I'm Cheating

Ok so this was a fun meme, and a good thing right in the middle of the holidays when we're all running around stressing too much. Enjoy this one, and I hope you have fun reading it.

For the background, I took this from Veggie Mom who stole this from Lynda, who got it from Hot Tub Lizzy. Feel free to steal it from me!

1. Do you like cheese? Yes. I have at least six kinds of cheese in my fridge at the moment: cheddar, mozzarella, ricotta, parmasean, asiago, and gruyere. And I think I'm going to make beer cheese soup for dinner while I'm at it!

2. Have you ever smoked? Nope. My dad did growing up, and I have always hated the smell. Plus, I'm a cheapskate.

3. Do you own a gun? Absolutely not. Never, ever.

4. Do you like listening to Christmas music? Yes, but only between the Saturday after Thanksgiving and December 30. Any other time, I can't stand Christmas music. You may have picked up on the fact that I have a lot of rules.

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? No. I'm not big into being nervous in general. I never saw the point -- and yes, I've been told that I'm a little too pragmatic for my own good.

6. What do you think of hot dogs? Well, they're food, right? And full of nitrates. But not horrible, especially at a baseball game. I rarely eat them though, and if I have a choice I'd rather have a beer boiled brat. The Chicago-style dogs are worth it though!

7. Favorite Christmas song for all time? I was just thinking about this yesterday. It's really hard to decide as I chage my mind each time I hear one of the ones that's in the running. Carol of the Bells might be the winner though.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Water, but that's my answer pretty much any time of day.

9. Can you do push ups? Yes, but not as many as I really want to. I started Angela's push up challenge this summer and got almost to the end and was doing over 100 pushups total, but ummm life happened.

10. Who is your favorite "Grey's Anatomy" Character? Oooo, that's a tough one. I like Christina, but I have issues with all of them at times. Maybe Erica Haun?

11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? I'm so not into jewelry. My NU necklace, I guess? Or my wedding and engagement rings?

12. Favorite hobby? Yoga or cooking. I think. Horseback riding if I could find the time again. I really miss riding. I did hunt seat from the time I was eight until I was pregnant with Little Miss.

13. Do you eat "exotic" foods? Not only do I eat them, but I love them. Ethiopian is one of my favorite foods. And I could eat sushi morning, noon and night. Then again, exotic is all in the mind of the beholder. My in-laws think that Italian is ethnic food.

14. Do you have A.D.D.? That might explain a few things, but I'll go with no.

15. What one trait do you hate about yourself? Ummm I procrastinate sometimes. I know I can get things done... and so I hold off doing them. It's not always ideal, as you can imagine.

16. Middle Name? I've got several, which one do you want? There's the one my parents gave me, the one from confirmation, the one I got when I got married... but shhhh I'm not telling!

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? Uhhh. Do I have time to get a manicure today. Where's my recipe for beer cheese soup. I wish these things stayed bold when you copied them.

18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Would you believe that I bought not a thing? Nothing. I dropped Mister Man at preschool and worked the rest of the day until 7:30. Oooo, technically I suppose I bought windows, as I had to give up another monstrously large check.

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Regularly I'll assume means more than once a month or week, right? Given that, I'll go with water, water and ummm water.

20. Current worry right now? Will that last Christmas present arrive? And how will I do Christmas Eve with the family when I'm also supposed to sing at church at 3, 5 and 10?

21. Current hate? My boss. And the economy. Am I allowed to hate something so intangible?

23. How do you bring in the New Year? Dinner out at Wildfire with friends, so we can order the supper club. But I'm usually back in bed before midnight... so I can be sure to wake up in time to enjoy football all day long on the First!

24. Where would you like to go? Australia. Fiji. South America. Thailand (yes, even after all the stuff happened there and in India recently). Ireland. Scotland. Somewhere, anywhere warm.

25. Name 3 people who will complete this? Ooo, that's a tough one. MaBunny? Angie? Cookie? Anyone? Don't make me feel like an unloved loser by no one doing this! ;)

26. Do you own flip flops? Yes, but only for when I get my pedicures.

27. What shirt are you wearing? Blue long-sleeved tee-shirt. I refuse to admit to whether or not it's a pj shirt.

28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Like Veggie Mom, I've never had the pleasure!

29. Can you whistle? I certainly can, but only like a girl. I sometimes wish I could do the good boy sports whistle; it should be mandatory that all moms be able to do this. Unfortunately, I never figured that one out.

30. Favorite color? Purple. Royal purple, in fact. Did you notice that I had absolutely not hesitation on that one!

32. What songs do you sing in the shower? I don't. I listen to WBBM. They have no music.

33. Favorite girl's name? Ella. Or Isobel. Or Marguerite. Or Gwendolyn. Three guesses why Little Miss isn't named any of them, and the first two don't count. I so should have exerted post-birth authority to name. Stupid C-section drugs that knocked me for a loop.

34. Favorite boy's name? James. Alexander. Spencer. And yet, Mister Man isn't named any of those either. Hmmm.... Ok, so I also love love love Mister Man's first and middle names. And had Little Miss been a boy, she was going to be James Spencer (Jaime).

