Plugged In

I'm not exactly a new band mom.  Both of my kids have been playing in the school band since they were in the 5th grade.  However, I am a new MARCHING band mom.  A couple of weeks ago, we experienced a little taste of band competition when we attended a non-scored preview show.  Sort of like a little kick off to the competition season.

It was exciting and new.  I've always loved music, was in band myself, but marching band is like... whoa.  I quickly realized that these bands are super competitive.  I had no idea.

The first band to perform were amazing!  They had trampolines and stages and everyone was moving around.  The drummers were even playing while jumping on the trampolines once!  They were great.  The next bands performed.  Everyone was very good.  Minimal mistakes.

All the bands needed the use of electricity for their "pit" section.  That's the section that gets wheeled in by ATV's on small carts.  The keyboards, large timpani drums, xylophones, etc.  I understand the need to plug those in.

HOWEVER...

One band started hooking all their equipment up like everyone else.  Then they began placing microphones across the edge of the field.  NOT like everyone else.  These were to enhance the instruments.  Apparently this is an accepted practice and not against any rules.

I felt duped.  Our band is ginormous, but most other bands were around the same size.  The other bands didn't need the use of artificial enhancements to project their sound.

Like I just found out their boobs were, indeed, fake.  I clearly have a lot to learn.

'Tis the Season

Here it is.  December.  That means that inevitably we will be hearing Christmas music.  Everywhere.

I'm not complaining.  I love this time of year.  I love the music.

But...  you knew there was going to be a "but", right?

I can't stand what I consider modern Christmas tunes.  It seems to me that if you are a musical artist you are required to release an album of Christmas tunes.  I HATE IT.

The Jessica Simpson's, the boy bands, the horror....

Give me Burl Ives, Bing Crosby.  The classics.

Ahhh... yes.  Those are the ones.

Seventh of 30 Days

DAY SEVEN - YOUR FIVE FAVORITE SONGS

This is hard for me.  I love music.  I have more than five favorite songs.  I had to let my daughter help me pick five from my play list.  Without further ado...


I love Pink. Like have a huge girl crush on this woman. As soon as I heard this song, I laughed and then played it for my husband.


This is the song of my youth. My first Metallica song. I could put the entire Black Album on here, but we settled on this one because it was the first.


Glenn Miller folks. Big band music. This man didn't even need words to express what he was saying.


Oliver Stone's movie The Doors came out in 1991. I was 13 years old. Suddenly I was introduced to a whole world of music.


Elvis Presley. And there isn't anything else to say on that.

This was so hard!  I feel like I am shirking other songs.  Five is just not enough.

North/South

I might be in my mid-30's, but my brain still thinks it's much younger.  I enjoy reading young adult novels.  I watch TV shows like Pretty Little Liars.  So when a new spin-off of that show, Ravenswood, was announced, I set my DVR.  This post isn't about the actual show.  It's about the hauntingly beautiful song I heard while watching the premiere episode.

It's about The Civil Wars.


I'm upset that I'd never heard of this band before. They sound amazing. I could listen all day.  In fact, I've already created a Pandora station.

Currently {V.2}

Currently is a weekly feature hosted by Randalin of Harvesting Kale and Lindsey of OT and ET.

THIS WEEKS THEMES:

BUILDING, SHARING, FORMING, DREADING, SINGING

Building the courage to rearrange.  Our house has a strange, annoying layout where you have to walk through a bedroom to get to another bedroom.  Right now, the walk through bedroom is our oldest daughter's room.  We need to change rooms.  The older kids are getting big enough that my son's friends don't need to be walking through her room to get to his.

Sharing a room with our youngest child has it's pros and cons.  She will turn two next month (just 24 days!!!).  It looks like we will continue to share a room with her until we have the funds to finish our basement.

Forming an ingenious plan to get us to the beach at some point this Summer.  It's all any of us want, but with Chris just starting his new job in April, we feel that it wouldn't be a good idea to ask for a week off.  Not to mention, it would go unpaid.  BUT...  a weekend away may not be out of the question.

Dreading my son's orthodontist appointment next month.  I know he's going to have to have braces.  What an ordeal this will probably end up being. *sigh*

Singing - Blurred Lines by Robin Thicke feat. T.I. and Pharrell  I can't help it, the beat is catching.

And yes, I'm STILL singing Thrift Shop by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.  Am I the only one who thinks Macklemore is HAWT?!

NEXT WEEKS THEMES:

CAPTURING, RELEASING, SENDING, MENDING, RECOMMENDING {a favorite blog}

Throwback Thursday

It's not a good photo.  It's made even worse by the fact that I was taking a picture of a picture.

I think this was 8th grade.  This was at the DUC (Downing University Center) on the campus of Western Kentucky University.  We were there to participate in a band festival.  I played the clarinet.

Yes I am wearing a hoodie with a flannel shirt over it.  And shorts.  It was the age of grunge.  Don't judge.



I should also mention that I spent a few hours today at the same KMEA Concert Band Festival in the same Van Meter Auditorium watching my older daughter play her flute with her school's 6th grade band. I even ran into my old middle school band director. Oh and they earned a DISTINGUISHED! Woo!

The Bird and The Bee

I'm not ashamed to admit that I love The Vampire Diaries.  The TV show, not the books.  The books are horrendous.  I don't say that lightly either because it's been my experience that books are nearly always better than movies/television adaptations.

