Wednesday, February 29, 2012

11, or 12 or maybe 13

This has taken me 11, no 12, maybe 13 days since Brandy first tagged me but hopefully she’ll forgive me! Brandy wanted to know 11 random things about me and had me answer 11 questions and I did just that. And then, I tagged some people I wanted to answer...just hope they do so I don't look like a fool!

The Rules

  1. Post these rules
  2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
  3. Answer the questions set for you in the post you were tagged in
  4. Create 11 new questions for your tagees to answer
  5. Tag them on Twitter, Facebook or your blog

Random Thoughts About Me

  1. I hate socks. I will avoid wearing socks at any expense. I only wear them with my running shoes or riding boots. Any other time, I wear flats, Uggs, Hunter boots etc… I am sockless.
  2. I could eat eggs daily. If my husband gets take out or I am looking for something to eat, I usually make eggs. Scrambled, over easy or an egg sandwich with cheese- doesn't matter as long as it is eggs.
  3. I am an organizational freak but a queen of clutter. Ponder that one.
  4. I have never seen Star Wars. I have no interest and my husband considers this un-American.
  5. I buy a 2 liter of raspberry ginger ale each week at the grocery store and there is never any left by Friday. This week it was gone by Tuesday.
  6. My husband and two of his good friends from the south suburbs of Chicago married girls from my hometown in Central Illinois. The other two guys married two best friends. Small world right?
  7. I am a buy and return shopper. I buy a lot of things, take them home, try them on again and then return the things I don’t want.
  8. I call my mama each morning on my way to work and on my way home.
  9. I have always wanted blue eyes and still sorta do.
  10. I will not buy generic food. I just can’t do it. I am a brand only girl.
  11. I love cinnamon gum/mints and I hate anything peppermint

Brandy's Questions for Me

Where do you buy most of your clothes?

Most of my clothes come from JCrew, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, Anthropologie, Von Maur and Nordstorms. I have a few things from Target, Loft, and Gap but JCrew is my first choice

What is your favorite drink recipe?

Nothing because I am a beer girl all the way. Coors Light is my choice of beers but I am not picky as long as it is beer.

Describe your most memorable high school experience.

It has be when my mama handed me my high school diploma.

Is there a song that you always have to sing aloud every time?

To be honest there are two. I sing the Star Spangled Banner loudly every time I hear it on our country music station at noon each day. I also sing Livin on A Prayer with Bon Jovi as loud as I can each time it comes on...brings me back to the early days of dating my husband and going to weddings.

Do you prefer beach or mountains and why?

9 days out of 10 the beach. I love the warm sun and the sound of water as I relax. I dig the mountains and love to ski but my choice is always a beach because I live in the Windy City and let’s be honest, the weather is typically cold, rainy and windy so I crave the warm sunshine, sand and water.

Do you still hang out with any of your childhood friends?

Hmmm… on occasion. I am not in constant contact with them, but our parents are all still best friends so I know their doings and we do see each other once in a while when we are all home. My oldest friend that I still am in constant contact with is my friend, Watty. We met when we were 12 on a softball diamond and still hang out (drink together) twenty years later.

Coco Pebbles or Coco Krispies?

Neither because I don’t eat cereal. Yes, you read that right. I do not eat cereal ever. I just didn’t grow up eating it and have no interest in starting now.

If you could meet one blogger (besides me of course), who would it be?

Since, I have got to meet you over skype I guess I will go to my second choice which is Kelle Hampton from Enjoying the Small Things. Have you read her? Girlfriend has mad writing skills and her outlook on life is one that I am envious of and would love to gain some insight on. If I could meet a couple other it would be Jess from Straight Talk Jess and Krista from Not Mommy of the Year but I would insist it be over drinks!

If you were deserted on an island and could only have 3 beauty items, what would they be (not basic hygiene)?

Estee Lauder Toner Perfectly Clean Skin Toner, toenail polish (OPI Friar, Friar Pants on Fire), and Australian Gold’s After Sun Moisturizer.

What is your favorite fancy coffee choice?

I am a loyal, daily drinker of Starbucks. I don’t do coffee… but a venti chai is how I start my morning each and every day and if I don’t get one, things never seem to go well.

When did you get your first cell phone?

I got my first phone in August 2001 right before I entered the working world and graduated from college. God, I am old.

11 Questions for Other People

  1. Is it soda or pop? And what is your favorite?
  2. What is your go to outfit when you need one?
  3. Tell me what you are reading and why?
  4. Name a reality TV show you would like to go on?
  5. Tell me the best blog you read that you think I should start reading.
  6. If you had to move out of your current state where would you go?
  7. Tell me one rule you had growing up that you will never impose on your own kids.
  8. What is one thing you could not live without? (It can’t be a person)
  9. What’s the first thing you do in the morning?
  10. What would your final meal consist of?
  11. If you had to pick a song as the “soundtrack of your life what would it be?”