35. What's in your pocket right now? Nada. I have no pockets at the moment.

36. Last thing that made you laugh? Watching Mister Man and Little Miss run around. They're quite the ummm unique little children.

37. Best bed sheets as a child? I have very few memories from childhood. That's sort of sad, isn't it? I couldn't tell you for the life of me what I had on my bed!

38. Worst injury you've ever had? I broke my leg at the age of two falling down the stairs while trying to get the newspaper for my parents. They had a baby gate up for my sister and I'd had a bloody nose the night before and was in a too-big hand me down nightgown. Five terra cotta flower pots were also involved.

39. Do you love where you live? Yep. I've got the greatest neighbors and friends around! Plus, I have sidewalks. That's huge for me.

40. How many TVs do you have in your house? Hmm. Seven, I'm embarrassed to admit. However, three of them are in our game room, and only two are hooked up. And really we only ever watch two of them.

41. Who is your loudest friend? Other than my husband? Definitely Jeanette.

42. How many dogs do you have? None. And given the experience that my parents have with their dogs... we're gonna stay that way!

43. Does someone have a crush on you? I'm sure someone must. I'm absolutely irresistible, right?

44. Do you get embarrassed easily? I'm a mom. Mom's lost the ability to be embarrassed, didn't they?

45. What is your favorite book? I think I'd have to go with Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. But also possibly the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Or the historical fiction series by Sharon Kay Penman. I'm not too decisive when it comes to favorites, am I? I'm just too easy to please!

46. What is your favorite candy? Umm. I'm not really into candy. Don't hate me. If I never ate it again in my life, I'd be totally cool with it. If I had to choose something though, I guess I'd go for those little French fruit candies that come in the white circle tin.

47. Do you know all the words to the Fresh Prince theme song? Sadly, I never watched that. Or maybe not so sadly.

48. What song do you want played at your funeral? Something happy. And Irish. And I want bagpipes there. I seriously looooove bagpipes.

49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? I was sound asleep!

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I tried to figure out why on earth my husband set the alarm for his regular wakeup time when it was a snow day and we didn't have to wake up. And I tried to remember whether or not I told him explicitly before I went to bed that I'd kill him if he didn't turn the alarm off.

More than you ever needed to know, wasn't it?

Look, Ma! I Did It!

I've been tagged. And guess what! I'm actually going to play. I know I have a few others out there, and I promise that I'll get to them. But as I thought about myself I realized that being tagged for me is like my email: if I don't respond immediately, who knows when I'll find (make) the time to do it. That goes for all of you with email you've been waiting months for a response. Sorry!

Anyway, thanks Steph!

The rules?
Answer the following questions in one word and then pass it on to seven others. Anyone who's ever read a post of mine knows that one word and I don't generally go together in the same sentence. Or paragraph, for that matter. But I'm going to try to keep it short at least. Is that close enough?

Where is your cell phone? Pocket

Where is your significant other? Chair

Your hair color? Brunette? (Is it sad that I don't know what color to call it?)

Your mother? Overinvolved (but well-intentioned)

Your father? Changing

Your favorite thing? Happiness

Your dream last night? Unknown (I've discovered that I don't dream on nights I don't get
enough sleep)

Your dream/goal? Happiness (for everyone I care about)

The room you’re in? Family

Your hobby? Yoga (are moms allowed hobbies? I really had to think about this one)

Your fear? Failing (sorry, couldn't change that one)

Where do you want to be in 6 years? Happy (raise your hand if you're sensing a theme)

Where were you last night? Yoga

What you’re not? Artistic

One of your wish-list items? Heart-rate-monitor (and my birthday is less than two weeks away for anyone who's still searching for a gift!) ;)

Where you grew up? All over (IL, CT, Belgium, IL, MN, OH...)

Last thing you did? Uhhh (I don't remember. It's been a long day, and I'm tired. What did I do before I sat down? No idea. None at all)

What are you wearing? Clothes (aren't you glad I said that?)

Your TV? Tivo'ing

Your pet? Cats (two of them, in fact... Meow and Roar -- any guesses who named them?)

Your computer? Dell (technically that's my work's computer, but it's the one I use 99.9% of the time... the home one is a made to order one)

Your mood? Tired

Missing someone? No (I feel like I should say yes to this)

Your car? Pilot

Something you’re not wearing? Earrings (whoops... I just realized I didn't put them back on!)

Favorite store? BHWM (see, I kept it to one word... Black House White Market for the uninitiated)

Your summer? Blissful (and I want it back. And I swear I'll take more time off work if I can get it back)

Love someone? Yes (I can't imagine life without love; can you?)

Your favorite color? PURPLE! (specifically, royal purple... and at work on Monday I corrected my direct report when he tried to call Northwestern's color "violet" -- granted his first language is French but still....)

When is the last time you laughed? Today (I have the wee ones... how can I not laugh daily or hourly?)

Last time you cried? Friday (while watching Ghost House. Is that truly pathetic?)

