Classes

My favorite classes of all time have always been history ones. The two that top that list, however, were my travel seminar classes. In college, there was one professor who every year would take a two to two and a half week trip somewhere in the country with a small group of students. We learned on the road: at museums, battle grounds, national parks, etc. It was awesome. It's one thing to learn about a place, it's a completely different thing to learn about it while you're standing there. The two trips I had the pleasure of going on was the trip to the southwest borderlands (Texas, New Mexico, Arizona) with a day trip to Mexico, where I officially met and got to know my fiance, and the second trip was the Colonial/Revolutionary War trip (Massachusetts, New York, the east coast, and DC). The two classes totaled a month over the course of my first two summers of college... and they were the greatest classes I've ever taken.

Classes

I had two favorite classes Orchestra (played the violin from 5th grade through High School) and I actually enjoyed Chemistry..I know I'm a totally egg head. I actually took college level chemistry in high school. When I was actually in college I took chemistry, and slept in that class and ended up with 110 as an average...but I ended up leaving school to focus on working and being a mom.

Favorite class

I would have to say that my most favorite class of all time was Performing Arts 1 and 2 and chorus.

I was always at home on the stage and I am still friends with most of the people that were in those classes, and the musicals/plays, with me! The rest I am still trying to find :) Those classes helped me form life long friendships and self confidence.

If I could go back to high school and take just a couple classes again, with the same people, it would be those!

Classes

My favorite class has always been English.  I love poems, literature, plays and both reading and writing.  Even in high school I was in love with English and it was due to an English teacher named Ms. McIntyre.

Classes

It's been a while since I've been in school, but there are two classes that stand out as being favorites.  I took Photography in both high school and college.  I had a lot of fun completing the assignments. Learning the dark room and all the processes was a really neat experience.  I still love photography.  I don't miss the film side of it though.  I'm glad I don't have to buy it or develop it!

My other favorite, suprisingly, was Criminal Justice.  I took this as an elective in college while majoring in Sociology.  I absolutely loved this class. It was intriguing and interesting.  I learned so much.  I even thought about switching majors to criminal justice, but that program was hard to get into at my school and I was already 2+ years into my Sociology major.  I wouln't have wanted to be a lawyer or a law enforcement officer or anything like that.  Maybe a paralegal or something in the field, though.  The subject matter was just so captivating!

3/31/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Classes

In all of your life, what has been your favorite class.  It can be from elementary school, high school or college - what class has been your favorite of all time?

Social Media

My first experience with social media was not a good one. I got a myspace while in high school, and my dad ultimately found it. He was very displeased. Not because of the content... I had it locked down. It was more the fact that I had a myspace (this was back when everyone was so concerned about the dangers of myspace)... so I was grounded for a month. About a year later, I got a myspace again... same thing happened. So I for a while I ignored social media.

Then came Facebook. I've had one since high school. I don't know how to function without it. It keeps track of birthdays, friends, pictures, everything.

However, I hate twitter and foursquare. I don't see the point in having a separate place just to post my statuses... any status I feel necessary to post can go on Facebook. And foursquare? That just makes me nervous. I don't want people knowing where I am at all times... it just seems like it could be an extremely dangerous site...

Social Media

I admit it - I tweet, Facebook, blog and just recently I started to check out Reddit.  I am a social media whore.  I love seeing what is going on with other people and I love to share what is going on in my life.  I know that society has played a role in my blogging, posting, tweeting and my activity on online forums.

I really do enjoy the time I spend online.  I take my college courses online and I also spend most of my time online  - so now I even Skype.

It is what it is and one of these days I will fall behind, but I don't think it will be anytime soon!

Social Media

Hey my name is Kathy and I am a social media addict. Ok that felt good to get off my chest. I started with myspace because of my friends being on there and asked me to join as well. I thought it was the best thing on earth. When facebook came out I was like there is no way I am getting on facebook. But next thing I know I am saying bye bye to myspace and growing up to facebook. I have tried Twitter, but am not a huge twitter fan. I mainly use facebook all day. I post pictures of my family and my latest craft projects. When I am organizing parties I set up a facebook event. It does make things easy as far as keeping up with people. But I do believe social media has taken some of the personal touches out of life. Like instead of calling someone I can just send them a message on facebook. Instead of sending a birthday card I could just send a image gift on facebook. When is the last time you sent a handwritten letter to someone? Also social media is a huge addiction for me and alot of people. The thought of going a whole day without my computer sometimes scares me. But I am taking baby steps towards not being addicted to social media.

Social Media

I am a professed Facebook addict! Though, I have been updating a lot less lately. I love being able to keep up with friends and family that are far away. Some friends I have had for a LONG time! (elementary, middle, and high schools!) and some I just met (the creator of this blog for one!) And hope to keep them all for a while lol.

I do Tweet. I run the SaratogaCountyMommies Twitter (http://twitter.com/SCMommies) as well as my own. Though, I don't tweet a lot. In fact, the last time I did was about 3 weeks ago! (Except for SCM I do that often as possible)


I remember starting out with a MySpace (does anyone use that anymore lol) and then moved on to Facebook, back when the page was full of apps that you could move around...kind of glad they changed that! I remember starting a Twitter in 2007, but then went about 2 years between my first and last tweets! I deleted that one a while ago to start fresh!

I love what social media does to help us find old and new friends, make business connestions, and more! Even though it can have its downsides, I think the positive out weighs the negative!

Social Media

I enjoy social media. I'm constantly on Facebook. It helps me connect with family and friends. It also helps with me seeing my half sister and my neice and nephew. They grow up so fast. I started Facebook back when I was in high school but I didn't use is as much until after I graduated. I was a big Myspacer (it has been deleted for 2-3 years now). I do also have a twitter account. I started that maybe last year or so when i had an itouch. I go on occasionally and change my tweet. And of course I'm blogging. Trying to keep up with that, I just recently took over HRM's blog...you guys should follow it http://hamptonroadsmommies.blogspot.com

Social Media

I love social media!  I use it all the time.  You name it, I'm probably on it.  Most of the time you will find me blogging or on Facebook or Twitter.  I just joined Foursquare as well, so I'm still trying to figure that one out.

I love it.  I think its fun.  Its a quick and easy way to connect with other people, to find information or just chit-chat.  I also find many people that I probably wouldn't have connected with otherwise.  I feel like sometimes these people bring so much more to the table that I wouldn't have thought of or been exposed to if it wasn't for social media.

3/30/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Social Media

Do you utilize social media in your life?  Do you tweet, poke, post or anything of the sort?

What got you started with it?  Do you enjoy it or feel forced into doing it because of society?

