Yours,

Val Haller

Founder, Valslist.com

Test these Playlists out on those SPEAKERS!

Speakers in the Window listen :: download

Put Yourself Out There   listen :: download

Dance on the Grass     listen :: download

Visit Valslist.com for much more music:  Playlists ::  New Album Releases ::  Videos

JUST LISTEN.

I have always been into music. I mean, really into music. But I am not a musician, I am a listener. I made playlists long before they were called playlists. At 54 I’m still making playlists; it’s my hobby (and passion) to keep up with new music. But it’s getting more and more difficult for busy adults to keep up with new music. Since the advent of modern catalysts like internet, satellite radio iTunes music store and iPods, many busy adults have simply lost track. So I created a boutique music website www.valslist.com – that’s like a music concierge service – I keep up with the newest artists, and list the best tracks in easy to download playlists. Valslist.com is linked to iTunes so format and price are the same. The only difference is, with Valslist you know WHAT songs to buy. JUST LISTEN.

An Emotional Love Note  -by Val

This week’s Valentine piece was tricky to write. I’ve rewritten it 3 times. You see, it’s been an extremely emotional month – ranging from quicksand to miracle – and based on that, my thoughts on love keep changing.

When I write my blog, I obviously first choose a theme. I spin it in different ways in my mind; throwing around various takes, but what I really wait for is a sign. I go through the week watching and waiting, and it always comes. Perhaps I’m superstitious. Perhaps I make it happen. But I don’t want to believe that.  I want to believe that karma plays a part in telling me what to write about. I believe it’s meant to be.

The sign came last night at a ZOE KEATING concert. The minute it hit me, I knew loud and clear that this week’s post would be about how LOVE WINS. This post is dedicated to my friend who recently received a life threatening diagnosis.  Let’s just call her Friend, because there are many like her and I believe you probably know one.

Last week my Valentine blog post was done. I had put together a sultry slow-dance playlist and wrote a post called Seduce Me. It was ready to go. But on Wednesday everything changed.  Friend survived a miracle – and it was love that saved her. Her husband’s love, her kids’ love, her friends’ love, and her love of life itself. A few months ago Friend was diagnosed with inoperable pancreatic cancer. Determined to fight for the life she loved, she dove into a disciplined regime including diet, exercise, meditation, yoga, chemo and radiation. She defied the odds and astounded her doctors – the cancer diminished by a huge margin – and now they could operate. The 10+ hour surgery was a success. She let her love of life and the love of others fight for her – and together they won.

The sign:  Zoe Keating is an indie rock avant-cellist. She’s a stunningly gorgeous one-woman orchestra who produces a symphony of sound with a little help from her friends – a cello, foot controlled laptop, and looping electronics.  Her genius is captivating as you watch & listen. Each song starts the same. A single melody, simple and short. With a foot tap it’s recorded on the computer she brought on stage. Then she plays another – it sounds different, but compliments the one you just heard. Foot tap, record. Then she adds another – this one has a surprise sound to add personality. Foot tap. And so on. Each new recording adds a layer of music on top of the other, creating a perfect symphony that sweeps you away to somewhere else. I couldn’t help but close my eyes to go there with her.

Note: the cello is the lowest pitched instrument in the viol family and has been described as the closest sounding instrument to the male human voice. Its pitch is comforting, listenable, strong. The sound intrigues you, invites you in.

As her music told its story the room was silent, focused, listening. Then came my epiphany.  Each song was a journey of someone’s life, adventure, trek, hardship. The first loop introduces the protagonist. The beat and cadence of the melody is solo, raw, driven, with purpose, moving forward.  With each additional loop she’s adding a friend. The different personalities, the varying cadences, the harmonies, are loving friends who jump on board to help make the protagonist’s journey more palatable, tolerable, beautiful, smooth, harmonious, effortless.  Her music is a soundtrack. Of life and love.

Zoe’s song titles confirmed it was karma. Each described the journey of my Friend: Lost / Escape Artist / Forest / Don’t Worry / The Path / Flying & Flocking / Hello Night / We Insist / Optimist.  The music spoke to me.  I hope you give a listen and see what I mean:

Listen in iTunes:   Zoe Keating’s album Into the Trees

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Yours,

www.valslist.com

A boutique music website that helps busy adults keep up with new music. Effortlessly.

