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It was tough for me this week to listen to calm classical music or none at all. I really enjoy my heart-thumpin’ dance tunes. They get me going like auditory caffeine and I had a rough time cleaning the house and staying motivated without turning the place into a disco tech.

However I did notice more calm moments in the house and in the car and I was glad to have them. If it weren’t for this challenge, I may never have found out about what Laylee had learned in music class last week and the music had a calming effect on both of my kids.

The best part of the experiment came on Saturday when I drove to Gig Harbor and back to run a blogging workshop at a conference for moms. I was nervous that I’d fall asleep listening to classical music alone in the car for over 3 hours. But the weirdest thing happened. I decided instead to take Rebecca’s advice and drive in silence. It was amazing. I can’t remember the last time I’ve taken a long drive with nothing to listen to but my own thoughts. When I’m with the kids I use the music to occupy them and block them out and when I’m alone I enjoy choosing whatever music I want and rocking out. I was amazed at how many thoughts there were to think and I truly was not bored or drowsy the whole way there and back. I’ll definitely try to spend more time in silent thought as a result of this experiment but I’m also excited to meet back up with my good friend ABBA Gold.

How did it go for you guys? Any breakthroughs? Was it tough for anyone else?

Dare to Simplify Week 2 — Multitasking at Meal Times
I am a hopeless multi-tasker. It’s truly sick how many things I try to do at once. I never finish books, tasks or thoughts half the time because I’m trying to do 10 other things at once. It seems a little broad, complicated and unrealistic to set a goal to stop all multitasking this week. So what I’d like to start with is avoiding multi-tasking during mealtimes and this includes all meal times. Can you sit through 3 meals a day with your family without doing something else? I’m fine at dinner but at breakfast I sit the kids down with their food and run around doing 10 other things while they and I eat. Lunch isn’t much better.

Meals are a good time to relax, unwind and get closer with my family but I tend to think I’m too “busy” to actually do it. One week, 21 meals, sitting, eating, and talking like a civilized person who’s more interested in my family than in being productive. I’m gonna give it a try.

I’ve taken the week off from exercising. I’m nursing a chest cold and have had two extra little friends in the house for the past 2 days. However, if you’re still in peak physical condition or even a bit of peak, you should find out when your local Buddy Walk is taking place and get out and get moving.

Kath is a big supporter of Buddy Walk, an event that promotes the inclusion of people with Down syndrome and raises money for the National Down Syndrome Society. Seattle’s walk is this Sunday. If you can’t walk yourself, take a minute and a few dollars to support another walker.

It was a good day. A little sick. A little crazy. A little tiring. But good. We left the house at 7am and headed into Seattle for an early morning CT scan. I had so built Laylee up about how cool it was to go into a giant tunnel that was like a big camera that she practically jumped up on the table and grinned at the tech as she strapped her head down. When it was all done, she thanked the woman and gushed about how awesome it was and how jealous Magoo would be.

The pictures show everything to have developed normally. Everything’s where it should be and it’s all the right size and apparently the right colors, gray, white or black in the pictures. The good thing is that although her hearing loss is permanent, it doesn’t appear to be degenerative.

Then we met with an audiologist again for another rousing game of put-the-block-in-the-bucket-when-you-hear-a-beep. Super fun! Laylee loves that game even more now that we’ve read the book Oliver Gets Hearing Aids a couple hundred times. Her results were the same. It’s frustrating to sit in the booth and hear the beeps and see her staring straight ahead concentrating, straining to hear but not getting it until the volume has been turned up several times. I just want to wave or give her a sign, text message her, anything to help her win this particular game.

The truth is that it could be a lot worse. She is fully functional with a little trouble hearing some sounds and some volumes. She would get along fine without any help but will do even better with some understanding and in a few weeks some hearing aids. We took the molds today for a pink sparkly pair which should be ready in a few weeks. Very fashion fabulous.

In the 5 hours we were there, we also met with a geneticist, a therapist who hooked us up with a state specialist to help with school stuff, a couple of other doctors, and a cafeteria lady who sold us some un-naturally brightly-colored ice cream. The consensus is that Laylee’s a precious peach who probably inherited her hearing loss from Dan, also precious but somewhat of a culprit in this instance, and that it’s bound to remain stable if we don’t drop her on her head or start taking her to Rage Against the Machine concerts fortnightly.

It’s good. We’re blessed. Our insurance is with one of the few companies that will cover the entire expense of the hearing aids and tests, so far amounting to several thousand dollars. She’s happy, we’re calmer and everything’s gonna be alright.

I guess it depends on your definition of boring. Here’s a little snapshot of my life:

Word on the street is that these dolls barely escaped when a fire began raging in the wooden prison where they were being held captive.

Some people find rocks in their dryer. I just found a lima bean in my washing machine.

This morning I dropped Laylee off at the front door of her school, the kids’ favorite song YMCA blaring on my car radio. She looked so proud to have such a hip fly mom. I bawled as I pulled away knowing it won’t be long now until she’s no longer proud of her mom blaring disco tunes from the tinny speakers in her dorky old car. Yes. YMCA brought me to tears.

I also cried as I talked to my spinning instructor this morning asking her to check my form because if something doesn’t change, I’m going to need to drop the class due to raging joint pain. Real tears. To a woman of steel. Who hugged me right there in the gym and told me that in the past 5 years she dropped down from 230 lbs and she knows where I’m coming from. Next class she’ll be biking right next to me checking my form.

FOR THE LOVE, the TEARS! Followed by the Elaine-esque spasmodic dancing in my house after my kids were out the door for school. I haven’t had a personal dance party like that since college. If I don’t have my period soon, I think my hormones may implode.

AHOY!

Ellie and I want to remind you to talk like a pirate today. ‘Tis good for the soul, mateys! So grab some grog and let loose with a hearty “YO HO” because a pirate’s life is the only life for me.

-Kathryn “Arrrrr” Daring

On this lovely Saturday night I offer you some long overdue shout-outs.

For those of you living in Utah or visiting my parents in Montana or who aren’t willing to use the power of intention to draw her to you for an impromptu hair session, the church hair lady’s name is Karina Swenson and you can call her at 801-295-2678 to make an appointment.

My family portraits were taken by the photographers of Heather Clark Photography and Vincent Arts. They’re both based in Utah and do an amazing job. They’re also my sisters so they’re highly attractive and very pleasant to speak to.

Also, I want to thank Jia at Colour Me Untypical for the Rock On Sistah Friend! Award she kindly bestowed on me recently. It was all kinds of friendly and she wants me to pass it on by listing 3 blogging women who rock, even as I rock.

I give you:

Angie of All Adither
Jenny of Absolutely Bananas
Beck of Frog and Toad are Still Friends

Everyone should be reading them at all times. The End.

It’s okay that it’s hard to chew.

It’s sort of like meat-flavored gum… that you can eventually swallow.

When I’m hanging out with my family I’m sometimes overcome with feelings of dejavu, only in the current situation my kids are me and I’m my mom. [continue reading at parenting.com]

The winners of the This is Me Journal giveaway are a.men from My Life Goes on in Endless song and Rachel from Home Life. Congratulations! Let’s get those kids hooked on journaling.

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Life is full of learning. Magoo has a lot of learning to do. I’ve provided some crucial nuggets of information for him over at Parenting.com [read more]