Wednesday Hodge Podge V. 63

Welcome to Wednesday Hodge Podge brought to us by Joyce at

 From This Side of the Pond.  Hop on over and join in after reading my answers if you are new to this.  Hoping to return to more blogging soon but hey I am a busy, lazy procrastinator so this might be it for the next few weeks :)

Thanks for stopping by!

1. The NFL playoffs were held this past weekend and this year's Superbowl will feature the New York Giants versus The New England Patriots. How do you define 'patriot'?

I would define a patriot as someone who has strong feelings or is passionate about their beliefs and defending and promoting freedom of rights and their country.

2. What's something in your life right now that feels like a 'giant'?

Life feels kinda giant right now.  One of my son's is having a medical issue and it just feels like we are working so hard to resolve it and no progress is being made.  We are trying to determine if we should move,  and the logistics of all of us getting home this summer to visit.  There just seems to be a lot happening and a lot of it big things.

3. What's the first thing that comes to mind when you think back to being 18?

I remember thinking that I was so smart and that no one else understand me at all.  I was so sure of what I wanted and the direction I was headed and I couldn't have been more wrong.  I do miss the fearlessness I had then though.

4. Coconut-mashed potatoes-vanilla ice cream-mayonnaise...which white food would be the hardest to give up?

While I do really like mashed potatoes I can't live in a world without ice cream so that one is easy :)

5. Describe an incident or a day you remember as being the coldest you've ever experienced.


I think it would be one time when I was in college and there was sooo much snow on the ground and where I had to park was quite the hike to my first class.  It was freezing and as I was walking down the sidewalk I slipped on ice and fell into the snow and was even colder.  It was not great.  Had to be hilarious to see though :)

6. You're hosting a brunch....what's your favorite dish to prepare and serve?


People who know me well realize I am NOT a morning person and would never host a brunch, having said that if I had to host I would serve fruit salad, muffins and quiche.

7. How do you combat negative thinking?


I like to put on some music,  dance with my kids or clean.  I also have started this new thing when a thought pops into my head that is negative I think "delete" and start thinking of something else immediately to get those thoughts out of my head.  Mostly though just getting involved in something else so I don't have time to dwell on the negative works best for me.


8. Insert your own random thought here.


I worked out for the first time in a looooong time this morning and it was on an exercise ball and in this one portion I kept falling off and my son said, "why don't you just quit?"  What a great teaching moment!  I told him that life is full of things that are had and you can't just give in and quit.  I said I would keep going and I will do that DVD every day until I am not falling off the stability ball because you have to keep trucking.  I was happy to work out and happy to have that moment with him.  I think determination and resolve are so important to instill in youth.   Have a great rest of the week & thanks for stopping by!

Dear Wednesday I am Not A Fan

Oh Wednesday let me count the ways I greatly dislike you.  I would say hate but as my kids would remind me,

"We don't use that word".

I knew when I woke up it was not going to be a great day.  I knew it was in large part to me staying up too late  the night before and being tired but still.  Come on Universe give a girl a break already.

Highlights: {or should it be lowlights?}

Being 30 minutes late to daycare and having the daycare worker be mad at me because when we did arrive they were serving lunch and kid #2 was FREAKING out and had to be torn from my arms while screaming while I tried to walk out of the room with his sibling hanging onto my other leg screaming.

Forgetting I am not suppose to eat broccoli at the lunch meeting I went to and proceeding to eat a bowl of brocolli soup. I feel super great right now.

Picking up my dog and he smells like he rolled in several things that have died.  Several.  Having to give him a bath which I have never done and won't be doing again.   It was craptastic.

Having my youngest "help me" by taking off his poopy diaper upstairs and then coming downstairs to show me.... awesome.

Oh wednesday just go away already because I am done !!!!

Wednesday Hodge Podge Vol. 62 aka Too Tired to Think of My Own Title

Welcome to Wednesday Hodge Podge.  If you are unfamiliar with this, questions are supplied by the fabulous Joyce at From This Side of the Pond.  Answer the questions, link up so people can read your answers & you can  go read other people's answers.  It is fun and nice to not have to think of your own content one day a week!  

1. A new Miss America was crowned on Saturday night-did you watch? If you were a contestant what would your talent be?

I did not watch.  If I was a contestant my talent would be .......ummm....give me a minute or 50 t think.  Surely I have a talent I could list.  I feel a bit like Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality.  You mean I have to supply my own talent?  

