Thought-Provoking Thursday: Stranger Interactions

I came across this post on the New York Times Lens blog. At first glance I thought to myself, "What's the big deal? It's not that hard to get strangers together." I was critical. Then I read the post and I looked at the photos. I have been captivated. I don't know what's more intriguing - the stranger who look comfortable together or the strangers who are clearly uncomfortable.

Labor Day for the Royals

I didn't think I was engaged in the whole Royal Baby frenzy, but when I got a text alert at 3am that the Duchess was in labor, I got intrigued. I remember feeling some pressure before I was in labor to hurry up and have the baby so everyone could hold it. I can only imagine what Kate is feeling.

I was reading an article about how the Royal Labor was progressing. It was a completely vague and uninformative article, understandably. What struck me in the article was not so much the attempt to fill space with limited information, but I was stopped by the fact that parents in the UK have waited to name their newborns because they want to either name their child after the Royal Baby or they want to avoid naming their child the same name.

This blows my mind. It's not that I don't believe it; it's just that I don't understand being so attached to a family I do not know. I would not be able to hold off a few days in naming my child, waiting to see what someone else does.

What are your thoughts?

Friday Fantasy

I recently chatted with a friend who said she cannot stop daydreaming about the future. I share her sentiments when it comes to travel.  Many nights after the kids go to sleep, John and I will browse Airbnb and fantasize about staying in fun places across this world. This week, New Zealand has sparked my interest.

Thought-Provoking Thursday

John starts his law program in two weeks. We have had a great, busy summer. We still have one last trip to go on before our summer of family fun is over. I have loved being together as a family this summer; we have definitely built many, many memories. I am ready for the next chapter to begin, though. We have known that John will be going to law school in August since this past December. In many ways I feel like we have already gone through school and are now ready to move forward. This feeling makes it hard not to jump ahead three years in my mind. As much as I keep telling myself to stay in the moment - to practice all the mindful tactics I educate my clients about - I can't help but tricking myself into thinking about life after law school. I tell myself that it is good to prepare, that we need to be strategic and think ahead. These thoughts are traps and they barrel me forward in time, to a time that I cannot predict, no matter how hard and long I imagine it.

I still go there though.

I am actively running the pros and cons to living in different cities and regions of the country. I know all this thinking is in vain, that in the end we will move wherever we move, and we will adapt to wherever we land.

I still go there though.

My mind is making it's own U.S. News and World Report list of best places to live. Really, USN&WR should contact me for some generalized stats and perceptions. I have been factoring the benefits of living near family, regional perks, cultural hubs, school systems, accessibility to other places, living costs, outdoor activities, community involvement, friendliness, opportunities for kids, proximity of close friends. All these categories lead me down longer, more confusing and theoretical paths. And did I clearly mention that I don't have much factual data that I am working with here? I get nowhere with my thoughts.

I know three years from now things will be clear, and I am almost certain that life and where we end up will be nothing like what I could imagine right now. I know we will land where we need to land, but I cannot stop myself from weighing out ideas. I imagine so many different places having very different influences on our family. I know there is no magical place, and I am not sure John and I are people who will truly ever settle down somewhere for the long haul, so we can have many different experiences living in different places. Now that we have kids, though, it seems a little more critical to find a good spot.

What do you look for when you think about places to live? Where is your ideal place to live?

Wordless Wednesday

Royal Watch

With the birth of the Royal Baby any day now, I am realizing how out of the loop I have been about this whole hullabaloo. I am not sure what turned me off from keeping up with the Royals, but somewhere along the way I zoned out.

Today, as I was loading my groceries into my William and Kate tote, I got to thinking about their upcoming venture into parenthood. I cannot imagine what it will be like for them. I just read that Kate did not have any baby showers because it would be deemed inappropriate,  given that she and William have plenty of money. Practical Royals. They definitely don't follow the lead of Hollywood. I give a nod to Kate for her prudence, but I also feel bad for her. I hope that there was a secret shower so Kate got to have some sort of gal pal time to giggle about pregnancy. Because that's what showers are all about, right?

In my eleventh hour intrigue of the Royal Fetus, I have learned some interesting things. The most interesting news I have come across, other than the fact that Americans are far more into the Royal Bump than Brits, is news of Heidi Agan, a Kate impersonator. Heidi, like most lookalikes, has a real rags-to-riches story. I get the sense that there is a formula to being a hired lookalike: work as a waitress or minimum-wage job, have multiple people insist that you look like someone famous, alter your appearance in one subtle way, and - voila! You are moving up in the world and almost completely indistinguishable from a celebrity. 

For years I have known that celebrity impersonators exist. I am almost certain we have all seen the move Dave at least half a dozen times, given the repeat nature of TBS movies. Even though I know about impersonators, it all seems theoretical. Looking at Heidi Agan's Facebook page, and all the work she does, leaves me feeling betrayed. She was walking arm-in-arm with Barbara Walters for a brief stint on 20/20, answering questions about the baby. Babara WaWa did come clean that she was talking to an impersonator, but it was weird. How many celebrity impersonators have conducted entire interviews that I undoubtedly ate up?

