Buckling Songs

Today on the way to the orthodontist, we played round 7,362 of "Four Pokey Bucklers and an Irate Mommy". See, I *try* to train them to get in the car, sit down right away, and buckle up, helping younger children if need be. But for some reason they all seem to want to wander around the van all the time. It's not like they can go anywhere, it's only a Honda Odyssey and there are 5 of them - they take up all the room in there! But still they manage to climb on each other's car seats and goof around.

So today, as I was trying NOT to lecture too much or let them see my head exploding, Jeffrey hit his musical toy and it started playing (LOUDLY!) "Mary Had a Little Lamb". Something inspired me to immediately burst into song-

Sit down and buckle up!
Buckle up!
Buckle up!

Sit down and buckle up
so we can drive away!

...and another one, inspired by another (LOUD) song on Jeffrey's toy, by my oldest. This one works because we have only girl bucklers right now. :)

To the tune of London Bridge Is Falling Down:

Take the seatbelt, buckle up, buckle up buckle up
Take the seatbelt buckle up, my fair ladies!

They thought it was so much fun, and it certainly defused what is usually a tense moment. You know, the whole, "We're late and your not buckling even though I told you a million times and now the dentist is going to yell at me or worse yet cancel our appointments and it will be all your fault so you'd better get your little behinds in that chair right now and put that seatbelt on and please help the toddler while your at it because in yelling at you I forgot the diaper bag in the house and have to go back and get it" moments. ;-)