Tag Archives: Musical Monday

Music Monday: B Girls

Posted on by Run DMT
15

Every busy mom understands and treasures “Me Time”.  Some moms feel guilty about carving a little time in their day to dedicate to themselves.  I am NOT one of those moms.  I crave my Me Time and typically running is my ultimate Me Time, however these days, my Me Time is pretty scarce with an infant.  Although I’ve been able to squeeze in some aerobics when the baby falls asleep, I still haven’t been able to fit in any runs.  All in due time, I suppose.

 

Another favorite “Me Time” pastime is a pedicure.  Having my piggies pampered is like a Calgon experience.  It takes me away.

 

A couple of Fridays ago, I had just that moment.  I snuck off to the salon to give my gnarly mommy toenails a makeover.  As soon as I walked into the salon, the person behind the desk ordered me to pick a color and I walked over to the wall of colors to make my selection.

 

The names of the colors always make me giggle, like “Hot in Havana” or “Beachy Green”.  Depending on my color mood, I will pick a color based on its name.  That particular day, I was in a hot pink kind of mood and as I read the labels on the bottom of the bottles, only one would due: B-Girlz.

 

A huge smile stretched across my face.  Once my feet were soaking in the sudsy warm water, I texted my sister to share the news.  I knew she would get the old school reference and only my sister would truly appreciate it. I pictured her breaking out in laughter about the name of nail polish as memories of spring break road trips from our drunken Daisy Dukes college days sprung to mind. Good times.

 

Isn’t it funny how a simple phrase, a shared joke or song can take you back?

 

And if you don’t know B means, let us explain.

 

 

Music Monday: Seasons of Love

Posted on by Run DMT
10

First off, I want to thank everyone who linked up and played along for Music Monday last week.  It was great to see some old friends and some new ones join in the fun.  As promised, one lucky participant will win a $15 iTunes card and that winner is…

 

 

Congratulations Thom! :-)

 

Now moving along to this week’s Music Monday selection and link-up…

 

Friday evening, my aunt passed away.  Since she deserves more than simply a footnote in a blog post, I will give her a proper memorial in another post, however I wanted recognize her passing in song with one of my favorite songs.  She slipped away surrounded by loved ones and only one song seems fitting to celebrate her life.

 

 

Restore, Rebuild, ReNew Orleans

Posted on by Run DMT
4

I struggled with the title of this post as well as the words for this piece.  So many emotions flood my mind as I revisit the devastation of Hurricane Katrina with images from five years ago resurfacing.  I considered naming this piece When the Levees Broke, based on the Spike Lee Documentary.

 

 

However, New Orleans’ creed, Restore, Rebuild, ReNew Orleans seemed more fitting to me as it captures the spirit its people and city.

 

 

Two years ago, Allan and I were fortunate enough to win a trip to New Orleans.  Three years after Katrina, the French Quarter showed little evidence that category five hurricane had ever been through there, but the memory of Katrina’s attack on the city still resonated with its residents.

 

As Allan and I did our own damage soaking up every delicious morsel of Cajun cuisine, the shopkeepers and restaurant owners thanked us for visiting, a small reminder that this great city still struggled to revive itself years later after the storm.

 

As a condition of this trip, Allan was required to build picnic benches for some local schools.  The project coordinator led them through the Lower 9th District so the participants could see the damage left behind by Katrina and in turn, understand the significance of their contribution.  Building a few picnic tables seemed hardly enough, like a drop in the bucket to a neighborhood that still was drowning in rubble.

 

Once Allan completed hammering out the picnic tables, we pounded down some Po’ Boys and played like true tourists in this romantic, historical city.  With each step on the cobblestone, NOLA charmed us and stole our hearts as she had done to so many others before us.

 

 

Five years later as NOLA still recovers from Katrina and now even more damage from the Gulf oil spill, it saddens me to see such any amazing city suffer again.   But the people of New Orleans have seen devastation and hard times before.  They will use music to lift their spirits and tell their story and to remind all of us to preserve our precious NOLA, her resources and her people.

 

 

Restore

Rebuild

ReNew Orleans

Musical Monday: Loverboy

Posted on by Run DMT
15

One month ago I fell in love the moment I laid my eyes on little Liam for the first time.

 

 

Liam’s sisters had a similar reaction…

 

 

and constantly smothered their little brother with kisses. (They still do.)

 

 

Allana often says, “Liam is made of sugar, because he is so sweet.”

 

 

I may be bias, but I tend to agree with her.

 

 

But then I am so in love with this little man of mine that I call him Loverboy and I affectionately sing this melody from Love is Strange to Liam.

Baby,
Oohh baby
My sweet baby
You’re the one.

 

A mother’s (and sisters’) love is pretty strange special, just like our little Loverboy.

 

 

 

***Note: These newborn photos were taken by my fabulous photographer friend, Kelly Noel.***

Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows and a Blister in the Sun

Posted on by Run DMT
4

The family and I had a fabulous time in Treasure Island this past weekend. Although our mini-vacation ended too soon, I am somewhat grateful to have escaped our evening sweet sweat fest.

 

On several evenings while staying in this treasured beach town, we walked the boardwalk at John’s Pass where we discovered another Kilwin’s Ice Cream and Fudge Shoppe.  Of course, we had to cool ourselves with some refreshing ice cream on more than one occasion and we felt no shame indulging in the tasty treats because we certainly sweated off all the calories walking along the boardwalk.

 

Just outside the ice cream shop, I caught a few bars of one of my favorite Leslie Gore songs which compelled me to start dancing and singing, however, this compulsion could have been caused by the heat or a resulted as a sugar rush from the ice cream.  Either way, this sweet song perfectly summed up our ice cream summer strolls along the boardwalk although Allana thought I made the song just to torture her and she repaid the favor with one of her personal favorites, Personal Penguin .