JUST LISTEN

I have always been into music. I mean, really into music. But I am not a musician, I am a listener. I made playlists long before they were called playlists. At 54 I’m still making playlists; it’s my hobby (and passion) to keep up with new music. But it’s getting more and more difficult for busy adults to keep up with new music. Since the advent of modern catalysts like internet, satellite radio iTunes music store and iPods, many busy adults have simply lost track. So I created a boutique music website www.valslist.com – that’s like a music concierge service – I keep up with the newest artists, and list the best tracks in easy to download playlists. Valslist.com is linked to iTunes so format and price are the same. The only difference is, with Valslist you know WHAT songs to buy. JUST LISTEN.

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8 Essential Medical Tests

The path to early detection used to be clear: You got your first annual Pap after you starting having sex, and your inaugural yearly mammogram at age 40—all the while performing regular breast self-exams. But recently, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) published new testing recommendations, which include putting off initial tests and waiting longer between screenings, setting off a firestorm of controversy.

The Tests

Article We Like: Nothing Like A Colonoscopy To Start the Summer Off . . .

Maybe this is what my kids would call TMI, but when your brain is fuzzy from lack of coffee, and your body is thirsty from lack of water, and your awake early from lack of wine- there’s not much else to do but write about it.

Read More Here 

22 Disease Fighting Superfoods

Some foods get all of the glory. (Pomegranates, we’re looking at you.) But new research is uncovering the age-defying, disease-fighting, fat-blasting superpowers of common foods you already love. These 22 edibles are cheap, quick to prep, mouthwateringly delicious — and most are probably already in your kitchen.

Read More Here

Health Insurance Made Easy: eHealthInsurance

eHealthInsurance provides consumers with transparency of information about a broad array of health insurance plans with a selection of price and benefit options, complemented by a full-service Customer Care Center of highly trained customer service representatives.

Get Quotes Here

15 Cancer Symptoms Women Ignore But Shouldn’t

With that healthy balance between denial and hypochondria in mind, WebMD asked experts to talk about the symptoms that may not immediately make a woman worry about cancer, but that should be checked out. Read on for 15 possible cancer symptoms women often ignore.

Read More Here

Book We Like: Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome

The different books on stress on the market offer different visions on the causes of stress and the ways to fight it. Adrenal Fatigue offers a revolutionary different approach saying that the main reason behind stress is the stress of the body’s adrenal glands, two peanut-sized glands on top of each kidney, that are crucial for regulating the body’s temperature, hormones, mood and energy.

Buy It Here

Birthday of the Week: February 11th

Aquarians born on February 11 are unique people that understand the powerful forces that can be commanded with discipline and training. They have a single-mindedness that allows them to sacrifice to bring a goal to fruition. Despite their seriousness, they have a sunny side. They’re able to balance all the elements in their lives without losing focus or emotional centeredness.

Today is Super Bowl Sunday.

I have two playlists for your pre-game warm up.   *One for girls.   *One for boys.     Why two?

You know why. I’m going to be brutally honest  and get this elephant out of the room. Fact is, girls and guys transform differently on this day. It’s just my observation (but I have 4 sons and a husband and all their friends over for this) and it’s pretty clear that on Super Bowl Sunday the guys own the room, the house, the day. Girls are the guests.  But there’s one field where we all can play:  the commercials.

Here’s one to show what I mean.   Note: in the end they live happily ever after.

Val Haller

Founder/Owner

Valslist.com

“A Dream Car. For Real Life.”  Kia Optima car commercial 2012.

King Pepsi

In the meditation Deb took us through prior to creating our boards, we visited our future self 20 years from now. My future self confirmed that my core word in 2012 is CONNECTION–she told me how important it is that I connect to my own heart, to family and friends, and to the people I interact with professionally. She conveyed that I must help others connect with their hearts. She told me to have courage and tap into my POWER as our family continues to deal with difficulties. She assured me all will work out. She also said to surround myself in LIGHT–to be LIGHT and to shine LIGHT. As she wrapped me in a shawl, which was a gift from her, I knew she was showing me how to care for myself. It was a beautiful visualization, and so is the board I created as a result of our encounter.

You too can create a vision board. The group process of a workshop is great, but you can still make one all by yourself. You’ll need magazines, scissors, a glue stick, and a poster board to get started. Before you begin, it’s a good idea to meditate or take quiet time and bring focus to this process–in order to hear and connect with your own inner voice. Here are the steps to follow to create your board:

1. Set a goal, make an intention, and dream. Remember to DREAM BIG. Right now, as the moon is waxing (getting bigger), it’s the perfect time to set your intentions for the year (or some smaller period of time).

