Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Tuesday Tunes - The Blog Is Not Dead

So, since the blog has been inactive for a while (cough *months* cough) I've decided to bring it back on a Tuesday Tunes edition with some NEW music.  Hoping to get things restarted here and maybe some new tunes will help encourage that, of course new material on the blog might help encourage me to keep writing too.  Here's hoping and trying!

Avenger - The Bamboos 





One Of The Guys - Jenny Lewis





Drive In Movies - Ray LaMontagne


(LIVE VERSION)





Wild Animals - Trampled By Turtles





I Don't Know You Anymore - Bob Mould

Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Tuesday Tunes

For all the Frozen fans out there!  (It's out today on DVD by the way)  This is a brilliant way to cover a song.



Friday, February 7, 2014

Friday Funnies

Happy Weekend!!!


Ice T Meets Dungeons & Dragons
HuffPo Covers






Best Mother-Son Dance Ever - Ben & Nate, we will be doing this at your weddings.  Don't even think about eloping!



Don't worry, I didn't forget about Syda.




Our own Mae, taking Legos.  This girl loves wheels.















Thursday, February 6, 2014

A Few Hours

I'm all alone.  It's ten in the morning, and my house is silent.  So silent in fact, that I put on ambient music while composing this post because the hum of the refrigerator wasn't enough to keep me company.
All of the kids are at school.  Sydney started preschool on Tuesday.  I'm thoroughly excited for her, and relieved, hopeful, and a whole mess of good emotions.  I'm very thankful that the preschool had an opening and that she's able to go.  She's been asking to go to school since the boys started in September.  It's a great program, with wonderful teachers and specialist to help with her speech delay.  It's also nearby and will have a lot of the same kids that she will end up going through grade school with, so it's really a win-win in every way.

The catch to the kids being in school is this - I'm alone now, with myself, for half the day every day.  It's not a negative thing, but it is a change.  It's a challenge to be by myself, because for the last eleven years I have been with my kids and/or working every day.  I'm not complaining at all, I'm looking forward to having this time to myself.  But the "To Do" list in my head is overwhelming me a bit.  It's not a traditional "To Do" list, in wash dishes, do laundry and all - the kids may be at school but the evidence of them is easy to see all over the house.  That stuff will get done, and honestly a lot of it may get done after school too.  The "To Do" list in my head is the one that I've been writing for years entitled:  "What I Would DO with A Few Hours Alone!"
(The exclamation point is mandatory on that, I'm sure all moms can understand.) Do I workout? Yes! What workout do I do?  Should I knit?  Should I write? (YES!) but what do I do first?  Where do I start?  I don't want to waste my time, and yet I do by spinning my wheels and not knowing where to begin.

When I first had kids, it was easy to push the things I loved doing, or wanted to do to the background.  After all, there was a baby to change, a toddler to feed etc.  Kids regulate your priorities pretty easily, without much input from you.  But now, I've got to revisit those interest and prioritize them.  I have a fear of catching myself saying, "Oh, there wasn't time for Yoga/Running/Writing today," because that would be a lie.  The true statement would be, "I didn't MAKE time for what I wanted to do today."

The other piece of this, is that it's a little scary to face myself alone.  I had my kids young, and therefore I didn't spend a lot of time on my own getting to know myself before they came along.  So a big part of my identity is wrapped up in them. That's normal, to an extent, but I want to remember who I am as an individual.  I want to be a good example to them, to show them how to be who they are, how to enjoy and cultivate their interests.  I want to remember who I was, what I was passionate about, and give myself permission to delve into that, now that I've been given the gift of a few hours.  Each day, my children leave our home and go out into the world to explore, learn, laugh, play, and be who they are in a safe environment. I want to embrace my mornings with the same enthusiasm and see what I can learn about myself.

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Tuesday Tunes - Winter Running Edition

Seasonal update time!  This is what I'm listening to while I'm working out this winter.  I'd usually say this is what I'm listening to while I'm running, but I haven't done much running recently.  I've been finding it easy to make excuses to not run.  The weather has been pretty helpful in that area too, providing us with a long stretch of bitterly cold weather.  We're talking below zero here, and frankly I don't have the gear or tenacity to take on a run in those conditions.  YET.  It was nearing 45 today and I'm planning to increase my running no matter the weather.  Hopefully my running will be more consistent soon, thanks to a friend's generosity and my husband's cooperativeness. More on that another time.

For now, I'm getting back on the exercise wagon after slacking for a month.  I've noticed a huge difference in my energy, mood, and anxiety when I exercise regularly so it's time to prioritize that.  These songs keep me moving and motivated. Some of them are are all time favorites, and others are total pop fun, which I think is the key to making any workout fun.


Serena Ryder - Stompa



Pharrell Williams - Happy



Beyonce - XO



Selena Gomez - Come and Get It



The Replacements - Alex Chilton



Chvrches - Night Sky



Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Victory Lap



The National - Graceless



Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
This is what I picture in my head while I'm running during this song.  It really helps.  You're welcome!






Ellie Goulding - Burn



The Whigs - Staying Alive



Lorde - Team


Saturday, January 4, 2014

Supah Sleddahs

Because it's winter in Maine, and we've been getting weekly snowstorms - we go sledding.  Because I blog, we share that fun with you.  Happy weekend!