I Should Be Folding Laundry

FINALLY.

I'm embarrassed to be doing this,  But it's been bothering me that I haven't, so today is the day.

Remember 85,000 years ago, when I asked you all to ask me questions and many of you did and it took me like 19 years to answer most of the questions?

Well, I never finished answering them and I feel so badly because you all took the time to ask and I just never answered, I think about it EVERY SINGLE DAY.

I know.  I'm sick. 

I can let my toilets go dirty for a long time, but not answering questions from my readers is completely unacceptable. 

So, although it's been since APRIL (OMG!), today is the day to answer the remaining questions.  And believe me...I will be asking for more questions very, very soon, so start thinking.

And I'll even answer them, within six months, next time around.

First question:

These questions came from Aimee in Port Orange, she asks:

Whats your favorite meal?  Do you have any guilty pleasures? If so what?
Anytime you talk about food, you are a friend of mine.  (note to self: write post about being fat and join weight watchers tomorrow.  or the day after that.)

I think one of my favorite meals is my Mom's meatloaf with mashed potatoes.  So good.  So fattening.

Do I have guilty pleasures?  No.  Unless you count eating 32 milk chocolate covered cashews everyday a guilty pleasure.  (Christy sent me almost three pounds of them last week and I may or may not be almost out of them already.)  or Concrete Mixers from Culver's with oreos and peanut butter cups in them.

A questions from KristiW:

What is your favorite talk show? What was your favorite show growing up?  When is your birthday?
I used to love me some Oprah, but I haven't watched it in months.  Mainly because her episodes seemed to be boring (is it just me?) but also because I just ran out of time.  I very rarely watch TV.

Now, when I was a child, I watched me some TV.  I loved Different Strokes and What's Happenin' (hey! hey! hey!) and Who's the Boss and um...FAMILY TIES!  I always wanted a kitchen door that pushed that way.  You know, the kind in EVERY SINGLE SITCOM in the 70's and 80's.

Now Brenda asks some hard hitting questions, she cuts right to the chase and you know what?  I kinda like it.
 
If this is too personal or too painful to answer, please feel free to ignore it.  Do you think you will have any more children? What do you love about being married?  Do you feel as though your life is how you planned?  What are some things you still want to do in your lifetime? Name some specifics, like before your children are grown and afterwards.

Do I think I'll have more children?

Do you have a few hours?

Short answer.  I don't know.  Instead of being excited at the thought of taking a pregnancy test, I now fear it.  I dread pregnancy, but I really do want another child.  Maybe two.  I don't think I have ever been so scared of something in my entire life.  Is it possible we are done having children?  Yes.  And that scares me, too.

What do I love about being married? I love a lot about being married.  I love being okay with doing nothing at night and sitting in my pajamas, I love having someone know me really, really well.  I love going to sleep with my husband by my side, I love that he loves me.  A lot.  And when I say "can you run to Culver's and get me a concrete mixer?"  I love that he rolls his eyes, smiles and says okay.

What do I want to do in my lifetime?  I want to take photography more seriously.  (more news on that later.....) I want to drive to California with the kids.  I would also like to write more.  However, I feel very fulfilled, I have an amazing family, I get paid to write, I get paid to design and soon, I hope, I'll get paid to take pictures.

And from Antonette:
 

If you were given the opportunity to go to ANY college for free right now and take ANY class(es) you wanted...what would you take and which college would you choose?  I don't really care what school, but I would love to take an insane amount of photography, photoshop and business classes.

Did you know colleges actually offer Blogging classes?  WHO KNEW?!
From Peggy:

First, a semi-serious one: You have referred to working at home -- do you mean blogging or do you have another job as well (besides, of course, that motherhood gig!)? When you asked this question I was working for the Chicago AMA, ten hours a week.  Now I am part owner of ruby & roja design and I work like 7,000 hours a week.  And I love it.

Second, a simply silly one:  What kind of purse do you carry? It's Fossil and it's purty.

Kristin asks:

Do you sleep with your socks ON or OFF?  LOL  OH MY GOSH, you may say LOL, but I take this question very, very seriously.  I sleep with my socks OFF.  No matter how cold it is!

And another hard hitting question, this time from Tricia.  How is your husband dealing with the loss of the twins ? And how is he dealing with your emotions? Do you feel alone at times because I'm sure he is supportive.

Brian, I don't think, is dealing with the loss of the twins.  That's just my opinion, it's his nature, his genes, to force himself to not think about the difficulty of a situation.  He finds his silver lining and only thinks about that.  And it annoys the crap out of me.  Some see that as a good quality, but I don't.  But that's how he is and there is nothing I can do about it. 

I almost always feel alone.  I think that's pretty normal, I'm getting pretty used to it, really.  The most venting I do is on this blog, so if he sees I'm upset, he'll just read my blog and then talk to me about it.  I know it's sad and seems dysfunctional, but I feel very strongly that if I did have not this outlet, I would hold everything in.  Just like my husband.

And then I would lose my mind.

I love this question from Tracy.  What does your joy look like today?
Tracy, I know you wrote this question for me way back in April.  But I think I was meant to answer it today.  My joy, seems a little bit limited today.  I'm not sure why.  Some days are difficult, some are amazing.  Some are just...okay and blah.  That's today.  However, even in my darkest hour, I see joy.  I see it in my children, my husband, my home that is way too messy, the peanut butter and jelly sandwich I had for lunch and the beer I'll have later on.
Marci asks:

What one food would you have the most trouble giving up?
Pizza.  No doubt about it.
and ice cream.
(and chocolate)
My friend Mrs. Schmitty wants to know:

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? In my younger years, I had high hopes to be a cashier at grocery store.  All that scanning and number punching would make my head spin.

