Lists

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Yet Another Ode to October

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Warm, cozy, cool and brisk

Fireplace, candles, snuggly blankets.

 

Foggy mornings, freezing nights

Sunshine bright on colorful trees.

 

Orange, yellow, brown, dry

Crackle, crisp, colorful pile.


 Boots, sweaters, vest and gloves

Hats and mittens crocheted with love.


Scarecrows, hay bales, tall corn maze

Smoky scent lingering in air


Pumpkins, gourds, apples, spices

Pie and cider, Thanksgiving feast


Ravens, cats, spooky ghosts

Costumes, Candy, candy corn


Anticipation, the One True Story

Merry, peace, joy, and love.

List of the Day (LotD): A list of all the fun stuff I can do in my free time that I could not do with kids around

I have officially moved from being a mom-of-young-kids to a mom-with-kids-in-school. This has brought out many feelings, as anyone who has made the transition will know. I have already written (but not yet posted) a super sappy and melodramatic post on the sad end of these feelings. But today, my first day of being at home with no kids, I want to write something happy.


And what makes me happy?

Lists!

And what’s the best kind of list?

A LIST of THINGS that make me HAPPY.


Or more specifically: A list of all the fun stuff I can do in my free time that I could not do with kids around.


Reading on the deck

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Reading in my bed

Reading at any location!

Writing on the deck (this is so meta because that’s actually what I’m doing right now, see pic for proof)

Watching non-animated TV

Sitting quietly and just thinking

Taking a long bath (this is hypothetical because our tiny tubs are not comfortable!) 

Listening to LOUD music and singing my heart out (sometimes I do this with kids around and they tell me to be quiet)

Practicing the piano

Longer, uninterrupted prayer times

Exercising (OK, I don’t really WANT to do this, but I’ve used the excuse of kids for so long that now I feel like I HAVE to)(or come up with a new excuse, the stifling heat maybe?)



I think I will make this an ongoing list. So when I find new and amazing things I can do without kids in tow, I will add to it. Like GROCERY SHOPPING and GOING TO THE CHIROPRACTOR!! Yay!

List of the Day (LotD): Summer Fun!

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My summer fun list is nothing new or extraordinary. It’s not too adventurous and won’t keep us too busy. We just like to spend a few minutes brainstorming a few things we’d really like to do (trips, a few places to visit) and then scatter those in with some other lazy summer activities!  You’ll notice most of these are pretty low-key, with a few places to visit that are not huge tourist attractions (we don’t like crowds!). 

 

1. Hiking

2. Silverman’s Farm

3. Model rocket

4. Overnight @ Mimi’s

5. Date Night

6. Dinner at the Beach

7. Beach days

8. Pool days

9. Backyard pool

10. BBQs

11. Road trips

12. VBS

13. Unplugged day

14. Random acts of kindness

15. Make popsicles

16. Wash car

17. Zoo

18. Sidewalk chalk

19. Build a fort

20. Fire pit/s’mores

21. Fireworks

22. Bike rides

23. Glow bubbles

24. Fly a kite

25. Grace Farms

26. Farmer’s Market

27. Plant a garden

28. Lemonade stand

29. Catch fireflies

30. Go to a carnival

31. Birthday party for Hugo (our dog) 

32. Botanical gardens

33. Brooklyn Bridge park

 

What’s missing from this list? After viewing this list for the first time, a friend said, “Why isn’t making lists on the list?” I think that’s an excellent point, because as we all know... lists are fun!!

List of the Day (LotD): Playlist

This playlist is not original to me. It is an Apple curated playlist that they made specifically for me based on my preferences. They do a new one every Tuesday and they are hit-or-miss (usually more miss than hit). But I particularly enjoyed this week’s! So if you are also a fan of mostly female pop artists, with some Disney and show tunes mixed in, this list might just be for you. iTunes Spotify

 

List of the Day (LotD): TV Shows

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It’s been a while since I’ve published any fun lists, so today it’s all about TV! I looked for some questions that were more than just “favorite this or that” and it’s was so fun, I may have to do a sequel sometime. And since I love TV so much, I’d love to hear your answers in the comments or in your own blog post!

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  1. What was the first TV show you remember loving?
    I Love Lucy. I knew every episode by heart; have Lucy dolls, trading cards, and books. And if you’re curious, my favorite episode was a little known one: the one where Lucy dances with Van Johnson and does it perfectly! 

    2. What was the last TV show you watched every episode of?
    Psych

    3. What was the last TV show you watched entirely online?
    Uhmmm all of them?

    4. What was the last TV show you gave up on before it ended?
    Battlestar Galactica. (I’m gonna get some judgement here...)

    5. What's the one TV show you can always watch reruns of, no matter how many times you've seen them?
    Parks and Recreation, The Office, Frasier

    6. Who is your favorite late-night host, past or present?
    Jimmy Fallon.

    7. What is your all-time favorite cartoon or animated series?
    Curious George, I guess? I don’t really watch adult cartoons so this is my favorite kid cartoon (non-movie).

    8. What is your all-time favorite reality show?
    Dancing with the Stars.

    9. What is your biggest guilty pleasure show?
    I’ve watched every episode of Desperate Housewives. A few times over. I figure this counts as my biggest guilty pleasure, because I’m embarrassed to admit it!

