Being The Best

 A couple of weeks ago Kasi had a concert at school. Sitting in the auditorium, listening to the orchestra, chorus, and band, it finally occurred to me that I tortured my parents the same way when I was in school.  It's funny, really.  I enjoyed the chorus, and not just because that is where my child performed. They were really good.  There are some very talented girls at Kasi's school. I also enjoyed the band.  The orchestra?  Not so much.  I was actually cringing.

I think I was so critical because I was in orchestra.  I played the viola for 8 years, and I sat first chair for 6 of those years.  I was awesome.  Thinking back on it now, though, I am sure my orchestra sounded just as bad as the one at this concert.  We all probably could have benefited from a violin lesson or two.  

I have always had this need to be the best, no matter what I was doing.  Not to brag about myself, but I have never gotten a less than perfect review at any job I have ever worked.  I am most definitely a people pleaser.  I am a rule follower, but I think that has more to do with my fear of getting into trouble than anything else. 

I know there are many more concerts in my future, and I hope I can be a little less critical of future performances.

Bad Decisions, That's Alright

Yes, I am quoting a Pink song, who happens to be my new favorite singer. And no, that picture up there has nothing to do with this post, but I found it on my camera from a trip to the zoo a few months ago, and it's adorable...I mean, a monkey and it's baby...so I just had to share it. But anyway, I used to listen to only country music, but when I started driving all day, every day, it became really annoying to listen to the same songs over and over again every day.  My van doesn't have a CD player, or a way for me to plug in my MP3, so I started to randomly listen to different radio stations. The first toime I heard Perfect by Pink, I was hooked.  She is awesome.

I think I was talking about bad decisions. We've all made them.  Some of us have made more than others, and recently, I made a really, really bad decision.


I started smoking again.


I hate it.  I don't know why I do it, but I do.  At first I blamed all the stress in my life.  I was, and am, struggling with money, and I worry about it all the time.  Smoking hasn't helped the issue, because cigarettes are not cheap, which means I am spending money that I can't really spare on them. 


It's a vicious cycle.  I remember how easy it was for me to quit 10 years ago, but I am having a hard time this go around.  I wake up every morning convinced I can quit that day, but it hasn't happened yet.  I know that if I don't stop, I am going to end up sick.  Really sick.  We all know what can happen to smokers.

I really need to quit.

Just A Kiss

 I am loving the new Lady A song, "Just A Kiss:".  You can listen to it here.

Lyrics:

Lyin' here with you so close to me
It's hard to fight these feelings when it feels so hard to breathe
Caught up in this moment
Caught up in your smile

I've never opened up to anyone
So hard to hold back when I'm holding you in my arms
We don't need to rush this
Let's just take it slow

Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight
Just a touch of the fire burning so bright
And I don't want to mess this thing up
I don't want to push too far
Just a shot in the dark that you just might
Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life
So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight

I know that if we give this a little time
It'll only bring us closer to the love we wanna find
It's never felt so real, no it's never felt so right

Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight
Just a touch of the fire burning so bright
And I don't want to mess this thing up
I don't want to push too far
Just a shot in the dark that you just might
Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life
So baby I'm alright, with just a kiss goodnight

No I don't want to say goodnight
I know it's time to leave, but you'll be in my dreams
Tonight
Tonight
Tonight

Just a kiss on your lips in the moonlight
Just a touch of the fire burning so bright
And I don't want to mess this thing up
I don't want to push too far
Just a shot in the dark that you just might
Be the one I've been waiting for my whole life
So baby I'm alright, oh, let's do this right, with just a kiss goodnight
With a kiss goodnight
Kiss goodnight

I've Been Listening To Baby Boomers Music

 I love to sing.  It's one of my favorite parts about having my own car now.  When I drive, I turn up my music, and I sing.  Loud. And Badly.  I know I can't sing, but I love to, so I do it anyway. 

My favorite is country music, but I am sure you all know that already.  I mean, I'm sure I have mentioned my love of Sugarland and my unhealthy crush on Keith Urban at least a million times since I started blogging.  Lately, though, I have been trying to broaden my horizons.  I have been trying out different radio stations, and to be honest, I really like listening to some of the oldies stations.  I have tried listening to some baby boomers music, and there are a few songs I know and like.  I remember growing up, we used to have a juke box in our basement, and it had a bunch of songs from the 50's and 60's, which seems to be popular with baby boomers.  I have also been giving current rock a chance, and I am finding that harder to take.  I seem to always find myself tuning back into a country station.

I may have grown up in NY, but I am definitely a country girl these days.