Diet and Exercise

Diet and exercise wasn't really a big deal to me until about a month ago when I got a ring put on my finger. Now, with 14 months left until my wedding, diet and exercise are becoming a bigger deal. I know you're not supposed to diet to fit the dress, the dress is supposed to fit you. Well, that's nice to hear... but I want a beach body for my honeymoon. The beach does not conform to what my body looks like... Not that I'm overly obsessed with it, I have plenty of time... I've been cutting back on my favorite foods (burgers, pizza, chocolate) and going for healthier choices. Sadly, at college, that is not the easiest thing to do. Hopefully, I can eat a more balanced diet when I go home after graduation. I'm also going to be starting P90 in a few days, so we'll see how that goes towards shedding the muffin top area that doesn't look good in any type of dress.

Diet & Exercise

After a forty five day stint in the nursing home I started to become quite conscious of my diet and what kind of exercise that I was getting.  Everyday for two hours I had occupational and physical therapy which helped to strengthen my arms and legs.  I am also now trying to be aware of what I eat because of a stomach issue I have called gastroparethis and because of it I am now diabetic.

I am also trying to lose weight because after I took a medication I gained a lot of weight and now I need to lose even more weight - I am over 200 pounds and it is driving me nutso!!

Diet and Exercise

OK I know I'm a little late with this post, but I had to answer. Yes. Very important. Not that I am the epitome of physical perfection or anything, but I actually LOVE my workout! LOVE it. Boxing and Yoga are my 2 favorites. I mean you feel so good after yoga, even the evil Jillian Michaels or Bob Harper kind (you know the sweat pouring off you so you have to clean off the mat?)! Boxing. What can I say? You beat the crap out of a heavy bag till you just can't lift your arms anymore. It's cardio, it tones legs, arms, back, stomach and it relieves so much stress it's not funny. As a bonus there you can jump rope, do jumping jacks, push ups (Which are my least favorite exercises EVER!!!-and there are sooo many different types of them. Blech!) weights, all sorts of fun stuff to prepare you for the actual boxing.

I also try and make healthy dinners and enjoy cooking for my family. I try to teach my kids what is healthy and what isn't. They're learning why we eat things and what benefits we get from food. I mean food is there to make us healthy and heal us. As long as it's the right kind, it'll do wonders to heal you when you're sick and prevent future illness.

But then I see french fries and everything I just wrote goes out the window :-) he he!

Diet and Exercise

I would say that exercise if pretty important, I want to keep moving. But I don't like the word DIET. I would rather watch my portion sizes and eat healthy, then go on a diet. I admit, though, that ever since I got pregnant with my 11 year old, I have been struggling with weight. I was a size 9 before getting pregnant with him! I did lose some in between him and my daughter (about 30lbs but not quite enough to fit back into my skinny shorts lol) but I come from a long line of bad metabolism!

I am currently trying the HCG diet and so far I have lost 23lbs since January, but I could do a lot better!!! Now that I have my car back, I can get out with the kids more...and when it warms up the playground will be our new home!

Diet & Excercise

I'd say this isnt on my top priority list...but I get a lot of exercise with 3 kids. I want to go back to the gym but never really have any me time. I don't diet but do watch what I eat.

3/29/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Diet & Exercise

How do you feel about diet and exercise?  Is it important to you?  Do you make it a priority in your life?

Childhood Memories

The one memory that I think with my is my grandpa and driving from VA to FL. We actually went down there for Easter and easter fell on my birthday. When i woke up there were easter eggs everywhere and I also go my first bike. I also remember there was a horrible storm that was going through and I was scared, my grandpa's dog would climb in bed with me and let me cuddle with him until I was asleep!

Childhood Memories

There are numerous childhood memories that still stick with me today. A lot of them center around my first friends, my cousins. When we all got together at Grandma's, we always created the most interesting and complex games to play... sometimes they involved laundry basket races, other times it was hiding things we decided were jewels, and other times it was just playing in the woods, trees, or cornfields nearby.

The other childhood memories that have stuck with me are the ones from preschool. We had a pretty awesome indoor wooden playset at my preschool... and we used it ALL the time - for Power Ranger adventures. There were probably about 6 pink rangers and all the boys were either red or green. We weren't big on branching out into the other colors... those were the only rangers that mattered to us at 4.

Childhood Memories

I am not one that really recalls any childhood memories.  I know I played soccer and spent a lot of time at my grandma and grandpa's house.  Outside of that, I am not really too keen on recalling many moments of my childhood.

3/28/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Childhood Memories

Do you have any specific childhood memories that stick with you to this day?

Sunday

Growing up, Sunday was typically a crazy day. We would start off with church, and then more often than not, it would be followed by a two hour drive to either my mom's parents' or my dad's parents' for some type of family get together... that was before we started merging events (birthdays that were close together, mixing birthdays in with holidays, etc).

Now that I'm older, the Sunday trip to the grandparents' house is less frequent... closer to once every month or so. Which is good and bad - less time in the car, but less time spent growing up with my cousins. I always loved growing up with them... cousins are your first friends, and the ones you're sort of stuck with for life in most cases. The trips to church also stopped while I was away at college... when I go home, I still go with my parents, and in the summer I run the nursery at my church, but at school... Sunday is my only day to sleep in. And even if it wasn't, the nearest church is not in the amount of distance I am willing to walk in dress shoes.

Sunday

Growing up we always went to 12:00 mass, had dinner at my dad's parents house.  I loved going to grandma and grandpa's house because there were always chocolate chip cookies and great meals like city chicken, rice pilaf, lamb chops, stuffed cabbage and always good bread from the local bakery.

Now, Sunday means church plus football during football season and during off season it means soccer and having a good dinner. 

Once I am in my own place it will mean Sunday dinner again with family and friends - since I love to cook and bake, that is the best time of the week!

Sundays

Did you grow up with your Sunday being lazy or were you always running around?  
I remember them being pretty lazy, and the smell of my grandmothers sauce cooking for sunday macaroni (or spaghetti) dinner!!
Did you have family dinners or something else?  
See above! We had some kind of pasta every Sunday, and up until my Saratoga County Mommies started having Family Sunday Dinners, we had it too! 
What about today?  
We usually get things done on Saturday, and finish anything up on Sunday before dinner (which is usually between 5 and 6 and lasts a couple hours!) 
What is on your agenda?
Today? We ran to the grocery store to get our contributions for Sunday Family Dinner, picked up prescriptions, and now we are chilling at home before picking my daughter up at her friends house and going to dinner! 


Hope everyone has a great Sunday! 

3/27/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Sunday

Did you grow up with your Sunday being lazy or were you always running around?  Did you have family dinners or something else?  What about today?  What is on your agenda?

Pet Peeve

One? I only get one? I have sooo many! Grammatical errors. They annoy the heck out of me. I don't know why. I am the grammar police in our house. I remember when Stephen was 4 or 5 and he was telling me a story saying "...and then I bringed..." at which point I just gave him the hairy eyeball. He quickly backed up and said "I BROUGHT.." and continued with his story.