 

 

 

On another evening while strolling along the boardwalk, we heard a local band’s version of a Violent Femmes song, which I don’t believe I’ve ever heard covered before.  Considering the higher than average summer heat this past weekend, this song also summed up our summer fun in sun pretty accurately.

 

 

Music Monday button

Music Monday: Summertime

Posted on by Run DMT
4

Even though the official start of summer is still a week away, summer vacation has officially begun here.  My babies are home with me once again and I couldn’t be happier.

 

Most moms dread the summer months and fill the days with summer camps, but I’m one of those strange, rare moms who soaks up every moment of my kids’ summer vacation and enjoys sharing every summertime experience with them.

 

I love the lazy summer days where our schedule is set by simply whatever my girls wake up and want to do that day.  Of course, to help facilitate our fun in the sun days, I compiled a list of things I ambitiously vow to do this summer and I am excited to start checking off each activity.

 

Oh sure, there are days when my kids drive me crazy and I’m ready to pull my hair out, but since baseball caps and other sun hats are part of my summertime ensemble, they cleverly hide the gray and bald spots while protecting me from all the sun exposure.  Besides, my babies are only home two for months and I’ll have ten months to grow the hair back.

 

Like a twinkle in an eye, two months will fly by so quickly but I’m so grateful to have the time with my girls.

 

 

Summer summer summertime
Time to sit back and unwind.

 

 

Music Monday button

Musical Monday: Lump

Posted on by Run DMT
6

Thanks to the Juneathon, I’ve been feeling less like a lump these days. It was just the inspiration and motivation I needed to get moving again.

 

Since about 28 weeks, I haven’t been able to run or wog (walk/jog) and I’ve downgraded to walking, but even still there are good and bad walking days. On good days I can walk and complete a ton of tasks around the house. On bad days, I can barely move and when I do attempt to walk, I have to cradle my belly for fear that my uterus may fall out if I don’t.

 

And as if the fear of losing my uterus wasn’t enough, there are times when I feel like Dr. Kane with an alien life form trying to burst through my gut…

 

 

…because apparently Baby Run DMT #3 likes to stretch his feet against my sciatica and push his back against my stomach. Perhaps with all the prenatal yoga I’ve been doing, I’ve inadvertently taught him yoga in utero. Truly he’s learned yoga through osmosis because his downward dog makes me want to scream mercy.

 

Although mentally I feel less like a lump, physically my big ol’ baby bump looks more like a big ol’ lump. On the surface, you can see a hard lump across my abdomen and this solid, hard mass pulls people in like a giant magical glowing orb. No one can resist my precious and they simply have to touch it. Groping and prodding the lump forces Baby Run DMT #3 to switch positions and pretty soon there’s an elbow or a knee scraping across my belly.

 

Lump’s sudden and painful repositioning causes me to cry out every time.

 

Ow! OwOwOw! Owwwww!

 

Whenever his two big sisters hear me howl from the pain of an elbow jab or alien belly burst from Baby Brother, they howl with laughter and their beautifully evil laughter makes me giggle which I believe causes Baby Boy to giggle too. Oh yeah. My pain is a real gut busting, knee slapper for him. Good times.

 

This giggly kickboxing yoga loving lump better not get too comfortable in there.

 

 

Music Monday button

Musical Monday: Yellow

Posted on by Run DMT
11

When I learned of I Heart Faces Yellow Photo Challenge, I’ve had Coldplay’s Yellow in my head for nearly a week.  Since I will be entering a photo of Allana for the yellow challenge, the lyrics couldn’t be more relevant.

 

Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do,
Yeah they were all yellow,
I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do
And it was called yellow

So then I took my turn
Oh all the things I’ve done
And it was all yellow

Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
D’you know you know I love you so
You know I love you so

I swam across
I jumped across for you
Oh all the things you do
Cause you were all yellow

I drew a line
I drew a line for you
Oh what a thing to do
And it was all yellow

Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
D’you know for you i bleed myself dry
For you i bleed myself dry

Its true look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine
Look at the stars look how they shine for you.

 

 

While searching for a yellow photo for the challenge, I found an old recital photo of Allana at 3 1/2. The stars really do shine for my little sunshine. Her skin and bones turned into something beautiful. I love her so.

 

 

Stop by later to see the actual photo I submit for I Heart Faces.

 

Music Monday button

It’s Crystal Clear

Posted on by Run DMT
6

Crystal Bowersox has been my American Idol pick since the beginning.  This Indie Chick is simply superb.  Everything she sings sounds original and fresh.  With the assistance of a didgeridoo, Bowersox proved that she can out do The Beatles.

 

 

And her version of Give Me One Reason gave Tracey Chapman a reason to blush.

 

 

Last week, she kicked Kenny Loggin’s I’m Alright to a whole new level.  Although I have been never a fan of this song, Crystal’s performance converted me to enjoy this popular song from Caddyshack.

 

 

But my favorite Crystal Bowersox moment by far has been People Get Ready.

 

 

It’s crystal clear to me that Bowersox is the one to beat this season.

 

 

Music Monday button

Musical Monday: The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift

Posted on by Run DMT
9

Saturday night, my family and I enjoyed a delicious dinner at Bahama Breeze and then drove over to Clearwater Beach to catch a glimpse of one our beautiful Florida sunsets.

 

 

Watching my children play in the sugar white sands of Clearwater Beach with a gorgeous sunset as a backdrop was truly the best gift ever and the amazing songs that played on XM’s The Coffee House captured the mood of the evening superbly.

 

 

But the smiles on everyone’s faces that night was the ribbon that tied the whole package together for the perfect Mother’s Day gift.

 

Music Monday button