I don't sing, I use to play the piano a million years ago, I am creative so maybe painting or scrapbooking if that could count.  

2. Do you have houseplants? Real or fake?

I currently have neither although I LOVE real plants.  We have not had any in a long time with moving, etc and with little babies it has been easier not to have them.  Now that my "baby" is almost three I think we are getting closer to it being safe to have plants in the house again though

3. When you were in school did you speak up or were you more of the hide your face, avoid eye contact, and pray the teacher didn't call on you type of student?

I was very quiet and shy through most of school.  I especially did not want to be called on during Math.  English was okay.

4. Next Monday marks the Chinese New Year...what do you order when someone suggests Chinese food?

I love Orange Chicken, Kung Pow Chicken, Chicken and Mushroom.  I would adore to be able to get in my car right now and drive to Panda Express or something.  This question will haunt me all day Joyce :)

5. How would you define a miracle? What would it take for you to consider something a miracle?

I think I would describe a miracle as something that is beyond human control and unexplainable.  I am not sure what it would take for me to believe an event was a miracle.  I do believe miracles still happen though.

6. What's your favorite Disney song? If you're stuck you'll find a list here.

I think I would say When You Wish Upon A Star based on the list.  Although Jo Jo The Dog Faced Boy is a close second.  (Seriously what kind of song is that?  Jo Jo the Dog Faced Boy....lol)

7. I should have _____________ yesterday.

Made a grocery list yesterday because today I really don't feel like it yet my children are under the impression that not only do we require more food in this house we need a variety of food in the house.   Demanding little punks :)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I love making lists of things to do but I wish I was not a procrastinator on some of the things and I also wished I remembered to check my to do list everyday.  That would be very helpful as I forgot to check it all of last week and yesterday so now I have an event to go to tomorrow and no sitter for a 2yr old.  Joy.

Thanks for stopping by!

Parenting Fails 1, 2 and 3 and 4 and well you get the idea

Well it was a weekend of Parenting Fails here at the Circus.  Earlier I was thinking that it was just yesterday but as I review the weekend in my mind I realize it all started on Saturday.  Hopefully you fared better.

The plan on Saturday: go to Costco and a craft store to get supplies, the workaholic had to go to work for about 30 min and a few other random errands needed to happen.  First I thought Costco opened at noon for some odd reason and was open until 8pm.  Nope.  9:30am to 6pm.  Unfortunately this was not discovered  until 3pm when we had to head to base to take care of matter there first.  {Fail #1} (Side note they have weird hours here generally)
While there we did take the kids to the playground for a bit to run off some energy since it was not too horrid out.  When leaving my oldest told me he had a horrible, terrible no good day.  Really because if I recap your day you: slept in, played the computer for almost two hours, played with Legos, rode in the car for a few, went grocery shopping for about 20 min and then went to the playground for about 45 min, rode home and hot dogs and french fries for dinner.
So of course, being the mature rational adult I was I preceded to tell him that while his day might not have seemed perfect to him (grocery store, sitting in the car for more than 10 seconds) it was not horrible or terrible that it was actually pretty great.  He said no.  I then responded with, "well when you suffer through a natural even like a tsunami, earthquake, etc" then you can tell me you had a terrible horrible day until then buck up.  Awesome right?  {Fail #2}
 After dinner the hubs left to go watch the big 49ers game with friends and I stayed here, put the kids to bed and then there was peace and quiet and I realized, I could watch ANYTHING.   It was glorious.  So I did.  Once my movie ended (It's Kind of a Funny Story with Zach Galifianakis) I thought I would turn on the game to atleast know the score in case the hubs wanted to talk about it.  The game was actually really good and it sucked me right in and I was watching and cheering (which is rare).  Then came about 2:30am and I was realizing I really really needed to get to sleep. So I did.
Wake up late Sunday morning, of course instead of getting our clothes ready the night before I had not so I was rushing to do that and we were late for church by just over an hour.  More groaning and complaining from the kids and stress for me.  Awesomeness again.  {Fail #3}

I learned long ago not to tell my kids what we were doing until we were going to do it.  Why?  Because plans change, play dates get canceled because kids get sick, etc.  So rather than disappoint them you wait until you are 200% certain and THEN you tell them.  Did we stick with that? Nope, we made the rookie mistake of telling them Sunday night that were taking them to an indoor water park.  They were hyped.  We were so excited that they were so excited, and so proud because we thought we had picked the perfect time to take them, etc.  So the next morning I ask the hubs if he has looked up directions, how far etc. what time are we leaving, so on and so forth.  No he hadn't so I thought I should.  That is when we discovered the water park that my kids were sooooooooooo excited to go to was closed.  Yep, CLOSED.   {Fail #4}
No worries, we can still have a fantastic day.... it is almost noon we can still go somewhere.  We will go swimming here at the pool.  Except that when we looked that up it was now almost 12:30pm, they were eating lunch and open swimming closed at 1:35pm.    {Fail #5}  Two fails in the space of a mere hour.  We were (or at least I was) feeling like the worlds most sucky mom).