I think the other one that tops my list is eating noises. I do NOT need to see the food in your mouth. I do not need to HEAR you eating whatever it is. Do not slurp. You CAN eat soup quietly. Trust me. Lip smacking is a no no. Humming while you eat and general orgasmic happy sounds just annoy me to no end. I don't need to hear it. Food should be a quiet experience. Finger sucking. Licking your fingers after you eat? That is just gross! Oh, and please, please, PLEASE refrain from talking to me with food in your mouth. I will be quite happy to wait until you finish chewing.

I have a friend who feels the same about the noisy eating. We are planning a coup in the name of the quiet eaters of the world. We plan to unite and take over.

Now I sound like an uptight psychopath, don't I? LOL!

Pet Peeves

The one thing that comes to mind when I think of pet peeves is the toilet paper going under the roll.  Yes, I realize that is ridiculously, insanely small and petty.  It is just one of those things that gets under my skin for some reason.  My husband does it occasionally.  My 6 year old has learned how to change the roll when it needs it and she does it too. 

As soon as I see it, I will immediately take it off and flip the roll over so it's going over the top.  I feel like I cannot get the toilet paper properly if it isn't going over the top.  The annoyance I feel when I see it going under and the relief I feel when I switch it is truly baffling.

Pet Peeves

This may not make sense, but one of my biggest pet peeves can best be summed up in the following word: people. I have nothing against persons, but people generally annoy me. As a collective unit, people don't make sense and I don't like it. They drive insanely, or too cautiously... they're twenty under the speed limit, or they're flying by me. They complain about how they hate it when someone else does something, but then they go and do the same exact thing and say "it's different when I do it." No, it's not. It's the same thing you were complaining about yesterday! Saying you're going to do something, and then not following through so that the other people that were counting on you are also screwed over... It's all the little things like that that just completely piss me off about people. But I love persons. All of my friends are persons.

I also hate snow after the first day of spring. The weather around here really needs to start taking a look at the calendar.

Pet Peeves

I have too many pet peeves to list....I hate nail biting, sucking up snot in the nose, dirty nails, messy hair, messy clothes, people that talk to loud on cell phones, people that text while they are talking to you, cold weather, wet feet, cold food and on top of all of that I absolutely can't stand when people interrupt you when you are talking!!!

3/26/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Pet Peeves

What are your pet peeves and how do you deal with them?

Taxes

As soon as my husband has all his paper work he gets the taxes done. He is pretty quick and on top of stuff like that. Most of the time we owe, but only because my husband likes to get bigger paychecks. So we basically pay at the end. I don't always like it that way, but it gets paid so I guess that is the main thing. But I agree about husbands not needing to know exactly how much money is in the bank. My husband is the type that likes his tech stuff. Bonus time I have to tie him down so he doesn't go buy the bigger tv or latest computer or the whole GameStop store.

Taxes

My taxes always get done early... because my dad does them right around the time he does theirs. He uses some type of computer program to figure out the return, and I'm really glad he does it because I would have no idea what I was doing.

Taxes

We file as soon as my husband gets his w-2 or whatever. We paid off some things with the money, got my hubby a new tv. And the rest is sitting in the bank for a rainy day I guess. Sometimes we forget we even have it in there...which I think is a good thing. If my husband knows how much we have in the bank he would probably go crazy spending. LOL

Taxes

I haven't had to do my taxes in over three years and until I manage to go back to work again, I will never have to worry about them, however when I did do them, I was a last minute kind of gal!

Taxes...

We file as soon as we can for both Federal and State. My husband says that, if you wait until the last minute, it is because you owe...not sure how true that is, but we have never owed.

Of course, for once, it would be nice to KEEP our returns!! We always have something we pay off or pay down...this year is was almost $2000 for both cars to get up to par!!!!

I do wish my husband would get less taken out...but that means we would have less back! I think I can deal with that though

3/25/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Taxes

Federal income tax returns are due to the IRS in about a month. What kind of tax preparer are you? Early, sometime in the middle or last minute rush?

Food

OMG - this is my most favorite topic ever.  I am not a culinary genius, but I love food.  I like to cook it, bake it and eat it.  My favorite has to be Mexican and my second favorite would be Thai.  Mexican came about easily - I really have no rhyme or reason why I like it, other than it tastes good and is easy to make.  Thai has been a learned taste and I am slowly learning how to cook it as well.  They both have so many textures and flavors, it is so nice when they meld in your mouth and create an eating experience!

Food

You would think, looking at me, that I am not picky. But I am! I just gained during pregnancies and was ...blessed...with a LOW metabolism lol.

I prefer chicken to steak. I would even rather eat the chicken wings then the pizza!! If I could, I would eat chicken for lunch and dinner every day!! (And eggs for breakfast!)

I am picky with sweets. I hate fruit pies, except apple...and even then, it can't be too sweet!

But I also have a weakness for Girl Scout cookies!!!

Now I want some chicken...or maybe cereal!

Food

Well since I have already confessed my love for cheese. You know I love food, but only certain kind. I am a super picky eater at times. I was the thorn in my parents butt growing up. I don't eat vegetables. But I do love my cheese, Mexican, pizza, and Chinese. Oh and a good steak a mash potatoes is to die for. I really love food that I don't cook. I am lucky I married a man that loves to cook. I am slowly learning how to cook. I could eat Mexican and Pizza everyday.

Food

I love food. I hate dieting. If I had to go with a favorite food, I would have to go with either the cheesy bacon cheeseburger that they used to have at TGI Fridays (and you can still get it at certain TGI Fridays) or pizza. I could live on either one for quite the extended amount of time... which is probably why I've put on some weight since coming to college, but such is life. I also love chocolate, bacon, (but not chocolate bacon... that tastes gross), and cereal.

Food!

Do I have a favorite food? Hmm I have a lot of stuff I love, what can I say I LOVE food! I guess I am partial to chicken over beef. I love Italian foods, Fettuccine Alfredo yum!! The biggest problem is probably sweets. I can kill a whole bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs by myself! Sweets are not good for the waistline!

I would love to eat healthier as a family we really need to be doing this. We will do good for about a week and then fall off the wagon!

Ah Food such a love hate relationship!

Food

My favorite food is french fries! I could eat them all day long..and I really dont know why I love them so much.
I especially love making home made fries just because I can make it anyway I want. :)

3/24/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Food

Do you have a have a favorite food?  Why is it your favorite?  How did you come to like that particular food?

Rushing

Each day that goes by I am concerned about how I rush through things and don't do them the best way that I know how or can.  I try to take on too much and I think that I can take on the world, but I can't always do that.  One thing can be said for rushing, you will always most certainly make a mistake and will have to go back and fix it - I can guarantee it.  The other thought I have regarding rushing is that I rush and don't always think things through - because of that - I rush even more!

Rushing

I am rushing right now, yet, I am blogging from yesterday lol. With 4 kids, ages 11, 8, 4 and almost 2, rushing is just the norm! Especially when your 11 and 8 year olds like to stall getting out the door!

I do not even think I remember what it is like NOT to rush. I even rush when I am alone with out the kids...it has become something that is normal to me.

I wonder what it will be like, when the kids are out of the house, and I have no where to rush to! I will certainly miss it, I am sure of that!

