Pants, Plug, and Play

* If you can't find the pants you were planning on wearing to yoga, it's very possible you're already wearing them.

* When plugging in your phone to charge, make sure the cord is also plugged into the wall.

* If you're playing the organ in church make sure to keep an extra book or two handy. You may need them to hold the pages of your hymn book open when the ceiling fan unexpectedly kicks on and your pages start flying.

Soooo Close!

I've been wanting to put some sort of design on our stairs ever since moving in five years ago, but I couldn't quite figure out what. Books? Playing mice? Cool quote? And then yesterday I had an epiphany... Star Wars!! (Cue Stars Wars theme song...)

Have to admit, I was feeling pretty proud of myself for coming up with this. Unfortunately, it wasn't until after I unveiled the awesomeness to my husband that I realized my mistake... the type is supposed to be justified! AGH! How could I have forgotten?! That's what I get for googling the words and not the image! But kudos to hubby (the actual Star Wars fan in the house) for not pointing out my mistake. Yep, he's a keeper =) I'm wondering how long it's going to bug me before I have to redo it? Ah well. Hubby and kids love it, so I guess I'll enjoy the near-awesomeness for at least a little while ;-)

Make it Stop!

When I started my masters degree I had to watch quite a few online tutorials. Each of the tutorials had the same horrible background music. After listening to just the first two videos I couldn't take it anymore... the music was seriously giving me a headache. Even turned down as low as possible, the pitch alone was enough to make my ears bleed.  I tried using the subtitles only option, but it was really hard to read the print while following the little tutorial cursor on the screen at the same time, so I had to turn the sound back on. Oh my goodness, the music was just awful!

I finally couldn't take it anymore so I tried connecting with my mentor to ask if there was a way to turn off the obnoxious music. Of course, she was away from her desk, so I just waited and tried to deal with it a while longer.

Eventually I figured out that the music couldn't be coming from the tutorials... but where could it be coming from?! So I started closing all my open windows until, finally, I discovered what was making that horrid music... it was my Bubble Spinner game! (Hey, no judging! For those of you who've never tried Bubble Spinner, be warned, it can be rather addictive! I dare you to beat me, though ;-)  I can't remember my best score, but I believe the highest level I got to was somewhere around 35. Trust me, that's impressive! ...and super sad LOL)

Oh my heck, I was so glad my  mentor wasn't available when I called to complain about the background music! Can you imagine how embarrassing that conversation would've been? Haha!

Target, Tuner, and Turn

* If you choose to leave your archery target outside, don't be surprised if a bear stops by to destroy it.

* Make sure you're on the right octave when tuning a violin with an electronic tuner. It really hurts when a violin string snaps on you.

* Pay very close attention if the recipe you're following requires a page turn, unless you want to start following the wrong recipe 3/4 of the way through. (Yes, the first thing I thought of when I realized my error was that episode of "Friends." At least my two recipes were for main dishes! LOL)

Switch, Search, and Scrapbook

* No matter how hard you hit it, the light switch will not turn off the vacuum cleaner.

* Make sure you have taken *all* groceries out of the bags before throwing them away, or you may find yourself missing a key ingredient when trying to make dinner.

* Make sure your online scrapbook is completely done saving before closing the site.

I am not a Terrorist

* If you have a full cylindrical coin bank in your carry-on bag, don't be surprised when airport security becomes very alarmed. They are confident you've got a gun in your bag.

* I bet you're asking yourself why on earth would there be a coin bank in my carry-on. (And, no, this is not a picture of *my* bank - mine was black - this is a random photo I found on-line.) The boring truth is, we were moving and I'd forgotten to pack it, of course. Oh my heck, it was really so funny. The security guard totally started freaking out over my bag. I tried to tell him it was my coin bank and he was like, "Oh no, that is *not* a bank!" He radioed for back up and Hubby and I were trying not to laugh. So they finally got my bag to a place they could rummage through it to find the gun and bomb. Bomb? Oh, yeah, the phone was in there, too. No, not my *cell* phone... the *house* phone. You know, the big brick that plugs into the wall and the receiver is attached to the base with a coiled wire? Yep. I told you, we were moving... everything we'd needed that morning got thrown into my carry-on. I'm sure there were kitchen utensils and extension cords in there, too LOL. So, yeah, security was pulling out all sorts of weird stuff and kept giving me quizzical looks... and then they got to the bank. Poor security guard, he totally deflated! I felt kind-of bad for him. We were at a tiny airport and this was probably the most exciting thing to happen in his entire career. He was sure he'd caught a hijacker or something, and it turned out to just be some crazy lady with her house in a bag. I wonder if he still tells this story, too? LOL

You Must Be Tired

*It's probably a good idea to make sure your camera is in the camera bag when you grab it for your trip to Hawaii.