2. Collect images and words from magazines. Put the images in one pile and the words and phrases in another. Choose what touches you. Maybe you get chills or feel your heart skip a beat as you come across a certain word or phrase or feel “grabbed” by a specific image. Sometimes you’ll just know. Whenever you have a strong pull to something, be sure to include it. Even if you don’t know why, be assured that at some point its meaning will become crystal clear. That’s part of the fun! Let your intuition and your inner voice be your guide.

3. Create your collage. This is the most exciting part, yet it can be the most nerve-wracking. Gluing is committing to your dreams. It allows for the possibility of actually manifesting what you desire.

4. See the results. You’ll know when you’re done–when it’s time to stop gluing. Step back, look at your board and take it in. Allow it to touch you. In the days ahead, take time to gaze at your vision board and journal about your feelings and impressions. You may find that something on your board has more than one meaning or signifies something deeper. Other images and words may begin to make sense, while others may not yet be clear.

The excitement of a vision board is that its meanings will continuously unfold. Even more exciting will be the manifestation of your dreams. Let your inner voice and heart guide you.

Through finding her own voice, Donna Mazzitelli reconnected with her love of writing and editing. She offers a wide array of writing services, including ghost writing and partner authoring of everything from blogs to books. Donna also provides complete editing services. Along with her independent services, she is part of the Self-Publishing Experts team, which can take you from book idea to print and beyond. Donna can be reached at .

~ Michael Janich

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This P2P carries the theme of January being Personal Self Defense Awareness Month. Stay safe, ladies.

Learn to Defend Yourself with FAST Defense

The Concept is simple! Just as someone can be traumatized and conditioned to freeze for years or decades after just one bad experience, we engineer a positive experience in a very short time, which provides conditioning to control and even use the fear and adrenaline rush that inevitably occurs in any intense situation. Get more information here!

View a short video of Fast Defense on SPIKE TV!

Article with Impact: Girls Fight Back

The night Shannon McNamara died, Erin Weed was 843 miles away, but it felt as though she was right next door. Only 23 when she learned that one of her dearest friends had been murdered, Erin has spent almost a decade building Girls Fight Back to try to prevent such crimes from happening to other girls.

Read the rest here . . .

Interview with Theresa Byrne – Self Defense Tips and Video from Self Defense Class “Love Shouldn’t Hurt”

Women need to know this information and practice it to make it familiar, if the worst was to befall. Our being aware makes it possible to teach our sons and daughters, too. Don’t be a victim, but if you are, be a bad one!

Interview and Video here . . .

7 Tips for Self Defense Empowerment from Fight Like a Girl

Attacks happen quickly and no two fight scenarios will ever be the same. But there is one thing that a victim of any assault can count on: She’s just run out of time. It is vital that she responds immediately with confidence and strong counterattack measures. That’s why all of her defense decisions must be made now, before the bad guy shows up.

Get the tips here!

Super Self Defense Video – Vital Point Striking

Sensei Anthony Britton demonstrates how to defend yourself against an attacker larger and heavier than yourself by applying the principles of vital point striking. IMPORTANT: These techniques are to be used for self-defense purposes only. All self-defense moves and tips are to be used at the risk of the user.

Learn the moves here!

Don’t Be An Easy Target – Be Confident

Want to minimize the odds of becoming a victim of robbery or assault, while out in public? Just remember these two words, ‘be confident’. A would-be attacker, robber, or assailant will most always look for easy prey. Just as the weakest of the herd in the animal kingdom typically fall first to a hungry predator, so too will a similarly apparent human become the likely victim of crime before that of a stronger opponent.

Read the rest here . . .

Birthday of the Week: January 27th

Aquarians born on January 27 have excitable, magnetic personalities. They may have trouble balancing the disparate sides of their nature, but this is one of their most intriguing traits. They are alternately focused and indifferent. They possess an attractiveness that has nothing to do with their looks.

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27 Ways to Organize Your Whole Life: It’s a rare person among us who doesn’t feel the need to get more organized. I consider myself fairly organized, for example, but there are times when I get a little lax about my organizational rules, and there’s always room for improvement. And if you’re already organized (read: you’re an organizational freak), chances are, you like to read about others’ organizational systems. Get Tips Here!

Writer’s Project: Author Francis Mayes takes a page from Martha Stewart Living and attempts to “organize” her pantry for 2012. What will be the first space you tackle? See It Here

Article We Like: A Few of My Favorite Simplicity Sources - Do you love the idea of being debt free, spending less and saving more? Would you like to get organized and eliminate clutter? Are you looking for specific ideas to save time and reduce stress? These blogs and websites are some of my personal favorites, with plenty of practical advice and inspiration. Read It All Here!