Rushing

When don't I feel like I'm not rushing?! My day starts out me getting everyone ready to get my husband to work, then home to get the kids fed, then drive my oldest to school. If I'm waiting to go on a playdate holy moly...it just never seems to end. Some days i forget to throw out what I plan to cook for dinner, so then I am rushing to the store to get something to cook.

I think the rushing ends when i go to bed, and i dread waking up having to do it all over again.

Rushing

Do I ever feel like I am rushing along?  HA!  See my post about routines.  Every morning for us is a MAD DASH to get out of the house.  It's a mad dash to get the kids to school.  It's a mad dash to get to work.  It's insanity.

We are definitely not morning people.  We'd stay up all night given the opportunity.  Staying up all night does not make for easy or early morning.  I hit snooze for approximately 45 minutes before jumping out of bed yelling, "OH CRAP!"  Except I don't say the PG version.  Then I run around yelling, "Get up! Get dressed!  Hurry up!" 

When you are running around like that you are bound to forget things.  Just ask Noodle.  I don't think the kid has had a snack for school in her backpack in well over a week.  Oops.

Rushing

I feel as though I only live my life on two speeds: rushing... and turtle.

I am almost constantly rushing around to catch up for the time I spend in turtle mode. I like laying around doing nothing, and now that I have a major case of senioritis as well, I am constantly rushing to catch up when I fall behind.

And now with the wedding to plan, I'm rushing to find a reception hall because it seems like whenever we call a place one day they have the date open, but a call back a day or two later will tell me they booked it already. So it's rushing in that department so I can spend my first semester of law school with my wedding planning set to turtle.

3/23/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Rushing

Do you ever feel like you are rushing along and you forget to do something?  Or that you are rushing along and that you did something, but you did it hastily?

(FYI - I am so sorry I didn't post this earlier, I was rushing around and totally forgot to like a million things, this being one of them! ~ Jody)

Describe

My husband:
Supportive, loving, caring, crazy, tall, dark, handsome, MINE. His dad would be so proud of the man he has become. Because I am proud of what he does everyday for me and our kids!

Describe

Describe my kids....here goes:
The crazy, lovable, sweet, puckish, argumentative, brilliant lunatics that are the center of my universe..and they know it! And, for the moment, they think I hung the moon!

Describe

Pick (me) Up

Seeing her eyes light up.  The high-pitched squeal of "Mommy!" as she jumps and runs toward me trampling  anyone and anything in her way.  Soft sweet arms wrapped around me.

Describe

My engagement ring is white gold, European cut (so it has a flat bottom), stair-step Heart's Desire diamonds with four diamonds in the band for a total of seven.

:-D

Summer

The best part of the year. Flip flops, shorts, kids out of school (oh wait, lol) Not having to get up too early, not having to get the kids up!

Describe

Cheese!

The best food in the whole world. Goes well with pretty much everything.  Great for a snack on the go or on the couch. If only I could marry cheese.

Describe

Motherhood!

You'll laugh you'll cry! Motherhood is the craziest ride you will ever take. It is the hardest job you will ever have but by far the most rewarding!

Describe

Samantha is a wonderful, happy and boisterous twelve year old.  She is smart, caring, compassionate and caring and would do anything for anyone.  Sammie is my precious daughter!

3/22/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Describe

Describe something in 30 words or less.  It doesn't matter what that something is or if that something is you - just tell us what it is and do it in 30 words or less!

Cereal

I am a special kind of person, so I like Special K.

It is a pretty boring cereal, but yet it is so good with ice cold milk (which by the way I do NOT drink after I eat all my cereal).

Every once in a while I can go for Cherrios, Life, Cinnamon Toast Crunch or something else, but at the end of the day - Special K - with skim milk!

That about sums it up!

Cereal

Does oatmeal count as cereal? I like that....And Cheerios. I'm kinda boring when it comes to cereal. I am not a morning person and breakfast is just an afterthought!

My husband is the cereal KING. LOVES it! He eats like half a box in one sitting. He takes my huge pasta bowl and dumps it in! Lucky Charms, Captain Crunch. Cream of Wheat too if we're counting that. He's just a big kid!

My children love cereal too. They like ANYTHING! From Cheerios to the sweet yucky stuff that I don't let them eat very often.

It's the handiest breakfast food too!

Cereal

I dont like cereal! :( I dont drink milk either.
I can do oatmeal with boiling water thou.

My children on the other hand love milk and love cereal for breakfast and dry cereal for snacks. They like lucky charms, apple jacks, and captain crunch.

I really haven't figured out why I dont like milk.. which made me not like cereal...Total Sad Face!

Cereal!!

Funny I log in to see what the topic is today and it is cereal as I put a yummy bite of Fruity Pebbles into my mouth! Yes I am eating a bowl of cereal at 8:30 at night. What can I say? We love cereal I this house! I love the mixture of soggy and crunchy you get with a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. I am a sucker for anything loaded with sugar, I have a horrible sweet tooth. The kids love all of it. The Hub's is partial to Lucky Charms and Cinnamon Life.

We will eat it for breakfast, as a snack, any time of day, and it s not just cold. We like oatmeal and cream of wheat, except the Hub's he doesn't like Oatmeal who doesn't like Oatmeal?!?!?

Cereal!

How much can I talk about cereal?! I LOVE LOVE LOVE cereal! Did I mention I LOVE cereal!?

I usually have a gigantic bowl in the morning. Of course, my younger 2 usually want eggs lol, so more for me! My faves are mini shredded wheat, Kix, Fruit Loops, Cocoa Krispies, Rice Krispies, and Corn Flakes.

I used to put a  lot of sugar in my Corn Flakes, but I stopped that once I was older then 13 lol. That is when I realized it was probably NOT  a good idea to put a whole sugar bowl of sugar into my already sugared cereal :)

I have a confession to make, that might make most people gag or make funny faces...I LOVE my Rice Krispies soggy! They have to be soggy for me to enjoy them. Sometimes Corn Flakes too. Any other cereal, well maybe sometimes Mini Shredded Wheat, has to be crunchy!!

And sometimes...I will buy a box of my favorite cereal, and hide them from the kids! Sometimes I have to hid ein a closet to eat it, but hey, a moms gotta do what a moms gotta do!

Cereal

We don't eat a lot of cereal here.  It's not that we don't like it, it's just that we are usually running out the door late for school.  We tend to do things that are a little more portable - breakfast bars, go-gurts, bananas, cheese sticks, etc. We love cereal though.  My 6 year old, Noodle, will get lucky charms when she eats breakfast at school.  She's told me that's her favorite.  I don't buy them at home so she has to get her fix at school.

Mostly we have Cheerios (blech!) and Life in our house for the weekends.  Occasionally I will give in to my cravings and get Cinnamon Toast Crunch (YUM!).  For obvious reasons that usually doesn't last too long in our house.

