Today a new Super Junior M music video is out. And it's hot! Which is surprising because of all the ruffles and fur hats and eyeliner. Did I mention ruffles and fur hats? Yeah... I've gotten over the whole eyeliner thing. Well at least for guys in music videos.
Anyway, this is a pretty catchy tune and if you don't like it then maybe your kids will. But this mama LOVES it and her kids think it's OK. This surprises me since they were the original Super Junior lovers in this house. Oh well. Watch for yourself and enjoy -
Monday, February 21, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Gratitiude - A Sunday Thing
These posts are starting to feel a little like, "What I Did for My Summer Vacation" essays. Except that I never had to write one. But anyway, they feel forced. Or at least they do to me. I think I'm only going to do them once a month instead of attempting to do them every week.
With that said, this week I'm grateful for Sunshine!
The second thing I'm grateful for is temperatures in the 50's!
And the third thing I'm grateful for is all the funny, clever people who put hilarious things on YouTube-
And I'm also grateful for the people who find funny things on YouTube and put them on their blogs so that I can enjoy them too. (YouTubube video found via The Binge Lady http://bingelady.blogspot.com/)
As always I'm grateful for my home, my family, and my faith -
and don't forget Super Junior!
With that said, this week I'm grateful for Sunshine!
The second thing I'm grateful for is temperatures in the 50's!
And the third thing I'm grateful for is all the funny, clever people who put hilarious things on YouTube-
And I'm also grateful for the people who find funny things on YouTube and put them on their blogs so that I can enjoy them too. (YouTubube video found via The Binge Lady http://bingelady.blogspot.com/)
As always I'm grateful for my home, my family, and my faith -
and don't forget Super Junior!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
21 days to a New Habit? It's a Lie!
Experts will tell you that it takes doing something 21 times for it to become a habit. Ha! First, I want to know who these experts are. And second, what exactly are they using for a definition of a habit? Never in my life has this "sage" advice worked.
OK, so the expert part. Have you ever noticed that the people who make the 21 day claim say it like it's some fact written in stone without ever actually trying it for themselves? I think that at day 21 they said, "Hey, I'm sick of keeping track of this habit. I don't think I will go back to my old ways. Done." Then they let it fade from memory and happily assume that they have a new habit.
Now the definition of a habit (as defined by dictionary.com)- an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. That's the kind of definition I'm talking about. I don't think the "experts" are using this definition. I think the definition they are using is something like this- a new behavior done repetitively. They forget about the "almost involuntary" part.
Most habits that I can think of are negative ones. Like mindless eating. Or sucking your thumb. Picking your nose. Hair twirling. Leaving your backpack on the couch. Stripping off your clothes as soon as you get home (your partner may or may not like that one, but your kids hate it). You get it.
The point is, that at some level these bad habits give you an instant pay off that you need. New, good habits do not do this. If it's a new, bad habit, you are probably being rewarded for it in some way almost immediately. New, good habits are HARD!!! They require a lot of work and effort. They take you completely outside of your comfort zone. They do not give you the same kind of pay off that bad habits do. And 21 days is not enough time to ingrain these things into you so much so that stopping would make you feel desperate to continue doing them.
I must confess that I do not have any good habits. I have bad habits that I'm trying to overcome. I do good things on a regular basis, some more regularly than others. And I'm trying really hard to establish some good habits.
The one I'm closest on is making my bed. In my 40+ years of living, making my bed has never been a priority of any kind. I decided in September that I needed a self-esteem boost and that one way to do that is to feel like you accomplish some thing everyday. Making the bed is easy so I decided to work on that. 21 days later it was still a hassle to make it. 60 days later I was still squabbling with Dude-Man about who should have to do it on weekends (Have you ever seen a baby having a fit because someone won't suck his thumb for him on the weekend? I think not!). It's now been over 150 days (I counted) and while it gives me great satisfaction to see my bed made and I no longer get grouchy about doing it on the weekends and I even have it mostly made before I even get out of bed (I'm very clever); I will let it go if I'm sick. I know I should cut myself some slack but I'm just being honest here. Thumb-suckers, hair-twirlers, compulsive eaters, nose pickers, back pack slingers, and nudists feel wrong when they don't suck, twirl, eat, pick, sling, or disrobe. Maybe I will never get there when it comes to making my bed. And, I'm actually OK with that.
Here are some things that I'm working on (with varying degrees of success) to make new, good habits in my lifetime- exercise, making healthy food choices, wearing make-up, getting dressed every day (pajamas don't count), brushing my teeth, doing the dishes, reading scriptures, saying positive things to my family, cooking dinner, doing my hair, putting away my stuff, doing nice things without being asked (something I wish my kids did- hint, hint), speaking/reading/listening to Korean every day, and nurturing our bank account into a state of abundance.