Sugarland Concert

It was freakin' awesome!!!!!!!!!

Sandisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 Player Review

I love music.  I really do.  If I am in the car, or cleaning the house, or waiting at the bus stop, I have music playing.  Lately, it has been Sugarland's The Incredible Machine CD.  I listen to it over and over, because I have this weird obsession of learning all the words to all the songs on every CD I buy.  I also realize that not many people don't even buy CD's anymore, but I do.

Recently, I was asked to review the SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ MP3 player, and I was thrilled.  I already have a SanDisk MP3player.  It's the 1GB Sanza Clip.  It doesn't hold very many songs, but it's tiny and clips right on whatever I'm wearing, and I love it.  In fact, I bought Ryan and Kasi each one for Christmas a few years ago, and they liked it so much I bought myself one for my birthday a month later.  But, I am not writing this to talk about my old MP3.  I am writing this to tell you how much I love my new one, the Fuze+.

First let me start by saying that it is pretty.  It's black and shiny, and has a touch pad, which I think is becoming standard on all electronics these days.  It took me a couple of days to get used to that...I can't tell you how many times I rewound or fast forwarded a song by accident.  The Fuze is 4GB, which holds a ton of songs.  Oh, and it also has a slot where you can use a SanDisk slotRadio card, which is a little card that holds 1,000 songs.  The great thing is that the songs are not downloaded onto the MP3, so you can still listen to great music without taking up memory space.  You just pop it into the slot and listen. I was sent the VH1 Classic radio card, and it has some pretty great songs on it.  Songs that I listened to as a teen.  Wait, does that make me classic?

The only thing I wish it came with was a clip.  I like to listen to it while I walk, and I hate having to hold it, because that is when I touch the screen by mistake.  Other than that, I would recommend the SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ for all the music lovers on your Christmas list.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of SanDisk and received the SanDisk Sansa Fuze+ and VH1 slotRadio Card to facilitate my review.

Stuck Like Glue ~ New Sugarland Video

This Is It

I am not a big Michael Jackson fan.  I like his music (the old stuff), but I am not a fan of the man. 

That said, I still wanted to see this movie, and was thrilled when it came on Starz.   I happened to catch it this morning, and it completely sucked me in.  His creative process was amazing.  We all know the man could dance, and watching him on stage...well, he was just so talented.  He really was.  I loved watching him perform my old favorites...Thriller, of course, and Beat It.  I surprised myself by remembering so many of the words.  I mean, I haven't heard these songs in years. 


So, do I think you should watch this movie?  Sure, if you have ever been a fan of the music, because that's what this movie is about.  It's not about the man, who was just plain weird (sorry, but he was), it's about the music he created.  And that, my friends, is it.

Just Because Someone Might Need To Hear This Today

You walk outside and all you see is rain
You look inside and all you feel is pain
And you can't see it now

Down the road the sun is shining
In every cloud there's a silver lining
Just keep holding on
Every heartache makes you stronger
It won't be much longer
You'll find love
You'll find peace
And the you you're meant to be
I know right now that's not the way you feel
But one day you will

These are the lyrics from one of my favorite Lady A songs, One Day You Will.

Really? Seriously? What Is WRONG With You?

Yesterday morning, Junior decided that he wanted to go walk around the flea market.  Usually I am all for this, but it was hot and muggy and threatening to rain, and I just didn't feel like being outside.

But, I went with him anyway, because that's just the type of thing this wonderful, supportive, amazingly beautiful wife does for her husband.  Yeah, okay.  Anyway, I hate walking with him, because he likes to look at tools and fishing stuff, and I like to look at books and jewelry.  So I make him give me money and the girls and I go our own way.  (see, I could have stayed home, because we don't stay together anyway, but whatever)  We are walking along, and I notice that every other booth is playing music, but it's all different types of music.  Most of it is in Spanish, but some is country, and then there was one booth that was playing rap.

The kind of rap where they say very bad things.  By the third Mother F*****, I was livid.  And it was LOUD!  So I said LOUDER as we walked by, that they should have some consideration for the CHILDREN that are walking around, and not play music with curse words.  I was really ticked off.  Not just for my kids, but for all the kids.  And for the poor old man who had the booth next door, who looked like he was ready to kill someone.

So I did the only thing I could think of.  I went and found Junior, and told him I needed to find the office so I could complain about the music.  He didn't know where the office was, so we went to the restaurant, since that is a permanent fixture, and after telling the manager what happened, he sent us to the proper person to complain to. 