I envy the people that can eat cereal outside of breakfast time.  I sometimes want to, I just can't bring myself to do it.  It just doesn't feel right. 

Cereal

College has instilled in me a love for cereal. Freshman year, cereal was available for all meals every day, so when I didn't like my other options, that as what I had. I got in the habit of eating cereal for dinner freshman year, and continued it over the summers when I was too exhausted (and overheated) from work to want to eat anything that took any type of preparation.

I love almost all kinds of cereal... at least the cold kinds. Especially anything that is or is similar to Cocoa Pebbles. Or Rice Krispies (especially Rice Krispie TREAT cereal!!!). Or Frosted Flakes.

Bottom line: I freaking LOVE cereal.

3/21/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Cereal

Cereal you ask?  Really how much can I really talk about cereal?  Tell us about the cereal you eat, if you have kids what they eat.  Is it hot or cold, do you only eat cereal for breakfast, what about dinner too?

Think about and talk about cereal - we are all wanting to know!

Socks

I can go both ways on this topic. I do love me some socks, but really only during winter. I love fun colorful socks and especially the holiday socks. But usually I have the white gold toed cotton socks. I really don't enjoy socks most of the time. It always feels like my feet are struggling to breathe. I love going bare foot as much as possible. I believe the worse socks are the toe socks. Yes they look all cute and funny, but those things are like prisons for my toes. I always look forward to spring and summer so I can sport my flip flops and my feet are free. My golden rule is as soon as I walk though the door off comes my shoes and my socks.

Socks

I am anti-socks. I do not like them. They make my feet claustrophobic, and they do not like being claustrophobic. When I do wear them (because it creeps me out to wear tennis shoes without them) they must be colored... or at least have a colored pattern on them if they are a white sock. Slipper socks annoy me because I'd rather stick my feet under a blanket than in a pair of socks.

On the other hand, my favorite baseball team is the White Sox. Go figure.

Socks

I HATE SOCKS!!!  There, I said it!!!  I hate things on my feet and I absolutely despise having socks on.  Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall - all of those seasons I try my hardest to not wear socks.  Now, if I am forced to wear socks I like toe socks - they make my feet look cool even if you can't see my nice and painted toe nails.

I despise nylons, they make my legs hurt and are so constrictive or just the opposite they fall down and annoy my ankles - at the end of the day - nylons sucks!

Then there are regular socks - if I have to wear socks because I have tennis shoes on I only will wear white socks that barely show above the shoe.  I really hate the socks you have to fold over - they again annoy my ankles.

Slipper socks are okay, and only recently have I allowed myself to wear them because I can't walk around the nursing home in bare feet - gross!

So, bottom line is I hate socks, I hate things touching my feet.  I like to paint my own toes and show them off and if I could go year round (it will never happen in Cleveland) without wearing socks I would!

Socks...

Ok well, socks...

Ever since I was little I have HATED socks. I prefer bare feet or flip flops/open toed shoes. IF I HAVE to wear socks, I prefer to wear new ones. I don't like having socks for more then a month. They gross me out, no matter how often I wear them!

And back on the if I have to...they have to go above the ankle and stay up when I put them on!

I wish I lived back in North Carolina, where I could wear flip flops 99% of the time for the 3 years we were there!

The other day, I got a pedicure with a friend of mine. I was able to wear flip flops that day to it, and the day after. But yesterday, and today, and maybe every day after, lol, I have to wear socks and shoes, covering my pretty flowered toes :)

Yea socks...we have a love hate relationship!

socks

I love socks on my feet when cold! Now don't get me started on finding a matching pair of socks! I swear i think my dryer eats my socks!!!!!!

I am only anti-socks in the summer, I dont like sweaty feet!

3/20/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Socks

Okay, you may think that this is a funny topic, but it is a serious one.

What kind of socks do you wear?  Do you like socks?  What about slipper socks?  Are you anti-sock?

Routine

We do our best to stick to a routine. I get up at 4:45 each morning. I turn on the news, try and get myself functioning. I HATE morning. It takes awhile for me to communicate in coherent sentences and not grunts. Kiddos are out of bed by 6:30. They get up put clothes on, eat breakfast, pack lunches, bookbags are packed, put by the door. My husband gets up, dressed, packs his lunch and is out the door by 7:30 to get the kids to school. I'm off to work by 8:00.

When I get HOME it's dinner, family reading time,jammie time, Stephen makes sandwiches at 7:30 when Tim brushes his teeth. Tim is off to bed by 8:00 and I head down to work out most nights. Stephen is off to bed at 8:30. Steve and I sit down to watch a TV show or movie when I'm done with my workout and shower (9:30ish). Sometimes I get the fantastic idea to make tomorrow night's dinner (if it's one that takes awhile to cook) and save myself some time the next night. Crazy. I know! Then by 11:30 or so I am ready to just drop. Day has been lived to the fullest and soon it will be time to do it allllll over!

Weekends are just freebies. We stay up late, sleep in, do whatever we want. Take Stephen to play practice...Do not fun stuff like laundry, cleaning but it all has to get done, right?

Anyhow, right or wrong, it works for us...usually. :-)

Routine

My routine? Get up, drop off the kids, go to work, pick up the kids, have dinner, go to bed – rinse, repeat.

Okay obviously there’s a bit more to it than that, but a lot of times it feels like that is all I do.  It feels like I’m caught in a cycle.  We manage to squeeze in a lot more than that, and I sometimes seriously wonder how we find the time. 

We actually have two sets of routines.  My husband is gone half the time for work, and when he is it more or less leaves me with the above routine.  In between getting up and dropping the kids off, it’s a mad dash/free for all to get out the door and not miss the school bus.  Yes, every morning.  The girls and I are NOT morning people. 

Thankfully my husband is, so when he’s home he really helps get everyone out the door.  He helps the girls get dressed and ready.  He drives them to school.  He picks them up.  He makes my life so much easier.

Routine

My daily routine is basically the same every day... the start time just differs. When I wake up, I reach over and grab my laptop (if it's a week day you can bet I'm checking to see if my first class of the day is canceled!) and check a few things before eventually rolling out of bed and stumbling to the bathroom to shower (I can also almost guarantee that I will trip over something, run into something, or stub my toe at least once a week).

From there my morning routine changes because it depends on the day of the week. If it's a MWF, I'll be outside with Bobby waiting for Betsy at 7:15 so we can go to breakfast and I'll come back and fix my hair/finish getting ready after breakfast. Some mornings (usually Tues and Thurs) I catch up on the homework I had avoided the night before. And on weekends, I pretty much just go back to doing nothing if I don't have plans right away :)

Routine

My routine is so messed up - I am pretty sure I don't have one anymore.  In all reality I think my routine is based on where I am living and what I am doing.  When I worked full time it was one way and now that I don't work and do most things from home it is another.  My routine is different now than when I lived on my own and right now being in a nursing home it is even more skewed.