But then I decided that maybe I wanted to do something else...so in high school I declared I would be a journalist.

But I did not.

And Lovelyn asks a very simple question that I have spent many hours trying to answer.  It's a toughie.  (I love Lovelyn, she lives near me, I created her blog header and I love it and she's pregnant with her fourth girl.  She's beautiful.)
Dylan, Brandon or Steve?

ummm...hmmmm...let me see....I don't know.  Who are these people?

Janb wanted to know:

Do you wear socks to bed?  Um never.  I would die.

Beth, Why did your parents name you what they did? Is there a story?  How about your grandparents? What do you most remember about them? My parents named me Beth because I have no idea.  And I would call my Mom and ask her but she's taking a nap.  So, I'll just assume she named me Beth because that is her middle name.  She's Mary Beth.  I'm Beth Helen and my grandma's name was Helen Anna Pauline.  (and Anna is Ariel's real name.  shhhh....don't tell Brian I told you. and her middle name is the same as my middle name.  Aren't we cute?)

Seriously.  Don't tell Brian.

What do I remember about my grandparents?  There house had the most distinct smell ever.  It was wonderful.  My grandma had an interest in everything...nature, flowers, vegetable gardening, weather, farming, animals.  Everything.  She loved life and died way too early.  I miss her so much, we all do.  She was amazing.  I can only hope to be a quarter of how great she was.

My grandpa?  He's still alive.  He's feisty and sometimes angry and grouchy and I think he's pretty pissed that he's still alive, but sometimes I think it's an act.  He does have a good heart and he was a really hard worker, a farmer, a fireman, he could fix ANYTHING.

They both gave wonderfully, wet kisses.

My other set of grandparent's passed away.  My grandfather, we called him "Top," not grandpa (I'm not sure why), he passed away when I was quite young.  He was very tall and I remember him holding me in his arms as if his arms were a swing and he'd swing me up and down.  It was a blast.

When my niece was 2 or 3 I decided to play the same game with her, but at the first swing I dropped her on her head.  That was fun. (back off, I was like 12)

My other Grandma was very, very short.  When I think about her, I want to put her in my pocket.  She always had jewelry on and her house was always clean.  She was a very sweet, loving woman.  She also always said she was 21.  I always believed her.  I was an idiot.

I am very blessed to have had the grandparents I had.  I wish I had spent more time with them.

Great questions, Jan! (I miss you, by the way!)

Kelly asks:

If you had all the money in the world - what would you buy?

I think one thing I would do is buy a massive piece of land, in North Carolina, for my entire family, you know, should they want to move into a free house.  (we would all live separately) I would like to hire a landscaper to help me create a beautiful garden, filled with wild flowers and plants and lollipop crabapples, ponds, waterfalls and benches.  This garden would be filled with birds and butterflies, flying all throughout the day.  It would be completely and totally dedicated to not just my boys, but all of the people in our family we have lost.  This is the one place I would feel comfortable spreading some of their ashes.

I'm sure I would donate a lot of money, too.  And I'd buy a lot of donuts.

Rach wants to know:

Would you ever want to be pregnant with twins again? I ask because my first pregnancy was twins - only one survived. And sometimes I think I want twins again, and sometimes thinking of being pregnant with twins again fills me with dread - too much at stake, you know?

One of the greatest joys I have ever known was being pregnant with twins.  Having identical twin brothers, I know that bond that is created and it's one of the most amazing things I have ever witnessed.  Would I love to be pregnant with twins again?  Yes.  Honestly.

However, what I really want is a healthy child, a healthy pregnancy.  Whether there is one or ten, it makes no difference to me.

 

 

Hey, it's me.

You know it's been awhile since you've blogged when your house guests says "um...have you blogged?"  I apologize for my disappearance, it was not intentional.  (Read: Christy's fault)

So, I guess I should blog but it's soooooo hard since Christy is still here (she extended her stay!)  (I know!) and I'm still sickly (I have no voice) and tired and when I should be blogging, I'm napping because I am such an exciting host.  Don't I make you want to come stay at Casa Del Folding Laundry?  Speaking of folding laundry, I have SCADS of laundry to do and I'll do it, soon, I'm busy trying to complete my very long to-do list beforehand:

-sleep until eleven.  CHECK.
-put bras in fancy new washer.  CHECK.
-laugh with Christy because she is HI-LIARIOUS.  CHECK, CHECK, CHECK.
-leave bras in fancy new washer.  CHECK.
-take a nap because of nasty ass headache that is threatening to split my head open.  CHECK.
-wake up from nap and eat grilled cheese and cupcake.  CHECK.
-take a close look at all of the chips and jelly and mud all over the kitchen floor and do nothing about it.  CHECK.
-blog.  CHECKING.
-stay in pajamas until 4:30.  CHECKITY CHECK CHECK.

We are an exciting bunch.  I know.  I'll be back soon!  With pictures!  and stories!

Beauty in Everyone

Listen, I have a secret, but you CAN NOT TELL ANYONE, okay?  come closer...cloooossseerrr still....No, I am NOT pregnant, listen to me....here goes.....we are on the verge of buying our second Wii.

