When I consider aging, I think a lot in terms of decades. What can I expect my life to be in each decade? How glad am I not to be in my twenties anymore? And how much am I looking forward to my forties? I found this little piece of fluff from an online British publication and chuckled, though I agreed with a lot of what they said. Or at least I would agree in theory if my thirties hadn't been almost solely dedicated to gestating, birthing, nursing, diapering and running after children. It's been an awesome decade, but very labor intensive, making me seriously psyched about my forties. But never fear! The same site had this to say about why THEY will be our best decade by far. Admittedly, they were a little less convincing, siting things like "nobody gives a toss what you look like" as one of their reasons, leading me to believe all the people working for them are probably 22 and fantasizing about what in the hell it might be like to grow up.
On a side note, they also had this picece up on their site:
I love to dance. I'm not sure where the passion began, but when I look at my wiggly two year old and see his desire to shake his body to almost anything that has a beat, it makes me wonder if it's something that is just inside of us. And when do we start to forget? At any rate, whenever I'm down, a tiny dance party really does help. Even a party of one. Of course, with friends is the BEST EVER, followed by with your kids as a close second. Personally, I do love dancing with my husband, but cutting a rug with my lady friends somehow always feels a little more epic. So in light of this, here are a few nods to some of my favorite dance moves/films/moments/songs over the past few, uh, decades:
1. FLASHDANCE. It simply doesn't get anymore dance epic than this. Both in terms of film and soundtrack. And it's often streamable on your Netflix most any time. Habitual readers, do you see a trend here? What would my life be without Roku?
2. Move Your Feet by Danish duo Junior Senior. Gets me going every time!
3. Abundance which is the title track of this album by Detroit's PPP. Amazing lyrics, amazing message, amazing beat. Who could want more?
4. This documentary which is available via, yes, Netflix, is a change of pace in terms of the dance theme. It's full of eye candy, and fun to reflect on the fabulous life of Carine Roitfeld. Not a critical success, but totally entertaining. I loved seeing her do straight up ballet in her Paris apartment. Makes me psyched about the possibility of life in my sixties!
5. This dance inspired unitard. I wore the hell out of one like it from American Apparel a few years back. It looks cool with stuff over it, it feels cool to have under clothing, and I loved wearing it in the frigid German winter a few years back because it was a warm base layer that seemed way sexier than my thermals.
6. Maybe this dance workout so I could look really awesome in said unitard. I've eyed it with interest and suspicion over the past few years. Admittedly it would take a lot more dance workouts and a lot fewer doughnut eating sessions to get me in dancer shape, but what a lovely thing to think about while sweating away.
7. This Sesame Street video that got my kids and I killing it in our living room the other morning. It's one of my faves and it was fun to see my little ones inspired to bust a few moves to such a great message.
8. What dance inspired post of mine would not be complete without a shout out to the person who reflects the latent star in all of us with so much humor and, uh, grace. So here's to Molly Shannon and her incredible Mary Katherine Gallagher.
9. And finally, this classic trailer from the dance movie that started it all for so many ladies in my generation. Was the movie "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" also the required video for all of your girlhood slumber parties? I'm convinced that this movie and the masses of young girls obsessed with it was how Sarah Jessica Parker first worked her way into the Gen X pscyhe. So put on your spandex and legwarmers, and enjoy this festive 80s treat:
Do you remember those Magic 8 balls? The ones you could ask a question and then shake up and get a quick answer? Here's what they looked like:
I've been thinking a lot this year about discernment in both my life and my day job. One of the thing that resonates most deeply with me about the process of discernment is how long it can take, and how much patience it requires At least with some questions! Patience is not my number one virtue. Like now, as I'm trying to concentrate on the sentence I am writing and my mind is already on the ten posts that I have to make up for these past two weeks. But no matter. Basically, for myself and anyone else that might be tuning in, I want to list the patterns I've observed and worked with for myself and others going through any process of discernment. Hope it's helpful. My internal Magic 8 Ball is saying Signs Point to Yes!
So I'm finally au courant with my posts, and I'm about to hit the hay. I've had so many fantasies over the past few years about staying in bed all day. BY MYSELF! Sexy right? I just want a total jammy fest with lots of snoozing and lounging around with a remote. I can schedule the occasional weekend away, but why is it so hard to just give myself the gift of true rest? And I know I'm not alone. Maybe I'll order these in an effort to a) Increase the number of my matching pajama sets by 50% (I've got two and whenever I wear them I definitely feel like I rule the world) and b) set my intention to the universe that said sloth weekend WILL happen in 2016. Or maybe I'll just wait til after Christmas and try to snag this pair on sale. Either way, here's wishing you lots of rest in the Advent season and in the year to come! This guy still gets enough...
On the seventh, but no matter. Add this CCR gem to any holiday playlist you have going on. A boy I loved in college put it on a mixed tape for me (yes, I'm totally that old) and it's warmed my heart ever since. And the language and imagery is sooooooooooooooooo Advent. Crank it up and enjoy!
I love food and I love entertaining, but feeling the squeeze of work and family life, it rarely happens right now. But I try to stoke the flame however I can, and here are a few thoughts and ideas floating through my food/family/fun hungry brain right now:
1. This article about speed cleaning before a party cracked me up, but was also so true. I definitely have employed almost all of these tips in one way or another over the years. Dishes in the oven? Wouldn't rule it out.
2. I've been reading MFK Fisher's The Art of Eating since last Christmas. It's a whopper, but so lovely and I'm particularly taken with Mary Frances herself. Here she is shopping in her fur at a market in Switzerland:
Yea, pretty much want to be her
3. I've had a strong desire to have friends over one night this holiday season to sip on a little of this while hanging by the fire. Fingers crossed I can sit back and make the magic happen.
4. But when there's just no energy, and a feast still feels in order, I've been totally loving this series from Netflix.
5. This wine from Trader Joe's. We bought a case of the 2011 for my son's baptism, and I'm still enjoying it (read: RIGHT NOW!). The blog I found it on wasn't bad either. Someone with good taste reviewing wines under $20. Happy early Christmas!
At least that's the size of ours. I saw this decal today as I was pulling out of our neighborhood and it cracked me up. Not sure what that says about our neighborhood, as I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be a novelty item but whatever. Way to take it to the next level, lady! Way more interesting than the classic Baby on Board sensibility.
Too slow to actually capture the moment, I retrieved this photo from www.babyupinthisbitch.com An important web destination to keep in your virtual rolodex.