Routine to me is getting things accomplished when they need to be accomplished.  Like getting the kids out the door for school in the morning and doing my morning postings for ClevelandMommies.  My routine is soon to change though and I think it will go something like this:

• Wake Up
• If Sammie is over get her out the door to school
• Do exercises (alternate days - some strength training and some cardio)
• Shower
• Do postings for ClevelandMommies and One-Minute-Blogger
• Clean a portion of the house
• Check TMN & CM to make sure all is running smoothly
• Get dinner started
• Study and get the school stuff out of the way
• Do homework with Sammie if she is over
• Eat dinner
• Do something that is good for brain stimulation or an art/craft project
• Watch TV
• Bedtime

Now, all of this is subject to the moon and the stars aligning correctly and not having doctor appointments or meetings or something else going on elsewhere.

So, when it comes to routine - I hope to have one and if not - that is okay with me as well.

Routines

I had a great routine up until we moved in December! We would get up at 7:30, and I would get my 4 year old (then 3) off to preschool. I would grab a Starbucks or Dunkin coffee and sandwich for breakfast, go home, let the baby nap, then get the 4 year old. Then we would come home for lunch, and play, read, etc... until the older kids got home. That is usually when they would just want to play with them!

Now, not so much :(

I would love to have a set routine in the morning, at least. It seems to make whatever else we do for the rest of the day go much easier!

So here is what I would love: Get up 7:30. 8:15 get the 8 year old out the door. Give younger 2 breakfast. Go out for a couple hours...either playdates, parks, or whatever we can do for them to get energy out. Lunch...either out or home. Come home (or continue staying home) have some outside time. Naptime (for the baby). Crafts, reading, some TV time (that would be my work time lol) etc...

Maybe someday I will get a good schedule going. You would think, after 11 years, I would have one down. Goes to show that each child brings a new adventure!

Routine

I would love to eat a Chick Fil A Banana Pudding milkshake daily as my routine! But then again I may gain like 100 pounds if I did that daily. My morning routine is quite lazy. I wait to hear the sound of my daughter's door opening and then she comes into our bed room and hands me my glasses and cellphone from my night stand. We head into the living room in our PJs to watch some morning cartoons. Most of the time it is either Nick Jr. or Disney Junior. I will grab her some milk and most mornings mini pancakes. 


For myself, I usually eat whatever I feel like. Lately it has been cream cheese bagels. Once we have our food and drinks ready we crash on the couch for a bit. While she is watching cartoons, I surf the web, catching up on email, facebook, centralpiedmontmommies, and TMN. I also start looking around seeing everything I need to be cleaning and wishing the magic cleaning fairies would come out and clean for me.


But alas no fairies have appeared so usually I wait till after lunch to really kick it into gear and clean house. We live in an apartment so there is never to much space to clean. But I try to keep the kitchen and living room cleaned each day. And I always start a load of laundry, even though there are only three of us, it seems like my laundry pile never goes down. 


Not sure why I follow this same routine most days. I guess it is just comfort and I am lazy. I will admit my routine at the moment doesn't work, because well I am lazy. I am working on creating a better cleaning routine where I clean certain areas each day. That way it doesn't add up and I find myself cleaning all day on Saturday, right before the in laws come over.

Routine

My morning routine during the week is basically the same everyday. I wake up at 6am, drop off my husband to work (we are currently a single car family) get home and get my oldest ready for school, drive her to school, and then start laundry. That is basically the start of my day in 2 hours. It has been working for a while now.
But I have to say somedays I just dont even want to wake up!

3/19/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Routine

Is there anything that you would do on a routine basis?  What is your morning routine?  Each day we all have some sort of routine that we follow, so why do we do it and does it really work?

Sports

Well i didn't get into sports much until I was in high school. As a sophmore, I dabbled in softball and was a cheerleader (only to prove that you dont need experience to be a cheerleader). My junior and senior year I dedicated myself to volleyball. And that was my true calling. I loved that game. I even join a travel team to keep up with playing while off season from school.
I was so dedicated to the game I was going to try out for a college team. I even was asked by the coach to come practice with the team while before I started my first semester in college.
But I didn't get that chance, I ended up getting pregnant with my oldest daughter. But it doesnt matter. I love my family.
Now sports I watch, love baseball,softball, and volleyball. My fav baseball team is the Yankees (I married a Red Sox fan) Can you say interesting baseball season! :)

Sports

I grew up in Strongsville, Ohio which is a small suburb of Cleveland.  I remember playing soccer as young as five or six and played all the way until I was in high school.  I also enjoyed playing volleyball, but wasn't into it as much as I was into soccer.  It was like the sport of the decade.  We had the Force in Cleveland and they were great ~ I remember everyone wanting to be like Otto Orf,

Fortunately for me I had a dad who was and still is very into sports.   He got me into loving football, I used to be able to name all the NFL teams and their quarterbacks and coaches.  I was never a huge fan of baseball, but on occasion you would catch me at a game.

My dad also loved golf and basketball - long gone are the days of Jack Nicklaus and Greg Norman, but I have been to my share of golf matches and really do enjoy the sport.  Then there is basketball....I do enjoy watching it, but playing it was never my thing.  I did enjoy playing it with the Serbian National Federation and going away a couple of times, but more importantly I enjoyed spending time with friends and seeing new places.

Overall I am a sports lover and still enjoy being active and playing.  If I had to tell you my favorite teams they would be the OSU Buckeyes, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Blackhawks, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Cavaliers and the Lake Erie Monsters.

Sports...

I have always loved to be active! I played soccer in school and have always loved to explore other sports.
I dated a guy in college who played Lacrosse, and so I got a taste of that for a little while...now, I am secretly hoping that one of my kids joins a lacrosse team!!!!

Hockey has always been something I love to watch, more in person then on TV. I love going to the rink and watching the action. My oldest, 11, played hockey for a season when he was 4. I was hoping he would stick with it, but it just was not for him. He still loves to skate :)

Both my older kids played soccer at some point in their lives. My daughter wants to get back into it, so I may need to start looking for a fall program for her. My oldest has also taken karate, which I really would love for him to take again!

I love sports, but I like to watch them in person or participate in them, instead of watching on TV. Just does not seem the same to me!!

Hopefully, one of my kids will play sports for more then one season!

Sports

When I was in elementary school I played soccer for a couple years. I had fun but I was never very good at it. Then in High School I joined the cross country team. I was not the fastest or the best but I improved weekly. I just had to beat my own best time...That was good for me. I helped keep stats for the boys basketball team one year, I took lots of dance lessons and played basketball with my friends at the park but that was it.

Let me be clear, I LOVE sports. Baseball (I manage my own strat-o-matic baseball team and have drafted numerous fantasy teams) is my favorite, football, basketball, boxing (which is my new interest. I actually got a heavy bag, some gloves and go beat the bag into submission-great stress reliever and KILLER upper body work out!). However, as mentally prepared as I am for any of these, physically I am klutzy and inept. I broke my toe cleaning my bathroom once...I broke a different toe carrying a basket of laundry across the room and tripped over a ginormous chair! Athletically inclined I am not. I know what's supposed to happen, but getting it done? I'm not your girl! I will try, and if you don't mind my crazy flailings on the field, I'm there! If you want to win, make me your statistician. I am one MEAN record keeper! (I think my husband STILL resents the reach on error I gave him one year in softball when he got to third on the right fielder's miscue. He argued to make that a triple all season!)

