Beautiful Heartbreak- Hilary Weeks

I love this video so much and I absolutely adore Hilary Weeks. Everything we go through in this life is for a reason and I just LOVE those who inspire us by making the best out of painful and/or difficult situations.

An Atypical Gift for an Atypical Person

Cody's birthday is coming up in a few days and once again we are scrambling to find the present he is requesting. Usually Chase is the sibling that has to go on a wild goose hunt to track down Cody's odd ideas for gifts, like the Pretty in Pink Soundtrack or Bette Midler or Tina Turner (see this post ), but somehow this year the job landed on Katelyn and Matthew.

While shopping at Barnes and Noble this morning, an employee asked Katelyn and I if he could help us. Katelyn proceeded to tell him that she was looking for a movie sound track. When he asked which one she was looking for, Katelyn said "I'm looking for the I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry soundtrack. I'm not sure it even exists." 

The employee had never heard of it but was very gracious and said he would look it up on his computer. When he inquired why Katelyn was looking for this particular soundtrack, she explained that her brother is having a birthday and he loves the movie, especially the music played in it. Lastly she added, "He's autistic."

Just like we figured, there is not a soundtrack to the movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry. Between now and Sunday, Katelyn and Matthew will have to figure out which songs are in that movie, buy an iTunes card, download them to a computer and either burn a CD or put them on Cody's iPod.

Cody does not ask for much, but when he does, we usually have to go to great lengths to get it.

Cody's 10 Most Played Songs on His iPod

While looking at iTunes this morning, I decided to check out which songs Cody is listening to the most. Here they are...

1) Along Comes a Woman/ Chicago

2) Just a Shame/ Phil Collins

3) Joshua Giraffe/ Raffi

4) Shift Work/ Kenny Chesney

5) Mountain Music/ Alabama

6) Steamy Windows/ Tina Turner

7) License to Chill/ Billy Ocean

8) Jumper/ Third Eye Blind

9) Hold the Line/ Toto

10) Mr. Roboto/ Styx

Tina Turner's Steamy Windows? Really Cody?!

Click on this link to see how his list has changed in two years. Notice that Along Comes a Woman is still number one. You can also click here and here to see why Cody may very well be Chicago's biggest fan. :)

"The Clinky Noise"

A few days ago, Casey showed me the following video of five people playing one guitar. He thought I would enjoy it because he and I have the same sense of humor. Turns out he was right. I love the video. Check it out...






The second video is almost better than the first. Some of you may be offended by this one, so watch it at your own discretion...







My friend disliked this video. Now she is just somebody that I used to know.  ;)

There's a Teeny Weeny Something that's so Small You Almost Can't See It

Wanna know what's fun? Running errands in the car, on black Friday, while listening to Cody sing this song, word for word. The only exception...Cody added "there's a teeny weeny something that's so small you almost can't see it" after flee on the wing.



Do any of you other moms want to run away with me? Barbados is sounding really good about now. :)

Witches' Brew

Remember my post about Dr. Jeans Banana Dance? Well, here is the song that gets stuck in my head at this time of year...



Gotta love Kindergarten!

Glee...Sesame Street Style

I have only watched Glee a couple of times but enough to see the humor in this clip. Sesame Street writers and puppeteers are a hoot. :)

My favorite part is when the gay puppet says "Gorgeous!"

Starry, Starry Night

Katelyn and I had a conversation this afternoon about artists and I mentioned how different her dad's taste in art is than mine. Where Don enjoys oil paintings of landscapes and such, I take great pleasure in viewing abstract art.

One thing lead to another and soon we were discussing Vincent van Gogh and how unappreciated he was in his lifetime. Then I asked Katelyn if she had ever heard Don McLean's song Starry Starry Night. When she said she hadn't, I knew I had to pull it up on YouTube for her. The lyrics of this song paint a precise picture (no pun intended) of Vincent's short, anguished life.

Chicago, You Are Killing Me

Cody loves music and goes through phases where he becomes fixated with one band. Just a few examples of his obsessions over the years are Phil Collins, Blues Traveller, Poison, The Eagles, Tears for Fears and INXS.


Cody's brother, Chase, learned the hard way NOT to ask Cody what he wants for Christmas and his birthday. One time Chase had to go to Wal-Mart to find Cody a Tina Turner CD. He felt like a complete moron going to the cash register with just Tina Turner, so he tried to counter it by purchasing Korn as well. Then there was the year Chase looked all over town for the song 'If You Leave' and finally had to order it from a local music store. Chase was mortified when an employee from CD Warehouse called to let him know his 'Pretty in Pink Soundtrack' had arrived. The next year Chase smartened up. When Cody's birthday rolled around and he asked Chase to buy him Bette Midler's 'Wind Beneath My Wings',
Chase opted to download and burn it from Limewire.


When it comes to Cody's random music requests, one particular Christmas really stands out. 'Dude Looks Like a Lady' was the only thing Cody asked for that year so, while the rest of the Christians in the world were playing Christmas tunes, we opened gifts at 6:00 a.m. to the sweet jingle of Aerosmith.


