music, therapy, and me

I'm not exactly sure what happened to blogging these past three days, but I didn't do it, so that's the situation. If you have become accustomed to a daily blog post from me, I guess I have disappointed you, but I'm okay with that. I think my blogging practice this year may be less consistent than in the more recent past. Who knows??

Oh! I remember why I didn't blog on Friday - it was an inclement weather day so I left my home really early so I could arrive at work at a decent hour. I did - VERY early - and then spent the day doing music therapy type stuff (not what I usually do - we watched Pixar shorts) and then went home carefully. I don't really know what happened on Saturday and Sunday - I just had things to do so I didn't get going on the blog. Sorry about that.

My current article is still not synthesized into my thoughts, so this will NOT be a Synthesis Sunday post. I am a bit behind. I have been keeping up with reading most days - so I have lots of th…

It is Thursday, and we are getting ready for another wave of wintry weather to blow through our area. We will be under a winter weather advisory all day tomorrow. I wonder if my superintendent will cancel school on Friday. If so, I need an administrative decision about whether I will offer shopping in the store or my inclement weather schedule tomorrow. I think I'll ask my assistant principal for a decision today, just in case...

When days like this happen, days when I am waiting for something to happen but am not quite sure what nature will bring to us all, I try to go with the Girl Scout (and Boy Scout also) motto of "Be Prepared." This idea has been drummed into my head since (almost) birth, and it is part of my world view and outlook. I know that some people will not like what I write about here, but this is my blog, my place to share my thoughts and feelings and opinions, and this is one of my core foundational beliefs.

I believe in thinking through as many possibilit…

I'm thinking that today is going to be a bit more difficult than the last couple of days. I wasn't able to do my new reading routine last night because I was out later than usual getting my new car and abandoning my old car.

I feel so much guilt about leaving my machines.

It is really silly to feel guilty about leaving a machine that I've had for 7 years as I drive off in a new machine. Isn't it? I blame Pixar for reinforcing the feelings I've had for years - cars have feelings!! (Tongue kind of in cheek here - I'm not totally convinced that they don't!) I'm hoping the next owner of my Pixie-car Two will be gentle with her. She's been through lots of miles with me and deserves a makeover and some rest.

TANGENT! Now to return you to the original topic of this blog post...

I ended up waking up really early this morning with a headache. I didn't get as much sleep as I would have liked, but that's my reality these days. I will go back to my reading…

It is Tuesday, and I am heading to Teachers Pay Teachers to highlight another creator! Today I am featuring Amy Abbott at Music A La Abbott. I usually find these creators when I am uploading my own products - I upload a little and then browse a little and then spend a little bit of money...

I digress.

I originally downloaded the Music Game Bundle - Ultimate Set of Card and Board Games bundle, but I know that I did not pay $40.00 for this file. I waited until there was a sale and then I spent my budget on the things I really wanted. This file was one of those things. There are card games and board games - all music related. Some of these games are a bit cutesy for my older students, but some of them are very age-appropriate. Her instrument cards use very good illustrations of many common music therapy instruments as well as the orchestral instruments. She even has a card for agogo bells and another for frog guiros! I admire a creator who considers all the instruments - even the more uniq…

One of my goals this year is to get more sleep at regular adult-type sleeping hours. I tend to go to sleep really early and then wake up after 6-7 hours - also very early. I then try to go back to sleep (which I cannot do), and I get stressed out about not being able to sleep the way I want to sleep. It's a never-ending cycle, and I want to shift it a bit. As a result, I am going to try to establish a new evening routine.

I spent the icy afternoon yesterday going through my Kindle and writing down all the business books, self-improvement books, and literary classics that I have downloaded. I don't use this device as much as I could for my reading, so I am going to place Kindle use into my evening routine. I am going to turn off the television and pick up the Kindle. Thirty minutes of business book reading, then 30 minutes of self-improvement/classics reading, then 30 minutes of real book reading. My first goal is to decrease the number of nights that I go to sleep with the tele…

I didn't read my article this week.

(Imagine my head hung down in momentary shame as I think about the commitment that I have made to myself and how I've let myself down...and then I'm over it...)

I am sitting here, hoping against hope that my work will be cancelled this morning, but not really believing that it will happen. I should write out my sermon so I am completely prepared, and then it won't happen because I am completely prepared.

I will read my article and be ready next week. This week has been a long one but the weather has messed some things up, so my attention is not fully on my goal of reading research. 

So, instead of writing about what I was reading, let me just say that things are starting to come together over here. I hope that is what is happening for you as well!