Once upon a time, there was a Mom named MandyFORUM-MODERATOR, who lived in the UK, with her four children who call her "Mum", and four grandkids who call her "Nanny". They all sing songs and dance on video with her. It gets pretty crazy, and if you get lucky, you can catch Mandy herself singing in garters and stockings! And you know what they say, a family that sings, dances, puts on crazy costumes and wigs, and plays together, stays together.

MandyFORUM-MODERATOR is a very busy Mum, working as a KJ, (Karaoke Jockey), and explains:

"I've been a KJ (Karaoke Jockey/Host) for the past 13 years. It is a lot of fun most of the time, but it's also very hard work, which most people don't see. The obvious, is me presenting at a gig, getting people up to sing, encouraging the shy, praising all for their efforts, most of all ensuring that everyone gets a fair share of the singing, and that they enjoy themselves. Behind the scenes, it's quite different. There are always discs to be bought to keep myself up to date, which often means hours of trawling through retailers to see what they have on offer, books to be updated and re-printed, equipment to be checked to make sure it conforms to standards, the continual loading and unloading of the gear from home to gig (don't even get me started on stairs up to a venue... arrgh!); then there are the various insurances to be kept up, and the books to balance for the dreaded tax man!"

And if all that didn't keep her busy enough, what with the KJ gigs and the singing and dancing with adorable afro-wig-wearing children, she holds a job at SingSnap as a Volunteer Forum Moderator, which is further testament to her patience.

MandyFORUM-MODERATOR says, "There are the friendships that I have made with so many people, some that I converse with on a daily basis, some more intermittently. They have become like part of my extended family, and I can't imagine being without them."

The very reason she is able to handle a busy life chasing after all the zanies here on SingSnap, and as a Mother of four, is probably due to her modern and realistic view on life and Motherhood:

"I'll be honest, there are times they all have done or do drive me nuts, but that's part of being a Mum isn't it? I do love watching them grow into the people they are becoming, often wishing they'd go down another route and wishing they'd realize that I was young once and made mistakes as well. I am just trying to stop them from making similar ones but I also brought them up to have minds of their own. So, for the most part, I'm just here for them for whatever happens and they know that when they need me, I will be there for them. I'm their Mum."

Mothers show pride about us rugrats, and in this story MandyFORUM-MODERATOR's pride is ever-present:

"My eldest (Jemma) did a surprise video for my birthday last week, she didn't even tell me she had done it, I just came across it in my faves list. She's a good girl, very loving daughter.

“When my 2nd eldest (Tara) was 3, she got knocked over by my eldest on her bike, and her leg got broken in two places. I remember rushing her to the hospital, and as she lay there crying on the bed as they were splinting it, she looked up at me with her big brown eyes and said 'Mummy, I can't cope, I'm too little for this!' and through my own tears she just made me smile.

“Kiera is 10 and possibly the most sensitive of all my girls, and even though she's a right little madam at times (Can’t imagine where she gets that from. Ed) she'll often pop downstairs with a drawing or a poem that she's been busy doing, to share.

“Shannon is 7, and the one everyone refers to as 'mini-me'. She's very much a law unto herself, and is content with her own company, or the company of others. She doesn't express herself very often in an emotional way, so last week while we were on holiday, when she came up to me unexpectedly, kissed me on the cheek, and said 'I love you Mummy'; it meant more than if she said it every day."

Stories of mothers like this inspire us, and of course they all lived happily ever after, on SingSnap.

Here are a couple videos you MUST see! It looks like so much fun in the Barnett household, I wish I were related! Do you think MandyFORUM-MODERATOR would adopt me even if we are the same age? How does Betty Barnett sound? Kind of has a nice ring to it.

As we all know, Mother's Day is rapidly approaching. Of course, it's not a requirement, but it usually is appreciated to present your motherly figure with a gift. That means it's time for the dreaded shopping and having to spend a bunch of money on something she probably wouldn't even like... NOT! What a lot of people may not realize is that Mother's Day isn't about the money spent on the gift; it is about the thought put into it. There are many things your mother will love without breaking your pocket book. Here are just a few ideas to get the imagination going.

Most women have a sweet tooth. Instead of buying her favorite goodies, why not try making them yourself? If you're planning on spending the day with your mom, you can make her favorite goodies together. This idea isn't only limited to sweet treats. You can always cook your moms favorite meal. Possibly make her breakfast in bed if you live with your mom, or invite her over for dinner if you don't.

