Grateful Momma Bear
A unique look at festival & concert adventures, experiencing music with kids and band merchandise
Self Care Confronting Narcissism
I am stepping a little outside of music box and sharing a personal blog I recently wrote. Remember, be kind. Life is short and full of wonder. Embrace the up’s and the down’s and face them head on…..
There are skeletons in my family closet. The kind that haunt you late at night when you can’t sleep. Emotionally, I have had walls up for as long as I can remember. People have always told me, you either know me well or you do not know me at all. I do not have traditional acquaintances per se, and I am certain this has deep roots in trust and abandonment issues that I have harbored my entire life. My mother, you see, is a master narcissist. Read More
Dead and Company’s Orlando, Florida show
Last night in Orlando, Dead and Company wrapped their originally planned December 7th show with a bang. To finish off what now became the last show of Dead & Company’s fall tour after John Mayer underwent emergency surgery in December 2017. They started the night off right and jumped in with a beautiful “St Stephen” out of the gate. With a start like that, you know you are in for a treat. That lead directly into Bob Weir going after “Hell in a Bucket.” Read More
Confessions Of A Music-Loving Special Needs Momma
I have a secret …
On the surface I am a wife, a mother of two, and a full-time professional in a fairly high-stress career. I am a college graduate and a home-owning, tax-paying citizen. I do all the “typical” mom things: shuttle kids to and fro, cook dinner, pay bills, clean the house — really exciting stuff, right? Then there are the not-so-typical things. I have been a mom since I gave birth to my first child at age 19. Having my daughter when I was still young made me grow up quickly. My second child, a son who is now age 5, has global apraxia and sensory processing disorder. I spend a good amount of time researching therapies, organizing our local apraxia walk, trying to build a support system for families, and even maintaining a website to help fellow special needs families.
My day-to-day life can be overwhelming. Having a child with special needs can make you feel as if you are always carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. There are doctor’s appointments, local and out-of-state therapies, Individualized Education Program meetings and learning strategies implemented at home. However, I am Type A in almost all aspects of my life. I try to give 100 percent to anything I do and refuse to do anything half-assed. Unfortunately, I tend to forget about myself while taking care of everyone else. That frequently leaves me feeling burnt out.
So about that secret. I am an addict.
The Magic Of Bringing Your Kids To LOCKN’
“Veteran” festival attendees still feel the magic surrounding festival season. The weeks leading up, the excitement, the planning—it doesn’t get old, you just learn a little more each year and hopefully pass that wisdom on to those coming up behind you. This year for LOCKN’ music festival, I decided to bring my six-year-old, Ryder. It was by no means his first show, but it was his first real festival and first time camping. For music-loving parents, bringing kids to their first festival is equivalent to others taking their child to Disney World for the first time. Parents experience the magic of the festival through their children’s eyes, sharing in the innocent and immense enthusiasm of a child.
