It's HodgePodge Time

Thank goodness it is HodgePodge time or else my blog would still be stuck in the writing rut I seem to be in. Here goes :)


1. If you could work for any one government agency which would you choose and why?

Well when I was younger, much, MUCH younger my goal was to join the Air Force and work at Area 51 and learn all about the aliens they had there. Then I graduated Junior High and my dad told me I would never make it past basic training. Currently I think that working maybe with the FBI on "cold cases" would be very interesting. I have an affinity for Nancy Drew that I have never outgrown.

2. How difficult is it for you to forgive someone who refuses to apologize?

I do not excel at forgiveness. I can forgive my kids anything even though when the same things continue over and over again I am frustrated but the rest of the world not so much. I am a bit of a grudge holder and I hold onto the hurt of what happened. It is one of my big goals of the year to work on forgiving quickly and absolutely.

3. What is your favorite meatless supper?

I have three boys and a husband I am not sure meatless suppers are allowed in my house. I do really love a salad with spinach leaves, craisins, almonds, feta cheese and a vinaigrette dressing. Super yumo! And if I am feeling to lazy for that cereal.

4. Wednesday August 10th is National Lazy Day...will you be celebrating? If so, tell us how so we can be lazy too.

Well last night after I put the howler monkeys to bed I got a jump start on National Lazy Day by laying on the couch, eating oreos, drinking Diet Pepsi and watching bad TV until 2am. This morning however my presence was requested at an oil change appointment. So we dropped off the dog, dropped off the car, walked across base to a playgroup, walked out into a rain storm, walked to get lunch, walked back across base to get my car. Went to the library, BX, Shopette, Thrift Store, Commisary pick up the dog and home. Wow I am exhausted just typing that... glad I got some lazy in last night. Maybe it should be a monthly lazy day with supplied nannies for moms... hmmmm...

5. As a child did you have any special back to school traditions and if so, what were they? If you're a parent did you carry on those traditions with your own children?

I have no recollections of back to school traditions and this is only my second year of taking a child to school so I have not really established any of our own. I took his picture on the first day last year and will probably do the same this year. Other than that I have no ideas yet.

6. Write a summer tongue twister.

Well while we were wilting out in the rain today we came up with the following little ditty,
"The rain drained my brain and now we are soggy and groggy" If I try to think of a summer theme I came up with: Instead of Beach Blanket Bingo Babies Beach Blanket Bounce. I know I am super fabulous with twister and lyrics. I should open the Grammys.


7. Would you be interested in observing a surgery or do you turn away when the nurse brings out the needle?

I would not observe a surgery and I do not watch shots or blood draws. When I have been involved in emergency situations in the past (example when my child fell off a porch and cracked his head open as a toddler or when the other fell into a fire pit and burned his hands) I am able to be calm for the duration and can handle anything and fall apart later.
On a semi random note once when I was having my blood drawn the guy asked me if I needed to lay down and I told him no I was always that pale. Stellar moment in time let me tell you.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I have a favorite quote, "You can't roll your sleeves up and wring your hands at the same time." I like that a lot and try to live that way. Buck up and move past whatever is happening. You are allowed to feel sad, etc but you can't wallow and do nothing. You have to move forward. Lately though I am not "wringing my hands" but I am thinking "crap I have a lot to do I better sit on the couch , watch Dating in the Dark, eat some oreos and think about it more." No bueno folks. No bueno.

Join up by going to Joyce's page here

Wednesday HodgePodge

So I found this cool thing on someone else's blog and thought I would try it this week. It is called Wednesday HodgePodge & I figure anything that helps give my brain a break and yet provokes thought at the same time is golden. Here goes.



1) Favorite Song Lyric:

Hmmm. I love about a million songs but the one stuck in my head now is "My universe will never be the same, I'm glad you came."
I am slightly embarassed that it is a Hanson song (pointed out to me by my hubbie no less) but it reminds me of all the amazing people I have in my life and all the friends I am really missing right now since moving.

2) Last time someone yelled at you:

I am sure my kids have yelled at me more recent than this but the incident that sticks out in my mind is when we were moving. We were in my hometown driving down the street and someone speeds up and starts honking at us and so I roll down my window and she yells, "Hey that was a school zone" So I look at the spedometer and we are going 18 in a 15. Yes we were speeding and I don't condone it but 3 miles.. but how fast did she have to crank her speed up to catch us? Oh and by the way... it is a block long and school wasn't even in session.

3) Money, fame, happiness - are they mutually exclusive?

While I think happiness does not depend or equal money I think that many people think they can purchase happiness with money. A quick lift of happy when you buy a new pair of shoes, etc. But lastning happiness ... no. I think you can be happy without out money or fame. How's that for a rambling unclear answer :)

4) What is your favorite dish to prepare for family and friends that doesn't require turning on the stove, oven or an outdoor grill?

Initial thought was ice cream. One because it is my favorite and two I couldn't think of anything you could prepare without cooking. Now typing though I think salad or chips and salsa.

5) The 1st week of August is National Simplify Your Life Week. What is one thing you could do this week to simplify your life? Will you do it?

