Tuesday Tunes ~ Thursday Edition ~ Long Hard Times To Come

We took our girls to their first Detroit Tigers game on Labor Day weekend.  They, and we, had a blast. 

Every batter has their own theme song that is played as they come on deck, and every time Andy Dirks was up his song jumped out at me.  So I went home and googled it, and of course, I found it.

"Long Hard Times to Come" is also the theme song to the FX series Justified, and since I couldn't find an official video this Justified-version will have to do.  I love it.  Great song.

Back to School Shopping (The differences between 9 and 15)

Back to school shopping nearly killed me this year.

No, not the money spent, and not the time spent, as we seemed to be very efficient with both.  We used lots of coupons, went online to pre-shop for ideas, and hit stores at good times.  Honestly, it almost killed me by way of a broken heart.  My heart breaks because I no longer know what most young girls like.  At all.

Yes, I go online, I read magazines, I people watch, but every time I tried to suggest something for my almost 13-year-old daughter or my 15-year-old niece I found that I was off.  Way off.  Apparently teenage Stacy would not have thrived in 2013.  And don't get me started with my nine-year-old daughter and her cousin of the same age.  One loves pink, one hates it.  One loves sparkles, one would rather die.  Oh, holy chest pain.

My niece attends private school and has to wear a uniform.  Therefore she looks for any way to add something unique to her solid color shirt and pants.  She had sent me a few texts of shoes she found on Wanelo (again, had to get schooled on that app too) and when we went shopping we found these lovely ladies from Madden Girl.

So she could have some variety in her shoe wardrobe, we also bought these from Forever 21.  Both worked because technically they are solid color and that is a uniform requirement.  There was nothing in the rules about sparkles or studs.

Did I mention that my niece is also 5' 9"?  Did you know (I didn't, but I don't think it's because I am uncool or anything, it's because I am short) that it is VERY hard to find long, uniform approved, dress pants that also meet the requirements of previously mentioned 15-year-old.  They have to be skinny.  They can't have open pockets (odd school rule).  They can't be flared.  They should be khaki or black.  OK, if navy is all they have they can be worn on days when laundry is backed up.  God forbid they have pleats or anything resembling a pleat.  And if she tries them on and says "I look like a boy" then just forget it.  Aeropostale Slim Fit Chinos in a 4 Long.  If they get more in let me know.

Unlike my nieces, my girls go to public school, but they are equally as picky.  My eighth grader had to have jeans that were skinny, yet able to be rolled up like this. 

 

Again Aeropostale to the rescue.  Since she is a wee 5' 3" (at the time of this posting) the regular length works for her.

My girls and I always clean out dressers and closet before school shopping.  It helps to pinpoint what they really need and it helps me display how much of their wardrobe they don't wear.  I can usually select a few items from each closet and say "remember how bad you wanted this?  You just HAD to have it."  Have you worn it?  Ever?"  This year these words seemed to really sink in, because they were both rather selective with their final decisions.  The oldest is even waiting on some new dress shoes like this...

They can't have stretch all the way around, because it bugs her.  So, I have managed to get her to keep shopping until we find ones that won't "bug" her.

What about the nine-year-olds you ask?  Yes, what about them.  My niece wears a full on plaid jumper to school and she loves these shoes and this backpack.  And I would proudly wear them both.

My youngest, who is also 9 and often called Punky Brewster, picked out this shirt from Justice for school, which I think I may have owned it's twin in the mid 80's.  She also picked out these Adidas athletic shoes.

And she wore them together.  Which I would proudly never do.  All of the statements above are the reason why I rarely bring home anything without my kids seeing it first.  Surprise clothes are never wedgie proof, and they usually rub some spot on your shoulder blade, or the side of your knee the wrong way.  Surprise clothes often end up missing in the back of the closet or under your pajamas in the bottom drawer.  And finally, surprise clothes are usually not cool, because Mom picked them out.  And Mom is not cool.

Tuesday Tunes ~ Thursday Follow Up

And here is the full video for Katy Perry's Roar.

Tuesday Tunes ~ Roar

She is teasing us folks.  The whole video is still not released and my very cool children have me addicted to the song.  OK, breathe, I mean roar, I mean be patient... I've got the eye of the tiger...

Tuesday Tunes ~ Boys 'Round Here

I got into The Voice this last season and in that process developed a little crush on Blake Shelton.  Those eyes, that voice.  Oh my.  Love this song too.

Tuesday Tunes ~ Blurred Lines (What Rhymes with Hug Me?)

I don't love this song as much as I did a month ago, but it still makes me wanna move.  The video, on the other hand, is something I just decided to investigate.  It cracks me up, and I just can't believe that this is Jason Seaver's son.  #Thicke

 

My Claim to Review Fame

Once up on a time, when I was in the middle of my mid-life crisis I was the Chick Lit Examiner for the National edition of the... umm… Examiner.