Why?

Because ours is apparently dying.  And while I thought for sure our Wii would last longer than one year, well, I guess we are wrong.  The only reason why I am okay with this is because we have played a good 55,000 hours of Wii in the past year.  Wii Sports no longer works (can you imagine?) and various other games are dying, too.  So, after cleaning and trying to take care of the $50 games, we are thinking the problem is with the Wii.  Which means, Wii have a problem.

Because Racecar?  He loves the Wii, although now he's moved onto playing Super Mario Brothers 1, 2 AND 3 on the Wii and he's very content.  But we need more.  There's only so much of the mario song I can take in a days time and I know many of you are yelling at your computers saying "don't let him play so much wii!!"  and I'm all like "but he loves it and it's so peaceful and I can take naps while he plays...."

Oh, wait.  That is absolutely not true.  I would never nap while my children are awake. 

I mean, I never will again.  After tomorrow.

Anyway, one thing that Racecar (by the way, I'm growing VERY tired of calling my kids Racecar and Ariel, just an fyi, if I start using their real names, it's because I couldn't take it any longer.), where was I?  Oh yes, one thing he likes to do is create new characters.

And I've been wanting to share these scary faces with you for quite some time, but today decided it was finally time, don't be scared, if there is anyone who frightens you, just scroll down and continue, you'll get through.

The best part of these Mii's (pronounced meeeees) is that he LOVES all of these characters, he thinks they're "awesome and cool and handsome."

I disagree, I think they are freaky, but let's see what you think, shall we?

First up, we have scary guy with no mouth and blue eyeshadow.  Racecar likes to add some colors to his Mii's face, no matter if they are male or female, he thinks it looks "awesome and cool and handsome."   This guy actually looks like a computer technician at an electronics store that would make fun of you for asking what a mother board is.  Am I right or am I right?

The next scary guy is a Michael Jackson lookalike, which is....scary, because he's a Michael Jackson lookalike.  You know what's amazing about Michael Jackson?  Is that he can be SUCH A FREAK, carrying around Blanket Michael Jackson, but then he can do a video like Smooth Criminal and actually pull it off.

Oh dear.  This guy is so strange that you don't even notice how strange his name is.

For whatever the reason, this is one of his favorites.  He loves this guy, er, bearded girl.

And here's another favorite of his, this is Dennis Rodman in drag, I do believe.

I'm telling you, I could do this ALL DAY.  ALL DAY!

But I won't because we are going to Ikea.  With the kids.  Where we will spend more time in traffic than at the actual store where we will no doubt get into seventeen fights with each other and the kids and we'll probably come back with nothing.

But it will still be better than sitting at home and looking at these freaky ass people ALL DAY LONG.

I think.

I'm just a girl

Last night, Sarah, Steph, Crooked Eyebrow, Arianne and I went to dinner and then we went to see Sex and the City.

At dinner, we celebrated our friendship, I think, with laughter and stories and just being us.  We celebrated Crooked Eyebrow's birthday, (which is today)with margaritas and singing.

Then we headed off to the theatre, us girls.  And we watched this movie and these characters that we love, and we laughed and cried.  It was a great movie.

But as we sat, us girls side by side, and we watched the hardship and struggles that Miranda, Samantha, Charlotte and Carrie had been through, I thought about the girls beside me, I thought about me.

I thought about how we, in our early twenties, lived as women in their twenties typically live, somewhat carefree, somewhat simply and sometimes, just waiting for something bigger.

I thought about each of us and the personal struggles each of us have, whether one of us has lost our children, or had a difficult marriage, or their child or children are dealing with an illness of some sort, or watching our own children struggle.  I thought about how at one point in our recent lives, we all felt broken and scared, unsure of what the next day would bring.  But with each new day we took our steps, carefully, in the direction of personal healing. 

Some days are easy.  Some days are not. 

We may not have the beautiful bodies, the perfect skin, the shiny hair and Manolo Blahniks, but as woman, we are all kinda the same as the girls on the screen.

With each new day we learn who we are, we gain strength, we grow in love and somehow, without even trying, we become better.

And as hard as life can be sometimes, sometimes, when surrounded by friends of strength, sometimes it's better than the excellent movie we are watching.

It's funny how when watching a good movie, the scene on the screen can bring you to tears because it makes you think of your own life, the good and the bad.  But what's even better is looking beside you and knowing you are not alone. 

I realized, while sitting and watching, that it wasn't just us, but the entire theatre, that was filled with women, we all have our stories and struggles.  And whether you know the person next to you or not, you have a special bond.

It's a beautiful thing. 

Being a girl is pretty awesome, if you ask me.  And getting older is a lot better than I thought it would be.

Lighten Up

This past week has been very heavy for me, very sad, not very good.  So, I have some random things to share with you and then I'll be on my way to trying to lighten things up inside of me.

First, I wrote a post here about my weight.  I need to lose weight, but like so many others, I'm struggling to find that key motivation to get me started.  I can't figure out why it's so hard to make ourselves look and feel better...is there anything better than looking and feeling better?  Is there anything worse than feeling bad about yourself?

Second, I read this post, written by Tara, it's about her husband.  It was his birthday yesterday and she wrote a post listing 34 things that she loves about her husband and it includes pictures with each item and OH MY GOD,  I love it.  Could you write a post like that about your husband?  Would you?  I love it and I had to share it.