Happy Weekend

Happy Friday and have a great weekend! John and I will be trekking around North Carolina all weekend. This is likely our last multiple-night child-free trip for a while, so we're indulging in the simple things like leisurely walking through stores, sitting down for coffee, sleeping in. It's be wonderful. Yesterday on our way to North Carolina we pulled off at an area that look promising for a short hike. We ended up stumbling upon the tallest waterfall East of the Mississippi. I love the things John and I happen upon while we're adventuring. 

Bargain Shopping Not Just for Consignment

We are heading out of town for our anniversary trip. On our way, John wanted to shop for some suits for his upcoming career change. Everything John bought, even a pack of socks, was discounted because he was not super ethusiastic about the prices. I feel naive about how much retail prices can be flexible. I rarely try to haggle; it usually makes me feel guilty. 

Do you treat retail prices like they are debatible?

Cat in the Hat Motherhood Interrogation

I am always in the market for some clever and silly humor, especially in the form of interviews, and if it involves some sort of motherhood satire. Here is a clever interview with the mom from Cat in the Hat that was posted on Motherlode a few days back. 

Family Playlist

This past Sunday as I drove to church I listened to an interesting segment on the Weekend Morning Edition  about how to pick the right songs for a wedding. This was probably the most frivolous segment of the show, and it impacted me the most. I am going to own the fact that finding the formula for the best wedding music is more intriguing to me than some of the world news right now. That's just where I'm at.

NPR's Stephen Thompson argued the need for quality wedding music. Amen. We have all been to weddings that could have been taken to the next level, could have lasted a little longer, could have had more impact on us if only the music flowed better. I am all for being taken on a musical journey during a wedding. I tend to enter wedding sites with the expectation of being swept away emotionally - the music has a huge part to play in that. I want things to start off slow and sentimental, work into some poignant reflection, and then lead me onto a vibrant dance floor that makes me mad at the newlyweds when they decide to close down the party by leaving. This seems like a simple wish for weddings. No pressure, my single friends.

Stephen's anatomy of what makes great wedding music was not the most intriguing part of his argument, though, albeit completely validating and interesting that NPR would like to explore such a thing. What has been playing through my head the past few days was Stephen's passion to have a family song. It was not even enough for him to have a family song, he wanted a specific song that his children would be so attached to that they would insist on having it in their weddings. He was adamant about passing down music, and embedding certain songs into his children's' lives.

Over the years John and I have fallen into some songs that are "our" songs and our family songs. A few songs from The Head and The Heart have become ingrained in our family, mainly because Grayson insists on listening to them on repeat. The repetition is worth it to hear Grayson belt out the lyrics as Lu tries to get a few words out.

I don't what to put pressure on my children to attach so much to certain songs that they will love them as much as I do. I believe that some family songs will take shape organically, but I think we may also start to be a little deliberate about incorporating repetition to songs that would be good candidates for family songs.

Here is the number one song for Stephen and his family. It's kind of a mantra.

Do you have any family songs? What would be on your family playlist?

Man of Leisure Monday

About six months ago Grayson earned the pseudonym and hashtag #manofleisure. Originally I snuck a few photos of Grayson in his bathrobe, which he wore with abandon because it was, "so comfy." The hashtag was born out of Instagram wit, but it quickly developed into a reoccurring feature of my photos of Grayson. The thing about Grayson is that he is an old man. He is particular in his ways, and very deliberate about relaxing. I don't know any other 3-year-olds who request to "relax."

None of the photos of the Man of Leisure are staged or prompted. They are all organic moments from our little old man.

Ear Remedies

The past few days I've had the worst ear ache I've had in years. I had forgotten what earaches feel like. No wonder kids are terrorists when they have ear infections. I'm trying home remedies for my earache. My first attempt is to use olive oil. My husband's Russian grandmother swears by it, so it seems legit. Another remedy I read about is breast milk - the miraculous wonder milk - so if the olive oil does not pan out I may be pulling out some of my frozen milk that I've not gotten around to discarding.

Plants in the House

When we stayed in New York for our house swap in June the apartment intrigued me to invest in some houseplants. I have shyed away from houseplants in the past due to time, cost, space, and my general lack of touch when it comes to keeping plants alive. I'm pretty sure the plants in the New York apartment took a turn for the worst on our watch. Despite my poor track record, I am ready to give houseplants a try. The New York apartment inspired me to use plants as decor, and not to be afraid of putting plants above doors and high on the walls. I recently read that people with houseplants are generally happier people. Interesting. Here's to succulents! 

One of the Best Times of Year

I love America. I love being American. I love this time of year. 

Time of Reflection is Over

I have been on a blog hiatus, to say the least. I am not sure what happened to trip me up from posting. I think it was the culture of blogging that got the best of me. I don't really understand the world of blogging. Some blogs are so huge, and not with the intention of sounding rude, but I am not sure why.

What makes one blog more blog-worthy than the others? Are my daily thoughts, rambles, and activities less valuable if they are not viewed by thousands of eager readers each day? How big and deep of an issue is it if I find myself doing things simply so I can post them on the blog? As for that question, I refuse to do things simply for the posting.

For a time an onslaught of questions rattled through my brain and eventually paralyzed me from blogging. A blog can be a funny force, and sometimes it feels a little dangerous. I am going to rekindle my relationship with this blog, and hopefully I will be able to keep the questions that come from blog world at bay.