The cold is actually quite bothersome.

Truth time: I've never seen Frozen. Alex has seen it once with my parents on a Grammi/Poppi date.

I can only assume that all the girls at daycare sing "Let it Go" pretty much nonstop like the rest of Planet Earth, but can't be sure. Nevertheless, the movie came in the mail today because I couldn't be the one parent to never have seen it and Target.com delivers to my house nearly every day, so I just added it to my last online cart mostly out of peer pressure.

Tonight, I was in the kitchen making a bottle for Harper (or eating an ice cream bar, whatever) and I heard someone in his toy room belting it at the top of his little lungs. MAGICAL, I tell you. Here's a bit for your entertainment and heart meltage:

Musicality.

I've shared here before that Alex is very musical. He can hear a song once and spit it back out word-for-word, note-for-note. "Home" by Philip Phillips has been appearing on our Pandora favorites quite a lot lately, and we find Alex humming or singing along to it a few times a day.

Here's a snippet of the chorus:

A few other current faves are his stellar dance moves to "Like the ceiling can't hold us" and if you ask him what he has in his pocket, he'll tell you "Twenty dollars in mah pocket....lookin' for a drummah" and then I die.

I have nothing else to say today, so here's a YouTube channel you should probably subscribe to.

Anthem Lights is the best discovery I've come across today. A coworker shared their 2012 mashup with me, because she knows I heart mashups like I heart Cheez-its and Slurpees. See also: a great deal. So I spent the better part of the day with my headphones jamming to their channel on repeat and I have yet to be disappointed.



Also, if you haven't seen Pentatonix's Evolution of Music video yet, you probably should also do that today. These are considered musical prioritites. You're welcome.

Applause. More applause. Curtain call.

Some of you may or may not know that I have a bit of a theatrical past. The "theater bug" bit me when I was about 14--and I think I did well over 20 shows from that time until my freshman year in college. I've played many roles--from Cinderella to Grace Farrell to Dorothy to Tzeitel to Chava. Yeah, did that one twice. Every single show made a huge impact in my life, and nearly all of the friends I made along the way are still a very important and meaningful part of my life.

I try to make music an important part of Alex's life, too. We sing a lot of show tunes, nursery rhymes and silly songs that we make up as we go. Lately, we've been loving a lot on "Annie." Specifically, "Tomorrow."

Please sit down and turn on your pacemaker, because this is heart stopping cuteness. Also, ignore the first 30 seconds when he's trying to find his nipples (he got curious about what those were the other day, so I had to impart some honest Mom knowledge - a hilarious and awkward post for tomorrow perhaps) but stick around until the end when he really gets into it. I was clapping. I was crying. I was throwing roses at the stage. He's so my kid.

This is the stuff.

I was itching to find some new music yesterday and heard a new Francesa Battistelli song on XM32 that lead me to her website...and as luck would have it, her new CD comes out soon!

Anyway, the single is called "This is the Stuff." And it's awesome. Total anthem-worthy.

Listen for yourself here. Lyrics below for your reading pleasure. You're welcome.

I lost my keys

In the great unknown

And call me please

'Cause I can't find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy.

This is the stuff that's getting to me lately.

In the middle of my little mess

I forget how big I'm blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin

But I've got to trust You know exactly what You're doing

It might not be what I might choose

But this is the stuff you use

45 in a 35

Sirens and fines

While I'm running behind

This is the stuff that drives me crazy

This is the stuff that's getting to me lately

In the middle of my little mess

I forget how big I'm blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin

But I've got to trust You know exactly what You're doing

It might not be what I might choose but this is the stuff You use

To break me of impatience

Conquer my frustrations

I've got a new appreciation

It's not the end of the world

This is the stuff that drives me crazy.

This is the stuff

Someone save me

In the middle of little my mess

I forget how big I'm blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin

And I've got to trust you know exactly what You're doing

Might not be what I would choose but this is the stuff You use

This is the stuff You use

Running Jams.

Let's preface this little gem by coming right out loud with the fact that I am not a runner. I do not aspire to become a runner, nor do I have any delusions of grandeur that I will ever love and/or be good at running.

However, since Boot Camp has come to a close, I've recently come to terms with the fact despite my loathsome attitude, running is both the quickest way to keep whipping this tired body into shape and the best stress reliever of all time. (Save a bottle of Grey Goose...which would counteract the running and be a wash. So that's out.)

I recently gave the ol' "Running Jams" playlist on my iPod a facelift and thought I would share my top 10 beats with you. In exchange, feel free to leave a comment with some of your favorite running (or walking, or sleeping, or whatever) tunes.

1. "Life Is A Highway" - Rascal Flatts (I could literally run to this one on repeat for the entire 30 minutes I'm currently able to run without dying of cardiac arrest.)
2. "Don't Stop Believin'" - Glee Cast
3. "It's Your Life" - Francesca Battistelli (Glances to immediate left.)
4. "Me Against The Music" - Britney Spears
5. ""Get It Poppin'" - Fat Joe (Disclaimer: I only know this song because Ellen played it over and over as her pre-show dance party when I was on maternity leave.)
6. "Stronger" - Kanye West
7. "Born to Fly" - Sara Evans
8. "Boom Boom Pow" - Blackeyed Peas
9. "Out Tonight" - RENT Soundtrack (Movie version.)
10. "My Life Would Suck Without You" - Kelly Clarkson