For those whose money tree is really bare, you can make a booklet of “I Owe You” tickets. Each ticket says “I Owe You” and then it finishes with a random act of kindness that you would be willing to do for your mom at any time. A couple examples would be “I owe you a foot massage” or “I owe you a house cleaning.”

Finding a gift for your mother doesn't have to feel like just another thing to knock of the to-do list. Remember, it's not about obligation... Actually, in a way it is considering you're recognizing your mom for honoring her obligations to you your whole life. That's beside the point. The one fool-proof tip to the perfect Mother's Day present is this: Make it thoughtful, personal, and have fun with it!

As my very talented editor Mick CLAIMS that I am SingSnap's News Team CHEERLEADER and roving reporter, for this issue I CONSIDERED doing some CRUISING on my own.

Being a member of SingSnap CHIEFLY since its launch I realized that there are still so many CHOICES on our site that I have yet to CHECK out, so for this month’s Rhythm & News I took part in two CATEGORIES I had previously not ever used before; the first being Singing CHAT, the second a CHALLENGE/CONTEST.

SingSnap CHAT (Click the link)

I CHIMED into SingSnap CHAT on several occasions, different days at different times. There were many members, taking turns and having so much fun CHATTING, CAMMING and of course singing. Everyone CLAPPED with big C's when someone COMPLETED their song. I had the pleasure of speaking to one CHAT Admin in particular, MhellCHAT-ADMIN (Michel), who was so CUTE and funny when describing singing CHAT. Michel's own words:

"CHATROOM is for EVERYONE... Good singers, not so good singers. We all sing and have fun together; we all share the same passion... MUSIC!

"We are willing to help new users with Sound CHECKS if they have trouble. Everyone in here becomes CLOSE really fast and we treat each other like family. You see the same names and faces show up every day; I swear some people LIVE there!"

He told me that people have literally fallen asleep only to awake to their turn to sing and told to go to bed, and that weekends are more CROWDED than weekdays. CHAT Admin are there to keep order in the room, maintain a fair rotation of singers and to make sure everyone observes the rules. Sometimes it gets a bit CROCKED but basically it's a pretty COOL place to CHILL.

Well hey Michel I was new and was welcomed with open arms! It was fun I tell you and if I CHOSE to I too COULD be part of the family. Everyone is welcome, definitely worth trying.

SingSnap Subscription Prescription Contests

CONTINUING my journey into the CHALLENGE/CONTEST areas of the site (of which there are so many) I CHOSE to try one where you COULD actually win GOLD. This gave me the opportunity to meet cinders831ADMIN (CINDY) and enter her latest SSSP CONTEST which stands for “SingSnap Subscription Prescription”. The venture originally started out as a onetime dry run for prizes and store gift CERTIFICATES (Remember the store?). What almost didn't work out wound up becoming COLOSSAL. CINDY was asked to CONTINUE the fun (SSSP Plus currently into its 15th run) because literally COUNTLESS members participated. CINDY needed help, more judges as this CONTEST grew. Winners get Gold and Special Banners made by her CHARMING SSSP_Co_HostessGOLD Tracy.

Tracy adores her CHORES, as well as CINDY and all of the CREATIVITY, CONTESTANTS and the entire CREW that makes the SSSP idea so successful. At first the judges started out with CONSERVATIVE screen names but when one CHANGED it to a funny CRITTER type handle, this CHALLENGE really started booming. CINDY explains:

"We have humans, pigs, dogs, CATS, wolfs, puppets, witches, mice etc. as our judges. They are really a great bunch and do keep this CONTEST going! "We have features such as a CRITIQUES CORNER exclusive to SSSP CONTESTANTS and they can PM that account and get a fair CRITIQUE on their songs." (Is Simon COWELL on SingSnap?)

I had the pleasure of CONVERSING with several of these judges. They all had me literally CRACKING up with laughter. Not only are they funny but they work hard and are CONTINUOUSLY updating each segment of this CONTEST.

There are too many to name and COUNT but way to go Cindy on CHOOSING these wonderful people that help you make this COMPETITION work. I never realized how much time, effort and hard work goes into these events.

I made it through Round 4 of this CONTEST and I honestly can’t wait to see what transpires! To be honest, CHATTING with the judges was just as fun for me as COMPETING.

HOW COULD YOU NOT WANT TO TRY THIS? THE CHANCE TO POSSIBLY WIN GOLD AND BE A PART OF THIS COMEDIC AND COURAGEOUS CAMRADERIE OF COOL, CREDIBLE, COLLABERATING CREATIVE CRITTERS.....and mostly have CABOODLES of fun!

