Love Yourself Up

I created a playlist to boost me on those days I feel like hiding under the covers. You know... those days when you feel your under eye bags are packed for a month vacation, when you've done something you aren't proud of and you question how good of a human being you are, when you get dressed and feel bloated and then you start comparing your 41-year-old body to the bodies in your Athleta catalog (reminder to self: view Athleta catalog after a good workout), when you look in the mirror and let that sad, scared inner voice take over magnifying every imperfection you see.

So, yeah, you ever have one of those days?  If so, I hope this playlist will help you love yourself up.

Colbie Caillat's TRY



Selena Gomez's WHO SAYS



Kimya Dawson's I LIKE GIANTS



Sara Bareilles' BRAVE



Laura Mvula's THAT'S ALRIGHT



Will.i.am's WHAT I AM



Britt Nicole's GOLD



FLEUR's MIRROR MIRROR
FLEUR - Mirror Mirror from Fixel Films on Vimeo.


Mindy Gledhill's POCETFUL OF POETRY



Natasha Bedingfield's STRIP ME
Natasha Bedingfield - Strip Me from Baeblemusic on Vimeo.


Amanda Palmer's IN MY MIND



Elle Varner's SO FLY



Glee's DEFYING GRAVITY



The Smiths' ACCEPT YOURSELF



Mary Lambert's BODY LOVE (PARTS 1 & 2)



The list without all the movement:
  1. Try - Colbie Caillat
  2. Who Says - Selena Gomez
  3. I Like Giants - Kimya Dawson
  4. Brave - Sara Bareilles
  5. That's Alright - Laura Mvula
  6. What I Am - Will.i.am
  7. Gold - Britt Nicole
  8. Mirror Mirror - Fleur
  9. Pocketful of Poetry - Mindy Gledhill
10. Strip Me - Natasha Bedingfield
11. In My Mind - Amanda Palmer
12. So Fly - Elle Varner
13. Defying Gravity - Glee
14. Accept Yourself - The Smiths
15. Body Love (Parts 1 & 2) - Mary Lambert


Are there any other songs you think belong on this list? Let me know! ♥

I LOVE

... persevering.

This scarf will not be abandoned. I am determined to finish all 88 inches of it (I have 50 now). It's been almost a year *blush* since I started the project and I must persevere!! So, I honor this Leap Day by not wasting the day. Off to more knitting I go!

I LOVE

... stickers!

I'm feeling nostalgic today so here's part of my old-skool collection from the 80's. Wow. I'm old.

I LOVE

... this man.

He's not perfect, but neither am I. We've not liked each other on more than one occasion, but love, well love has always been there. Every day he makes me nearly pee my pants from laughing so hard because he's that funny. He works hard for the money. He's smart. He wears glasses. And, oh yeah, he's pretty hot too.

I LOVE

... reading. Anytime. Anywhere.

I LOVE

... getting snow when I least expect it (especially when I'm indoors and warm).

I LOVE

... this boy's energy.

And that's why I love taking action shots of him.

I LOVE

... taking time to notice things.

I LOVE

... swirls of clouds revealing a little blue and hiding a bright sun.

I LOVE

... a new shorter 'do. I feel spunkier now.

I LOVE

... doing silly science experiments with the kids. FLARP had us laughing and being oh-so-immature. Good times. Want to make your own FLARP? Go here.

Mix according to instructions.

And now let the fun begin. Audrey obviously takes her fart noises very seriously.

I LOVE

... being an astronaut.

Even if it means being a pretend one. I had fun at the OMSI in Portland today. Me and the fam learned so much and had some fun to boot. We went primarily to see the Body Worlds & the brain exhibit, but no photos or recordings were allowed. This exhibit was absolutely fascinating and humbling. The specimens on display are actual human bodies from donors. The bodies/body parts went through a Plastination process to preserve them. It was amazing to see what we really look like on the inside. It made me even more grateful for having the body I have because there is so much that goes on second by second to keep it running. If you are in this area I highly recommend visiting.

I LOVE

... games made up by my kids.

This was a search and find game. They hid all the "word" pages around the house. My hubby and I had to find them and then put them together to form the correct sentence. Our prize was hugs and kisses. Best. Prize. Ever.

I LOVE

... cool art.

Especially when that art comes from my daughter. She was assigned a clay self-portrait in class at school. I think it's a pretty close resemblance.

I LOVE

... when the sun peeks its way through the alder trees.

I LOVE

... tie dye.

My daughter made this shirt at her Girl Scout meeting and it's totally fab! All they used were plastic cups, rubber bands, colored sharpies and rubbing alcohol. I want to do a whole bunch of them now. The process is so simple too. Steve Spangler Science has a great tutorial.

I LOVE

... having two very special Valentines in my life.

These two are pretty dang cute.

I LOVE

... Valentine's Day cards

Robots for Luke's class

Inworms for Audrey's class (the printable was found at Skip To My Lou)

I LOVE

... a LEGO flower.

This one built for me by my littlest man is especially pretty.

I LOVE

... 11th birthday parties!

Meeting all of my daughter's new friends was wonderful too!