Not to brag or anything, but I used to have a reputation of being an Ice Queen.  And no, I don’t mean like Elsa.

I mean, I could see the sappiest, tear jerker of a movie and not get in the least bit misty.  I would sail through weddings without even needing to stock tissues in my purse.  And I certainly never choked up while listening to music.

That is, until I became a mother.

Now that I have given birth to and take care of two little people who have turned my world upside down and made me see life differently, I’ve become a softie.  Heck, I couldn’t even make it through that during the Winter Olympics without dabbing my eyes a bit and faking a yawn as a lame attempt at covering my emotions.

And then, I hear songs like “I See You For You” off of Suzi Shelton’s latest family album, and I get all blubbery.

Seeing the world through the eyes of your child, and seeing your child for the simple beauty and joy that they are is something I get now that I’m a parent.  And Suzi Shelton, a parent herself, has penned some songs that mimic my heart’s hopes and aspirations for my own children.

Award winning family musician Suzi Shelton has just released her third solo family album, “Smile In My Heart”.  With a voice that is clear and strong, Suzi Shelton sings tunes that speak to both young children and parents of young children.

While the lyrics and content of her latest album are a bit too “little kid”-sounding for my brood, Suzi Shelton’s latest album is perfect for kids in the 2-4 years old circuit. She reminds me of Laurie Berkner in the way you can actually hear these two musical gems smiling when they sing.

While “I See You For You” is my favorite song on the album, there are several tracks that get my heart all mushy and warm.

“Smile In My Heart” is the touching title track of the album, with strings adding a nice warmth to a song about spreading love.  The first time I heard it, I was reminded of a conversation I had with my daughter when she asked where she was before she set up camp in my uterus.  Surely, Suzi Shelton probably could have answered my daughter’s question much more eloquently than I did.

Another standout on the album is “Tomboy In a Princess Dress” which addresses my favorite little girl combination of toughness and femininity.  “Let Your Light Shine”, sung with Michael Messner, is an inspiring and empowering song about dreaming big, opening up to your heart’s desires and not giving up.

The album also includes songs with a variety of sounds and styles.  “It’s a Beautiful Day “ transports me back to the days I wore bellbottom corduroy pants and bounced around on our velour couch to The Brady Bunch’s “Sunshine Day”.  The breezy tune “Wings Of a Bird” has a bit of a calypso feel to it, and the Appalachian folk song “Jubilee” lends itself to toe-tapping and dancing.

Suzi Shelton cover’s “Ice Cream Man by Jonathan Richman (remember him from Something About Mary?) in an ode to that diary king of summer, complete with a fake-out ending and rocking reprise.

“Go, Fire Truck, Go” was co-written by one of Shelton’s 4 year-old students and gives little ones plenty of room to interact in call and response style, with prompts to go and stop.  The video is pretty adorable as well!

Rounding out the album are the fun tracks “Banjo Pickin’ Girl”, “Pony Boy” and “Cinnamon Bear”.

If you’re lucky to live in New York, be sure to check out Suzi’s lineup of shows in Brooklyn this May:   http://www.suzishelton.com/gig/

In honor of Mother’s Day, I’m giving one lucky winner a copy of Suzi Shelton’s CD!  All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter widget below by 11:59pm on Friday, May 9th.  Open to anyone 18 and over in the contiguous United States.

And to all of you mothers out there, hope you have a fantastic Mother’s Day!