Whoa! That sentence was really long! And that's a lot of stuff! The nice thing about life is that everyday you get a chance to try again. When I let something go I ask myself if it's something that's still important to me and if it is I get up and do it. Right then. I have made my bed right before getting in it. Exercised after showering. Thrown away a poor food choice before I finished eating it. Put make-up on at 7pm. Gotten dressed at 5pm. Brushed my teeth at noon. Read one verse of scripture by the light of my ipod. You get the picture.
Now I'm not saying all of this to sound like a perfect, dedicated person. I am sooo far from that. But I have given myself permission to love myself and take care of myself in whatever way that works on that particular day. I don't hold to any diets or exercise plans. No month-by-month home organizing plan. Not even Dude-Man gets a say in how I should accomplish my goals. And I think that if you are thinking of something that you would like to tackle in your own life then do it! I'd love to cheer you on.
And when the going gets tough I just think of this guy-
Why? Because he is always so positive and nice. And he's funny. So very funny. When the going gets tough I get all grouchy and mean. Laughing melts all that bad karma away. And then I listen to this song-
Super Junior - Here We Go.mp3
So now that you have something to think about, a nice picture of a really positive person (Eunhyuk), and a fun song to listen to, go forth and accomplish!
Party On Friend!
OK, so the expert part. Have you ever noticed that the people who make the 21 day claim say it like it's some fact written in stone without ever actually trying it for themselves? I think that at day 21 they said, "Hey, I'm sick of keeping track of this habit. I don't think I will go back to my old ways. Done." Then they let it fade from memory and happily assume that they have a new habit.
Now the definition of a habit (as defined by dictionary.com)- an acquired behavior pattern regularly followed until it has become almost involuntary. That's the kind of definition I'm talking about. I don't think the "experts" are using this definition. I think the definition they are using is something like this- a new behavior done repetitively. They forget about the "almost involuntary" part.
Most habits that I can think of are negative ones. Like mindless eating. Or sucking your thumb. Picking your nose. Hair twirling. Leaving your backpack on the couch. Stripping off your clothes as soon as you get home (your partner may or may not like that one, but your kids hate it). You get it.
The point is, that at some level these bad habits give you an instant pay off that you need. New, good habits do not do this. If it's a new, bad habit, you are probably being rewarded for it in some way almost immediately. New, good habits are HARD!!! They require a lot of work and effort. They take you completely outside of your comfort zone. They do not give you the same kind of pay off that bad habits do. And 21 days is not enough time to ingrain these things into you so much so that stopping would make you feel desperate to continue doing them.
I must confess that I do not have any good habits. I have bad habits that I'm trying to overcome. I do good things on a regular basis, some more regularly than others. And I'm trying really hard to establish some good habits.
The one I'm closest on is making my bed. In my 40+ years of living, making my bed has never been a priority of any kind. I decided in September that I needed a self-esteem boost and that one way to do that is to feel like you accomplish some thing everyday. Making the bed is easy so I decided to work on that. 21 days later it was still a hassle to make it. 60 days later I was still squabbling with Dude-Man about who should have to do it on weekends (Have you ever seen a baby having a fit because someone won't suck his thumb for him on the weekend? I think not!). It's now been over 150 days (I counted) and while it gives me great satisfaction to see my bed made and I no longer get grouchy about doing it on the weekends and I even have it mostly made before I even get out of bed (I'm very clever); I will let it go if I'm sick. I know I should cut myself some slack but I'm just being honest here. Thumb-suckers, hair-twirlers, compulsive eaters, nose pickers, back pack slingers, and nudists feel wrong when they don't suck, twirl, eat, pick, sling, or disrobe. Maybe I will never get there when it comes to making my bed. And, I'm actually OK with that.
Here are some things that I'm working on (with varying degrees of success) to make new, good habits in my lifetime- exercise, making healthy food choices, wearing make-up, getting dressed every day (pajamas don't count), brushing my teeth, doing the dishes, reading scriptures, saying positive things to my family, cooking dinner, doing my hair, putting away my stuff, doing nice things without being asked (something I wish my kids did- hint, hint), speaking/reading/listening to Korean every day, and nurturing our bank account into a state of abundance.
Whoa! That sentence was really long! And that's a lot of stuff! The nice thing about life is that everyday you get a chance to try again. When I let something go I ask myself if it's something that's still important to me and if it is I get up and do it. Right then. I have made my bed right before getting in it. Exercised after showering. Thrown away a poor food choice before I finished eating it. Put make-up on at 7pm. Gotten dressed at 5pm. Brushed my teeth at noon. Read one verse of scripture by the light of my ipod. You get the picture.
