Doug MacMillan has spent most of his musical life as the lead singer for The Connells, the Raleigh rock band that toured and played throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, and had some major success in Europe.

The band doesn't perform as regularly now. Gigs are scheduled around day jobs and family life. But MacMillan is working to link up his family life and music with his kids music band, Mommie.

Mommie has played occasionally over the last few years and recently released a CD called “Mommie's Dearest” with songs about kids favorites such as shadows, dump trucks and bubbles, all recorded between 2003 and 2006. MacMillan is hoping to take advantage of the interest in kids music that's launched stars such as Dan Zanes, with more performances and more songs.

Mommie will play from 6:30 to 7:20 p.m. Friday at Seaboard Station near downtown Raleigh as part of the center's regular concert series. At 6 p.m., there will be free inflatables and some big trucks for kids to check out.

The band also is scheduled to play The Factory in Wake Forest as part of its Families After Five series at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 13. Both events are free.

There's also plans for a second CD. A few new songs can be found online at www.myspace.com/mommiemusic and www.cdbaby.com/cd/mommie.

It all started in 2002 when he was hanging around with his son, Charlie, at home, being Mr. Mom, as he says.

“I kind of have this habit of singing when I'm at home, going through the mundane rituals,” MacMillan says. “He just started saying ‘bulldozer, bulldozer, bulldozer' over and over again. I said ‘wait a second,' grabbed a guiltar and came up with a riff.”

It became their thing. Charlie had the ideas, the reason why most of Mommie's Dearest's songs are about trucks.

MacMillan and friends, including Bo Taylor (of the bands Dish, Motocaster and Bandway), eventually turned it all into music when they had the time. The result are short songs with simple lyrics that young kids can appreciate, and music that can easily keep mom and dad entertained. Connells fans will recognize Mike Ayers and Peele Wimberley.

“It was real spontaneous,” MacMillan says of working with Taylor, who has a studio. “He'd take whatever we recorded and he'd mess around at home. It turned into this thing. Charlie loved it. He remembered coming up with them. He remembered we had written the songs. That was how it all worked out.”

Charlie is 10 now, but he's still coming up with ideas, MacMillan says. And MacMillan hopes the CD and an increased performance schedule will launch Mommie to the next level. Zooglobble.com, the popular blog that tracks the latest in kids music, recommended Mommie's Dearest in a post last spring.

“I know there's a market for it,” he says.

Of course, he still has to work around his day job, his family and The Connell's performance schedule.

Also ...

Enjoy all the free stuff at the fifth annual Children's Good News Spectacular from 10 a.m to 3 p.m. Saturday at the N.C. State Fairgrounds' Jim Graham Building. The event includes games, inflatables, an illusion show, along with popcorn, snowcones and drinks. Sponsored in part by the Child Evangelism Fellowship, a Bible centered, international Christian fellowship dedicated to converting children to Christ. 

Learn ways kids can make their home, school and community more environmentally friendly during a free performance by the Traveling Teacher Show at The Eye of the Eagle Art in downtown Clayton. The performance, which includes costumes, puppets and music, starts at 11 a.m. Saturday at Eye of the Eagle Art in Clayton. Best for kids ages 4 and up. 

Get your American Girl dolls out and head over to the N.C. Museum of Art showing of “Kit Kittredge: An American Girl” at 9 p.m. Saturday. The night starts two hours earlier at 7 p.m. with an American Girl look-alike contest and crafts. All kids under 12 will get a free ice cream courtesy of Ben & Jerry's. The G-rated movie stars Abigail Breslin as Kit, an aspiring reporter and amateur sleuth during the Depression.

And there's more on the Mom2Mom calendar.