Sports

I basically lived and breathed sports growing up in the south. I remember the smell of the dugout, concession stand, and sunflower seeds. Being the father, of a family of three girls, my dad made up for not having any boys by encouraging us to play sports.

My sisters and I all played softball since we were eight years old. You could find us on the softball field year round. In the winter you could find me on the basketball court being a little more rough then in my daily life. Sports played a huge role growing up, most people identified me as the athletic one or the artsy one. I played one form or another of a sport until I had my daughter at the age of twenty-six.

Now I am back on the sports wagon playing in a bowling league. Don't laugh, after bowling three games in one night I find myself quite tired. I have my average up to 136 and rising. I believe playing sports growing up taught me discipline and leadership. Sports also brought me some of my best friends in life.

I cross my fingers that my daughter will follow in my footsteps and find a sport that she enjoys. But I will be happy either way. As far as watching sports, I enjoy watching any sport as long as I am watching with someone. I am not big into watching sports on TV by myself.

And the best way I know to close, for it's one, two, three strikes  I am out!

Sports

I never actually played any sports growing up... I know, I was super lame. All through high school though, I did stats for the men's basketball team (no offense to those of you that played women's basketball, but men's was always so much more interesting).

I love watching football, from high school level up, baseball, and hockey.

As for favorite teams? The Bears, White Sox, and Blackhawks!! When I was younger, back when the Bulls were awesome and had Jordan and Pippin, etc. my dad and I would watch every game together. I still watch basketball, but that's a rarity outside working the games at my college.

3/18/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Sports

We are all varying in ages and demographics, but what sports did you play growing up?  More importantly what sports did you watch growing up?

It is funny how where you live influences the sports you watch and play.

Favorite Holiday

I'm having an extremely difficult time picking just one holiday. I've got it down to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Halloween. To me, Thanksgiving and Christmas have a lot to do with getting together with the extended family and spending time with them - especially my cousins. Growing up we were all rather close, so we love excuses to get together - especially if there's food involved. And both my grandmas are excellent cooks. (Also - Thanksgiving and Christmas also include the best -and most plentiful- pie selections at my one grandma's house). Halloween is in the running just because I sometimes like to revert back to my childhood and dress up in a costume and go to my friend's birthday bonfire.

Favorite Holiday

Soooo many choices but quite an easy one. My favorite holiday is the 4th of July. Independence Day.
Why? I am fascinated by history. I adore Thomas Jefferson. You have to appreciate the spirit of a group of people who were just like you and I, but possessed such a spirit and determination that it laid the foundation of a nation.
In 1776 Jefferson, Adams and Franklin wrote the Declaration of Independence (one of the most eloquent documents ever composed if I may throw that in!) in such a short time. They were just men. They were a lawyer (among other things-and believe me that profession did NOT hold the status that it does now), another lawyer, a printer/scientist-respectively. Not the type of people you'd expect to produce such a work of art and immortalize themselves as some of the greatest minds in history.
Then there were the battles. EVERYONE fought, not just the soldiers. In Baltimore, merchants chose to sink their own ships in in the harbor and lose their only source of income in order to prohibit the British ships from entering and getting close enough to take the city. It was a turning poing. Ft. McHenry is still a breathtaking site at sunset, but I imagine what Mr. F.S. Key felt when he penned our national anthem-waking on a ship, frantic to see if "What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming" was still visible at dawn. Did the Brits take the fort?
Now, I hate parades, and I can live without fireworks..but the SPIRIT of the day inspires and moves me. It makes me want to honor what so many men fought so valiantly for.

3/17/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Favorite Holiday

Today is St. Patrick's Day and people are out partying and living it up! 

If you could have just one favorite holiday what would it be and how would you celebrate it?

Favorite Holiday

When it comes right down to it I don't know that I have a favorite holiday.  To me every holiday means food, family and (hopefully) a good time.  More importantly than that I chose to love holidays because I try to enjoy them through Samantha's eyes instead of my own.

I laughed the other day because I think she has finally realized that, get this, holiday characters are make believe!  Imagine that...so, while the fun of that is gone, now I can move on and try to teach her the importance of each holiday and the meaning behind it.

So, after some serious thought (and typing) I would have to say my favorite holiday is Easter.  It shows signs of Spring arriving, there is always good food involved in it, you get to wear pretty dresses and take pictures outside, unless you live in Ohio and it snows or rains, and it is a time of celebration in the church.

30 Seconds

If I had only 30 seconds, I'd have to grab the things closest at hand that were most important. At this current point in time, it would be my laptop, my cd case that has cds and dvds of pictures from at least the past 6 years (maybe even further back), the wedding album my mom got for me to use for my wedding, and my wedding binder.

I'm not going to lie, I'd be pretty lost without my laptop. It has stuff on it still from when I was in high school. Not to mention all my current files for school, and law school research and wedding research. All of that would be melted.

The pictures I cannot live without. I have probably close to 10 scrapbooks around the house, but those (for the most part) can be recreated. I would hope someone would grab the ones with the pictures that aren't digitally saved as well, but there are other people who have copies of them so they wouldn't be completely lost.

The wedding album my mom got me was purchased before I was engaged, but after my fiance asked my parents for their blessing. She bought it for me because her mother had done the same thing for her and she wanted to continue a tradition. It has some stuff in it already that I would cry if I lost, so I'd have to grab that on the way out the window.

The wedding binder itself isn't really that important, but the information it currently contains is. Even though I'm rather early into the planning, it would completely suck to have to redo all of the hours that have already been put into that binder. Research on everything, the guest list that has been reworked about six times already, budget lists, etc. That's a lot of work that would go to waste and have to be redone. Which would be awful.

Needless to say, my hands would be full, so I'm glad I live on the first floor.

30 Seconds

I have horrific memory loss - so I keep all my picture albums and pictures in one spot.  I would grab pictures since they tell a story of my life.

Pretty simple, but yet I am still grateful that my family is safe, but I want to recall the good times, which is why I take a ton of pictures - to recall those good times when there are bad times.

30 Seconds

30 seconds. Half a minute. Such a short amount of time that can seem so long.....

My initial response was that there was so much I'd want to save, but as long as my family was safe nothing would matter. Then, like Stephanie, I thought grab the laptop! So much information, pictures, etc could be saved.

Then it hit me. My purse. Why? My e-reader, my cell phone, my iPod, wallet, and (most important of all if the house is on fire!) my car keys are ALWAYS in there! We could make sure we drive off to safety, call the fire dept, have money and access to our bank account, call people and let them know we're ok.

