Spring 2011 Newsletter

Dear Hug Bug Friends,

Springtime is arriving in the Hug Bug Club! I know that some of you may still have some snow in your yards. Our mountains around Vancouver are still covered with snow; but I have been waking up to the singing of chickadees, blue jays, robins and crows, who soon will be building nests and hatching their babies. The fresh scent of Spring is in the air! It tickles my nose!

Each of us is a Flower - with Flower Hat at Launch Preschool in LA

Hello, Springtime, how are you today?
I’m so glad that you have come my way.
Hello, Springtime, say, you’re looking fine!
I’ll put on my rubber boots and we can have a time,
In the mud puddles, splashing, making mud pies,
Looking for baby birds under rainy skies.
Flowers pop up into colours bright,
Taking off my winter coat is always a delight!

From “Hello Winter” on Diamonds and Dragons

Listen to a sample of “Hello Springtime.”

I enjoy exploring my garden, finding the green buds on the bushes and trees. Soon it will be warm enough to plant flowers and vegetables, adding more colours to the garden… pink roses, orange marigolds, green lettuce, red tomatoes, yellow squash and white potatoes.

Inch by inch , row by row, I’m gonna make my garden grow;
Gonna mulch it deep and low, gonna make it fertile ground.
Inch by inch, row by row, please bless these seeds I sow;
Please keep them safe below, ‘til the rains come tumbling down.

From “The Garden Song” on 10 Carrot Diamond

Listen to a sample of “The Garden Song.”

This year has been busy with concerts and tours around Canada and the USA, singing for children and families and trying out new songs. Sometimes it is hard to keep up with the housework while I am away, like chasing the Laundry Monster, doing dishes and tidying up. In the spring, the Hug Bugs, Valentine, Springtime, Forest, Sky and Pumpkin are busy doing their spring cleaning, too. A new visitor, the “The Clutter Bug” has been making a mess all winter! Toys, books and clothes all over the place! It is time to tidy up and pass on the things that we don’t need any more to another child or family. You may have already heard me sing about “The Clutter Bug”, sung to the tune of “Hug Bug”. You can now purchase a downloadable version of the song on my website.

Listen to a sample of “The Clutter Bug.”

The Clutter Bug

Chorus:
It’s the Clutter Bug, the Clutter Bug, the Clutter Bug,
Never know where it’s hiding,
It’s the Clutter Bug, the Clutter Bug,
Watch out it will clutter on you!

If your room is filled with toys
And you don’t have any space,
Pack some in a box and give them away.
Put a smile on somebody’s face.

Chorus

If your closet is filled with clothes,
That you don’t wear anymore,
Wash them up nice and give them away,
To the second-hand store.

Chorus

If your shelves are filled with books,
That you no longer read,
Give them to the library or a friend;
It might be just what they need.

Chorus

Write new verses for my song, suggesting ways we can “Reduce, Recycle and Reuse to chase away the Clutter Bug Blues”. Send your ideas to me by email or visit my Charlotte Diamond Fan Page on Facebook. I always write back!

Let’s Celebrate Earth Day on April 22^nd by walking to school with your friends. Make a Walking School Bus! Discover more about nature and our outdoor world. You will meet new friends and start your day in a good mood.

I hope that you enjoy spring cleaning your house and chasing the Clutter Bugs away. Then go outside for a walk in the fresh air, listen for the birds and …jump in the puddles … with your boots on, of course! Watch my web site for the latest news and concerts.

Charlotte in her Banana Hat!