Thirdly, I am going to see Sex in the City tomorrow night with some of my girly friends and I am EXCITED.  My hope is that Smith Jerrod is in it and that he is looking extra hot.  I'm just sayin'.  I not only hope he's in it, A LOT, but I hope his hair is cut short, remember when he cut his hair off for Samantha???  I cried like a baby.  And then I paused the episode and stared at his hotness for hours.  HOURS I TELL YOU.  Brian was so annoyed.  If I could live blog during the movie, I totally would.   

Oh and I did get to the dentist and I have to have a root canal next week.  It's funny because root canals have this bad reputation, but I think they're pretty breezy.  The only thing I dread about going to the endodontist is the bill.

Interesting.  I feel so much better now since I talked so much about Smith Jerrod.  This could be a good day.

I'll leave you with a present.  No need to thank me.

Wow.  Just wow.

Answering your questions, Part 6,327

All right, friends.  It's time for me to answer more of your burning questions.  I have some time between design jobs and ice cream and idol, so I thought I would spend my time right here at my cozy blog.

I am going to start out by answering some questions that people have asked in e-mails or in other posts.

I'm going to start with a question asked just today by Carrie.  Hi Carrie!

She asks:  Can I ask you something...why do you have two blogs?  Not that I think there is anything wrong with that, I'm just wondering.  Actually I'm jealous, very jealous.  I don't have the ability to keep on blog going. Well, Carrie.  Would you believe I used to have THREE blogs?  I had to give one up because it was bad for my health.  And it's not even that I have two blogs, although technically I do, the second blog I moonlight on Wednesday's.  and only Wednesday's.  I am technically a freelance writer for our regional newspaper's parenting site.  So, I get paid for it.  I have to find some way to pay for  my graphic tee collection. 

By the way, my kids are being so rowdy right now, if you can hear them, and I am certain you can, I apologize.

The next question was an e-mail questions sent by Lorianne:

I have been following your site for a short time.  My heart goes out to you for your loss.  I just have to ask "what are your kids real names?"  If it is for privacy that you don't use them, I understand.  I'm just curious, that's all. Lorianne, thank you so much for your question.  I've been receiving a lot of questions about my chicken's name and well, I call them Ariel and Racecar for privacy reasons.  It's a struggle for me because I do love their names and I really do want to use them, but I just feel like I should give them a choice and right now they're just too young to understand.  but if you are really curious, you can go waaaay back in my archives to see.  I used to call them by their first names and I am WAY too lazy to go back and change them. 

But don't tell anyone.  It's a secret, damnit.

This crazy question comes from my real life, crazy friend, Tracey, she got a little irate in this question.  Tracey wants to know: 

My favorite food is nachos. Which brings me to my question. Is it too late to ask a question? When you say nachos, do you mean Doritos? Or nachos as in tortilla chips with melted cheese and maybe meat or beans and salsa and sour cream and all of that? Because I have heard that it is a midwestern thing to refer to Doritos as nachos, which would just be silly, because everyone knows that Doritos are Doritos and nachos are a mexican dish made with tortilla chips. But you midwestern people are crazy with your pop instead of soda and all of that.

I told you she was irate.  Okay, when I say nachos, I do not mean doritos.  In fact, I don't know anyone who refers to nachos as doritos and I know a lot of midwestern people.  But then again, maybe when they say "they're going out to get some nachos with Nellie Sue after the tractor pull", maybe they mean doritos.  What the hell do I know?

But we totally drink pop.  Word.  And we tend to use meaningless words after saying something we believe in.  Yo'.

See.  I told you.

Okay, now I can move onto some of the questions people asked me in that post way back in 1923.  (Could I have stretched this out any farther.  Um, yes.  I think I'll have another installment after this one.  SORRY!) 

This jewel of a question was asked by my friend, Sharon.  Sharon and I have never met, but I truly love her.  She means so much to me.  Now if I ever found out Sharon was really a large, bearded trucker who liked to hop on-line from the big rig at a truck stop every night and chat with mommy bloggers, well, honestly, I'd love him, too.  I kinda like beards.  That's how much I love Sharon.

Sharon asks:  How did your parents meet? And I mean all the details! After all, if it were not for this meeting, you wouldn't be here to ask us to ask you questions!

Good question, Sharon.  But isn't this supposed to be amount ME?  Just kidding.  I asked my Mom to write up a little something about her blooming romance with my Dad and this is what she wrote:

On a mild Spring evening in early April my sister and I stopped for cigarettes (they weren't so bad then) at the Clark Gas Station.  Also buying cigarettes (after all they were 3 packs for a dollar there) were our future husbands.  My sister and my future husband's best friend had gone out previously and since they wanted another date and Beth's dad and I were there also, it all fell together.  What fun we had!  My sister and I regaled the guys with stories of the "haunted" house we grew up in and it was so much fun.  While I was feeling all sparkly and witty and entertaining, it happened.  I can't believe it to this day. I said, "Was that sarcasity?".  And he said, "There's no such word as sarcasity."  (Of course I meant sarcasm but I said SARCASITY!!!! Now I can laugh about it and I do; but for a long time I blushed with embarrassment and humiliation when I thought about it.  Now, after 41 years (40 of them married), I know that you don't have to be perfect for everything to turn out perfectly.

