Mississippi Queen

Wednesday Apr 29, 2009

Mississippi Queen

If you know what I mean
Mississippi Queen
She taught me everything
This lady she asked me
If I would be her man
You know that I told her
I'd do what I can

"Hmmm, what could this blog be about?" you're asking. Well, we're not going to Mississippi, that's for sure. And we've never met the queen. It's all about the music.

My latest goal is to get Jay to enjoy good music. He's recently started to dance along as his Fridge DJ (thanks, Aunt Jill!) plays the hits. Of course those "hits" are songs like "Ten Little Leapfrogs" and "The Days of the Week." Not exactly your high culture tunes. So, every day in the car, we sing along to the radio.

Yesterday, we were singing to one of my current favorites - Jason Mraz' "I'm Yours." Such a happy little tune and so easy to sing along with. Jay didn't seem to care one way or the other. So, when the song was over, I started surfing through the XM buttons. He didn't seem to even notice I was changing stations, until we hit Classic Rewind which was playing Mississippi Queen. Immediately, he began clapping and slapping his hand on the console in time to the song. No lie! Now, this song is not your happy little kid ditty. It's the real deal - 1970's classic rock. And he was clapping and slapping along like "Finally! Some REAL music!"

We've got a budding rock star on our hands, folks.

Posted at 02:10PM Apr 29, 2009 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[2]

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Sunday Apr 12, 2009

Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Alleluia!

Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!

Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!

Sing, ye heav'ns, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Happy Easter! Easter is always a very reflective time to me. At church this morning, we stopped to remember those in our congregation who have died since last Easter. Lately, I've been very much missing my "Appie" who died just before Easter. Every Easter, we would dye eggs at her house, and she never seemed to mind that we left permanent splotches on her kitchen island. But the sermon today was about living in the present and remembering the fact that this moment is part of eternity. So I'm celebrating Easter with a sense of joy and real gratitude for the people I have in my live - and those who have been a part of my life and are now watching over from a distance.

We've had all kinds of fun ways to celebrate Easter this year. Jay got to experience his first Easter Egg Hunt, which his daycare held on the Capitol grounds. He wasn't too excited about hunting the eggs, but he did like putting eggs we found for him into his basket and opening them up to discover the treats inside. If only his mom would have let him eat the candy...

And yesterday we took him to get his portrait made in his new Easter outfit that LaLa gave him for his birthday. Cute as a button!

Okay, if that picture of him "dancing" in the center doesn't make you laugh, I don't know what will.

Happy Easter!

Posted at 02:19PM Apr 12, 2009 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[6]

Sounds like life to me...

Thursday Apr 02, 2009

Sounds like life to me...

Sounds like life to me, ain't no destiny
Yeah, the only thing for certain is uncertainty
You gotta hold on tight, just enjoy the ride
Get used to all this unpredictability, sounds like life
Man, I know its tough but you gotta suck it up
To hear you talk you're caught up in some tragedy
Sounds like life to me (sounds like life to me)

Sometimes when I write in the blog, I have a topic in mind and find a song to go along with it. Other times, I hear a song and it just such a perfect snapshot of my life at that moment that I just go with it. This (Sounds Like Life by Daryl Worley) is one of those songs.

A few months after Jay was born, when both Derek and I were trying to get into the routine of work/school/daycare/fix dinner/pack bottles & lunches/repeat, he got a little overloaded. In what we now both refer to as the "suck it up" speech, I apparently told him that this is your life now and you better come to grips with the fact that the time you used to spend lounging on the couch watching My Name is Earl is now taken up with time lounging on the floor and playing with Jay. And if you do get any free time, those dishes aren't washing themselves, thank you very much. I have no recollection of this conversation (remember, I was in a sleep-deprived coma for many months).

Then, a bit later, I had the same "I can't take it anymore!" kind of overwhelmed feeling. We were driving back from a trip, and I had a mini-breakdown in the car. I told Derek that we could never go out of town again because it's just too hard to pack the gazilion things that we have to bring JUST IN CASE and then come home to a house that's a wreck and not have had any time to prepare for the week ahead. And he ever-so-gently reminded me of the suck it up speech I had given him.

We even had to give the "suck it up" speech to some friends of ours. New Mom Friend was missing out on the fun of what she could do with her cutie pie in favor of what she "ought" to do. She had that overwhelmed look, and we could tell it took everything she had to get it together enough to come to church that morning. Derek (ever so gently!) told her about our suck it up speech ... and I think it helped. She's mentioned since that she's thought back to that conversation and been grateful for the reality check.

When everyone said "Parenthood will change your life" I imagined all the cutesy, snuggly ways my life would change. I even prepared for the sleepless nights and dirty diapers. Spit-up stains on my shirt? Bring 'em on. I guess I just wasn't prepared for the not-so-good ways that parenting would change my life. Namely, I wasn't ready for the fact that I will never again in my life feel like I'm organized and "together." So, back to the song. I heard it this morning in the shower, and I had to laugh. Someone finally wrote the suck it up speech into song.

This is our life. And we absolutely wouldn't trade the chaos for even one moment of peace and quiet.

Posted at 09:26PM Apr 02, 2009 by Jen Foster in General | Comments[2]

Comments:

TOJ, I love you...even though you don't feel organized and "together!" You're a kick butt Mommy!

Posted by TOOJ on April 06, 2009 at 06:29 AM EDT #

I have passed this now infamous speech onto others. Way to go guys. I hope everyone is feeling better, including the grandparents!

Have a wonderful Easter we love you all!

Posted by robin Perry on April 07, 2009 at 10:29 PM EDT #