FREEBIE! February Calendar from Organized Home – Go ahead and get a head start on next month by printing out this cute, simple calendar! Print February 2012

January Birthday of the Week: January 22nd – Aquarians born on January 22 can do amazing things. They are talented and usually enjoy calling attention to themselves. Able to find the uniqueness in each experience, they enjoy the resonance of negative as well as positive emotions.

The Well Organized Kitchen: Whether you’re a daily cook or an occasional one, maximize time with the right setup by following these guides for everyone from RealSimple! Find your organized kitchen here!

12 Great Bottles of Wine for 12 Great Months: After all that organization you’ll need a drink and let’s face it; making a resolution to stop drinking is unrealistic for many (and not very fun). Instead, how about making a resolution to stop drinking plonk? No more crappy, disappointing bottles brought home at the last minute for you in 2012. Nope, this year you’ll plan ahead, be creative and savour every sip. Get The Scoop Here!

Erma Bombeck was the original Mommy Blogger.  With her syndicated column, At Wit’s End, she chronicled the ordinary life of a suburban housewife.   Erma’s self-deprecating humor resonated well with her peers, and gave them a rare but welcome opportunity to laugh at their husbands,  their children, their mothers, and themselves.

While I sure as hell didn’t want her name, I did want Erma’s wit. Making people laugh the way my mom laughed, sounded both magical and medicinal.

Two decades later it was just a fluke that I discovered my latent sense of humor.  Unlike my joker of a husband, or comedian of a son, coming up with quick, sassy, johnny-on-the-spot responses, has never been my forte. But 17 years ago, when the reality of four kids and a workaholic husband put an unexpected damper on my Christmas spirit and made holiday cards a farcical fantasy, I began writing the yearly Christmas letter.  

And Baby Makes Six

My mom always warned me to: “never say never” and, in that maddening way  mothers seem to have, she was oh, so right.  I said I’d never give my baby a pacifier, never drink before dusk, never go to bed mad, never go through another labor, and never write one of these cop-out Christmas letters.  But let’s face it, when you’re young, you’re smug …and when you’re mother to  four kids under six, you’re toast.

The first year set the standard.  After my husband initially balked at my honesty “what do you mean, you go to bed mad??” and I refused to back down, he soon jumped on board as editor-in-chief and earned my undying respect the year he began telling it like it was himself …” I’ll give you a quarter, if you bring me a Bud without shaking it.”

I first learned the power of telling it like it is back in middle school after an oreo-binge confession brought me more friends in an hour than ten years I’d spent  pretending to be perfect. Even then, when most of us jockeyed for position with the popular crowd by posturing as self-assured, underneath it all, everyone ached to not be the only one who overdosed on Oreos.

Mommy bloggers have the right idea. Sharing the dementia of early motherhood and the demands of activities as exotic as properly acknowledging a toddler’s proud comparison of her poop to a shark… helps make motherhood a hell of a lot more bearable.  Now, instead of blowing up when the kids are sick, the DVD player’s shot, the husband’s traveling, and your roots are growing in…moms can read, or write about it and – poof! – all is well, or at least a LOT  better. That’s what good ole Erma did for moms 35+years ago.

No matter how tired, angry, sad, burdened, or overwhelmed I am, sharing the human experience with like-minded folks is as close to a cure-all as I’ve ever found.  That’s why I’m embarking this year on two book projects.  The first (as you’ll see),  I’ve been working on for some while: 21 22 Years of Plan B  is what I’ve long referred to as my book in “blogress” and my determination to finish it before it becomes 21 22 23 Years…means that I need your help.  First things first:  Please, pretty please, go like it on Facebook, and second, please pardon my brief (I hope!!) leave of absence while I take a break from multi-tasking to write.

The second undertaking is a collection of women’s stories about their own moms.  The brainchild of Maureen Wells, my friend and fellow East Coast transplant who I fortuitously met via board work at The Kempe Foundation, this interactive book promises to be ground-breaking, compelling, and cathartic.  

My beautiful mother

After hearing me talk about the loss of my dad, and faced with the sobering prospect of losing her own, Maureen recently reached out to share how that experience has led her to a renewed sense of wonder and admiration for her mother. The experience of viewing our moms from the perspective of being moms, as well as daughters ourselves, is a powerful one. We want to capture the stories of other women and their moms. It’s the little things, like the Erma days…things that haunt your memories and  tie you to your mother, and to her mother, and to hers…that we hope to capture.  If you’re interested in being part of this project, and telling your story of your mom, please let me know.

 You can email me directly at gretchen@midchix.com.  I look forward to hearing from you.  

Namaste,

Gretchen