Isn't that cute?  I think so, too.  The funny thing about this story is that I think of my Mom as the vocab queen.  Just recently she said something like "it warms the cockles of my heart." and well, I didn't even know a heart had cockles.  Did you?

Kellyn wants to know: 

What movie can you watch over and over again?  What is your favortie  quirk your kids have?  If you could be anywhere in the world, with the family, where would you go?  Let's see.  I have watched Good Will Hunting and City of Angels 7000 times each, so I guess that's the answer.  As far as quirks are concerned, I love that after my son kisses me, he has to put his cheek against mine and let out a little mmmm.  I love it.  A lot.  And Ariel, she says to me about 40 times a day "Mommy, I love you.  I mean a lot.  Like twenty thousand forty."  Everyday.  Forty times a day.

And if I could vacation anywhere with my kids it would be to anywhere warm with a pool.  No beach because Racecar hates sand.  The whole time we are there, he cries, because the sand apparently hurts.  or something.  It's awesome.

And the final question of the night is from D, D wants to know:

What is your favorite color m&m?  Um...red. blue. green. yellow. light brown and dark brown.  I do not discriminate.
Do you like coke or pepsi?  If I had to choose, I would choose coke, but at restaurants I always order water with lemon.  POP isn't my thing.

I'll be back again soon to FINALLY wrap up this question answering business.

Do you say soda or do you say pop?  Pop.  right? 

 

You've got questions? I've got answers...

It's becoming increasingly difficult to come up with catchy titles for these answer posts.  In fact, I don't think I have thought of one, yet.  I'm trying though, really, I am trying.

Here is the FIFTH installment of answers to your questions.

Let's get started, shall we?

Rebecca asks:

Hmmm... how did you meet your husband?   Brian and I went to high school together, however, we did not date during high school, we starting dating a few weeks after graduation.  I have been making him crazy ever since!  For more on how we met, click here.  It's a cute and romantic story.  Well, it's not really cute.  or romantic, really.  But it is a story.

and from Debbie:

How old were you when you got married?  I was young, although at the time I thought I was so old.  I do not have any regrets, however, well, I suppose I wish we had been a little more financially stable before our wedding day, but...what can you do?  I was 22.  At least I think I was 22.  (this requires math, don't ever believe any answer I have that requires math.)

and a good question from Megan at Fried Okra:

What's your biggest pet peeve? Let's see, I absolutely can not stand it when people (READ: MY HUSBAND) chew with their mouth open.  It makes me crazy, it actually puts me in a bad mood.  Why should I have to listen to that?   Also, I'm not a fan when people file their nails in public.  I think it's nasty and the noise annoys me.  (I constantly file my nails, but I do it at home or in the car.)  From a blogging perspective, I don't like it when people comment only to gain popularity, I am not saying any of you do it, but I have seen it done and I think it's wrong.  There's more, but I don't want all of you to start hating me.

Laurie (a Mom to FOUR BOYS!) wants to know two things:

Which gender is easier for you to parent - boy or girl?  Boy.  At least my boy.  He's so easy going, like his father.  Ariel is high maintenance but very loving.  Racecar is very loving, but happy as long as he as toy cars or a Wii nearby.

What kind of music is on your ipod when you exercise?  ANY MUSIC with a good beat. I listen to Britney Spears, Madonna, Army Cadences, Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, Snoop Dog, Eminem.  I listen to it all.  My favorite, if I am being honest, is Madonna.  But my all time favorite work out song is Pump It, by the Black Eye Peas.  It's crazy good.

ie (Internet explorer? Is that you?  Is internet explorer asking me questions?)  Anyway, ie asks:

What's your favorite color?  This is so hard for me to answer.  But, I'll say green, slate blue and pink.

and a question from Ann:

Where did you attend college?  How long did you go?  What was your major?  I attended Purdue, but I did not graduate.  My major was communications.  I firmly believe that college was not meant for me at the time, in fact, I am passionate about many things, I have always done what I wanted to do in life and I wonder if I would be so fortunate had I received a degree in whatever I was majoring in.  I feel like I would have had to stick in that field because it's what I paid for and worked so hard for, whereas now, if I want to try something new, I do it.  I enjoy my life, not to say I wouldn't if I had finished college, I'm just saying I have no regrets.  And that pleases me and makes me happy.

wfbdoglover ask:

What is your favorite color?  Answered above.

How many countries have you visited? I have visited Barbados and Mexico.

Stacey asks a very interesting question:

Hubby has given me a free pass. Should I ever meet a certain celebrity (Okay it alternates between Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Smits) and the opportunity presents itself I get one night of freedom from monogamy! So who would you consider pass-worthy? :-)  Wow, no one pops into mind, I suppose I would say Brad Pitt because OH MY GOD HE IS SO HOT and it would be a very interesting blog post, don't you think?  (I would totally tell you all about it, you're my friends!)

Heather asks one of the most disturbing questions of them all, but it's SUCH a good question, if you are reading this, I'd like to know how you would answer this one.  It's so gross.

Would you rather find a hair or a fingernail in your food at your favorite restaurant?  BLECH.  BARF.  VOMIT.  PUKE.  a hair.  *gagging*  And that restaurant would no longer be my favorite, no matter how good their damn chicken strips are.

and from Emily (isn't Emily one of the cutest names ever?):

When you were a kid, what did you think you would know by now that you do not know?  Emily, I don't know.  You have stumped me.

