Besides writing and performing songs that speak to the heart of the human condition, John is a passionate champion for charitable causes. His whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com has already raised over $300K for various charities. A dedicated supporter of US troops, he has also produced a CD volume compilation series that is available for free to every active armed services member.

In short, not only is Ondrasik a brilliant musician...he's a beautiful human being.

When One2One provided this album for my review, I knew I'd love it. What I didn't know was that it would become one of those rare CD's where I never want to skip a track.

Check out the single "Chances" below. Then head over to FFF's YouTube channel to catch more videos.

Tracklist:

1. Slice

2. Note To The Unknown Soldier

3. Tuesday

4. Chances

5. This Dance

6. Above The Timberline

7. Transfer

8. Hope

9. Story Of Your Life

10. Love Can't Change The Weather

11. Augie Nieto

Share and Enjoy: ]]> My first "experience" with Five for Fighting came during the months after the horror that was 9/11. John Ondrasik's raw and introspective "Superman" was played often. It became a musical plea for hope during those awful times. I instantly fell in love with Ondrasik's soulful voice.

Besides writing and performing songs that speak to the heart of the human condition, John is a passionate champion for charitable causes. His whatkindofworlddoyouwant.com has already raised over $300K for various charities. A dedicated supporter of US troops, he has also produced a CD volume compilation series that is available for free to every active armed services member.

In short, not only is Ondrasik a brilliant musician...he's a beautiful human being.

When One2One provided this album for my review, I knew I'd love it. What I didn't know was that it would become one of those rare CD's where I never want to skip a track.

Check out the single "Chances" below. Then head over to FFF's YouTube channel to catch more videos.

Tracklist:

1. Slice

2. Note To The Unknown Soldier

3. Tuesday

4. Chances

5. This Dance

6. Above The Timberline

7. Transfer

8. Hope

9. Story Of Your Life

10. Love Can't Change The Weather

11. Augie Nieto

The combination of time-change, a more-than-full house,  and Halloween candy overload has not made for a very pleasant time around here the last couple of days. The kids are (understandably) overwhelmed. They have more energy than they know what to do with. My patience level has been challenged and defeated.

This morning was horrible. They woke up at 5am. They fought. We fought. There was much yelling, wailing and gnashing of teeth before we left for pre-k at 8am. I came home in tears, took a short nap, politely excused myself and then went for a drive. I needed to clear my head before I could be suitable company for anyone.

While driving around, I realized that all around me there was evidence of how positive change can be. I need to learn new ways to create the bits of solitude I require. It's difficult to be an introvert in this situation, but I was remarkably refreshed by my autumn drive. Just me, a cup of coffee, good music...and beautiful views.

The photo I took while out on my rejuvenating drive reminds me that I can find creative ways to be like that lone tree on the outside of the fence. And I just love the way God seems to be showing off with nature. How can this not put a smile back on my face?

I took this picture today. The more I looked at this sign on the side of the road, the more I realized it was screaming out to me.

YIELD!

Stop trying to control everything. Stop driving yourself crazy trying to do it all yourself.

YIELD!

Admittedly, I'm not all that good at yielding...be it while driving my car or living my life.  But as my kids tell me when they mess up, I'm going to try to do better.

Share and Enjoy: ]]>

I took this picture today. The more I looked at this sign on the side of the road, the more I realized it was screaming out to me.

YIELD!

Stop trying to control everything. Stop driving yourself crazy trying to do it all yourself.

YIELD!

Admittedly, I'm not all that good at yielding...be it while driving my car or living my life.  But as my kids tell me when they mess up, I'm going to try to do better.

I am ridiculously addicted to several television shows. They are  my escape. The kids go to bed, I get their clothes and backpacks ready for the next day, and I watch TV.

Problem is...the shows I love are on right smack-dab in the middle of dinnertime/bathtime/bedtime. We only have a DVR in the living room, but I like to go to the bedroom with hubby when he turns in for the night. Solution? FANCAST. I can watch my favorite shows on my laptop whenever I want. Schedule-schmedule. I'm far too busy to stick to what the networks thinks are my prime TV-watching times.

FANCAST debuted in January 2008 and now has more than 10,000 hours of online video programming; with more than 60,000 videos available, including over 13,000 full-length shows (more are being added every day). I already checked...my faves are there! I just caught the last episode of Modern Family followed by a clip of the hilarious Slo-Mo Screaming scene from a recent episode of Glee a little while ago. And yeah...I'm still grinning.

FANCAST contains content from more than 100 sources (including Hulu) and also includes extras like movies, pictorials, blogs, listings, live chats and Q&A's with stars. There are really, really short commercial-type breaks but hey...those sponsors keep this thing free. That's always a good thing, right?

