Jammin with Julie

Yesterday was The Girl's second birthday party. We had a great backyard party with lots of kids and their parents: friends, family, neighbors. The Girl had a fantastic time, as did most of our little guests. The highlight of the party was a "jam session" with Julie Helenius. She came with her bright red guitar, a bucket of shakers, and conducted a 45-minute sing-a-long. The Girl was enraptured, as were most of our little female guests.

Miss Julie, as she is known around here, has been a fixture in this area for at least 15 years. She runs several music classes in the neighborhood, from parent-toddler sing-a-longs to beginning drum classes for preschoolers and guitar lessons for older children. She also teaches Wiggleworms classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music. Both The Boy and The Girl have taken classes with Miss Julie; her classes are among our favorite "things to do" with kids in Chicago. You can contact her at (773) 267-7607 or jtjujubees@aol.com for class information or to book her for a party.