If you could bring back one thing from the 80s, what would it be? I personally love it when I see combs inside the back of jeans pocket, it's subtle yet stylish.

Amanda - Vintage Dutch Girl wants to know:

Do you wear flip flops? And if yes, what are your favorite brands?  I just started wearing flip flips two years ago.  The thing between the toes would drive me crazy, but Memorial Day weekend in 2006 I decided to wear them ALL weekend no matter how uncomfortable and we have been in love ever since.  I like Old Navy flip flops and a particular type from Target.  This kind, they are awesome, I need to go buy some more.  Right now.

And for the final question of the night, Susan asks:

What is the thing you like to do most as a family? If I said sleep, would that count?  Except I do not sleep with my kids, I just enjoy sleeping.  Honestly, I really enjoy vacationing with the kids and going out to dinner with them, they are very well behaved at restaurants, we have a lot of fun.

Time to watch American Idol!  Thanks for reading!

Oh, don't forget to tell me if you would rather find a hair or a fingernail in your food.  ew.

edited to add:  Our DirectTV receiver failed to record American Idol even though it said it was recording American Idol.  This is the THIRD time this season DirectTV has screwed up American Idol, the other two times were the results show and it stopped recording mid show.  Thanks, DirectTV, you're the best.  I guess the one benefit is that I don't have to look at Jason Castro's dreads and wonder how badly they smell.  There is always a silver lining.

More Answers to Your Questions and questions FOR YOU to answer

Are these series of answering questions interesting to you or does it make you wish I had never asked you to ask me a question? 

Because I don't want to bore you.  I'm just here to entertain.

and complain.  and vent.  and cry and scream.  Yep, it's all about entertainment.

And answer your questions - here I go for round three.  or it four?  I think it's four.

Today we start off by answering questions from a good blog friend of mine, Thea, she asks:

When you vacation, would you rather go sightseeing or shopping?  Mountain or Beach?  Downtime or activetime?  Sightsee AND shop, beach and downtime.  I enjoy allowing myself to fully relax and tend to do that on vacation.  I need a vacation.

If I actually WERE to start stalking you, what would be your most active time of day?  I'm all about efficiency you know.  hmmm...I spend much of my morning driving around, dropping off and picking up for preschool, so stalking me at that time would just cost gas money, I am almost always home between 12 and 4, if you need my address, let me know.

Did you throw nachos at the TV anytime this year? Gosh, I haven't.  Unfortunately, nachos and I broke up when I became pregnant with James & Jake.  I was so sick at night, nothing sounded good, especially nachos.  We have actually thrown away nachos AND queso because they expired. (THE HORROR!)  Maybe some day our love will be rekindled, right now I kind of like not relying on a snack every night.

I do want to throw my food at Jason Castro though.  I know some of you are fans of his, but he is so creepy to me, I just need him to be voted off.  STAT.

This is from my real life, very good friend, Lynette who is moving away from me next month.  (The nerve.  I am looking for someone to replace her, if you are interested in the position, e-mail me for an application, applicants must love to clean, bake chocolate chip cookies and enjoy watching my kids.)  I am also working on a new blog design for her, anyway, here is her question:

If you could change one thing about yourself (either physically or otherwise) what would it be and why?

Well, this is tough because I would change like 10 things about me, not that I hate myself or the way I look or anything, it's just some areas could be...let's say a little tighter, but if I have to choose one, then I would like a tummy tuck. 

This question is from Amy F. - a beautiful person, whom I went to high school with:

Dang girl, are you going to answer ALL of these questions?  Yes.

Hmm...since we know each other from high school, what were some of your most memorable moments from your time with the last graduating class of ___HS '95??  Amy, to me, high school feels like 170 years ago.  But it was only 13 years ago, which is still A REALLY LONG TIME WHICH MEANS WE ARE OLD.  But, I did enjoy my friends in high school, I loved being the editor of the school newspaper and I loved our spanish teacher.  I loved it when he called me an idiota.  No, really.  It was endearing.

A question from Kiki from Seagulls in the Parking Lots:

Good Wii game recommendations? (4 and 2 year old boys)
Yes, Mater National racing game.  It's awesome, Racecar totally gets it and loves it. (he's four)  Do not buy the Disney Princess game because it sucks, not that you would for your two boys, I just wanted to tell you that that game sucks because it sucks.

A question from Steph at Adventures in Babywearing, she asked

What's the last book you read? What's next on your list?  Then the next day she said "Oh I feel like my original question was so boring now. I'll have to come up with a better one." And she's right, her first question was a little boring, only because I can't remember the last book I read, I think it was My Sister's Keeper.  then she asked:

How about this: Tanning? In the sun? Self-tanning lotion? Spray tan? Tanning bed? Just go white?  I typically go white.  Tanning in a tanning bed bothers me because you know, The Skin Cancer n' all, self tanning lotions are no good because I always end up looking like a tiger with all of the orange stripes, spray tans freak me out and becoming tan from the sun takes me 40 times longer than a normal person.  So, white it is.  Very white.  Bright white.

I will blind you.

Elaine asks a fun question, she writes:

What would you do if you won the lottery (and I mean the BIG ONE!)?

Oh Elaine, first, I would go buy any handbag I wanted, then I would buy 100 pairs of shoes, then I would get a tummy tuck (sorry, I would) and then I would take my kids on a two week long vacation on the beach and then I would buy 1000 acres of land in North Carolina and build homes for my entire family on the land, but we would be far enough away from each other that we would not get on each other's nerves.  Big plans.  Oh and I would buy this camera and sleep with it every night.