Now I'm not saying all of this to sound like a perfect, dedicated person. I am sooo far from that. But I have given myself permission to love myself and take care of myself in whatever way that works on that particular day. I don't hold to any diets or exercise plans. No month-by-month home organizing plan. Not even Dude-Man gets a say in how I should accomplish my goals. And I think that if you are thinking of something that you would like to tackle in your own life then do it! I'd love to cheer you on.
And when the going gets tough I just think of this guy-
Why? Because he is always so positive and nice. And he's funny. So very funny. When the going gets tough I get all grouchy and mean. Laughing melts all that bad karma away. And then I listen to this song-
Super Junior - Here We Go.mp3
So now that you have something to think about, a nice picture of a really positive person (Eunhyuk), and a fun song to listen to, go forth and accomplish!
Party On Friend!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Purple Pride - We've Got It!
Where I live purple and white reign supreme. Every school in this town claims purple and white as the school colors. The elementary schools. The Jr. high school. The high school. And to top things off, the town also claims purple and white as their colors. Before I moved here I had never heard of such a thing.
Over the years purple has grown on me. It has grown on me so much that it is now the predominate color in my closet. Earlier this year I went to a parent meeting at the Jr. high. The purpose of the meeting is unimportant. What is important is that the principle of said school was putting down the color purple. Apparently he doesn't think much of the color purple. In fact he said some rude things about this divine color. I had to speak up. I was, after all, wearing purple at the time.
Here are a few pictures of me wearing purple -
Yeah, I'm totally lovin' the purple.
I'm not the only one who's lovin' the purple. I recently saw some pictures of some Super Junior boys wearing purple.
Here we have Donghae wearing purple shoes while running through an airport somewhere in Asia-
I am now on the look out for purple shoes with orange laces (no less). One of my favorite color combinations.
Eunhyuk, on Super Junior's Foresight is wearing purple-
And not just a little purple either. A purple hat. A purple sweater. Purple suspenders. Purple Pants. I love it!
An older picture of Sungmin wearing a purple vest-
I don't exactly love the vest but Sungmin always rocks my world. And purple + bling + black = (usually) an awesome look.
A goofy picture of Siwon wearing a lot of purple-
As Korean crazy as I am, I don't think I will be trying this exact look ever. But the layering of the different shades of purple? Brilliant!
Ryeowook is totally rocking the black and purple vibe-
Gotta love it!
And finally, Yesung is just going for the pop of color that gives a white polo shirt some zing-
Oh, and that purple tie? Genius!
I believe that if more people wore purple on a regular basis the world would be a much happier place. Wear purple, it will put a smile on your face. And maybe others will smile at you too. Umm... but not big purple hats with large red feathers, because that's just silly.
Over the years purple has grown on me. It has grown on me so much that it is now the predominate color in my closet. Earlier this year I went to a parent meeting at the Jr. high. The purpose of the meeting is unimportant. What is important is that the principle of said school was putting down the color purple. Apparently he doesn't think much of the color purple. In fact he said some rude things about this divine color. I had to speak up. I was, after all, wearing purple at the time.
Here are a few pictures of me wearing purple -
I'm not the only one who's lovin' the purple. I recently saw some pictures of some Super Junior boys wearing purple.
Here we have Donghae wearing purple shoes while running through an airport somewhere in Asia-
Eunhyuk, on Super Junior's Foresight is wearing purple-
An older picture of Sungmin wearing a purple vest-
A goofy picture of Siwon wearing a lot of purple-
Ryeowook is totally rocking the black and purple vibe-
And finally, Yesung is just going for the pop of color that gives a white polo shirt some zing-
I believe that if more people wore purple on a regular basis the world would be a much happier place. Wear purple, it will put a smile on your face. And maybe others will smile at you too. Umm... but not big purple hats with large red feathers, because that's just silly.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Gratitiude - A Sunday Thing
I was sick this week. Not super sick. Worn down and painful throat sick. I spent three days in bed sleeping. If I can sleep several times in a day and then sleep through the night I know something is wrong. I find it to be very boring to spend the day in bed. And so, without further ado, the things I'm grateful for this week:
First, I'm thankful for ibuprofen -
I love this stuff because it usually takes the pain away or at least the edge off. Demerol does no such thing for me. When I was in labor with my first child I thought that I would have natural childbirth in an attempt to save some money. Hahaha! They gave me Demerol (to take the "edge off") and it was as if my brain went on vacation while all those nerve ending were still left vibrantly throbbing with pain. Not fun. The epidural was sooo worth it.