So there it is, final answer. And I realize after telling you all this, I have waaaaay too much crap in my purse! I think I should go clean it out now!

30 Seconds

30 seconds can be a lifetime when you are waiting for something or someone, but in an instance like a fire, it can feel more like 1 second. As long as I knew my family was ok, including the dogs and cats, I would grab a few things on my desk. My computer, memory cards and a disk as well as a box would be the things I would snatch up as quick as I could.


You may think that grabbing my computer is silly, but it has so many family pictures on it, just like the memory cards and CD. I know that these memories can never be erased from my mind, but looking back at the pictures helps to remind me of the wonderful times we have had and places we have seen. They remind me of how fast my children are growing and how I need to take a step back sometimes and think of how far we have come. Our family photos, to me, are priceless!

3/16/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ 30 Seconds

You are trapped in a fire and the family is okay, but you have 30 seconds to grab anything to save from the fire.  What do you grab and why?

Sharing

Sharing is pretty awesome... unless you're 3.

I hated sharing as a child - which shouldn't be surprising because I'm sure all children did. Especially when I had to share with my younger brother. I was here first, and those toys were mine first...

Now that I'm a little older, sharing is completely different. Yes, I draw the lines with a few things (chocolate covered marshmallows for one), but 99% of the time I'm an awesome share-er. Sharing, whether its through sharing things, facts, knowledge, or whatever, sharing helps deepen a relationship and allows for connections that may not otherwise exist.

But I still won't share my chocolate covered marshmallow eggs with you. That's where the line is drawn.

Sharing

As a kid, I thought "Sharing" was a bad word. In my mind it was up there with all those 4 letter unmentionables. MINE! That was a good word.Sharing divided and diluted. Now, I'm an adult and sharing isn't so awful...most of the time. But my Cadbury eggs and Malley's Chocolate dark chocolate mallow bark? Nooooo way! I revert instantly to childhood screaming, "MINE MINE MINE!" At least mentally I do. How silly would I look doing that out loud!

But sharing now is different, it's not "stuff" anymore. It's thoughts, opinions, friends, food, time, love, books, ideas. Those are things I love to share.

My favorite time of day is dinner time. The prep part. Each of my kids has a job. Little things I have them do, not because I need help, but because I want to share that time. Share their day, hear their thoughts. Then after dinner we have reading time. Tim is 5 and likes to read "our" book. "My Mommy Hung the Moon" by Jamie Lee Curtis. He says I'm that mommy. We each read a page and giggle. Stephen reads to me from whatever book we have together. Right now we're reading "1001 Arabian Nights".

Sharing is about the connection. Shared recipes make me think of the person who gave it to me and allowed me to share with my family. Shared friends allows my adopted family to grow. Shared ideas and opinions allow both parties to grow and learn. Shared dinners allow me to say I love you to the people I cook for...

So, I guess, as an adult, sharing isn't so bad, right? But, still, hands off my chocolate!

Sharing

I never used to be good at sharing when I was younger. I was an only child for 10 years and never had to share anything with anyone. Now that I am older, I probably share a little too much! When I have a friend, I share with my whole heart! I want to be there for them for any need they may have. Driving friends places, giving them little gifts, giving of my time to them are all things that I go a little overboard on, but I do it from my heart. Sometimes that gets me burned and heartbroken, but I know that it was the right thing to do. I don't look for things in return from them, I just want to share what I have and I have been blessed with many things in my life.

Sharing

Sharing is hard, there is so much that goes on in my life that is complicated and insanely crazy, I am guessing you do not really want to know about it.  However I do like sharing about the fun stuff in my life, so I am going to try and stick with that!

I don't think that anyone would guess that I am really a creative and artsy person.  I love to do crafts and make cute things for others.  I also love to scrapbook, read, write, cook and bake.  Those are just some things that I really enjoy doing and don't think that if you met me initially you would guess those things.

I also don't think that people would know that I am a chocolate lover if you first met me, but guess what - I am!  I love chocolate in any shape or form!

So, there is a little bit about me that I didn't think that you already knew!

3/15/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Sharing

Share something about yourself that you think nobody else would know.  It doesn't have to be a secret, but something either funny or interesting that most people wouldn't guess about you.

Spring Ahead

To me, springing ahead is both a positive and a negative.

Springing ahead with Daylight Savings Time steals an hour of my sleep. An hour of sleep that will cost me my focus (and temper) for at least three of the following days.

The positives are far more numerous, however. It means that winter is over. That it will (hopefully) warm up soon! It means it's baseball season. It means I'm closer to graduating college and moving on to the next step in my education.

And... it means I'm closer to my wedding next June :)

Spring Ahead

When I think of "Springing Ahead" I think about getting closer to the time that my daughter and I will be able to be by the pool.  I also think about getting a fresh start.  There are a ton of things that start in Spring that are just wonderful.

You have March Madness - how great is it to watch 64 teams play basketball and it all ends up with the final two to see who will be the champion - total sign of Spring - right?

There is baseball - I won't talk a lot about it, because I am not the fan of it like Amy is.  However I do know that here in Cleveland you know it is Spring when the season opener happens.  You just need to be careful that it doesn't snow!

Lastly, for me, there is Lent - it is kind of a preparation for Easter (the resurrection of Christ) so to me that means being reborn and that relates to the topic as well.

All of these things mean to Spring Ahead for me.  I look forward to Springing Ahead with this great group of people and starting a great new blog!

Spring Ahead

Wow! Spring Ahead! I have a hard time trying to stay on top of things now. With 3 kids, Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts and 4-H added in there somewhere what is a mom to do? Oh yay, and what about work? Just roll with it, baby! That is what I do. I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband to spring ahead with! We keep each other in check and roll right along this crazy track called LIFE!

Spring Ahead

YUP. Watching baseball.  Spring training ball. I start counting the days till pitchers and catchers report (right around Valentine's Day!) as soon as the last game of the World Series is played. Just the sounds of the game mean spring to me.

The kids are outside playing ball...basketball, football, baseball, doesn't matter. All the neighborhood kids find each other and there's something each night.

It means Spring cleaning (which I HATE with a passion but I'm always pleased when it's done!), changing of the wardrobes from winter things and school uniforms to summer shorts and flip flops.
And shoes. Oh the shoes. I love my summer shoes. :-) There's always an expectancy about spring, like something is coming and you just can't wait! And THAT (as well as a brief mourning period for the hour of sleep I lost) is what I think about when we spring forward.

3/14/2011 ~ Topic of the Day ~ Spring Ahead

Today's topic is "Spring Ahead"

Take some time today to think about how you "Spring Ahead" in what you do this time of year.

Just a few reminders:

1.  Make sure under labels you label your post with your name and the topic of the day. ex: Sammie, Spring Ahead

2.  Try to write for only a minute or two.  Don't waste a lot of time on this, just take a few minutes to yourself and think about the topic and write/publish a quick blurb.

3.  Have fun!  This isn't a contest, it is just a chance for friends to have fun!