Junior went and found him while I waited with the kids, and when he got back, he said that as he walked up, the man was on the phone with someone who was standing in front of the booth I was complaining about, letting him listen to the trash they were playing.  Seems I wasn't the only one who was offended by this.  The guy told Junior that he was going to have the people running the booth escorted off the premises, and that they wouldn't be allowed back. 

When we went to leave about 30 minutes later, we walked past the booth again, and they were still there, playing the same music.  I guess we were lied to.

That's okay, though,  It's their loss.  I will never go back there, and I will tell everyone I know not to go back there.  At least until they get rid of that booth.

Sex On Fire

I love this!

Sex on Fire - Sugarland from Sugarland Music on Vimeo.

What I'm Listening To Right Now

This CD came out Tuesday, and of course I was right there at Walmart getting my copy. I don't know if it was on special because it was the release day, but it was marked $12, and I only paid $8. Not bad at all. Since then, I have been listening to it non stop, because as I have said before, I have this obsession where I have to know every word to every song so that I can sing a long. And let me tell you I am making progress, and there are actually a few that I can sing through already.

There is one song, If I Knew Then, that I absolutely love.

The lyrics:

The first time that I saw you, Looking like you did
We were young, we were restless, Just two clueless kids
If I knew then, what I know now, I'd fall in love

You're on a bus in Chicago, Three rows to the left
You know my heart was reaching for you, But we'd never even met
If I knew then, what I know now, I'd fall in love

Cause love only comes, Once in a while
It knocks on your door, And throws you a smile
It takes every breath, It leaves every scar
It speaks through your soul, And sings to your heart
And if I knew then, what I know now, I'd fall in love

On a summer night in August, in the backseat of my car
Said I'm trying to get to know you, I took it way too far
But if I knew then, what I know now, I'd fall in love

Oh, cause love only comes, Once in a while
It knocks on your door, and throws you a smile
It takes every breath, it leaves every scar
It speaks through your soul, and sings to your heart
And if I knew then, What I know now, I'd fall in love

Oh I've used up a lot of chances, I can't get them back
But if again it comes crawling, I'm gonna make it last

Cause love only comes, once in a while
It knocks on your door, and throws you a smile
It takes every breath, it leaves every scar
It speaks through your soul, and sings to your heart
And if I knew then, what I know now

If I knew then , what I know now

I'd fall in love

One of the things I hate is that this CD doesn't come with the lyrics, so this is my version of what they sing, and it could be totally wrong. But trust me when I say it is a beautiful song.

He's So Freakin' Yummy!

Favorite Male Artist at The People's Choice Awards...he was looking hot!
I just wish he would get rid of that red head he was with. I mean, how can he marry me with her hanging around??? lol!!! Okay, so maybe I don't need to marry him. Maybe just a little playtime???

Oh, and I love his latest song...til summer comes around.

You're welcome...enjoy.

Disaster

The other night, I was sitting in my recliner, all comfortable, watching Dexter. The kids were in bed, Junior was sleeping, and I was engrossed in the goings on of my favorite serial killer.

Behind where I was sitting is my desk. On the wall beside my desk is this shelf, full of CDs.

So there I was, watching Debra interview Christine, when all of a sudden the shelf decided to reject the brackets that were keeping it attached to the wall, and the entire thing came crashing down. (I wish I was in my "blogger" frame of mind and not in total freakin' shock because then I would have remembered to take a picture of the mess) Talk about scaring the crap out of someone! Junior was instantly awake, and Ryan and Kasi both came running out of their rooms. I just sat in my chair, afraid to turn around and see what was broken.

I had elephants on that shelf!

After threatening to kill the kids if they laughed, Junior convinced me to turn around. I wanted to cry. There were CDs everywhere, and most had fallen out of their cases. I was sure that at least half of them were broken. But, when Kasi and I finally got the mess cleaned up, there wasn't a single broken CD. In fact, the only thing that did break was the little glass bowl I keep my jewelry in. Every elephant was unbroken, all the little animals Brandi has painted me that were on the shelf were in one piece, too. I was very lucky.

I was even luckier that I wasn't sitting at my desk when the shelf fell. It would have fallen right on top of me, and I am sure that would have hurt.

Christmas Carols

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Madacy Entertainment. All opinions are 100% mine.

There is a local radio station that is playing nothing but Christmas Carols. It seems to be the only thing my mom will listen to anymore. The other day when we went to the movies with her, my girls didn't care for it. I think it was mostly because they were old, classic songs that they have never heard before. In fact, there were quite a few that I had never heard before. But I guess that when you are playing Christmas music twenty four hours a day, seven days a week, you have to have quite a variety of songs.