To simplify my life I could just not stress as much as I normally do. Mellow out and just let things happen. Not overthink everything and try to do too much.
Will I do it? Probably not.

6) On a scale of 1 - 10 (with 10 being 100% and 1 being not at all) how tuned in are you to your country's national political scene?

Growing up my mom was VERY involved in politics and we traveled to Republican Conventions etc. Then I completely got away from it in college. I have been slowly easing my way back into things. So I use to be a 8 or 9... now I am at a 3.

7) What are your final parting words to the month of July?

Oh July I wish I could have enjoyed your weather more instead of unpacking boxes.

8) My own random thought

I was looking at the calendar and was thinking, "Yay it's August, oh crap it's August." I have zero school clothes for my children and yesterday afternoon they each had one pair of jeans that did not have holes or stains. After our park outing that is down to zero. I just don't want to deal with it though.. ordering online, hoping it fits, driving 20 min back to base with three kids to return it if it doesn't. I am too lazy for all that. Maybe I will bribe my sister with doing it for me and mailing it to me. (Insert evil cackle here)

Thanks Joyce that was fun! If you want to play go here to Joyces page:
http://joyce-fromthissideofthepond.blogspot.com/

Wonky and Wonderful

Here are two of the wacky things in my new house. First up we have the downstairs bathroom sink - the one used the most. The first time I asked one of the kids to wash their hands in that sink they just stared at it. Then I just stared at it.
We are use to sinks that just have a handle you lift to turn on I think they were caught off cards by the whole twist for on thing. Next fun new feature is the lack of warm water option you have to be quick enough not to burn your hands or freeze them on the cold side when washing up. At least the hot water is on the left like we are use to on this one... upstairs the faucets all have hot water on the right. Opposite of what they were taught. Great.

Second is the oven dial. It has numbers. Numbers that I had no clue on how to decipher for at least a week and a half or so of living here and the purchase of an oven thermometer. I mean seriously... why put the number seven if it corresponds to a temperature... just put the temperature. Puzzling. I am lazy I don't like the look at my recipe and find the temperature... then find the piece of paper with my "cheat code" for cooking and match the number with the right temperature and then wait to see according to the thermometer if that is even right. Get ready to add on an easy extra 30m minutes to cooking anything with the secret codes and warm up time.

I find a few other things wonky as well. Examples: my bathroom light is turned on by a pull string, my fridge is tiny (reminiscent of door room fridges tiny) there is not an outlet in any bathroom and they are seriously committed to the roundabout which frustrates me when I drive and the GPS says "take second exit" and I am thinking it is not an exit I am just driving straight once I get around this blasted circle.
Some of these things have taken getting used to.

On the flip side of that it is gorgeous. Our first few weeks here we would be driving or walking and saying, "That would be a great picture" "Or that" "Or over there" and then I realized I could just point the camera in any freakin direction and have amazing photos. Really it is just beautiful. The people are really nice even when I am dumb and have no clue what I am doing. For example the garbage man who comes in and takes all 80 of my garbage bags down to the curb for me ever week when I forget to do it the night before and never get up early enough to do it the actual day. And he leaves me new garbage bags. Seriously he takes my trash and leaves me bags? This rocks !!!

I've said it before and I will say it again leaving amazing friends and family hurts. A little part of my heart gets left in each place we live and I am a wreck when we go but I think there is a purpose to being here and I look forward to all the opportunities we are afforded here. Even if it means wonky hand washing.

There Will Be Ketchup

The picture holds the three key items that MUST be present at all times in my house.

Item #1 Syrup. Not just for breakfast peeps. My kids will dip just about anything in either syrup or ketchup. "What darling you don't like the roast I spent hours creating a rub for and cooking? By all means drown it in sugar and eat away."

Item #2 Diet Soda. Usually Diet Pepsi but the store was out so I got Diet Coke. I refer to this as "mommy juice" and so my 2 1/2 year old calls all soda "mommy juice". If my husband happens to grab a can Ben will say, "Hey that is mommy's juice not yours!" I find this hilarious. Don't judge me on soda okay it helps keep my sanity and we all have to do what we have to do to survive motherhood in my mind.

Item #3 Ketchup. I firmly believe ketchup should be used for only french fries, hamburgers and hot dogs. My kids feel otherwise. They will dip anything in it... either to hide the taste of whatever I have cooked (the ingrates) or for fun to see how things tasts.
Example: " I wonder what strawberries and ketchup taste like." Dips strawberry in ketchup, eats it and cackles with laughter. They all move onto "what would cucumber taste like in ketchup?" Mom dry heaves and leaves table. *

I understand that my kids have an unrefined palette at 6, 4 and 2 and maybe don't realize life exsists beyond chicken nuggets, hot dogs and turkey sandwiches but really. Must you use it for everything? I find it slightly insulting to the chef.
Also it gags me to watch them eat. The hubs came home the other night and asked why I was standing in the kitchen eating my food. Really? Have you met your children and watched them during a meal. It is often a nightmare.

So I am off to the store because we are out of item #2 which is a travesty in my mind and if I have to survive any more meals with these crazies I am gonna need a surplus.

*Actual event.