* You know you're tired if you try putting a second pair of underwear on *over* your pants.

Tyler's Tip

The racket coming from the bedroom upstairs is not an intruder hyped up on PCP, it's your cat who was accidentally left inside.

Teaching Young Kids to Conduct Music

Sorry, I'm not going to share a blunder today because I had a FABULOUS idea! Well, I think it's fabulous, anyway =) I have recently been asked to take over music time for the 3-11 yr olds at church on Sundays. I am so excited! I know it's important to keep them active and engaged as I'm teaching new songs, so I figured I'd frequently have them come up and help me conduct. However, if they're going to be up there "conducting," why not teach them how to actually *conduct*! Genius!

Conducting can be daunting, even for adults, but I realized each pattern has a simple coordinating shape. For example, 3/4 is a triangle, 4/4 could be a square (yes, it could also be a triangle, but I didn't want to use the same shape and confuse the poor kiddos), and everything else can fit into a crescent.  At first I thought I would have the kids just visualize these shapes floating in front of them, but then... *epiphany*... why not create the shapes! That way the kids can *see* each conducting pattern and the child helping can easily put their hand inside the shape for guidance until they've got the pattern down.

(Just to give an idea of size, the square is nearly 2 feet across)

At first I'll demonstrate: Holding the shape up with my left hand, I'll put my right arm inside the shape and show the corresponding conducting pattern. As each child is given a turn to come up to conduct I'll hold the shape for them so they can put their arm inside and try out the pattern. After they get the hang of the pattern I will take the shape away and they can continue conducting on their own. Voila!

4/4: The Square: Start in the top center, go straight down (1), bounce once to the left corner (2), bounce once to the right corner (3), and swoop back up to the top center (4).

3/4: The Triangle: Start at the top, slide straight down to the corner (1), bounce once to the other corner (2), and swoop back up to the top (3).

2/2, 2/4, 6/4, 6/8: When in doubt The Crescent will work: Start at the top and swoop to the other side (1) and back up (2). Easy peasy!

 4/4 Square, 3/4 Triangle, & Crescent Conducting Patterns

I had my own kiddos test out my method and they thought it was a pretty fun and simple way to learn the basic conducting patterns. And it didn't hurt that I came up with some seriously silly conducting batons for the kids to use while learning =)

Anyhoo, just thought I'd share.
I promise tomorrow I'll get back to sharing my blunders ;-)

Out, On, and Organ

* The little cheese packet in the macaroni and cheese box should be taken out *before* dumping the contents of said box into a pan of boiling water.

* No matter how many times you push it, the "on" button on your house phone will not turn on the television.

* If you arrive to church three minutes early and no one is playing the organ, chances are it was your turn.

Squeeze, Speak, and Send

* It doesn't matter how hard you squeeze the container, dish soap won't come out if the cap is still on.

* Don't speak ill of a former college professor unless you know for certain your current teacher isn't his wife.

* When ordering something online, take note of the mailing address. You could accidentally be sending items to your parents in Georgia instead of your home in Alaska.

Car, Concert, and Keys

* You probably shouldn't start your car and let it warm up for 20 minutes if it's already running on empty.

* Before agreeing to accompany the 6th grade orchestra concert on the piano, and certainly before practicing with them for a week, it would be wise to make sure your flight out of state doesn't leave in the middle of the concert.

* If you are the apartment manager (and, therefore, keeper of all extra keys), it's not a good idea to lock yourself out of your apartment... at midnight... on Christmas Eve.

Ridiculous, Rain, and Razor

* You may want to look down at your feet before heading to the airport for a trip. Otherwise you may find yourself wearing slippers a lot longer than you'd intended.

* If you decide to prune your bushes in the rain, make sure your raincoat is, in fact, waterproof.

* Do not use your finger to wipe your razor clean.

Plymouth, Play Practice, and Paraffin

* If you're driving your father-in-law around in your new car, you won't be able to convince him it's a Plymouth if it says "Pontiac" on the steering wheel.

* You do not have to rush to pick your daughter up from play practice when she's already at home... which you should know since you talked with her when she first walked in the door.