My kids prefer the fun, silly songs, like Frosty the Snowman and Jingle Bells. Throw in a little Rodolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, and they are happy kids. This is why I am thinking about downloading 60 Christmas Carols For Kids from Amazon mp3. Normally $9.49, starting Black Friday it is on sale for only $3.69. I checked out the songs on the album, and most of the kids favorites are on there, plus a few that even I have never heard of.

Every year, Junior and I pick one night where we take the kids and just drive around looking for Christmas lights. There are a few houses that we try to go and see every year, and I love singing Christmas carols with the kids while we're driving around. It would be great to have all the fun and silly songs they love playing while we sing. Trust me, this drives Junior insane, but it's only once a year, so he's a good sport. I'm hoping we can pick a night next week to go out.

It's going to be so much fun.

Do You Have What It Takes?

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Popstation. All opinions are 100% mine.

Do you believe that you have what it takes to be a superstar? Do you have the vocals to make it to the top of the charts? Do you know how to get started?

If you think you do, check out PopStation. This is the place to go where you can record an original song, and have it voted on by the fans. There are no judges, just everyday people who love music. Just register with the site (it's free to do so) and visit the practice rooms. It is here that you can practice singing, and then record yourself singing an original song. Original songs are released Monday through Thursday, with a different branch of music each day. Since I am a country music freak, my day to visit would be Tuesday. Of course, I am no where near good enough to record a song, but I am more than happy to listen to other people make these songs their own. The more of yourself you put into the song, the better your chances are of being "discovered" by the PopStation audience.

The best part is that once every three months, one #1 artist will earn the "Big Deal", where they can experience recording an album first hand. If you are lucky enough to be that artist, you and a friend will get a three day, all expense paid stay in a NYC hotel, where you will spend two days recording your own album, complete with the help of industry professionals. Sounds pretty cool. But, you can't win if you don't enter, so go. Get to work.

And one day when you are rich and famous, don't forget that you heard about PopStation right here. It's always nice to acknowledge the "little people".

Lady Antebellum!

Okay, so I am watching the CMA's. Most of you know I have an unhealthy crush on Keith Urban, and that I despise his wife.

You also know I have a really unhealthy crush on Sugarland, mostly because there are two of them, and one is a girl. In reality, I love Kristian and want to be Jennifer.

My newest obsession is lady Antebellum. Those who know me know this already. I think they are awesome!

Watching the CMA's right now, it seems I am not their only fans. They have won both the awards they were nominated for. That is freakin' AWESOME! If you don't know who they are, goolge them and listen to something they sing. You will become fans, too.

Oh, and it's pretty cool to me that they, as in Lady Antebellum, are one of my 30 or so followers on twitter. That's right, they are following me. Since I only get on there once every few months, I can't see what they are interested in me, but I love it. (since I don't know much about twitter, I could be all excited over nothing, but I still think it's pretty cool)

And I love them!!!!!

Who's Got Talent?

So what did you think? I absolutely love this song, and he sings it so well. Are you wondering who he is? His name is Randall Richards and he is trying to get on the program, America's Got talent. He is a father of five and grandfather of 4, and it is his dream to sing on that popular program.

I have never watched it myself. I know, I know. It's just that I have certain programs that I watch that come on at the same time. I am assuming it is like American Idol, where you perform in front of the judges and they decide who makes it to the finals. Those of you who do watch can answer this question for me. Does it ever get to the point where America gets to vote, or is it purely based on the judges? And who are the judges? Isn't one of them Piers something or other? I remember him from The Celebrity Apprentice, and I hated him. I hope he is nicer to the contestants.

So is there something we can do to help this guy make his dreams come true? Go check out his youtube video, and click on the "like" button. Let's give him some encouragement!

A Promise Is A Promise

I am on a mission to listen to some of the music that my son is now interested in. To be honest, it sounds like plain old noise to me, but I remember how frustrated I got when my parents didn't like the music I listened to, so I am willing to at least give it a shot. I am going to have him do a Rapidshare Search and bookmark the songs he thinks I need to hear. This should be interesting, to say the least.

I have a feeling that once I do this for him, I will be doing it for the girls, too. While I did promise to listen, I did not promise to like it, or to allow him to listen to it. Some songs these days are way too suggestive, even for a 14 year old boy. Or should I say, especially for a 14 year old boy?

Keep You

You all know I love Sugarland.
This is one of my favorite songs they have ever done. Enjoy.

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