believe me, the song touches on all of them!

So I asked Leah where she had heard that song, and as I spoke I remembered.....I had left my Grammy Nominees 2007 CD in the minivan! It is a favorite CD that I listen to all the time. It contains so many songs that remind me of what I've survived, so many encouraging "you go, girl" songs, and so many songs that are just plain fun to listen to. Like the Black-Eyed Peas' song that my 6-year-old has probably already taught to all her friends on the schoolbus.

How did Leah come across this song? As always, Mommy's fault. I was careless. While my parents were staying here (September through November, through my surgery and recovery), my mom and dad took over a lot of carting the kids around for me. I'd drive myself to appointments, pop in my Grammy Nominees CD and make myself cry listening to "(So You Had a) Bad Day"....it was actually the song that helped snap me out of the funk I got into during radiation. Listening to it now reminds me of how I was so negative until I happened to flip on the radio and heard that song. It actually turned me around, a good thing.

When I'd get home from my appointment, just in case someone else drove next with the girls in the van, I'd remove my Grammy CD and replace it with another favorite, ABBA Gold (the girls love Money Money Money while I'm partial to Dancing Queen) or Best of the 80s (Love Shack and Stray Cat Strut are big requests when the girls are in the van).

But one day I must have forgotten to make the exchange, and whoever drove the girls to piano or ballet that day had no idea what they were listening to: Pink's Stupid Girls (the S word is not allowed in our house, so I definitely don't want them singing "I don't wanna be no stupid girl", plus it's bad grammar which is also not allowed), Justin Timberlake's Sexyback (with this memorable line that you might have heard on Dancing With the Stars: "I'll let you whip me if I misbehave"), also a song about dying by Death Cab for Cutie, something about following you into the dark.....

Yes, I inadvertently let the kids listen to a bunch of songs that, while catchy, are not for little girls' ears!

When I realized where Leah heard that song, I felt terrible! Once again, bad mommy, leaving an inappropriate CD in the van!

So after quieting Leah down before her sisters joined in, and some quick thinking (I told her the song was really about "lovely ladybugs"), I turned away so she couldn't see me laugh. I couldn't wait for John to get home from work that day, so I could tell him all about Leah singing to her "lovely lady lumps".

If only she were older and we could joke about Mommy's lovely lady lumps, her spectacular new boobs that are so comfortable to wear and just the best thing(s) in the world. (Even though just one of them costs more than she'd ever spend on a pair of shoes. And Mommy loves shoes.)

One of these days, I'll tell the girls all about it. Maybe when they grow some lady lumps (or ladybugs) of their own. That will be a very interesting conversation!