* Oh my heck. Okay, so I do daily hot paraffin wax treatments on my hands/wrists to help alleviate arthritis pain. (That makes me sound so old LOL) I've got a pretty good routine: after dinner I go into the bathroom where I keep the wax melter thingamajigger, dip my hands a few times, and then come out to the family room and watch TV for a bit while my hands soak in the warmth for about ten minutes before peeling off the wax (was that the longest sentence ever, or what?!). Twice now I've dipped my hands in the paraffin and turned to leave the bathroom to find that I've shut and locked the door behind me. Do you know how hard it is to open a door without using your hands? I'm sure I look plenty entertaining while trying!

Title Schmitle

* If you've waited too long for the automatic doors to open, they're probably not automatic.

* When needing a 30 minute timer, it is better to use the timer function than the cooking function on the microwave.

* That flicker of movement behind you is not a stalker... it's your hair.

Bears Before Beans

* If you've been craving gummy bears for days and finally give in and buy a bag, you may not want to leave them in the car for three hours when it's 95 degrees outside.

* Before taping up a box for mailing, make sure the shipping label isn't inside.

* If your bean plants aren't growing as quickly as they normally do, they might be cucumbers.

Below, Beneath, and Borrow

* Using the remote car starter to warm up your car isn't going to do a whole lot of good if it's seven below and you've left one of the windows open.

* If your first grader tells you the toilet is running, check it *now*. If you're lucky it will have rained recently and the dentist office and dry cleaners beneath your apartment will blame the water damage on that. (FYI, I did fess up, but the owners insisted it was caused by rain because it had happened before... granted, the toilet had overflowed before, too!)

* When borrowing a friend's car it's wise to remember that their garage door opener will not open your garage door.

Smudge, Sanitizer, and Slippers

* If the mascara smudge on your mirror appears to move when you look up close, it might be a spider.

* The bottle of hand sanitizer on your desk is not your water bottle.

* It's advantageous to take your slippers off before attempting to put your shoes on.

Finals and Fog

* When booking reservations for a family vacation, you should probably make sure you haven't scheduled it during your kids' finals week at school.

* Oh my heck; it was so foggy the other day! Now, really, that statement gives no justice to how extremely foggy it was, so let me paint you a picture...
    At 6:00 pm (so it was *dark* outside) I went to drive out of my garage. I put the car in reverse and checked my back-up camera to make sure nothing was in the way as I backed up... couldn't see a thing! ...but that was because the back-up camera was super dirty. Checked the rear-view mirror and all I saw was a film of white dirt on the back window. (Hey, the roads have been super muddy lately!) So I cleaned the window. Didn't do a thing! That's when I realized I wasn't looking at dirt, I was looking at a seriously dense wall of fog outside! As I began backing out I decided I just had to see this thick fog with my own two eyes. I turned my head to look behind me and realized it wasn't a wall of fog afterall... it was my garage door. OOPS! Thankfully I stopped the car just in time to miss the door... but just barely.

Buying Cars and Clearasil

* When taking your son to buy new shoes, make sure he is actually wearing shoes. Otherwise, you'll find yourself in the men's shoe department trying on shoes for him while he's stuck in the car.

* It does not matter how long you run it, your car's heater will not work if the engine won't start.

* If your toothpaste isn't foaming up as usual, you may be using Clearasil.

Toy Time

*  Before calling the manufacturer of your child's new toy and lecturing them on its inferior quality and refusal to work as advertised, you may want to take it out of "test mode."

*  No matter how many times you swipe it, your Safeway card will not work at Costco.

*  When answering a FaceTime call, it is not recommended to put the phone up to your ear.

Sticks and Signals

*  If you have lip balm that is similar in size to a glue stick, you may not want to keep them in the same compartment in your desk.

* Heading to the vault for this one... I was most excited for my 16th birthday because that meant I could finally get my driver's license. Freedom! The test administrator escorted me to the back of the lot and instructed me to get into the vehicle and unroll my window. He then stood out of my line of sight and asked me to show him my right turn signal. I was so glad I'd read up on hand signals! So I stuck my arm out the window and showed him a right turn signal. He then asked to see my left turn signal and I obliged in the same manner. I was feeling pretty confident as I waited for him to ask me to show him "stop." Because, of course, I knew that one, too! Yea me! =) Instead, he asked me to press on the brake. I was kind-of bummed, but did as he requested. I heard a quizzical sounding, "hmm," and then he, again, asked to see my right turn signal. Again, I stuck my arm out the window and showed him. At this point the instructor and my mother erupted in laughter as they realized I'd been using hand signals instead of the car's turn signals. Once the instructor explained what he meant for me to do, I flew through the inspection and passed my driver's test with flying colors... 100% to be exact, thankyouverymuch. But for weeks I couldn't figure out why he'd ask me to roll down the window if he didn't want to see my hand signals.