Check it out! Technically, I answered each one in only one word. Of course, I had to add some clarifications to a few of them. Does that break the rules, or can I bask in my succinctness for a moment?

And for tags...
Mabunny
Angie
Melissa
Melisa
Outnumbered2to1
Debbie
Cookie

I Need To Talk About Me? Ok!

Angela over at Hello, Dahrlin' meme'd me awhile ago, and I'm just now getting around to it (sorry Angela!). I've actually seen a lot of people doing this one, and I typically enjoy reading the six things people come up with. It's a good number where it's interesting without becoming overkill. The only problem I realized is that if I don't get on the stick soon, I won't have anyone left to tag.

So here we go!

6 UN-spectacular things about me

And the rules are as follows:
1. Link the person who tagged you - Check!
2. Mention the rules on your blog - Check!
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours - And I promise to hold it down to only six!
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them - Done!
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged - Coming!

1) I have an unnaturally large bladder.
Really, I do. I read somewhere once that the average bladder can hold only 11 ounces. Then I look at my 32 ounce water bottle and realize I drink a good five or so of these a day, if not more. And 11 ounces seems really little to me. This actually comes in really handy for several reasons. First, it means I don't have to run to the potty when trying to entertain the wee ones. Second, it means that I went all 40 weeks of both pregnancies without having to wake up in the middle of the night to pee. And third...

2) I have an unnatural phobia of public restrooms.
In fact, I've never used a Port-A-Potty. Ever. And I can go an entire 5 hour car ride to St Louis without having to stop the car to pee. I don't even like going to the bathroom in my work's bathroom. When I do go, I have my standards and some places will and have caused me to just hold it some more. When I use a public restroom, I first have to wipe off the seat with toilet paper. Twice. I'm not a hoverer at least, as the idea of missing or splashing grosses me out more than sitting. And besides, I just cleaned the seat twice. When I flush, I always use my foot. Even when it's not the foot kind of flush. And I'm teaching Little Miss appropriate public potty behavior, as well, although I'm trying not to give her my phobia -- given that she insists on using the restroom at least twice in every restaurant we go to, I think I'm ok on this one.

3) I can't keep a manicure to save my life.
I love getting manicures and pedicures, but they don't like me. I've learned not to go swimming within a day or so because the nail polish just peels right off. But no matter how good of care I take of them, including putting another coat of clear polish on every other day or so, a manicure starts chipping within three days for me. And then I have to take it all off immediately. If I don't have polish remover with me, I have to chip it off myself. That's why I have polish remover in my car at all times. And along those same lines...

4) I can't stand the sound of nails being clipped.
For me, it's worse than nails on a chalkboard. When I get a manicure or pedicure, they have to manually file my nails. And I have to just cringe and grit my teeth when I hear other customers getting their nails cut. It's a noise that I can feel in my neck just under my jaw on either side by my ears. I don't know how else to describe it, but it almost hurts me there to hear that noise. I make my husband go into our bathroom with the fan on and door closed and me downstairs with the tv on before he can trim his nails or those of the wee ones.

5) I have hyper-flexible hips and shoulders.
Until I started yoga, I had no idea of this. In fact, I generally consider myself to be not at all flexible as I can't touch my toes. Even when doing the Presidential Physical Fitness Challenge in elementary school and when I was a cheerleader (captain, even) in high school, touching my toes was a challenge. I just have exceedingly short hamstrings. So apparently I make up for it with my shoulders and hips. I can sit in the "butterfly" position with my heels only a couple inches from my body with both knees on the ground. In pigeon, I generally can't get my hips to feel a stretch. And I can grasp my hands easily behind my back with one hand going down over the back of my shoulder and one hand going up from my hips. I just always thought those were normal things people could do.

6) I have a spreadsheet dating back to 2001 that details every check or payment or withdrawal I've made from any bank account.
I'm a little anal when it comes to spreadsheets. I really like them. I created spreadsheets to track my wedding (and I mean who's responded and how many and what kind of food and how many have yet to respond and who will sit at what table based on who is and isn't coming and forecasts for all of the above). And I have spreadsheets for each of the wee ones' birthday parties that have formulae in them. The one for Little Miss has multiple formulae, one to tell me how many people have yet to respond, two to count how many people and kids are coming and one to calculate how many favors I need to buy and how much that will cost. And the one tracking my spending is quite similar. It doesn't just track what I've spent and where and the audit of my bank statements (separate sheets in the same workbook, obviously), but it also forecasts out my spending and how much money I have for the next four months. It's a sickness.

And after reading all this, you'll probably never come back to visit again, will you? BUT, I'm going to pass this along anyway. And I hope you've read this far.

The lucky meme'd are:
Manic Mommy
Mabunny from Able's Antics
AnyMommy from Is There Any Mommy Out There?
Cookie from The Cookie Jar
Karen from The Rocking Pony
Kellen from On the Upside

It's funny but most other blogs that I read have already done this meme (shame on me for being delinquent, I guess!). Soooo if you aren't into the meme's, feel free to ignore, but I'm a rule follower, so I have to do what it tells me.