music, therapy, and me

It is Saturday - my day of rest. I went back to sleep this morning after waking at 3:47 (my parent's street number - always feels lucky to me) and slept until 5:30 am. I rarely go back to sleep when I wake up, so I felt that it was a good sign that I was able to get a bit more shuteye. I have now finished a task for the Online Conference for Music Therapy, Inc . and am finishing up some of my chores for that organization. There are only 97 days left before the next online conference. Will you be there? Apparently, my brain is moving faster than my fingers are this morning. I am backspace typing quite a bit, so it is time to slow down. Take a couple of deep breaths and focus on one thing at a time. It probably doesn't help that I am eating M&Ms at the computer right here rather than finding some protein. Ah, the ramifications of the choices I make right here, right now! Isn't that the way? Everything I do has ramifications for me and for others. Now, writing while under ...

Saturday has finally arrived and is happening right now! I am happy to be in Saturday mode and will be spending some time doing some shopping in various stores that I do not frequent often and then running some errands. It is going to be a leisurely day, but a day full of things that need to be done. I got paid yesterday, so I feel like I can spend a little bit of money to get things that I want instead of only getting what I need. I, of course, have a budget, but it will be nice to go into the world and just look at things. I have some pictures to frame and put on the walls. I have some surfaces to clear and collectible ornaments to display. I'll be creative through some decoration on this day. I bought some wooden plaques at the Dollar Tree a couple of weeks ago, and I did a crayon rub to finish them (cheap way to add a patina to wooden surfaces - color the entire surface and then rub it with a tissue until the wax melts and becomes shiny). I am going to use them as makeshift mem...

Saturdays are my favorite days. There you go. I have made it official. Of all the days of the week, Saturday is the day that I yearn for every single time. It is the day that I can keep for myself and myself alone. This is a definite advantage to being single and pet-less - I have the luxury of reserving one day every week for me-things. I have little that I HAVE to do today, but tons of things that I NEED to do today. I am hoping to get some things finished up and off the list for some time. I just have to get going and do something!   I tried to put together a book cover last week. I had some corrugated, sticky cardboard from the Disney Movie Club that has a cute design on the outside but is problematic on the inside. So, I wanted to add some paper to the inside to decrease the stickiness and make the cardboard usable as a cover. I had to put the paper/cardboard sandwich under lots of weight to make sure that it adhered, and I have not checked it since I put it under all the weig...

I am really trying very hard to figure out an afternoon blogging routine. Yesterday, I got home with a wicked neck crick and headache so it was all I could do to eat some dinner before crawling into bed. I ended up being awake later than I expected, but blogging did not cross my mind at all. That's my problem with afternoon tasks - my body really dictates what happens in the afternoons. Yesterday was a pain day, so everything else was pushed to the side. Mornings are a better time for me to work against gravity for many reasons. The problem lately is that I don't want to get up when my light turns on. I just want to sleep in a bit. So, who knows when I will be blogging in the next several weeks... I have been working on an intern-focused project this past week - something for my interns to work on to gain some extra hours and to prepare them for their desired futures. My next intern has expressed a desire to work as an employee of the juvenile judicial system, so I have selecte...

I woke up this morning at 4am - my regular wake-up time, but I spent two more hours in bed doing social media, time-sucking things before I actually started my day. This is how I am getting back into my routine. I am pretty successful in setting up and following morning routines. I am less successful in doing the same type of thing in the afternoon/evening. I try and try to figure out an evening routine that allows me to be productive, but the fact is that I really want to just relax in the evenings after work. I rarely find things like cooking or cleaning a priority after work. I just want to play games and be an entertainment consumer and to sleep. I always want to sleep. I accomplished my five-minute clean yesterday, but today has to be dedicated to a deep clean of the kitchen. That area is a mess, so I need to get it under control. Many of my Christmas gifts this year are things for my kitchen, so I want to get the room cleaned up and organized to put the new pieces in when they ar...

I have decided to participate (at least, to try to participate) in a #100DayChallenge. There are lots of ways to do this, but I've decided to pair two things together - a creativity exercise with some cleaning. Starting on Wednesday, I will be working towards five minutes of cleaning daily as well as a rolodex doodle thing. What does all this mean? Well, it means that I am going to try my best to focus on the things that I want for myself - a cleaner environment and a routine that includes making art every day. Now, I tend to get pretty excited about these things and then peter out after a couple of weeks. This challenge will last from February 22nd through June 2nd. I have enough stuff to take with me to keep the art part going for the entire time. I can take my rolodex cards with me when I go traveling this season. I have lots of little colored pencils and markers and stickers and things that will travel easily. I will not be able to clean my home for five minutes when I am not a...

I had Monday off from work. That made this week seem indeterminably long. It always happens that way. I am never really sure why, but having Monday off makes Tuesday through Friday just drag on and on... My week was full of watching my intern lead sessions, leading my own sessions, and lots and lots of thinking. This past four days was not a "doing" time, but was a thinking time. I did put together a paper bag junk journal for a co-worker's birthday. It turned out pretty well, and she's an art therapist so she will use it for all sorts of things. I am having fun making things for other people. Everyone is getting some sort of homemade gift from me, and I am using up some of my stuff in the process! That is the best part of all for me - using up stuff!! My interest in papercrafting stems from my interest in books. I like books in all sorts of forms. I like hardbacks and paperbacks, blank books and picture books. Books are a part of my necessities all the time. It is ra...

