jaimes

I’m SO excited to announce that I am now a contributing writer for Tom Tom Magazine, a magazine dedicated to female drummers. I’ll be doing a monthly online post about motherhood and musicianship and also profiling female drummers in the Atlanta area.

Tom Tom is an incredible magazine offering everything girls need for inspiration, know-how, and information on playing drums. As much as I appreciate the tips and talent that is showcased in mainstream musician magazines and websites, females are not typically represented. Tom Tom is working hard to fill that void for girls who play drums, and I am seriously honored to be included in the magazine.

Head on over to Tom Tom to read my first post on how I finally got the nerve to play drums.

We are back from Virginia. I’m not quite motivated to be clever after a 12-hour drive with a fever, so bear with me while I recover my health and snarkiness. We’ve all managed to get sick in the past week, including Holden’s bout with pink eye on Christmas day. I’m guessing being in contact with 50 family members and a bunch of friends is a pretty sure-fire way to catch a virus.

Despite feeling crappy, we had a great visit with family and friends. One of my cousins announced his engagement to his girlfriend, making us all cry in my Grandma’s kitchen. My kids played with my two little brothers’ adorable sons. I witnessed my dad go speechless over a new Fugi bike he got from my step-mom.

And then there was the second annual disco Christmas party, where my cousins and best friends eat, drink, and do some kind of permforming arts. The highlights this year included my cousin Corrie making up a rhythmic gymanstic routine with a beach ball, and her brother Ryan and I putting on leopard-print loungewear and singing Guns & Roses ballads on acoustic guitar. Fun stuff. I’d put the video up of Corrie dancing, but she’d probably never speak to me again.

Said woman take it slow, it will work itself out fine. All we need is just a little patience… (more…)

My house is a canvas for my children. Actually, so is my car, my furniture, a few books, and even a lampshade. My kids have tried to decorate nearly every surface of my house since they could hold a crayon. As toddlers, they once colored marker across an entire wall of my bedroom. It was like waves of color. I was pretty impressed once the anger wore off.

As much as I love my kids getting crafty, I’m not a fan of the chaos crafts create. I come from the school of “a place for everything, and everything in its place.” That’s probably why I was blessed with children – to completely challenge that part of my personality on a daily basis.

I figured out a pretty fun way to organize the kids’ art supplies. Since this idea gets compliments from moms who visit my house, I thought I’d share it with you. (more…)

Let’s see, this collaboration between Josh Homme and PJ Harvey is from the the Desert Sessions Volume 9 and 10circa 2003. At that time, I was pregnant with my first child and kind of ignoring music in order to obsess over pregnancy books. And, look at what I missed! Let this be a lesson to you pregnant ones out there: put down the scary pregnancy books and listen to music. It’s better for the baby.

Over 100 pieces of John Lennon’s artwork and lyrics will be displayed this weekend at the Westin Buckhead Atlanta. The exhibit, So This Is Christmas…A Tribute to John’s 70th Year, is open and free to the public, but donations are suggested. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Atlanta Children’s Shelter.

To read more about the event, check out these interviews with Yoko Ono on Creative Loafing and Access Atlanta.

Lennon’s traveling exhibitions are made possible by Yoko Ono and Legacy Productions.

The exhibit is December 3-5 at Westin Buckhead Atlanta, 3391 Peachtree Road N.E. Hours are Friday, 5-9; Saturday, 11-7, and Sunday, 11-6.

We are lucky to live down the street from the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta. My kids love this museum! (more…)