During that time (May 4, 2010 to be exact) I wrote a lovely review for Jen Lancaster's My Fair Lazy where I said, and I quote, "My Fair Lazy does not 'suck it'.  It rocks it. And it's available today."  Well, lo and behold, flash forward to earlier this year.  It's late at night and I am reading, my husband is snoring, and I start perusing the back of Jeneration X.  And I see it.  "My Fair Lazy does not 'suck it'.  It rocks it", was written on the back of the book, and it was attributed to Examiner.com.


"Gosh, that sounds familiar," I said to myself.  So, I did a little Google searching on my phone and I found my original review, and the last line of my article is the line on the back of the book.  O. M. G., I am quoted on the back of Jen Lancaster's book!  Me!

I woke Cory up but I don't really think he understood what I was talking about, and it all seemed really crazy anyway and eventually I went to sleep.  I thought about the quote from time to time and shared it with friends, but it wasn't until late Spring when a friend told me that Jen Lancaster would be appearing at Nicola's Books in Ann Arbor for a signing that I got excited again.  Not only could I meet her, I could also tell her it was me that wrote that review!

The day of the signing my life was overwhelming as usual, and I almost didn't go.  I left work late and drove the 30 miles feeling that there was no way I would make it on time.  Not only that, I totally forgot my copy of Jeneration X to have signed (and my pearls that everyone knows you should wear to a Jen Lancaster signing).  But I did make it on time, and after I met up with my friend and the seat she had saved for me, I walked up to buy my copy of The Tao of Martha: My Year of LIVING; Or, Why I'm Never Getting All That Glitter Off of the Dog.  I made my purchase, returned to my seat and began looking over the book.  And there it was.  My review!  On the back of the new book too!

Short story long, Jen was hilarious and we had a lovely time waiting in line to meet her.  She laughed when I pointed out my review on her book, but we didn't spend much time chatting.  The line was long and my friend and I headed for the exit.  But as we looked at the our the pages she signed I chuckled as I saw what she wrote.

You're welcome Jen Lancaster!  And hopefully I can write another review that you can quote on your next book.  Thus extending my 15 minutes of fame to 30.

Heather Wells in The Bride Wore Size 12

I knew this was coming.  But for my own sanity and the ability to sleep, I had to put it out of my head.

I love Meg Cabot, and I have read most of her adult fiction books, and a few of her books for younger people (Allie Finkle, The Princess Diaries).  But her Heather Wells mysteries, starting with Size 12 Is Not Fat, are my FAVORITE.

When I saw this cover photo on Heather Well's Facebook page I gasped with glee.  Finally!

I will do my best to wait until September 24, but just a tip- if you also like Heather Wells on Facebook, you can preview an excerpt from The Bride Wore Size 12.  I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Girls + American Girl + Crafts = American Girl Crafts

My youngest daughter, almost nine-and-a-half, has a creative side that I completely envy.

On more occasions than I can remember she has raided the recycle bins in the garage and created a masterpiece of epic proportions.  No box is tossed without careful consideration of it's potential usage and if you are a cardboard insert, watch out, you will be drawn, painted, or glued on at some point.  It is her creativity and love of learning that keep her going all the time.

So, when I saw that House Party had an American Girl Crafts party on their list, I knew I had to apply. I also knew I needed to promote my interest to increase my chances of being picked and luckily for me, and for my daughter, I was.  Ummm... we were.

The party pack itself was freakin' amazing.  Look at all of the items we received from House Party and EKSuccess Brands!

The main item is the American Girls Crafts My Life Scrap and Stuff Book.  It has 30 pre-designed pages for you to write about yourself, your family and your favorite things.  It's adorable all by itself, but then we received an enormous amount of embellishments.  Stamps, stickers, letters, clips and design tape were all in the box.  Needless to say my daughter was super excited to have this party and share with her friends.

We prepared some simple snacks for the party and set everything out on the table for our crafty guests to see when they arrived.

Upon arrival everyone got down to business and had no trouble making their books their own.  Some took their work very seriously.

    

Friends of many ages (and one boy) enjoyed making their own scrapbooks.  Their Moms enjoyed the coupons, and I was once again impressed with the creativity of small people, and with the generosity of a good brand.

Disclosure:  I applied and was chosen to be an American Girl Crafts party host.  I was given a party pack by EK Success Brands and House Party in exchange for hosting the party.  All opinions are 100% my own.

Tuesday Tunes ~ Some Nights- Glee Style

I am a Gleek.  I admit it.  I didn't watch from the beginning, but over Christmas break of the second season I got caught up and I haven't missed one since.  The Thanksgiving episode featured a New Directions cover of Some Nights by Fun. and it was awesome.  Below you can see if for yourself.  And today you can buy the new soundtrack for Season 4- Glee: The Music - Season 4 Vol 1 which also includes their version of Gangnam Style.  Yes, you heard me.  Gangnam Style.  Yeah, we used to be cool.