Tagging

Julie at Back To Basics Blog @basicallyjulie

Jess at Straight Talk Jess @jessesco

Krista at Not Mommy of the Year @notmommyofyear

Joanna at Growing Up in Oz @Raising Madison

Suzanne at Bebehblog @bebehblog

Katie at Sluiter Nation @ksluiter

Friday, February 24, 2012

Tidbits of Talk {Volume 7}

Tidbits of Talk

So this is late but with really good reason. This week has been full of suck. But I have made a promise to myself that I will find a good for every bad in this post.

~Cate has RSV. My poor girl is really really sick and there is nothing we can do to help her. We take her to the pediatrician, they stick a tube up her nose and use a motor powered suction to get the snot out of her. Every time she coughs, Glenn and I both feel our hearts break.

~I have gotten to spend some real quality time with my girl this week and my boy. Two sick kids is not a lot of fun, but there has been lots of cuddling, requests for hugs and time on the couch. It has been hard to miss work, but home is where I needed to be this week.

~Our house has had a lot of showings. I am just hoping that one buyer comes through and says that this is their house and we can move.

~Every time we have a showing we have to clean. I find myself wanting to purge, pinning my "dream" stuff and hopeful for our next house that becomes our home.

~I needed a cup of Starbucks bad this morning. I couldn’t figure out how to do it with one FAST 2.5 year old, a baby in a carrier, both sick, no double stroller and snow on the ground. So, I went to Target purely for Starbucks and came home with a $32 Mack Truck from Cars2. Sucker.

~I took two showers today. I did one just to steam Cate's nose. Two showers in one day is a luxury with two kids. Two showers uninterrupted, minus the baby in the chair in the bathroom, amazing.

This is all I have… I am tired, hungry, need to pump and bed is calling my name. Cate will be calling mine sooner than I would like.

Happy Friday! Man, am I glad this week is over.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

A Conversation with Brady


Brady, can we play together with your stamps?

Pease mama.

Which stamp should we use first?

Wambulance mama.

No, buddy that is a fire engine.

Which color do you want to use? Red or blue?

Blllluuuuueee.

I do it. I do it MAMA.

Okay buddy. You do it. You put the stamp on the pad and then the press it on the paper.

Mama do?

You want mama to do it buddy?

Yes, pease .

Which stamp should I use?

Dis one.

The boat?

Shit.

No buddy, it’s a ship.

Shit.

No Brady, it’s a ship.

Shit.

No, buddy it’s a boat.

Boat.

Yep, that’s a boat.


God, I love this kid.



Mama’s Losin’ It

Monday, February 20, 2012

Adult Time- Admitting He Is Right

Even before I was married or had kids, I was an introvert in a lot of ways. I always chose to stay home on a Saturday night than go out. If I did or do go out, dinner and wine was and still is a perfect weekend night. I like going to bed early, getting a good night’s sleep and then the feeling of waking up early and having a productive day. Or maybe it’s my job, but I like being alone on the weekends.

Don’t get me wrong, I like a night out just like anyone does but it is just not something, I crave or need frequently.

Since I’ve had kids, well I think I am even more inclined to stay home. It doesn’t help that Cate still isn’t sleeping through the night or that Brady is waking up super early but the reality is that I do not mind staying home. I like being at home with my kids and wearing my pajamas on a Saturday night and relaxing on the couch.

Insert President’s Day weekend. It is a weekend in February that for the past eight years my husband’s friends have been going away together as a group. Before we had kids we went twice with the group. (The years before that we were not dating.) Both weekends were great. They involved lots of beer, late night games of left, right center, carefree days spent shopping on the streets of Lake Geneva or Galena and sleeping in.

Then, I missed a few years, quite a few actually. February 2009, I was not only newly pregnant (like I found out the Monday before) but I stayed home to bury a close colleague who had passed away that week. February 2010, I was just back to work after having Brady who was just shy of four months. I wasn’t ready to leave him, was still nursing, and exhausted. February 2011, I was newly pregnant with Cate and spent the two days prior to the trip so sick that going was not option.

So, 2012 rolled around. I vowed I would go. I wanted to go. I told Glenn I thought I could only go for a night but I wanted to rejoin the group. What I didn’t know was that Cate wouldn’t be sleeping through the night, Brady would be having massive sleeping issues and I was just overwhelmed. I flip flopped, changed my mind, couldn’t make a decision and as of Friday was still not sure what I was going to. Stay or go. I am an over-analyzer. I think about everything so much that sometimes, my husband is right, I take all the fun out of it before it even happens.

Finally, on Friday night as I was cooking party mix and making a veggie tray I decided I was going. Why not? I knew I needed some adult time. I felt like I should stay home with my kids. I knew I needed some time with my husband…and his 13 closest friends.

And you know what, it was great. Every minute was great. From the Coors Light at noon, to Kilwin’s ice cream at three, to the games of left, right, center at night to the fruit and bagels Sunday morning it felt good to get away.

Did I miss my kids? No question about it. Was it hard being gone? Yes but the hardest part was the time leading up to it. Once I decided to go I was fine. Were my kids well taken care of? Yep. And you know what, I am better for it. I needed to go. And I appreciate my husband pushing me to go.

Adult time is good for every parent. Next time I question it I will remember President’s Weekend 2012! See you next year!