I am happy to report that all was not lost because we were able to find a different pool and  swim for just over an hour, they had a kid friendly slide, we were some of the only people there and after swimming we took them to eat at McDonald's so while we started the day as zeroes we ended it as hereos.  I can't believe I just typed that it is so cheesy.  Truth though, cheesy truth.

Apparently though after all our fails (I am sure there are more I did not list) my spare refrigerator was feeling left out and so it died.  So that is also super awesome and the hubs has some work that will keep him busy and away for today so I am the lucky duck who gets to deal with the funky food in the garage.  The silver lining to that cloud is we (and I mean me, myself and I)  did at least already eat all the ice cream.  I am happier and fatter due to that single fact.

So here is to the parenting failures that we all make; may yours be few and infrequent and may you be able to turn them around at least slightly so your kids can be saved for the "terrible, no good horrible days" and you can be spared from that look they give you that says, " I seriously can't believe I am stuck with you as a parent".

What is a parenting fail you recently have had or advice for dealing with them?

Year of the Dragon

This is the Year of The Dragon;

 I am a Dragon and I will Roar.

I will be magnified.

I will stop doing good things and do better things.

I will be brave and bold.

I will not follow I will lead.

I will be clearly defined.

I will be the best example I can be to my children.

I will laugh loud and often even if it is alone.

I will make the time to do the things that are the most important not what "needs" to be done.

I will soar to new heights.

I will act with purpose and kindness.

I am a Dragon.

KRudd 

11 Jan 2012

Hodge Podge to the Rescue

Welcome to Wednesday and the Goodness of Hodge Podge.  I love that Joyce supplies weekly questions because my mommy brain is more mush than usual lately and this helps to make posting much easier.  Thanks Joyce & head on over to her blog From This Side of the Pond to join in.

1. Lake Superior University has once again published a list of words/phrases they think should be banished from the Queen's English in 2012-

amazing, baby bump, shared sacrifice, occupy, blowback, man cave, the new normal, pet parent, win the future, trickeration, ginormous, and thank you in advance.

Which of these words/phrases would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Go here to read more about how the words are chosen.

I am going to go with trickeration.  It seems like such a fake annoying word & I would be super annoyed to hear that coming out of someone mouth constantly.  From what I read it is being used frequently by sports commentators which would be why I have not heard it.  My husband watches football and I surf Pinterest.

2. Are you easily embarrassed?

Yes I am.  As I get older I handle things better though  & have learned to appreciate the humor in situations more especially when it pertains to me.

3. What is your go-to snack?

Right now it is Shakeology shakes but it use to be cookies, chips whatever I could just grab out of  the cupboard that was full of sugar and or empty calories.

4. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? If not do you have any desire to go? What site/attraction would you most want to see in that city? If you have been, what's your favorite site/attraction?

I have not been but I really want to go.  I would love to hit all the museums first and then see the remainder.

5. sit ups-planks-lunges-squats...which do you hate the least?

I hate plank the least.  I hate squat jumps the most even though they are so fantastic.

6. What's a small act of kindness you were shown that you've never forgotten?

When I was much younger I went to a church function at a house and I didn't realize we were suppose to dress in Sunday dress.  (It was one of my first youth activities I had gone to)  So I walked in and was in jeans and a sweater and everyone else in dresses, suits, etc.  I was mortified.  My teacher and then one who was hosting the party went and changed without saying anything into  jeans so I would not be the only one and would feel more comfortable and not leave.  It was a simple thing to do but it spoke volumes to me at a very impressionable age and I have never forgotten how she took 5 minutes to make things better for me.