A couple of weeks ago, I heard a song that I recognized.  A Hall & Oates song.  Maneater.  Except it was being sung by a woman with a beautiful voice.  A quick Google search lead me to The Bird and The Bee.  This chick's voice is amazing.  They have a whole tribute album of Hall & Oates songs!  Plus many other songs that are just as wonderful!

Country Grammar

Hey y'all, it's FRIDAY!  Wooo hooo!  Am I right?

Last night (or maybe the night before) I saw a commercial for some new singing competition show.  I can't remember who the other 2 or 3 judges were, but I saw Nelly.  And that got me to thinkin'... man I haven't heard a good Nelly song is

FOREVER....

At one point in time I had all his albums.   Country Grammar came out in 2000 and I have to say we listened to it so much our one year old son started telling us that fish don't fry in the kitchen and beans don't burn on grill.

I miss that.  So to send us all off on a wonderfully carefree weekend, let me supply some background music!







Just so ya know... I hate censored videos.  Ugh....

Tuesday Tunes That YOU GOTTA HEAR!

I haven't done a Tuesday Tunes in ahhhhh-while, but while browsing through my Google Reader this morning I came across Karmin Music.  OH EM GEE, y'all!  These guys are so awesome!  They have covers of popular songs, like the one I'm going to feature here, and originals that are beautiful and equally as awesome! The videos are super cute and funny too!

Not the Beatles

I hear this song all the time on the radio. I find myself bobbing my head to the beat. It's catchy. I had no clue on the lyrics though. A few nights ago, Kaia was getting ready for bed and this song came on her radio. She said, "Ooo listen Mom! It's the Beatles!" No matter how many times I tried to explain to her that, in fact, this is NOT the Beatles, she wouldn't believe me. Curiosity got the better of me. I had to do some research. Turns out I was right, not the Beatles, but the lyrics are pretty serious.

Robert's got a quick hand.

He'll look around the room, he won't tell you his plan.

He's got a rolled cigarette, 

hanging out his mouth, he's a cowboy kid.

Yeah he found a six shooter gun.

In his dad's closet hidden in a box of fun things,

and I don't even know what.

But he's coming for you, yeah he's coming for you.

All the other kids, with the pumped up kicks

You better run, better run, outrun my gun...

All the other kids, with the pumped up kicks

You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

All the other kids, with the pumped up kicks

You better run, better run, outrun my gun...

All the other kids, with the pumped up kicks

You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

Daddy works a long day.

He be coming home late, yeah he's coming home late.

And he's bringing me a surprise.

'Cause dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice.

I've waited for a long time.

Yeah the slight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger.

I reason with my cigarette.

And say your hair's on fire, you must have lost your wits, yeah.

All the other kids, with the pumped up kicks

You better run, better run, outrun my gun...

All the other kids, with the pumped up kicks

You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

All the other kids, with the pumped up kicks

You better run, better run, outrun my gun...

All the other kids, with the pumped up kicks

You better run, better run, faster than my bullet.

Tuesday Tunes {Cee Lo Green}

Tuesday Tunes {Alison Krauss & Union Station}

Tuesday Tunes {Adele}

I really love this woman's voice.  It's so beautiful!

Tuesday Tunes {2 Cellos}

Remember a few weeks ago when I said I really enjoyed it when artists did remakes of pop songs?  Wait until you get a listen to this duo of cello players!

Tuesday Tunes {Nate Dogg}

WARNING:  Some of these videos contain language that you don't want your kids to hear.  Or your boss.

Tuesday Tunes {Sweet Dreams}

I'm sure we can all agree that Marilyn Manson has lost his freakin' mind, but I love when originally non-rockish songs are reinvented. Like Seether's Careless Whisper (originally done by George Michael/WHAM), Fall Out Boy's Beat It (the Michael Jackson version *Vevo has blocked this video in the US for some reason...what dumbasses*), or Alien Ant Farm's Smooth Criminal (another Michael Jackson remake).  All of these songs are in my music library in both versions.





I can remember loving the original version by the Eurythmics when I was a kid.

I'm gangsta, yo!

I guess it's kind of obvious that I'm of the Caucasian persuasion and have only seen a real gangsta's paradise once in my life, but I still used to ROCK OUT this song. I'm still proud to say that I know every word.  Don't hate... you know you do too!

P.S. A special thanks goes out to the Green Hornet movie that myself, my husband and son went to see this past weekend.  If you haven't seen it yet, do.  It's a great movie.  Funny, serious, and little more funny.  I was disappointed with the theater though.  They have made the switch to all digital projectors in our local theater.  I miss the grainy quality that I have come to expect from "going to the movies".  Ah well... progress I guess.

Tuesday Tunes

Definitely one of my favorite Fugees songs.

Tuesday Tunes

This song is in one of my favorite movies, "The Skeleton Key".  I'm not sure why, but it's been circulated around my house for the past week or so.  Both the kids have been singing it and now it's stuck in my head too!



P.S. As this is posting... I'm sitting at the doctor's office! Everyone cross their fingers that we'll be getting an ultrasound today!

UPDATE:  No ultrasound today... boo.

Tuesday Tunes

I live on the Green River, just 35 miles from Paradise.