I really need to start playing the lottery.

And from Lisa:

Are you going to come and visit Christy in Texas? Man, that would be fun, wouldn't it?  I dream of eating chips and salsa and drinking margaritas with y'all.  (see, I even talk like a Texan.)  And Christy has been teaching me so much photoshop over these last fews day, I need to buy her a gallon of margaritas.  So, the answer is, Yes, I am certain that someday, I will visit Christy in Texas, I'm assuming you would be at Christy's when I am there, right?

What is your favorite restuarant to eat at?  I love to eat at Red Robin with the kids, I love eating at Longhorn or anywhere with $2 draft beer and some of the local places around here.

When you want to feel "girly", what do you do? Put on a bra.  Just kidding.  (or not)  Pedicures, manicures, eyebrow waxing.  The works.  I love shopping for handbags, but I rarely buy them - according to me.  According to Brian, I buy them all of the time.  I honestly never really feel REALLY girly.

Frances asks:

You said that it would be fun to be a photographer.  Have you ever taken any classes to learn all the "proper" techniques?  You know, Frances, I have not.  But I need to.  I have a fear of my little hobby going from fun to work.  But I need to take that step and see.  Brian and I just found a course the other day.  Good question.

from Becky:

What's your favorite part of the day and why?  I love the time of night when the kids go to bed.  It's no offense to my children, it's just that I love sitting in the peace and quiet after a long day of time outs and wiping butts.

That's all for now.  But before you go, answer me this:  Do you have children?  If so, how many?  What's your favorite food (ONLY ONE THING) and do these questions and answers bore you or enlighten you?

And to the person reading this who has never commented, I DO want to hear from you, your comment DOES matter, so de-lurk already, okay?  I promise, commenting IS FUN.

Thanks.  Real much.

I interrupt these questions with more questions

It's a good thing I don't have anything to blog about because this question and answer thing is going to last for years.

I have a few minutes until my children get dropped off, so I decided that instead of cleaning toilets and doing laundry, I should answer some of these questions. 

And my husband thinks I don't know how to prioritize.  HA.

Wait.  I better go get my coffee.  Again.  Priorities.

Okay, I'm back.

First question of the day is from Sarah at Ordinary Days, she asks:

What song is stuck in your head right now? A-ha!  The first time I read this question, Let's Get it On was in my head, but right now, it's You Must Love Me, by Madonna.   Which is far less embarrassing then Let's Get it On.  Makes me wonder why I even told you that.   Evita is a favorite movie of mine and hearing Brooke White sing that song a few weeks ago and hearing the lyrics and seeing how they pertain to my life right now after loss, it has stuck with me.

And here is a multitude of questions from jkribbit.  It's okay, I don't mind a multitude.

Top three books ever? I loved The Time Traveler's Wife, The Lovely Bones and, and uh....no idea.

Top three movies ever?  Already answered.  (City of Angels, Steel Magnolias and Good Will Hunting)

Top three CDs/artists? Seal, Elliot Smith and Sarah Maclachlan

What was the best Christmas present you ever got/why?  Same for Birthday present? I always get great gifts because I pick them out.  Brian once got me diamond earrings for Mother's Day, without me telling him to buy me diamond earrings.  Those are special.  My Nikon D40 was my Christmas and birthday present last year.  Now THAT was a great gift.

If you could be famous for something what would it be?   Being nice.   Being genuine or maybe writing a book that inspired people.   Unfortunately people don't become famous for being nice or genuine, that's too bad.  We would have a lot of nice and genuine famous people.  We could use a lot of nice and genuine famous people.

This is from a very lovely reader named Susan:

If you had your own home to yourself for the weekend, what would you do? And have you ever experienced that luxury?  The first thing I would do is clean my house and do all of the laundry and then for the rest of the weekend I would do NOTHING.  I have not had the luxury for the weekend, no.  Overnight, yes.

From Nan:

Do you prefer PC's or Mac's? uh, PC's because it's all I know.  HOWEVER, I mentioned to Brian that I would like a Mac and he looked at me like I had dinosaurs coming out of my ears.  Let's just say, he'd prefer it if I did not get a Mac.

And from RubiaLaLa:  (how in the world does one come up with the screen name rubialala?  Please tell us in the comments, I'm sure many of us would like to know!)

Can you post a picture of your favorite pair of shoes and why they are your favorite?
Yes I can.  The sad thing about this question is that I had already taken a picture of these shoes, that's how much I love them.  I love them because they are light and cute, I am always wearing tennis shoes or flip flops, these are slightly different.  They are my current favorite pair.  (which could change tomorrow because I have shoe issues.)

My blogging time is up - only 7,921 more questions to go!  Together we can do it!

Oh and feel free to comment on these questions, I mean, geeze, I would comment on YOUR questions.

Yes I would.

Y'all are Nosey - Part 2

Here we are, part two of answering your questions.  I hope you are having as much fun reading these answer as I am answering them.   I only have a few minutes to do this as I am going to fall asleep on my laptop if I'm not in bed soon.  However, tomorrow I have hours, HOURS to myself.  Think of all the blogging I'll get done.  or napping.  whatever.
so, let's get this party started.

