I wrote previously about how during my weekend at Blogher dizziness I was lured by the temptation of supple leather, and a purring young motor ad the potential government provided escape hatch of “Cash for Clunkers”. But I didn?t taste the forbidden fruit, I simply looked in the window. I just sniffed. I didn?t take a Chevy test drive. I remained faithful to my Chrysler Town & Country, ?TC?. ?Traverse? was just an unattainable infatuation, a 7 year itch of sorts. I thought that I was being discreet. I thought that I behaved, outwardly, above reproach. But apparently I made a mistake because ?TC? KNOWS! Ever since I got home from the Blogher festivities our relationship has been strained. And now ?TC? is blowing nothing but hot air in my direction when I turn on the AC. What am I going to do?
July 29, 2009
A Quandary; Traverse vs Town and Country
July 27, 2009
Miss Lori’s journey to “Change My Shape”!
I go on vacation in 26 days! First of all vacation is something I rarely do. Second, it’s been such a busy Summer I haven’t been able to put my fitness needs on the front burner. Yes, I do work very hard in my performances, jumping and dancing all while singing some high notes, but my body is fairly used to that. In order to improve myself I need to do more. That’s hard for me, not for lack of motivation, but for lack of time…and lack of sleep! Last week I had the great pleasure to attend Blogher. One of the fabulous parties I went to was sponsored but the WIIMoms and featured the EA Sports Active game. There I was in my pretty white pants and shirt, in heels no less. Not exactly Jan Fonda leg warmers and a sweat band…but I dove in and tried the game. It was love at first punch. I was boxing, running, dancing, and oh yes, sweating. but it felt great! It was action that was new to my body and that meant CHANGE.
Now I am on a mission. In the next 26 days I am going on a journey to #ChangeMyShape. Notice that I didn’t say Lose Weight or Get Skinny. No way! Those are evil words that lead to failure.
July 25, 2009
A tale of temptation named Traverse
My blog is titled “Musings from my Minivan” and for a very good reason, because that is my primary residence. Though many of my little fans believe that I live in the television…no, in fact I live in my minivan. I just stop by my home occasionally to lay my head down and grab a change of clothes. With three children with demanding schedules, and a whirlwind calendar of my own, I?m driving waiting, eating, working, primping and yes, sometimes sleep in my minivan…every day. That?s just where our society has gotten too. Parenting is logistics. Because we have essentially built ourselves out of communities, and spread our lives out across the land, we spend so much time in our cars just trying to get from one obligation to another. It?s crazy, yes, but it?s reality, so we have to deal with it. For me that meant getting a vehicle with space. I have, since the birth of my third child, been a Minivan Mommy. A used Chrysler Town and Country Minivan Mommy to be exact. Used because I could never rustle up the capitol to buy new, and the ?TC? because it is very big, and had leather seats and a moonroof standard. The leather seats were non-negotiable with my children. My car is generally a trough. (If we got stranded off the highway somewhere we could survive for a week on the leftovers in my car alone!) If my car didn?t have leather I think it would be labeled a biohazard by now. The moonroof is my one decadence because it makes me feel connected to the outside. When I am idling or working in my car I love to be able to look up at the trees. It?s very Zen.
But, truth be told my minivan isn?t very Zen these days. My long relationship with my minivan has been about loyalty. I have been committed to my relationship for better or for worse. However, for the last year things haven?t been the same between me and ?TC?. It doesn?t sound right, it doesn?t act right, and though it is gold my kids and I have taken to referring to it as the lemon. ?TC? is the needy stepchild in our family always behaving badly, and constantly searching for a mechanics love. In these tight economic times this has become quite a burden, but the reality is I can?t live in my World without a car, so I marshal on and do my best with ?TC?.
Yesterday the unthinkable happened. I innocently came upon the Chevy Booth at the Blogher Expo
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July 21, 2009
I am Jane
Today I watched a new series on Lifetime called Drop Dead Diva. Actually I knew nothing of the show, I haven?t seen the news or Access Hollywood in weeks. I guess my husband set the DVR to catch the show. Whatever the reason I am thankful that he did it. The story is of a young, skinny, blonde model named Deb who dies in a car accident because she was more concerned about applying her lip gloss than watching the road. At the same time a brilliant, overworked, underappreciated lawyer named Jane is shot at her firm by a betrayed husband. When Deb arrives at the pearly gates, more like a bustling telemarketing office, she is understandably shocked to realize that she has died. Her gatekeeper informs her that she is a ?zero zero?; no bad deeds, but no good deeds on her record either. Deb is incredulous and demands to be sent back. When told that isn?t possible she takes matters into her own hands and presses the ?return? key herself. Deb?s soul is flushed back into the real World only to land in the body of Jane, who is lying, flat-line, in the ER. Deb?s soul breathes life back into Jane?s body, and thus our story really begins. Deb is now Jane, complete with Jane?s mind, but with all of Deb?s memories. Actress Brooke Elliott is delightful. She makes us truly see Deb in Jane?s body. We believe her discomfort at the realization that she is now in this extremely unfamiliar skin, much larger than she is accustomed to living in. We see the skinny girl dropped into the heavy girl, and view them both with new eyes of understanding.
July 15, 2009
Insights on motherhood from Air Travel
Recently a trusted friend told me ?you put everyone else first, that?s just what you do?. Coming from a trusted and respected person the comment hit me hard. I defensively sought out the basis for the comment and liked what I found even less than the opening salvo. ?well Dee?, he asked calmly, can you tell me the last thing that you did just for yourself?? It took me several moments to come up with any little thing, and over an hour to come up with anything significant. I was stunned and disappointed. I have spent several days meditating and ruminating on the matter. I reviewed the overriding societal dictates for a good woman, wife, mother.
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July 7, 2009
Pixorial makes everything old new again…and editable
There is a new editing website in town, and it?s called Pixorial. I was drawn to the site not only because I was interested in learning about an easy way to create video compilations, but because Pixorial offers the chance to mail in your media from older formats and have them converted into editable use. Now we?re talking! I have 8mm footage of my father playing with the Harlem Globetrotters in the 1950?s that I have never actually viewed! Even more recently I have all of these Hi8, VHS and VHS-C videos from when my children were babies that I would really love to compile into a video baby book. Especially since I have yet to scrapbook all of my children?s pictures into an actual book form baby-book. Yes, Miss Lori is a bad archiving mommy. I seriously don?t understand how other mother?s get it all done. I definitely take the pictures and the video, but good gosh, getting them from the camera to a print, to a book, and with captions? Whew! I wish. I’m just a Martha Stewart wanna be.
