Friday, February 3rd

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It's All The Little Things

Tonight we played in front of a tiny audience. I think there might have been a dozen people there... a bakers dozen if you count the bartender. It's always so hard, as a performer, to get into a groove when you are not feeding off of a bunch of people. It sounds so quiet in between songs when there are only a few people out there clapping. In times like these, you have to remember the 300. Spartans.
So few of them in comparison to their nemesis. or would it be nemesei? nemisi? I digress. They were so small, but so mighty. They believed in what they were fighting for. Our audience believed in what they were clapping for. They didn't have to clap, but they did. All 8 of them clapped. And I appreciated it. I took it in stride, because that's part of the game. Sometimes, there just isn't a big crowd of people at the shows, but instead of slipping into a mediocre performance, because I feel like noone is watching, I still need to deliver a good show to the few that are watching.
I have to be little and mighty too. When I'm up there, I need to remember that my little bit counts. I need to pretend I'm a Spartan and make it count when the odds are so against me. Like a million to one. It's like the lotto. But, I'm still gonna make that gamble. I don't even care if that was a lame pun or not. It's a matter of fact... there I go again.
The point is, the little things really do matter. It's really amazing what just a little of something can do. A little smile could make someones day. A little knowledge can mean the difference between changing your flat tire or being stranded on the side of the road. And sometimes a little bit of music can bring people together. In a time when everyone seems to be so worried about getting more (especially here in America) that we fail to see what we already have. Live like that and you will always be in a constant state of want and never be happy. Our whole entire lives are built up with little things and if we don't make the most of them and cherish them, well, then what the hell are we living for?

Big thanks to Driving With Gass over at KWSS 106.7 FM for having us come out and play our songs on the radio. Hopefully, this cold I've been fighting didn't make me sound too much like Beef Vegan from The Morning Infedelity Show.  Big Thanks to everyone at Joe's Grotto. And a special thanks to the people who stayed out on a Wednesday night to watch us play.

The Cycle Continues

We here in the Mustache family are avid recyclers, upcyclers, repurposers... is that even a word? Anywho, we whole heartedly believe in doing our part to keep our world "green" for our future generations. We also like to make stuff. So, when the opportunity arises for us to get creative while also helping the environment, we get excited.

Our most recent project was our "new" soap dispenser. I've been guilty of buying the cheap, little plastic hand soap dispensers on more than one occasion. When they go empty, I have also been guilty of buying a new one and getting rid of the old one, instead of filling it up from a more environmentally conscience soap container. I always recycle the old ones, but still. We used to have a nice little glass turtle dispenser that I picked up at the thrift store, but the poor guy was dropped from slippery hands and now he rests in pieces. hardy har har.

Instead of buying another glass dispenser, which is at the risk of being dropped by slippery hands, we decided to decorate a cheapy one and re-use it to our hearts content.

out of soap

little bit o white spray paint... i didn't pull the sticker off, which, would have been better, but either way, it works, so....

after drying, commence drawing with sharpies

finished product being tested for quality control

each munchkin got to draw on one side, syd's is pictured above and buddy's is below

• Project Stats
• Total time
• about an hour w/ paint drying time
• Cost
• ZERO dollars- I already had all the necessary supplies on hand
• Fun factor- 3 out of 5
• it was so easy that we didn't spend much time really getting into it
• maybe next time we'll bedazzle one, so we can get more creative
• Potential (for lack of a better word at this time)
• Could be made as a personalized gift to someone filled with their favorite soap scent
• Could also be re-filled with hand sanitizer

Do you have a smart project for re-using an old product? I'd love to hear about it and maybe try it. Submit your ideas in the comments below. If it's awesome, you could be a guest blogger here and tell everyone!

Moving

Not only did we recently "move" our blog, but we are also moving into a new house very soon. I'm very excited, because the house is so much bigger and so much nicer. With the recent arrival of our new baby daughter we are in desperate need of more space. The new house is also only one block away from the school that my older children will be attending. I'll be able to walk them to and from school everyday, which I am so looking forward to. I also love the fact that I will be so close to them if I need to go there for any reason. The only downfall to this is that it is a different school from the one they are currently enrolled at.

We've juggled with the idea of letting them finish out the school year where they are now and I will just drive them to and from everyday. The problem is, it's about a 20 minute drive and what if they get sick at school and I need to go pick them up? or what if there is an emergency and I need to get there right away? and then, what if there is a lot of traffic and it takes me forever to get there? After weighing all the scenarios, we have decided that it is best if we switch them to the new school.

My son, who is in kindergarten, is excited to go to a new school. He is extremely outgoing and has never had a problem making friends. My second grader daughter is very upset and wants to stay at her current school. She is almost the polar opposite of my son, in that, she is shy and takes much longer to open up to new friends. I feel for her, I was a lot like her at that age, super shy and sometimes a bit of a loner in school. People who know me might not believe it. Tania, shy? ha! Well, I was and I still am, I have just learned over the years how to break through the shyness... and I also became of drinking age and well, a little beer definitely obliterates any shyness that might still linger. But, I digress. I'm not going to give my daughter a beer before her first day of school. haha. I've given her lots of advice on making friends and I praise her all the time to boost her confidence. I, however, never had to switch schools in the middle of the year and I'm not exactly sure how to make it a smooth transition for her.

We've done a couple things to try to make this a more positive change for her. The first thing we did was make a pros and cons list of going to a different school. Thankfully, we were able to make the pros side much longer and that did include her input. Like me at that age, she only has a few close friends at school, so it will be much easier to keep in contact with them and still get together for sleep overs and what not. But, still, I'm stuck. I know this is hard for her and I want to do everything I can to make and keep her happy. I hate that we have to move her to a different school, but it's just something we have to do. I know that kids are resilient and she will be okay in the long run. It's just so hard, as a mother, to see your child struggle or be unhappy. For now, I'll just keep being positive about the situation and hopefully it will rub off on her.

If anyone has any suggestions of how to make it easier for her, I would love to hear it.

p.s. If you haven't seen the movie "Moving" from the poster above, do yourself a huge favor and watch it at your earliest convenience. It's hilarious. Your welcome.

one of my favorite scenes from the movie