I'm so glad Barbara from One2One let me know about FANCAST. OK, enough blabbing. I'm off to watch How I Met Your Mother (on FANCAST, of course!

Share and Enjoy: ]]>

I am ridiculously addicted to several television shows. They are  my escape. The kids go to bed, I get their clothes and backpacks ready for the next day, and I watch TV.

Problem is...the shows I love are on right smack-dab in the middle of dinnertime/bathtime/bedtime. We only have a DVR in the living room, but I like to go to the bedroom with hubby when he turns in for the night. Solution? FANCAST. I can watch my favorite shows on my laptop whenever I want. Schedule-schmedule. I'm far too busy to stick to what the networks thinks are my prime TV-watching times.

FANCAST debuted in January 2008 and now has more than 10,000 hours of online video programming; with more than 60,000 videos available, including over 13,000 full-length shows (more are being added every day). I already checked...my faves are there! I just caught the last episode of Modern Family followed by a clip of the hilarious Slo-Mo Screaming scene from a recent episode of Glee a little while ago. And yeah...I'm still grinning.

FANCAST contains content from more than 100 sources (including Hulu) and also includes extras like movies, pictorials, blogs, listings, live chats and Q&A's with stars. There are really, really short commercial-type breaks but hey...those sponsors keep this thing free. That's always a good thing, right?

I'm so glad Barbara from One2One let me know about FANCAST. OK, enough blabbing. I'm off to watch How I Met Your Mother (on FANCAST, of course!

And because none of us has really gotten into the swing of how this all impacts routine around here (and we're BIG on routine here), we're all pretty exhausted. Grown-ups included! Grandma and Grandpa had an all-day car trip followed by a whirlwind tour of homes followed by an all-day negotiation for the chosen home. And they've only been here 6 days! And well...obviously there are 3 little ones who are EXCITED as all get-out that another set of  spoilers are on site.

We'll settle into things eventually. I don't think the kidlets understand that Grandma and Grandpa are here to stay this time. They seem to be trying to cram in as much fun as possible each day! Not that Grandma and Grandpa are minding the adventure...they don't seem to be able to wipe the grins (or the constant peapod squad kisses) off their faces!

Take a look at Split Pea during dinner time.

This (all my kids took after me in that they twirl their hair when they're tired...though I've never used a fork):

quickly became this (he's "resting" while his brother eats):

and then this (audible snoring and drooling)...

Share and Enjoy: ]]>

And because none of us has really gotten into the swing of how this all impacts routine around here (and we're BIG on routine here), we're all pretty exhausted. Grown-ups included! Grandma and Grandpa had an all-day car trip followed by a whirlwind tour of homes followed by an all-day negotiation for the chosen home. And they've only been here 6 days! And well...obviously there are 3 little ones who are EXCITED as all get-out that another set of  spoilers are on site.

We'll settle into things eventually. I don't think the kidlets understand that Grandma and Grandpa are here to stay this time. They seem to be trying to cram in as much fun as possible each day! Not that Grandma and Grandpa are minding the adventure...they don't seem to be able to wipe the grins (or the constant peapod squad kisses) off their faces!

Take a look at Split Pea during dinner time.

This (all my kids took after me in that they twirl their hair when they're tired...though I've never used a fork):

quickly became this (he's "resting" while his brother eats):

and then this (audible snoring and drooling)...

I was delighted when One2One sent me a copy of Joshua Bell's newest album "At Home With Friends." I  simply adore Joshua Bell's passionate violin playing.

This album is special. There is a casual, gather-with-your-best-friends, coffee-sipping vibe to this recording that makes me just want to push play and relax. And as if getting to hear Joshua Bell play the violin better than just about anyone EVER isn't enough, this album features many other incredible musicians: Sting (Come Again is an addictive track I repeat over and over again), Kristin Chenoweth (breathtaking version of Funny Valentine), Frankie Moreno (a version of Eleonor Rigby that is hauntingly beautiful), Regina Spektor (Left Hand can only be heard on this album...and it is fabulous), Nathan Gunn (unbelievably talented), Josh Groban (singing the iconic tune from my favorite movie ever Cinema Paradiso), Rachmaninoff (yes, THE Rachmaninoff...brilliantly re-recorded here), and more. There's even a song featuring world-renown sitarist Anoushka Shankar...a truly unique world-music experience.

The playlist looks like a veritable who's who:

• I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti, trumpet
• Come Again featuring Sting, vocals
• Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
• Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban, vocals
• Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre, various
• My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals
• Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings
• Grieg: Sonata No. 3 featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance)
• Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals
• O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone
• Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
• Left Hand Song featuring Regina Spektor, piano & vocals
• Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin, piano
• Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin
• Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar
• I'll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano

I just checked out Bell's website and see that At Home With Friends has already hit #1 on classical and crossover charts! Check out his site for great photos and information about television and stage appearances. Or go to his Facebook Fan Page and ask him a question. Or better yet...buy this album. Relax with some good friends, and let Joshua Bell serenade you!