My thanks to go to all of the staff and judges on the SSSP roster, of which there are many. To those I didn’t get around to talk to, I’m sorry that we ran out of time; to those I did, sincere gratitude for all your help:

SS_Judge_ZigandZagGOLD

SS_Judge_JudyGOLD

Judge-GarfieldGOLD

SS_Judge_PigglesGOLD

Judge_HatchettGOLD

Judge_Jessica_RabbitGOLD

SS_Judge_BelleGOLD

SS_Judge_HippiegirlGOLD

SSPJudgesCoOrdinaterGOLD

SS_Judge_ElphabaGOLD

(Note to News Team – remove the ‘C’ from Sue’s keyboard for the next issue. Ed)

What is the Cinco de Mayo some of you may wonder? Is it Mexico's Independence Day celebration? No; Mexico began their quest for independence from Spain on September 16, 1810 but the Spanish Crown didn't recognize it until September 27, 1821, a decade after the war had begun.

The Cinco de Mayo (Fifth of May) actually commemorates the Mexican victory over the French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, where some 4,000 Mexicans including many poorly equipped Indians armed with nothing more than a machete helped the army defeat the invading French force of 7,000 soldiers. Some historians claim that Napoleon III's desire to occupy Mexico was fueled by his intense dislike for the United States and the Monroe Doctrine. (The Monroe Doctrine stated that the United States would oppose any European invasion into the Americas.) A French stronghold in Mexico would thwart the United States' growing power and strength. Napoleon III shrewdly banked on the fact that the United States, in the midst of its own civil war, would not interfere in the events in Mexico. Some have speculated that the defeat of this battle kept Napoleon III from supplying the confederate rebels for another year, allowing the United States to build the greatest army the world had ever seen. This grand army smashed the Confederates at Gettysburg just 14 months after the battle of Puebla, essentially ending the Civil War.

Could this then perhaps be another reason for Americans to commemorate this historical Mexican event? Cinco de Mayo is not a National Holiday in Mexico, it is commemorated with celebrations such as a re-enactment of the battle at Puebla, parades, also festivals that include food, national dress, music & dancing mostly, definitely in Puebla. In the US there are parades and food festivities also with music & Mexican dancing.

As I have seen the Cinco de Mayo evolve (never heard of it till I was in my 20's) I'd have to say that any action regarding this celebration really picked up steam in the late 1960's. So why not? Other National groups such as the Irish have St Patrick's Day, Chinese have their New Year, Germans Oktoberfest, African Americans have February as their Black History Month. It was more than overdue for Mexican Americans to also have a day to show their pride. The battle at Puebla on the Cinco de Mayo was not only unexpected, but gave the Mexicans a boost & pride that they could defeat a much better equipped French army to save their beloved country.

After Mexico's triumphant win against Spain for their independence, there were a few other battles, such as the Independence from Texas. The civil turmoil amongst their own dictators for power lead Mexico to be heavily indebted to England, Spain & France. In an attempt to collect on their loans, The French, English, & Spanish brought their troops. The Mexican government promised to repay to all, and while the Spanish & English left, Napoleon III, Emperor of France, believed the exiled Mexican conservatives who assured him that the Mexican populace would support a monarchy, and a strong religious state. Napoleon III intended to create an empire on Mexican soil. With his plans — and military — in place, he tapped a European prince, Archduke Maximilian of Austria, to rule his new North American satellite. (The Archduke also happened to be Napoleon's cousin.)

The French occupying forces placed Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico on the throne of Mexico in 1864. The French, under U.S. pressure, eventually withdrew in 1866-1867. Maximilian was deposed by President Benito Juarez and executed, five years after the Battle of Puebla. His wife Carlota went insane.

A little trivia... Archduke Maximilian was the younger brother of both Franz Joseph I of Austria and Archduke Charles Louis of Austria. After the death of his nephew Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria (1858-1889), Archduke Charles Louis became heir presumptive to Austro-Hungarian Empire but renounced his succession rights a few days later in favor of his eldest son Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, whose assassination June 28, 1914 ignited the start of World War I.

Who here has ever had those moments when you’re singing away, having a ball, just really letting loose belting out one of your favorite tunes, and you hit that, uh, shall we say "special" note, and you just know somewhere coyotes are baying and cats are howling?