I am getting ready to go to an Orff workshop about 40 minutes away from my home, with strangers, and (shudder) I was told (after signing up, by the way) to bring my soprano recorder. Do you know one of the reasons that I am NOT an elementary music educator? Oh, it would be the soprano recorder. I now have a morning full of soprano recorder to get through before I can come home and relax. I felt that this Orff workshop would be a good way to get back into something a little less music therapy focused and a bit more music education focused. I also thought that I would make a bit of community. One of the bad things about me is that, when the time to go actually comes, I am much less enthusiastic about leaving my home at this moment than I was when I signed up for all this, and the recorder information did not show up until significantly after signups were finished. I went back and looked at the information and nothing, NOTHING about the soprano recorder was on the flyer. In fact, there is...

My favorite day of the week is here, but it includes things to do with other people, so this particular Saturday is not entirely my own, but that is the function of choices that I have made for myself, so I am not upset about that at all. (What a run-on sentence!) I am going to spend some time talking to music therapists from around the world this morning, including a new colleague that I have not interacted with much yet. This has been a week full of music therapy interactions outside my typical routine, and I am enjoying these opportunities to talk to other music therapists because I often feel very alone in my profession. I am not alone out here - there are TONS of music therapists in the greater Kansas City area, but I am not much of a joiner, so I don't participate in the Kansas City Metro group or go to alumni events or even continue to be in my various educational organizations that I joined at one point or another in my educational process. Even with all sorts of interactio...

I am working really hard on getting back into a set routine of specific topics each week, and we have finally come to day where there is not set topic...Saturday. I have reserved two days per week for my random, egocentric, and completely off-the-wall writing. These "free topic" days help me focus on the "me" part of music, therapy, and me, and they encourage me to remember that I am more than just a music therapist. I am "ME!" I spent my entire commute home yesterday thinking about a topic that I will cover tomorrow. Today is reserved for more personal posts and for occasionally skipping the writing process completely. I strive to write daily, but I also allow myself to skip once per week. I skipped Wednesday in my morning routine this week. So, here is a Saturday post. This morning, I awoke just in time to see the full moon before it slipped behind the backyard neighbor's townhome. I love the moon in all of its phases, so being able to see it at any ...

Today is Saturday, the one day where I choose what I want to do with my time and energy rather than having to do what others structure for me...well, in one sense of the word. I do not go to work for someone else on Saturdays - I get to spend time in my home without having to leave unless I want to! I try to keep my Saturdays reserved for rest and relaxation because I work the other days of the week. Today, though, is an exception. Once per month (or about that often), I meet with the other Board of Directors of the Online Conference for Music Therapy, Inc . We talk about the conferences that we run on a regular basis and we plan for what we have to do to get an online conference going and ready for other music therapists from around the world. It is a wonderful bunch of people, so I do not regret the time spent with these folks on my Saturdays. I enjoy our conversations and our problem solving. The rest of the day will consist of me walking around my house, looking at the boxes that a...

My favorite day of the week is Saturday because it is usually the only day of the week where my time is mostly my own. I do not have to go out (most Saturdays - there are exceptions), I have limited work responsibilities (the occasional OCMT board meeting happens on Saturday mornings), and I can stay in my pajamas all day if I want! I will not be staying in my pajamas today because I need to go and take my confidential shredding to the shredding place. While I am out, I will probably get my groceries as well. Saturday is my day to relax as much as possible. I have been trying to have little to no goal demands as a way of existing these days. I have found that my goals have been unsuccessful because I am not interested in them. I am trying a different type of mindset, and it is one that seems a bit more positive for me. I am getting some things done that I haven't accomplished during goal times. Today's goals are to get my groceries, take the shredding, make some animal choice b...

I love Saturdays. Saturdays are the only days of the week that I do not leave my house for work. I still work on Saturdays, but I work for the Online Conference for Music Therapy or for my own website and stuff, so the work is not something that requires me to go outside, be around people, or even wear pants. I can stay in my pajamas (but only from the waist down, if I am online) all day, if I want! Most of the time, I want!! Today, being the first Saturday of the new year and being a bit jet-lagged and very allergy-ridden at the moment, I am going to pace myself a bit more than usual. I have a couple of plans for this Saturday - including a training for the Online Conference - but those are things that need to happen (and will include wearing pants!!) and aren't too taxing. That's on purpose.  It has been a long week. The long week is now over, the next week will be starting tomorrow, and I am going to get some things done. It will be a good thing. My bullet journal ...

I am going to spend some time today making something. I have some birdhouses halfway painted for my sister's new home. I got some new file folders for making file folder activities for my clients and for my friends. I have some slippers to crochet (as long as my sprained finger holds out). I also want to bake something to splurge on. At some point, I need to do laundry so I have clothing to wear next week, but that can be done tomorrow. It is Saturday, and I had my "I just want to stay in bed all day" day yesterday on my day off! I'm a day ahead of my self-care routine, so I get to have some play time. Several years ago, I won a basket full of paints in the American Music Therapy Association's National Conference silent auction. It was a large basket full of paints, and I am just now finding things to do with the contents. My art therapist friend, Tawnya, has taught me to make mixed media backgrounds for various projects, and I want to make some today with tho...

I love my Saturday mornings. Saturday is the only day that I keep to myself (well, mostly). It is the only day that I have no outside work responsibilities, so I have opportunities to do things that I want to do rather than the things that I have to do to be paid. It is my day, and I enjoy having that day to nap or do laundry or make something fun. In about an hour, I am going to the grocery store to do a week's worth of shopping. I'm going to try buying just enough for one week of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. I don't usually do this, so it's a bit of a change for me. I am tired of not using what I purchase, so I am going to try purchasing just what I need. This means a bit more menu planning than usual, but I think I am up for the challenge. Since I've been awake this morning, I've finished the first round of revisions for my CBMT pre-approved provider application (I'm very close!). I've also caught up with my social media world and have done...