A medley, a mishmash, just a few of my favorites:

1. Songza.com — Great website.  I read about it in Focus! Focus! Focus! SQUIRREL!, a post on a great writers’ blog called Live to Write – Write to Live.  Lee Laughlin shared writing practices that keep her on task, one of which is using songza.com.  This site helps find music in a number of ways — browse through genres or simply tell it what you’re doing (i.e. cleaning the house or work/studying) and it will give you suggestions.  I also sometimes use pandora.com, but I have to deal with the occasional commercials on there.  Songza.com is all music, all the time.  LOVE IT!

2.  BrightSide’s Beats headphones — See above.  When I first started writing again I found myself getting really distracted by every little noise around me…and when the kids are home there’s almost always some kind of noise going on in or around the house.  These headphones completely cover my ears (as opposed to my earbuds) so they block out almost everything.  Plus the sound is incredible.

3.  Ben&Jerry’s — Need I say more?  Well, I will.  One of the surprises from BrightSide’s grocery trip last week was some mint chocolate chip for the kids (because he’s awesome like that) but he also brought me Ben&Jerry’s The Tonight Dough, a new flavor that is eyes-rolling-into-the-back-of-my-head yummy.  Caramel and chocolate ice creams with chocolate cookie swirls & gobs of chocolate chip cookie dough & peanut butter cookie dough.  “What was that?”  you say.  “A pint of Ben&Jerry’s ice cream (decadence itself) that packs all that deliciousness into one container?”  Why, yes.  Yes, it does.  And you will cry the happy tears as you eat it.

4.  Stitch Fix — Okay, I know many of you are sick of hearing about this because it’s been all over Facebook and who knows where else.  (I don’t, because Facebook is the only social networking that this slacker does.)  But it is Amazing…like, For Real Amazing.  Lots of people are gifted at looking stylish and put together.  Me?  Not so much.  But you go to stitchfix.com, create a profile, answer a gazillion questions about your sizes and styles and preferences (this is the time investment part), and then when you schedule a Fix a “personal shopper” will put together five items and send them to your house.

There are many perks — your styling fee applies to your purchase, return shipping is free, you get a 25% discount if you keep all five items — but for me it’s all about what’s coming together in my closet.  I do not love to shop.  Combing multiple stores for perfect pieces is not my thing, but do I want those pieces in my wardrobe?  Yes, I do.  Anyway, I’ve had two Fixes sent so far and they are really good at this.  I kept three pieces from the first box and all five from the second one.  At this rate people are going to think I’ve got my act together…score!

5.  Amazon — Again, a no-brainer.  But there have been at least three times in the last month when I’ve been all how am I going to deal?  and Amazon has been the answer.  Walmart’s gone on strike when it comes to carrying a critical component of my laundry supplies?  Amazon delivers.  Nothing I can find locally works on T-man’s itchy scalp?  Research and Amazon reviews guide me and voilá — Amazon delivers.  Can’t figure out what the hell is going on with the offspring?  Amazon has a trillion books on parenting and adoption and puberty and transracial families and adolescents…AND THEY DELIVER.  The end.

6.  This last one’s in its own category, but…spring.  Spring is my all-time favorite season. Despite the fact that the pollen is doing the Macarena on my body and the week of never-ending rain nearly drove me insane, I adore this time of year.  The sun is returning after eternally LONG days of winter darkness, the grass is greener, the flowers are blooming, and the pretty leaves are back.  I know this all makes me sound like some crunchy granola hippie type (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but spring makes me seriously happy.  And we all could use a little more happy in our lives.