Share and Enjoy: ]]>

I was delighted when One2One sent me a copy of Joshua Bell's newest album "At Home With Friends." I  simply adore Joshua Bell's passionate violin playing.

This album is special. There is a casual, gather-with-your-best-friends, coffee-sipping vibe to this recording that makes me just want to push play and relax. And as if getting to hear Joshua Bell play the violin better than just about anyone EVER isn't enough, this album features many other incredible musicians: Sting (Come Again is an addictive track I repeat over and over again), Kristin Chenoweth (breathtaking version of Funny Valentine), Frankie Moreno (a version of Eleonor Rigby that is hauntingly beautiful), Regina Spektor (Left Hand can only be heard on this album...and it is fabulous), Nathan Gunn (unbelievably talented), Josh Groban (singing the iconic tune from my favorite movie ever Cinema Paradiso), Rachmaninoff (yes, THE Rachmaninoff...brilliantly re-recorded here), and more. There's even a song featuring world-renown sitarist Anoushka Shankar...a truly unique world-music experience.

The playlist looks like a veritable who's who:

• I Loves You Porgy featuring Chris Botti, trumpet
• Come Again featuring Sting, vocals
• Oblivion featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
• Cinema Paradiso featuring Josh Groban, vocals
• Para Tí featuring Tiempo Libre, various
• My Funny Valentine featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals
• Maybe So featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings
• Grieg: Sonata No. 3 featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance)
• Eleanor Rigby featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals
• O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone
• Il Postino featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
• Left Hand Song featuring Regina Spektor, piano & vocals
• Chovendo Na Roseira featuring Dave Grusin, piano
• Look Away featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin
• Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar
• I'll Take Manhattan featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano

I just checked out Bell's website and see that At Home With Friends has already hit #1 on classical and crossover charts! Check out his site for great photos and information about television and stage appearances. Or go to his Facebook Fan Page and ask him a question. Or better yet...buy this album. Relax with some good friends, and let Joshua Bell serenade you!

I fear I wounded my daughter's ego a tiny bit this morning because of our differences in internal clocks.

We don't leave for pre-k until 8am. I'm not keen on having to wake earlier than 7. At 6:30 this morning, however, Sweet Pea comes skipping (what is WRONG with anyone who skips at that hour?!?!) into our bedroom...fully dressed including shoes...to ask me to turn on the light so I can see how cute she looks. Really.

Unfortunately, my reaction was far from the affirmation she was requesting. I regret that now and plan to do my best to make up for it when I see her later. Because once I was more fully awake, turned on the light and had enjoyed my requisite cups of coffee...sure enough. She looked incredibly cute. And if I looked so adorable, I'd probably want someone to tell me so.

The thing is...it's a really tough balance instilling self-confidence in a youngster while driving home the point that beauty is, as my mom used to remind me, more than skin (or darling new outfit) deep.

A couple of weeks ago I was in the kids' room saying bedtime prayers with them when I was flabbergasted to hear Sweet Pea's sincere "Thank you, God, for making me so beautiful." That's what she wanted to tell God. And my first instinct was to squelch that apparent vanity and superficial gratitude. But why? Why can't she be thankful that she's beautiful? If I've done my job well, she isn't seeing "beautiful" as just pretty hair, big brown eyes, flawless skin. I hope she sees herself as the "beautifully" kind, generous, compassionate child of God I see when I look at her (most of the time).

I'm currently teaching Beth Moore's Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman on Friday mornings. We're hearing a lot about Esther's beauty: the physical beauty that everyone in Persia could readily see and (most importantly) the beauty of her heart...the openness to God's will...the simple approach that set her apart from the other pretty girls brought before King Xerxes.

There has been much hullabaloo recently over the Ralph Lauren advertisement that severely edited a female model into an emaciated body that looked barely sturdy enough to hold up its head! I hate the fact that I'm raising a daughter in a world that sees beauty through such a narrowly focused lens. I try very hard to keep my own "I'm so fat" self-talk out of her earshot. I don't want those concepts affecting her right now (or ever...but I'm not that naive).

I hope she grows up to be a radiantly beautiful young woman. Beautiful, like Queen Esther,  in all the RIGHT ways. For that I, too, will loudly thank God. I may even jump out of bed at some decidedly ungodly hour to do so.

Share and Enjoy: ]]> My children apparently took after their father in that they think they simply MUST get out of bed as soon as their little eyes pop open. UGH.