But I digress. In almost every instance of pain I reach for the ibuprofen and this week was no exception. Although my throat was raw and on fire, the ibuprofen did the job and made the pain bearable.
Second, I'm grateful for my ipod -
Whenever I don't want to do something, turning on my ipod has a magical effect on me. My grouchiness melts away and I'm transformed into an upbeat and happy person. Earlier this week I did not want to exercise. I had an idea I was coming down with something but I was hoping to think positive thoughts to banish away my illness. Exercise and home care was challenging. But when I turned on my tunes I was able to exercise and at least get the dishes done. I also recently discovered that I can brush my teeth longer and more thoroughly if I put on my headphones and listen to some Super Junior while brushing.
Third, I'm thankful for kitties that snuggle with me -
I always dreamed of the day when we would have cats that actually like each other instead of just tolerating each other. We finally achieved success with these two. Stormy is the bigger of the two and Cleo is the one with patches of orange. They love each other and they love me. During the days that I was in bed they were happy to cuddle with me when I need some extra heat and then were content to stay nearby if I didn't want to be touched. All friends should be so understanding.
As always I'm grateful for my home, my family, and my faith -
and don't forget Super Junior!
Now tell me something you are grateful for -
First, I'm thankful for ibuprofen -
But I digress. In almost every instance of pain I reach for the ibuprofen and this week was no exception. Although my throat was raw and on fire, the ibuprofen did the job and made the pain bearable.
Second, I'm grateful for my ipod -
Third, I'm thankful for kitties that snuggle with me -
As always I'm grateful for my home, my family, and my faith -
and don't forget Super Junior!
Now tell me something you are grateful for -
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Why, Oh Why?
Today I found this picture of Eunhyuk -
Isn't it terrible? I enlarged it so that the terribleness could be viewed in its full glory. What could possibly possess anyone to wear such awful clothes?
Are they his own clothes? Did he buy them? Are they from some famous designer who has no sense of style or no sense period? Were they a gift? Is he wearing them on a dare?
Maybe he came to the set of this show and they told him that he had to wear their clothes and this was all that fit. Maybe his mom gave them to him for Christmas and he promised her that he would wear whatever she bought him sight unseen. It could be that he somehow damaged his real clothes and he ended up wearing the outfit that an 85 year old camera man was wearing. Or maybe that building behind them is a retirement home and a resident there mistook him as her grandson and forced him to wear it.
Clearly, I don't know. I may even lose sleep over it. I'm not usually one to condemn someone's fashion sense but.....
Are they his own clothes? Did he buy them? Are they from some famous designer who has no sense of style or no sense period? Were they a gift? Is he wearing them on a dare?
Maybe he came to the set of this show and they told him that he had to wear their clothes and this was all that fit. Maybe his mom gave them to him for Christmas and he promised her that he would wear whatever she bought him sight unseen. It could be that he somehow damaged his real clothes and he ended up wearing the outfit that an 85 year old camera man was wearing. Or maybe that building behind them is a retirement home and a resident there mistook him as her grandson and forced him to wear it.
Clearly, I don't know. I may even lose sleep over it. I'm not usually one to condemn someone's fashion sense but.....
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Listen!
I'm in a writing/life funk. But that's ok. When my mom asks, "What's new?" I always answer that nothing is new because that's basically true. And today/this week/etc it's really true. I'm just coasting through life. There it is. I'm boring.
The Super Junior boys are anything but boring. After a 10 day concert tour and a car accident they are back at work. Not even a day of rest for those boys.
And today is Kyuhyun"s birthday. Today he is 23 years old. Just a baby really. A baby with a really amazing voice.
This is a video clip from November of last year. Kyuhyun is being a substitute DJ for Heechul and near the end of the program he sings a song called Coagulation. I know, it's a really weird title for a song. When I think of the word coagulation I think of blood clots and that really does not translate to a tender song at all. Ever. And yet it is. So tender. So melancholy. So beautiful. Listen for yourself -
Happy Birthday Kyuhyun! Thanks for all the beautiful music.
The Super Junior boys are anything but boring. After a 10 day concert tour and a car accident they are back at work. Not even a day of rest for those boys.
And today is Kyuhyun"s birthday. Today he is 23 years old. Just a baby really. A baby with a really amazing voice.
This is a video clip from November of last year. Kyuhyun is being a substitute DJ for Heechul and near the end of the program he sings a song called Coagulation. I know, it's a really weird title for a song. When I think of the word coagulation I think of blood clots and that really does not translate to a tender song at all. Ever. And yet it is. So tender. So melancholy. So beautiful. Listen for yourself -
Happy Birthday Kyuhyun! Thanks for all the beautiful music.
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