7. Have you ever been a blood donor?

No.   In High School I was always under the weight limit (ah the good old days)(oh and I am not bragging just reminiscing)  & for the last 7 years I have been anemic and either pregnant or nursing so I have not.  My "baby" will turn three soon though & I have no worries about being underweight so I will this year.  I believe that everyone who can should atleast once a year.  My husband does every few months.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

My random thought is very silly.  My almost three year old is just not a breakfast person and it amazes me.  He does not like to eat when he gets up, is not a fan of pancakes or eggs and will sometimes begrudgingly eat cereal.  Today when he  wanted to eat (at 8:15am) he wanted cucumber slices, a cheese stick, yogurt raisins and crackers.  Another time we were meeting friends at a restaurant for breakfast and he was adamant he wanted a hot dog and that was all he would eat.  I don't get it.  At least he is eating right?

I don't have much to say but there is a lot to do!

I really have nothing great to say but since I really am trying to post more than once a week here are a few random things happening.

I am getting my hair cut tonight for the first time in months.... 8 months actually since I have been to a real live salon.  Super excited... just not excited about the price tag.

I am working on my nieces baby shower which is interesting since she lives in the States and I do not but I want to help.  I am so excited & so bummed I can't be there for the actual event.  I was looking forward to doing her invitations and then I realized how long some of it would take me.  Like to stamp 175 of something and then cut that all out...that is just ONE part of it.  Yep and that is not all I get to do.  I love it but think I am crazy for the design maybe.  Don't worry she doesn't read my blog so I am not spoiling anything :)  I will have to post pics when they are all out though because I think they are cute.  I am biased though.

I also get to make cookies for the people in my husbands office tonight.  Christmas Cookies.  Yep you read that last sentence right.  Some of them were gone when I was making them previously and well I was getting my butt kicked with a nutso to do list then as well so I was fine with doing more later.  Until later came.  Now I want them to have cookies but I don't feel like doing it.  Sigh.

I think the story of my life is this:
Insane amount of things to accomplish, little time to complete, procrastinated as much as possible, currently freaking out and running around like a chicken without a head.  All that said life is good :)

January Week One and Hodge Podge

Hopefully the New Year is finding you all well and on track with where you want to be with any goals you have set.  One of my many goals/resolutions is to blog on other days besides Wednesday this year :)  Starting school back mid week and having an insane to do list is not conducive to having that happen but I have big hopes for next week!  Enjoy the great questions supplied by Joyce and answers supplied by me below and then go over to  her blog  This Side of The Pond and join in! 

1. What are three words you would use to describe your 2011?

Bittersweet

Eye Opening

Chaotic

2. Do you like shrimp? What's your favorite way to have it prepared?


I do like shrimp and enjoy shrimp scampi probably the most.

3. Is your house de-Christmased? If so, when did you tackle that job? If not, when will the decorations come down?

We took down our tree last Saturday because I thought my husband  might have to leave to travel and I knew I couldn't get it down myself.  The rest is still up.  My to do list this week is insane so I probably won't get to the remaining items until the beginning of next week.   I figure as long as I get it done by the end of the month I am good :)

4. Do you like to watch scary movies?


Not a bit much to the dismay of my husband.


5. ice skating~sledding~ skiing~snowboarding...of the four listed which wintertime activity do you most enjoy?


Well I do like to ski but on snow blades not long skis which I have not done in about 10 yrs.  I also really like to take the boys tubing now that they are a bit older and enjoy it.  Sadly we have only been able to go once and that was last year.  I think I will enjoy it even more when they can bundle themselves to go out.


6. Did you have a childhood hideout? Describe it.


In one of our houses that I lived in growing up we had two rooms that were side by side and connected by a closet.  I would play in the closet and pretend it was a secret passage way.  I was not suppose to go through the closet and enter the other room though since it was my sisters room.  She was in high school and I was around 5 I think and for some odd reason she was against me in there on my own :)


7. What's a place or space that motivates you?


Well on the rare occasion I make it to the gym I am always motivated to work out more because as hard as it is when I do it I feel better.   Also when I go to church I feel more at peace and then I am motivated to be more patient with my children so we can have more peace in the house.  


8. Insert your own random thought here.


I watched a clip today that my friend posted on Facebook about a child who had food allergies and she died from eating a peanut the first day back from holiday break.  It is just heartbreaking in so many ways.  As a parent of a child with food allergies it can be so scary to send them to school or really anywhere sometimes but you can't keep them in a bubble.   I hope that this will be a wake up to schools across the nation about having better plans in place to prevent this happening again.  I hope that it will make people want to educate themselves a little bit about food allergies and how to deal with someone who has a reaction and mostly I hope that people will realize that when we have a policy of our kids not eating anything we don't check first it is not a personal attack on you or your cooking.  It can be a matter of life and death for our children.