Five on Friday

In my "scientific research" (read: obsessive reading of other blogs) as I was preparing to start my own, some form of Five on Friday posts seemed to be a thing. I like them, because it's a fun place to put all the random thoughts and events of the week. And let's face it, I have a lot of random thoughts each week! So here we go...

**ONE**
You guys. (And by "you guys" I mean the one..maybe two people reading this). This is my 8th blog post!! Hooray! That may not be a huge milestone for others, but for me, who's struggled with sticking with the routine of blogging before, 8 posts in a month or so is great! An item for my 14 in 2014 list is to do 50 blog posts in the year. I was intentionally conservative about this number, to allow for falls off the wagon, writer's block, etc. To think that I'm already almost a 5th of the way through so early in the journey is very exciting. It motivates me to do even more! Let me know if you have any post suggestions!

**TWO**
I went to the doctor yesterday for ear pain. My ears have been bugging me for about a week. It started as just pressure...kind of like if you were in an airplane or leaving a loud concert. They felt like they needed to pop. But on Wednesday they were really painful...and it was radiating down my neck too. I was convinced I had an ear infection or some type of blockage in my ears. Verdict? Nothing! The doctor checked my ears, throat, and lymph nodes and found no indication of anything. It's nice to know that nothing's wrong, but it makes me feel like a crazy person! My ears are legit bugging me. If it's not an ear infection or blockage or something, what is it?? The doctor and I talked about the possibility of it being stress-related. So I guess I need to relax, and hope my ears are back to normal soon! It's driving me nuts. Anyone else have a similar problem? I swear this happens to me all the time...I have some random symptom that's bugging me, but nothing wrong. It's incredibly frustrating.

**THREE**
2 1/2 year olds are the most irrational, crazy creatures on the planet. And adorable. But crazy and irrational too. As referenced in my last post, it's been a rough couple weeks for us. We've given up the nuk, dealt with bad molar teething, and are living with a very emotional two-year-old. Tons of power struggles. Tons of whining and "I don't want ______" (most usually followed shortly after by "I want ________ - whatever she JUST turned down). She insisted that she didn't want to go to Grandma and Grandpa's house (which is one of her favorite things in the world), after whining every day previously about how she wanted to go there. I've spent a lot of time with kids in the past, but never truly understood the crazy-level of two until I had my own.

Luckily, it's mostly balanced out with lots of awesomness too. As challenging as two is, it's so much fun too! Linnea is constantly learning new things, and she surprises us every day with what she knows, does, and says. Just this week she learned the song "Down by the Bay," and has been having a blast making up verses. "Have you ever seen a Daddy dwiving a twuck?" (followed by huge giggles).

God is smart to make two-years-old so cute. Otherwise a lot more two-year-olds would be thrown out the window (I kid, I kid).

But yeah. She's cute. Which makes the crazy, irrational stuff easier to manage.

**FOUR**
I often get stuck on songs. I'll hear a song a couple times, and really like it and then play it practically on repeat for the next several days. The song of the week for me is Sara Bareilles "I Choose You." Honestly, I really don't like her current hit "Brave," but I heard this a bit ago (I think on Jimmy Fallon?) and immediately loved it. Her voice is amazing, and this song is so sweet and catchy in the best kind of way. "We are not perfect, we'll learn from our mistakes, and as long as it takes I will prove my love to you." Check it out...

 

While we're on the topic, while I was listening to this, I couldn't help but think about how this would be such a cute proposal/wedding song. I LOVE sweet proposals - not the overdone crazy ones...but the cute, sweet, thoughtful ones. So of course I had to look and sure enough I found this gem...



A couple things about the video... in my opinion, the mark of true singing talent is when artists are even better live. This seems to ring true for Sara (yeah, we're on a first name basis). Her voice is just as strong, if not stronger live - and this is just a video! I'm sure it was even better in person. Secondly, how cute is this?! I love how genuinely surprised she is ("Holy shit! It's happening!") and then how she spontaneously altered the song. And then the funny banter after the song. All of it is so awesome. I think I have a girl crush.

**FIVE**
I've got a fun weekend ahead, that I'm really looking forward to! Tonight is a "typical Friday" for us - which mostly involves crashing and watching either a movie, or stuff off the DVR, with some laundry and clean-up thrown in (which actually is perfect). Tomorrow I have my first blogging event - the "Favorite Things" party. I'm really excited...and a little nervous. I still feel like a very "wannabe" blogger. My blog layout isn't as fancy as others, I don't know the terminology, and it's all still so very new for me. I already really admire a lot of people who I will meet, just from what I've learned about them on their blogs. Hopefully I get some helpful advice, and gain some new readers. I am confident I will meet lots of cool people! Thank you, Melissa, for encouraging me to join in and sharing your blogging friends! Saturday night we have a friend's birthday party, and Sunday afternoon is my dad's 70th (!!!!) birthday party. Woo hoo! Should be lots of fun. Full report next week!

What are the random things on YOUR mind today?