The Ides of March

Found something fun on Dreamland this morning. Since I'm stuck at home with a sick girl and have been feeling creative, I gave this idea a try. Here are my random 15 on the 15th...

1. my stephanie fizer calendar

2. jenna at home sick

3. laundry

4. a playroom in need

5. favorite quote from the Twilight series; sits in our master bedroom

6. favorite prints from sarahjanestudios

7. to read

8. new mirror above our mantle

9. favorite wall quote

10. favorite purchase from forks, wa

11. family wall in the hallway

12. love my wood floor in the office

13. our backyard

14. our guinea pig, linny

15. growing our own oranges, mmm...

So You Think You Can Dance - LA Auditions

Angie and I attended the first ever audience taping of the So You Think You Can Dance auditions in Los Angeles. They were held at the Orpheum Theater in downtown Los Angeles. This theater was built in 1926, and the architecture of the theater and surrounding buildings was stunning. Click on the link if you are interested in looking at the theaters photo gallery with its 360 degree viewing capabilities. Very fun.

We arrived early and were able to get excellent seats. Of course the ticket holders were divided--this time it was, "kids through one door and adults through the other door" which was, so far, the kindest way they've been able to say, "young, hip looking people through one door, old wrinkly people through the other door." The "kids" got to be on the side behind the dancers in the theater, but we still got to see everything. Nigel, Mary Murphy and Tyce Diorio were the judges, and there were only five or so people turned away from the group of auditions we saw. There are some excellent dancers going to Vegas, and it was really, really, fun to see them do their thing right in front of us.

Some highlights from the evening were being able to sit in the theater with some of the past seasons finalists - Legacy, Twitch, Ade, Katie, Brandon, Jakob, Comfort and last seasons winner, Lauren, were a few of the dancers there. I went up to the bathroom during a break and got in line just behind Lauren. I geeked out and told her that I voted for her. She immediately exclaimed, "Oh, thank you!", and then threw her arms around me for a hug. Very cute. We chatted for a minute about what she'd been up to (working at a dance convention, taping a Glee episode, doing a promo with Gatorade) before being ushered back to our seats.

We were all invited to stay for the choreography portion of the evening which began at 10:30 p.m. We stayed for about 30 minutes to watch Katie and Brandon teach the choreography, but needed to leave before the group dances. We had no idea we were going to be there that late and Angie had a full day of teaching and meetings the next day. So we'll be watching along with the rest of America to see who makes it through choreography when Season 8 begins, May 26.

Are "The Blahs" Genetic?

This post will be all about me. Just thought I'd warn you. My husband has pointed out that many of my posts are about me and not the family. Which is strange because I feel like I upload a lot of pictures with my kids in them, but maybe the balance is off. I'll look into that.

So enough about that, let's talk about me (just kidding, but I love that line). I have the blahs. I've had them for awhile. Where does that come from? Do you all of the sudden turn 40-something and go downhill? Is that what happened? I didn't think "over the hill" happened until later, so if I'm not at the top of the hill, why the descent?

There is so much to be done in my house and in my life. I need my energy back. I have been able to make myself do some things, but it's akin to walking through mud. We have depression in the family history, and some procrastination tendencies, and I've seen snippets of these manifest in me. I just can't figure out why the steady stream at this point, nor do I know how to get out of it.

Hopefully I can post again in the near future and have some progress made in this area. It would have been more fun to have had a post here about a great new recipe or some innovative organizing trick, but it is what it is today. Here's hoping that tomorrow is a bit better in the energy department.

Hippie Day

About ten minutes before I left for choir last night, the girls let me know that Friday was going to be hippie day. I'm not into last minute news, especially since all the jeans styles now are skinny, but we pulled it off. Luckily, Heather had been a hippie for Halloween a couple of years ago, and Jenna had some hand-me-down flared cords. They are kinda cute hippies, don't ya think?

Weekly Menu/Shopping List

Do you ever have a moment where you feel as though you are going to burst if you don't do something creative? I've been having those moments a lot lately. Last week, I decided to create a weekly menu with a shopping list. I had seen some menu/list planners on-line, but after several search attempts, I couldn't locate what I had seen. I nearly bought one from The Container Store, but then I saw the price and thought, "I can make something like this!" So I did.

After many drafts and some voting from my daughter, the design in the picture was the winner. I used it for the first time last week and loved it. I wrote my main and side dishes on the menu side, and as I listed each day's menu, I wrote the grocery items needed to put that meal together. As other grocery items popped into my head, I added those as well. The beauty of this design is that you can tear the sheet in half, hang the menu on the fridge and take the grocery list with you to the store. It was pretty sweet.

Essentials

I am a list maker, but often keep the list in my head. The past year has taught me that trying to keep a list in my head is going to result in many important things being forgotten. As I've really examined what's not working lately, it was very clear to me that I have some how got to remember the essentials. I love the definition of this word as well as those in the thesaurus:

es•sen•tial

adjective

absolutely necessary; extremely important. See notes at, INHERENT and NECESSARY.

essential

crucial, necessary, key, vital, indispensable, important, all-important, of the essence, critical imperative, mandatory, compulsory, obligatory; urgent pressing, paramount, preeminent, high-priority, nonnegotiable; basic, inherent, fundamental, quintessential, intrinsic, underlying, innate, primary, elemental; central, pivotal, vital.

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In order to ground my swirling thoughts and fix myself firmly to some kind of anchor, I have made a list of some essential things that I am not concentrating on and making time for. If all I accomplished during a day could be checked on on this list (see picture above), then the day would be deemed successful. I have further set the goal to be finished with this list by 9:00 a.m. with the exception of water as it will take the day to finish.

If everyone I know made a list, it would be different. These are the items I can't live with out, and those that are essential to my spiritual and physical well-being. I'm a dork, but the word and it's definition inspire me to embrace the meaning. How often are we reminded of the "essentials", and how often do we nod our heads and walk off forgetting. I've heard many of these words from the thesaurus countless times in the scriptures, in lessons and from church leaders. I am, apparently, slow on getting my act together.

Love Language Clues

I recently taught a review of The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman. It was the second time teaching it, and I have found many a light bulb moment in my audience members when we've covered Dr. Chapman's suggestion to listen to your child's requests to find out what his or her love language is. One woman came up to me after the last class and told me that her 16-year-old son always asks her to come in to his room and listen to what his stereo can do. She usually puts him off because she already knows what his stereo can do (along with many of the neighbors), but she realized after hearing the material in the lesson that he was asking for quality time. She determined that night that she was going to pay attention next time he asks.

It's funny how things stick out when you have an awareness. Since learning about and reading this book, I am constantly aware of the requests of my children and what they may need. One such piece of evidence is in the photo above. Last night, I made a list on our mini white board of the next day's after school events and included the dinner menu and showers. If you look at the bottom, my nine-year-old added to the list. I didn't see her do it, but when I read it, I realized that she was asking for my time. She is a Quality Time kid, and she's been feeling low the last few days. They do ask. We just have to listen and act.

If you haven't read this book or the one for children, it's a must read. He has many versions now including one for singles. The love languages are the same in each book, but the examples differ based on the demographic. I figure since our relationships are the only thing we're taking with us when we leave this life we better keep working on them, right?