I'll raise my hand, ME! I have those moments all the time! We all want to sing like our favorite recording stars and get that feeling of reliving those musical moments from the original recording, but do you ever wonder if professional recording artists have those oh so special ear bleeding paint peeling moments as often as we do? They sound so perfect on those Grammy winning records, but how do they do it? The answer to that is, they take advantage of a new technology called “Auto Tune”, those rich little fakers!

It is abundantly clear that professional studio musicians and amateurs alike are taking advantage of this new device all the time. Here's the lowdown: It is a proprietary audio processor that uses a phase vocoder to correct pitch in vocal and instrumental performances; which is all just a fancy-shmancy way of saying a thingamajig that makes your pitchy voice go bye-bye. Unlike a "pitch changer" which alters the key of the music track you’re singing to, the Auto Tune is used to disguise inaccuracies and mistakes coming from the voice itself, and has allowed many artists to produce more precisely tuned recordings. In fact, most singers now presume that when in a recording studio, the recording engineer will just run their voice through the magic Auto Tune box.

Again, I'll say it, what a bunch of fakes. If you want my opinion on this, I must say that using the "pitch changer" on the mixer here on SingSnap, a really handy Gold member feature, is just what you need to help you reach those notes up or down. Not only that, but I find that even if the end result is slightly pitchy, I enjoy the imperfections solely because I value the process of singing just for the joy of it without worrying about sounding pitch-perfect. I don't WANT to sound exactly like the original artist, and let’s be honest, none of us ever will. So sing like a true SingSnapper and go au naturale. That is truly being an "original" and that's why I'm happy to let the pros turn themselves into recording robots, because here at SingSnap, we are still the real deal. They should award a Grammy for that!

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
8 8 inch flour tortillas
Method:

Cut tortilla into 4 strips, then cross wise, cutting the 2 ends in half.

Add to frying pan with a thin layer of cooking oil, turning over once, lightly brown each chip. Place chips on paper towel for any oil absorption. While still warm I like to place chips in a paper bag with the sugar & cinnamon mixture, then giving it a good shake.

You may enjoy your cinnamon crisps, with a cup of hot Mexican chocolate. I perfer Abuelita brand.

Prepare Abuelita hot chocolate by bringing a saucepan of milk (or water, not my choice) to a boil, add the tablet of chocolate and stir continuously with a whisk, or molinillo until disolved and frothy or creamy.

Enjoy!

I found this other method, but haven't tried it. I believe this might work out better for children.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 8 8 inch flour tortillas 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Method:

In a small bowl combine sugar and cinnamon, set aside.
Brush tortillas with melted butter. Cut each into 8 wedges.
Arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Lightly sprinkle cinnamon mixture over.
Bake in preheated 400F oven for 4 to 6 minutes.
Can be made ahead and keep in air tight container.

As Kirsty MacColl once sang..."There's a guy works down the chip shop, swears he's Elvis"...

Have you come across something similar? Maybe not Elvis working in a chip shop, but what about someone with a famous name and less glamorous job?

The News Team discussed this and had some stories to tell...

divinedivaukGOLD met Ricky Martin! Sadly though, instead of the Latin lover, he turned out to be a middle aged psychic medium from Glasgow, Scotland. She also lives across the street from John Barrowman (Scottish pensioner, not camp Scottish/American entertainer)

The editor, REALLYMADNEWS-TEAM, works in an electrical building design office, and sits directly opposite his workmate, Don Williams. There was a call came through once…

“Hello I’d like to speak to Charlie please”

“Charlie who? We don’t have a Charlie here.”

“Yes you do I spoke to him yesterday. Country singer’s name I think… Charlie Rich! That’s it!”

“No sorry. Nobody here by that name.”

Hmmm… oh I know, heh heh. Silly me. I meant Kenny of course.”

“Kenny?”

“Yeah. Kenny Rogers!”

ma_elenaGOLD went to school with none other than Kenny Rogers... nope, still not that one…

I'm sure you'll all have been in contact with many people with famous names. Did you ever see a real celebrity somewhere that you least expected? What about mistaken identity? Ever accidentally ask the completely wrong person for an autograph? Maybe YOU have a famous name! If so, PM the News_Team and tell us your stories. We might just publish the funniest in the next edition of Rhythm & News and give you a little something for your trouble.

And finally, we’re dishing out the prizes from all the contests featured in the previous edition of Rhythm & News. Yes, that’s right; the long wait is over!

SingSnap is proud of the community it has created, and rightly so. Your continued interest in the newsletter makes the hours we toil over it that much more worthwhile, so thank you to everybody who took part in our little competitions. If you didn’t win this time around please keep trying. Next time it could be you!

