Some days I begin humming a tune around the house. Usually it’s a random tune for no good reason whatsoever. Last night it was “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”.

Just reading that word, the biggest word you’ve ever heard, makes me want to jump up and sing with my best British accent. Once I start singing songs from Mary Poppins, I can’t stop at “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious”. I catch my breath and start back up with “Chim Chim Cheree”.

Since I was doing so much Mary Poppins singing, I put up a url to the song “Feed the Birds” on Facebook and twitter. It’s a beautiful song that can bring listeners to tears in a good way with its ethereal feel and compassionate message. I remembered reading that “Feed the Birds”  was Walt Disney’s favorite song but I couldn’t remember all the information surrounding the story.

Thanks to my social media friends, I quickly found out that the Sherman Brothers were responsible for Mary Poppins music and they’d often play the song “Feed the Birds” for Disney. His favorite song was performed at the dedication of a Disneyland plaque on what would have been Walt’s 100th birthday.

Another favorite of mine is “Spoonful of Sugar”. I like to sing this while I’m cleaning the house. It’s true that a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, even if that medicine is a big pile of dirty pots and pans in the sink.

The story of origin for “Spoonful of Sugar” is that Bob Sherman’s son came home from school after a day of getting vaccinated, also known as getting shots. When Mr. Sherman asked his son if it hurt, the boy replied that they put a sugar cube on a spoon and fed it to each student after they got their shot. The next day Bob Sherman told his brother the now very famous lyric.

A movie is out in theaters now called “The Boys – The Sherman Brothers Story”. The brothers are responsible for more than Mary Poppins music. Music for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Jungle Book, Parent Trap, and The Aristocats came from the Sherman brothers. Find more information about the movie here.

I’m excited about this film because like the trailer says they are responsible for many of the songs that children have grown up with. What Sherman Brothers tune will you sing today?

Thanks to Scott Brody, Lisa Butterworth and Richard Molden on Facebook/twitter, for their Mary Poppins and Sherman Brothers information.

While I’m scrubbing the tub, and vacuuming up those nasty little dust bunnies I try to give a little whistle to brighten up each task.

Following the advice of Snow White, and Mary Poppins I try to whistle or hum a merry tune with every task I undertake, especially those tasks in the domestic engineering category. For all you Broadway fans out there, Mary Poppins, the perfectly magical musical will be on tour in 2009.

Luckily, when I whistle it’s muffled by the roar of the vacuum or garbage disposal. It’s not a sound meant for anyone’s enjoyment or entertainment. I wasn’t aware of professional whistlers like Geert Chatrou, the 2004 International Grand Master Champion.

There are many whistlers with a variety of styles:

www.whistlingtom.com

www.rogerwhittaker.com

www.happywhistler.com

www.whistleon.com/

Ronnie Ronalde claims to be the World’s Best Whistler. He even has a book for sale called Around the World on a Whistle.

“The famous entertainer has spent his life travelling the world singing and yodeling and with his piercing whistle performed with Duke Ellington, Sophie Tucker, Edith Piaf, Josef Locke, Olsen and Johnson, Julie Andrews, Laurel and Hardy, Ginger Rogers, Tony Pastor, Cavan O’Connor, Arthur Tracey, Gracie Fields, Max Bygraves, Benny Hill, Peter Sellers, Sir Harry Secombe, Sandy Powell, Catarina Valente, Neil Finn and so many more.”

According to Ronnie’s book, he even made Marilyn Monroe shiver.

Maybe I should take a few lessons from these whistling experts so I don’t have to close all the windows while I do housework.