    10. Who is your all-time favorite TV character?
    Leslie Knope!

    11. What TV character can you most relate to?
    Katie on American Housewife, although I want to be like Leslie Knope: she can do anything!

    12. What TV apartment/house would you choose to live in if money/location/logic made no difference?
    I can’t think of any because most are apartments in the city. Are there any that are big beach houses or castles in the middle of nowhere?

    13. Who is your all-time biggest TV crush?
    Jim ❤️ 

    14. What is your all-time favorite TV theme song or opening sequence?
    Friends

    15. What is your all-time favorite comedy? (Limit yourself to 3 if you must)
    Arrested Developement, Community, Parks and Recreation

    16. What is your all-time favorite drama? (Limit yourself to 3 if you must)
    Doctor Who, Stranger Things, Broadchurch, oh my goodness the list could go on full of British crime dramas!
     (And since you don’t ask, my favorite “dramedy” was Ugly Betty)

    17. What are your top three "TV blind spots"—the famous/seminal shows you’ve never seen?
    Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones (although I did watch season 1), any of these type shows that are just too intense/dark for me!

    18. What TV show do you insist everyone you know should watch?
    Arrested Development

    19. What show cancellation broke your heart?
    Arrested Development

    20. What TV moment makes you cry every time?
    When Andy says, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.” (The Office)

List of the Day (LotD): Musical Appreciation, part 2

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My post from several weeks ago now, “Musical Appreciation, or the qualitative assessment of music appreciation,” promised an addendum with the list of qualities ranked by both my husband and myself. As frequently happens when we take time to rank and then compare, the results are almost exactly opposite! (Remember our Pixar lists?)

So below, you will find our reasons for liking any specific song or music as ranked by high, medium, or low importance. What would you rank the highest? What would you rank the lowest? Are we missing anything from this list?

  

Amy

High:
Evoking emotinos
Ability to sing along
Instrument/vocal quality

Medium:
Lyrics
Catchy
Instruments used

Low:
Context
Innovative
Technical ability of musicians

 

Ryan 

High:
Innovative
Technical ability of usicians

Medium:
Lyrics
Instrument/vocal quality
Ability to sing along
Catchy

Low:
Context
Evoking emotions
Instruments used

List of the Day (LotD): February Favorites

In February, I participated in a Lettering Challenge on Instagram about my favorites in all different categories. Here are the categories and I’ll let you figure out their matches!

Favorite:

Live Action TV Show

Board Game

Day of the Week

Animated TV Show

Hero

Villain

Flower

Video Game

Live Action Movie

Actor

Actress

Animated Movie

Dessert

Anime

Meal

Song

Hobby

Animal

Restaurant

Fruit

Vacation

Season

Holiday

 

Now it’s your turn! Leave your favorites in the comments. 

List of the Day (LotD): Music Appreciation, or the qualitative assessment of music appreciation

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My husband and I both love music, and yet even after over 10 years, we can never agree on what to listen to! Finally, on a recent road trip, we were able to pinpoint why: there are actually a lot of reasons to love or appreciate music (or a specific song), we just don’t agree each reason’s level of importance. After this discovery, we endeavored to make a list of all these reasons (below, in no particular order), and for next week’s LotD, we will rank them and compare, so you have something to look forward to!

Once you’ve seen the list, go and listen to your favorite song. What are the reasons you like it? And are they among those listed below? If not, let us know so we can make sure this is a complete list.

 

 Music Appreciation:

Lyrics

Instrument/vocal quality (tone, timbre, range)

Context

Innovative

Technical ability of musicians

Evoking emotions

Ability to sing along

Catchy

Instruments used

List of the Day (LotD): Pixar Films Ranked

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I’ve decided that Wednesdays will be list days, just for a little bit of mid-week fun (what is more fun than a list?). So today’s LotD is ranking Pixar movies! I don’t know about you, but this is a frequent topic of conversation in our house (cuz, you know, the important things). So below you will find all 18 movies* ranked by my husband and I. As you will see, we don’t seem to have the same taste at all!

Once you’ve seen the lists, leave a comment with your top choice, top three, or if you’re feeling ambitious (or just bored), leave your whole list and we’ll see how they compare! I’m happy to engage in a friendly debate about why my list is correct.

*We haven’t seen Coco yet, so this list could change once we do!

Amy: 

The Incredibles
Cars
Brave
Inside Out
Monsters, Inc.
Finding Nemo
Finding Dory
Cars 3
Toy Story
Toy Story 2
Cars 2
Ratatouille
Toy Story 3
Monsters University
Up
Wall-E
A Bug’s Life
The Good Dinosaur

 

Ryan:

Wall-E
Ratatouille
Toy Story
Inside Out
Toy Story
Up
Brave
The Incredibles
Finding Nemo
Cars
Toy Story 2
Monsters, Inc.
A Bug’s Life
Cars 3
Finding Dory
Monsters University
The Good Dinosaur
Cars 2

**Bonus** 

Audrey’s Top Three (my 7yo daughter): 

Brave
Ratatouille
The Incredibles