ARE YOU A POET AND DIDN’T KNOW IT?

An unbelievable response to our poetry contest; into the hundreds, making this our most successful competition by a long long way! As you can imagine the judging took a lot of time and effort and it was a VERY tough decision. We have included poems that we felt deserve special mention but in the end the three winners came in, all as follows:

SPECIAL MENTION;

VoiceofElkGOLD – SingSnap

annaleaGOLD – Another War With Poppies

AardvarkBbrkGOLD – The Virtuoso

3RD PLACE – WINNING 1 MONTH GOLD:

shygirl2008

Is This You?

We rush here, and we rush there !

chasing a dream, daring a dare !

This world's got us caught up, running around,

chasing a fantasy, keeping us bound.

Bound up in shackles, of life's luxuries,

making us slaves of things so temporary !

When do we stop to realize,

that life's more than this,

and all we have to do, is look inside!

And begin to work on the things that count,

A loving heart, a warm embrace,

a smile that goes around

So where do we start and with who?

I'd say the time is NOW

and the person is YOU !

2ND PLACE – WINNING 2 MONTHS GOLD:

littleleprechaunGOLD

Growing Old

I often wander in my mind to the place where i was born

And think again with pleasure of a sunny summer morn

Fields of green with daisies white and hedges of blackthorn

Spending time with family i no longer have to mourn.

Returning to the present time, life seems so dark and cold

Those summer days, fading now, i wish that i could hold

Not knowing in those days of youth, for it was never told

That only memories are left, in the years of growing old.

1ST PLACE – WINNING 3 MONTHS GOLD:

walkingstickGOLD

Untitled Poem

Before that last confusion

and after the first rush of feeling through my core

knowing your desire for me . . .

I stood in the kitchen door way

breathing in the fresh evening air.

A little red-breasted nuthatch flew

right onto the suet feeder

just a foot from my face.

I could see individual brush-strokes of feathers

and the suet in its wee beak

At the point when I thought

how easy it would be to reach out and hold him

it was as if he read my mind

He stopped feeding

warily scanning the area for danger

for what seemed like forever...

I let my thoughts flow kindly

over this soft and wild creature ...

did he sense my intent then?

for he went back to feeding

When finally he flew away,

I could feel a stir of air on my face

the trailing breath

of his retreating wings.

EXTREME SINGSNAP

Running very close behind the poetry contest (ahem) is Extreme SingSnap, where you were invited to send your pics of SingSnap people and events in unusual places. It occurred to us though that perhaps the message didn’t come across clearly enough that the photos had to be REAL and not just photoshopped creations.

Anyway, the winner of the 1 month Gold subscription this time around is CheekylilvixenPATRON who bravely fought off her own fears and snapped herself on the back of a motorbike cruiser doing 85 mph with the SingSnap logo taped to her safety helmet!

We’re thinking of retaining the contest what with the summer coming up so keep sending the photos to the News_Team PM box under the title EXTREME SINGSNAP. Best of luck for next month.

EASTER EGGS

Here sits a slightly disgruntled Editor, who was secure in his own mind that hiding a couple of April Fool’s Day fibs in the newsletter to find like Easter eggs was all jolly clever and would be a big hit with the readers. Unfortunately that proved to be not the case so unfortunately the prize was unclaimed and I was laughed out of the News Team office. Sigh.

Anyway, for those who are interested these were the answers:

1 – News In Brief story (Per invents new colour)

The entire story was of course one big spoof – how on earth can you “invent” a new colour?

2 – News In Brief story (There’s talk around)

The new features towards the end of the article were all made up, although one of them does mention software designed to correct your flat notes. A little like the new MMSB perhaps? Spooky!

3 – The Nursing Notes (The blurb, which is the intro in the left margin)

We mentioned a man in his underwear getting arrested on cam in a recording – to our knowledge no such recording has ever existed.

4 – Extreme SingSnap (Introduction)

We mentioned other activities such as Extreme Ironing, Extreme Cello and Extreme Freefall Pancake Tossing. That last one we made up, but amazingly the other two ARE real!

5 - So What Do You Actually Do Anyway (question on Trev’s interview)

“Per lives in Denmark. Bit of a distance from you. How did you meet?”

Per actually lives in Sweden.

So there you are. I shall now go console myself with a few beers comforted by the knowledge that at least some people DID make the attempt. Ah well. Cheers everyone, have a great May!