I fear I wounded my daughter's ego a tiny bit this morning because of our differences in internal clocks.

We don't leave for pre-k until 8am. I'm not keen on having to wake earlier than 7. At 6:30 this morning, however, Sweet Pea comes skipping (what is WRONG with anyone who skips at that hour?!?!) into our bedroom...fully dressed including shoes...to ask me to turn on the light so I can see how cute she looks. Really.

Unfortunately, my reaction was far from the affirmation she was requesting. I regret that now and plan to do my best to make up for it when I see her later. Because once I was more fully awake, turned on the light and had enjoyed my requisite cups of coffee...sure enough. She looked incredibly cute. And if I looked so adorable, I'd probably want someone to tell me so.

The thing is...it's a really tough balance instilling self-confidence in a youngster while driving home the point that beauty is, as my mom used to remind me, more than skin (or darling new outfit) deep.

A couple of weeks ago I was in the kids' room saying bedtime prayers with them when I was flabbergasted to hear Sweet Pea's sincere "Thank you, God, for making me so beautiful." That's what she wanted to tell God. And my first instinct was to squelch that apparent vanity and superficial gratitude. But why? Why can't she be thankful that she's beautiful? If I've done my job well, she isn't seeing "beautiful" as just pretty hair, big brown eyes, flawless skin. I hope she sees herself as the "beautifully" kind, generous, compassionate child of God I see when I look at her (most of the time).

I'm currently teaching Beth Moore's Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman on Friday mornings. We're hearing a lot about Esther's beauty: the physical beauty that everyone in Persia could readily see and (most importantly) the beauty of her heart...the openness to God's will...the simple approach that set her apart from the other pretty girls brought before King Xerxes.

There has been much hullabaloo recently over the Ralph Lauren advertisement that severely edited a female model into an emaciated body that looked barely sturdy enough to hold up its head! I hate the fact that I'm raising a daughter in a world that sees beauty through such a narrowly focused lens. I try very hard to keep my own "I'm so fat" self-talk out of her earshot. I don't want those concepts affecting her right now (or ever...but I'm not that naive).

I hope she grows up to be a radiantly beautiful young woman. Beautiful, like Queen Esther,  in all the RIGHT ways. For that I, too, will loudly thank God. I may even jump out of bed at some decidedly ungodly hour to do so.

I tried the whole pop-in-a-movie thing. Snap and Split watched about 1/4 of Disney's Brother Bear 2 while Sweet memorized Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? And no, I didn't plan the little grizzly theme.

They got bored. So we went out onto the back porch for some physical activity. We started with balance training.

But they got bored. So we told some silly stories and Sweet taught us a funny rhyme "...Why did you let that fish go? Because he bit my finger so. Which finger did he bite? This little finger on my right."

Split didn't think it was funny. Grumpy McGrumpikins here.

So I told him to pose with Snap for some silly pictures. I asked them to "touch their noses together." This is how they interpreted that request.

Um...this is what I meant.

Then they got into a staring match. No laughing allowed!

Yeah. Right. Then they tried to convince me it had stopped raining. TRIED. I'm smart, you know.

So we went back inside for a bit. Then Pop stopped by for some arm wrestling practice.

And the junior Snuggie twins got in on the action.

But they got bored. So we went back out onto the porch for some sequined sword dueling.

Sweet Pea and Pop wisely stayed out of the way.

Because it was some FIERCE sequin sword dueling.

Rain or no rain...I gotta' see these goofy smiles.

Happy Columbus Day.

Share and Enjoy: ]]>

I tried the whole pop-in-a-movie thing. Snap and Split watched about 1/4 of Disney's Brother Bear 2 while Sweet memorized Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? And no, I didn't plan the little grizzly theme.

They got bored. So we went out onto the back porch for some physical activity. We started with balance training.

But they got bored. So we told some silly stories and Sweet taught us a funny rhyme "...Why did you let that fish go? Because he bit my finger so. Which finger did he bite? This little finger on my right."

Split didn't think it was funny. Grumpy McGrumpikins here.

So I told him to pose with Snap for some silly pictures. I asked them to "touch their noses together." This is how they interpreted that request.

Um...this is what I meant.

Then they got into a staring match. No laughing allowed!

Yeah. Right. Then they tried to convince me it had stopped raining. TRIED. I'm smart, you know.

So we went back inside for a bit. Then Pop stopped by for some arm wrestling practice.

And the junior Snuggie twins got in on the action.

But they got bored. So we went back out onto the porch for some sequined sword dueling.

Sweet Pea and Pop wisely stayed out of the way.

Because it was some FIERCE sequin sword dueling.

Rain or no rain...I gotta' see these goofy smiles.

Happy Columbus Day.