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It Will Be Ok, Mom. (Back To School Post)
As our crazy busy summer came to an end, I started brainstorming all of the original content I would create for this blog as soon as the munchkin headed off to school in the morning today. Wanting for weeks to write for you, I quickly learned that shuttling her around to various summer camps in a part of the country I was previously unfamiliar with (new roads, traffic patterns, tourists!) while maintaining a home that is undergoing renovation was too much to do. But this morning our little family rose and readied early and walked down to the elementary school bus stop on Coast Highway. With the grey Pacific Ocean…
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The Buddy Holly Story
I have never been a big fan of jukebox musicals. They can be fun but in general it’s lazy musical theater, meant for audiences afraid to try anything new. The shows take a collection of already published music from one particular person or band or genre, and either loosely connect them in an effort to form a story (Mamma Mia!, Movin’ Out, Rock of Ages) or use them in telling the story of the singer/band (Jersey Boys, The Boy from Oz). Critically, occasionally they work well and often they fall flat, but audiences (particularly those not familiar with or appreciative of the more original work on Broadway) tend to love…
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Sundays in the Park
Fresh air, laughing children, food and wine, dancing neighbors and live music; there are few things that elicit a more favorable response than a classic summertime music concert in a park, especially when it’s free. A quick Google search shows how many options there are nation-wide for experiencing free musical concerts in public spaces, and we are all better for it. My family has enjoyed performances in Central Park in New York and Klyde Warren Park in Dallas, and now thanks to the Laguna Beach Arts Commission we have this opportunity again in our new home of Laguna Beach. Fifty-two year old Bluebird Park is enclosed by fencing and surrounded by…
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What Have You Done for You Lately?
“Baby, what have you done for you this week?” It was such a simple question, but it jarred me. I’d met with contractors, unpacked some more boxes, shuttled my daughter to her soccer and swimming and beach exploration camps, cleaned the house, did the laundry, organized some files, hung photos and got the back patio in working condition. This was all for us, for our family, which I am of course a part of. What did my husband mean what did I do for me? It’s such a common story that I feel ridiculous writing about it; mothers putting themselves last. Whether working ourselves to the bone for our families,…
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And Miles To Go Before I Sleep
Over the last two weeks my house has had a steady stream of visitors, from inspectors, plumbers and electricians to old friends, new neighbors (and their dogs) and a babysitter. I still wake up surrounded by boxes and I can’t remember where I’d decided to place the things we have already unpacked. My almost-6-year-old is literally bouncing around the house, making forts out of everything and threatening the crystal I haven’t found a shelf for yet. At least once a day she has a boo-boo and at least once I day she gives me one. Suffice it to say my home is utter chaos. Two weeks ago we moved out…