The first question is from That Girl:

Favorite ride at Disneyland?
I have spent very little time at Disneyland, but I did ride Space Mountain and it was fantastic, lots of fun.  An hour after getting off of the ride, I got the stomach flu.  good times.

From Amy, a question about athletics:
What is your favorite sport? I like baseball and volleyball.
Sports team? The Cubs, my father is a Die-Hard Cubs fan.  I spent 90% of my childhood watching or listening to Cub's games.  How could I not love the Cubs?
Did you play any growing up or even now as an adult?  I played softball for years and years when I was younger.  I was a catcher and I loved it.  I also played volleyball and I enjoyed that quite a bit.  I suck at basketball and golf.  And bowling.

And from my homegirl Christy M.:

How many speeding tickets have you had?  One.  Unlike my husband who likes to collect speeding tickets.  I think he's just trying to get into the Bad Driver's Hall of Fame.  He's all about goals, people.

Do you still sell Pampered Chef products? Why/why not? I do not.  I stopped selling in September of 2006.  I can't remember how long I sold for, almost 2 years I think.  I did earn a cruise for Brian and I and it was such a great experience.  I no longer sell because I like spending my evenings at home with my family and I just felt a little burned out.  It was a good decision to do it and it was a good decision to stop.  No regrets.

What is your "job" you talked about in the past. I don't think you ever elaborated on it much. I work for a consulting firm that does work for the Chicago American Marketing Association.  I work from home.  I do website updates, answer e-mails, plan monthly meetings, etc.  We are about to put on a huge conference in Chicago in June.  It's very detailed and takes a lot of time to put together.  So, if I disappear from the blogosphere from now until mid June...you'll know why.  I happen to work for/with my soul sister.  It's a good gig.

What is your middle name?  Helen.  My grandmother's middle name is Helen, my daughter's middle name is Helen.  I love it.  Good questions, Christy!

A question from girlymama:

How do you take your McDonalds coffee? A large coffee with six creams.  yummmmmay.

And are you a fan of the iced coffee? (Personally, I'm not. Too sweet. Not in the same league as the perfection that is the hot coffee. With 2 creams. And 2 Splendas.)  I agree, it's too sweet.  But on a hot summer's day, it's a decent caffinated beverage.

A food question from Heather:

What is your "go to" treat?  Ya know, the one that you go to for a pick-me-up?  I love the cookies called Bug Bites, they're like cinnamon graham crackers and they are my crack.  I have also mentioned my favorite ice cream.  It really does make me feel better.

and from Sara:

Have you ever gone on a trip to another country?  I have been to Barbados and Mexico.  I was in Mexico for seven hours.

Another food question from Suzanne:  (I have the hungriest readers)

What is your dream meal?  I really enjoy pasta and cheeseburgers.  Really good, gooey cheeseburgers and fries.  My dream meal would not fill me up too much and would allow me to have a good dessert afterwards. 

Besides family members who would you invite to your fantasy dinner? I would invite Seal and all of the great people I have met through blogging that do not live in this area, but they would not be allowed to sit next to, talk to or breathe on Seal, because he is mine.

From Heather at Desperately Seeking Sanity:

Before you were a mom, what did you do?  (Job wise) I worked for a financial institution, I was an assistant to a vice president in the commercial loan department.  This was my favorite job, I had the greatest boss in the entire universe.  He was a huge jerk to everybody else but me.  It was awesome.  When I say jerk, I mean, asshole, total asshole.  He's a great guy, I miss that job.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years? Somewhere with wrinkles.  Let's see, I'll be thirty-six, I hope I am a Mom to at least three children, I hope I have a nice big house with a lovely yard and I hope I am doing something I am passionate about.  That could mean I am a stay at home mom or I have rejoined the workforce.   I just don't want to wake up in the morning feeling dread.

From Michelle:

If you could go anywhere on vacation, where would you go? We went to the Outer Banks last year with the kids and it WAS the perfect vacation.  I would go there again in a heart beat...with the kids.  (but only if we did not have to drive there again.  That would suck.)

If I could choose to go anywhere with friends it would be Vegas.
If I could choose to go anywhere with Brian, I would definitely go on another cruise.

From my friend, Shantel, who knew my brothers growing up.  She started reading my blog and then realized she knew my family!  Crazy!  Where was I?  Oh yes, from Shantel:
What was it like growing up with 5 sibling?  It was loud and messy.  And SO MUCH FUN. I think my brothers and sisters are hysterical.

Which of the 5 siblings are you closest with and why? I am closest to my younger sister, Sarah.  We are only 14 months apart.  We are a lot alike, but I am much funnier.  Okay, not MUCH funnier.  Okay, I'm not funnier.  She's a good person, a good friend, a great sister.  All of my siblings are amazing.

If you could meet one person someday,who would it be?  Seal

What is your favorite thing to do when your kids are asleep and you have time to yourself?  I like to sit at my computer and read blogs or write or catch up on e-mails.  I rarely watch TV.  I really enjoy the peace and quiet.

And the final question is from Libby @ ninesandquines:

If you could have any kind of pet(dogs, cats, horses, etc.) what would you have and what kinds/breeds. Oh my goodness, I am not a pet owner for good reason, so definitely not a horse.  Or a pig.  I would like a cat because Kitties Are CUTE!  But, I think I would like a dog.  A nice, calm, little dog.  (the only dog breeds I know are poodle, toy poodle, foxhound and parakeet.)

MORE ANSWERS TOMORROW!