Cody's latest infatuation is the band Chicago. He particularly likes their song 'Along Comes a Woman'. To put it in proper perspective for you, that song has 489 hits on his iPod whereas all the others average around 30. He is driving me absolutely crazy with this particular fascination. Every single time Cody hears the word "Chicago" (mostly on television), he starts humming that song. Well, it's really not humming, it's more like "Da da da da da-da-da", but he's got rhythm and can carry a tune, so I know it's 'Along Comes a Woman'.


Let me just say, you may never realize how often the word "Chicago" is used unless you spend a day with Cody. Any takers?

Negligees and Ragged Pajamas

Cody likes to pick at his clothes. Those who read my blog regularly already know that Cody picks at his socks, but he also lies in bed at night and picks at the seams of his pajama tops. I have resorted to purchasing the Hanes 3 pack tee shirts and having him wear them at night. Why put Cody in a nice pair of pajamas if he's just going to ruin them, right?

Late one evening, Don and I had to make a trip into town. Cody, already bathed and wearing his 'make-shift' pajamas, climbed into the car with us. As I looked at Cody's sleeve, I said to Don, "Look at Cody's tee shirt. People are going to think we are negligent parents."

About a mile down the road, Cody said, "Why are people going to think your Randy Travis?" (Confused yet? I was!) Anyhow, this is what followed...

Don- Driving and most likely tuning me and Cody out.
Me- "Why would people think I'm Randy Travis Cody?"
Cody- "You know...'like that pretty negligee that I bought you to wear'. Randy Travis."

After giving it some thought, I realized Cody was quoting lyrics to Randy Travis' song 'Diggin' Up Bones' that was released in 1987! Apparently Cody thought negligent and negligee were the same thing.

Here's the YouTube clip if you'd like to listen to the lyrics and see for yourself. If not, I certainly understand. :)



This is everyday life with Cody. Our conversations are ALL OVER the place.

10 Most Listened to Songs on Cody's iPod Shuffle

Cody likes listening to music on his iPod. Along with having the volume up high, he enjoys pushing the little button, shuffling the tunes until he finds his favorites.

As I was recharging it for him and uploading files, I noticed the play count for each song. Cody currently has 141 songs on his iPod, but some of them are played A LOT more than others.

Take a look at Cody's top ten songs and the number of times he has listened to them:

1) Along Comes a Woman/ Chicago/ 444
2) Good Vibrations/ The Beach Boys/ 281
3) Come Together/ Aerosmith/ 198
4) Africa/ Toto/ 91
5) California Girls/ The Beach Boys/ 88
6) Don't Stop/ Fleetwood Mac/ 81
7) In You Leave/ Pretty In Pink Soundtrack/ 73
8) Vogue/ Madonna/ 64
9) Send Her My Love/ Journey/ 57

There was a four way tie for the 10th spot. Each of the following songs had 55 hits.

All I Wanna Do/ Sheryl Crow
Can't Fight This Feeling/ REO Speedwagon
Too Much Time on My Hands/ Styx
Black or White/ Michael Jackson

To each his own, right? I'm thankful the iPod earbuds don't bother him. If I had to listen to these songs along with him, my ears may be bleeding.

Could It Be That God Loves Broken Things?

Happy Easter.

5 Songs That Bring Back Memories for Cody

After cartoons this morning, I changed the channel to Sirius Satellite Radio, so Cody could listen to his favorite 80's music while I cleaned the house. Periodically, he would get my attention and say, "This song reminds me of _______". I tried to get him to tell me why and give me details, but without much luck. Here are five of the songs, along with what limited amount of information Cody chose to share:

1) Life in a Northern Town by Dream Academy/ "Ford"

2) When the Going Gets Tough by Billy Ocean/ "Dunkin Donuts"

3) How Will I Know by Whitney Houston/ "rubbing your head hard, like rubbing a noogie"

4) King For A Day by Thompson Twins/ "a puppet show"

5) It's Still Rock and Roll to Me by Billy Joel/ "grandma's keyboard"


The only one that I can make any sense of is number five.

Dr. Jean's Banana Dance

This week our Kindergarten class was introduced to Dr. Jean's Banana Dance. You've never heard of it? That's okay. Once you listen to it, you won't forget. The song will be stuck in your head for a good, long time!

Cody, Valentines and Love Songs

Do you know how hard it is to write a blog post while Cody's sitting in the same room singing, over and over again, the words, "Happy Valentines Guys" to the tune Silly Love Songs by Paul McCartney? Holy crap! Give it a try.




And you thought the title of this post sounded normal enough for this time of year, didn'tcha?

I Love Steven Tyler!

I have NEVER cried watching American Idol, but this episode made me sob. Not only is this couple's story inspiring, but the judge's reactions were so heart-felt. I have always enjoyed listening to Aerosmith (Cody and I have several CD's), but I love Steven Tyler even more after seeing how wonderful he was with this young girl.

Steven Tyler -- The 'Idol' Audition That Made Him Cry

Lunch Lady Land

EVERY- SINGLE- TIME I make Sloppy Joe's, I get this song stuck in my head!