Category: Thursday Thirteen

I thought I would take this opportunity to answer some questions from my Monday Morning Meme. Don’t forget to check back Sunday afternoon for fresh questions!

1. If you mixed up the letters in the name of your blog, what new name would you come up with? (Anagram fun website – http://wordsmith.org/anagram/) Now take your favorite anagram and tell us what sort of blog it might be based on that title.

Actually, there are a few that amused me:

Freak Worriment – OMG, this describes me exactly.

Marine Fretwork – thinking big beefy, hunky Marine dude with issues on this one.

Firmware Trek On – I won’t even tell you what I’m thinking on this one. (Hint: it’s dirty. *ahem*)

Fake Writer Norm – But this one, THIS one is what my blog should be called. Fake writer is definitely the norm around here. Unfortunately.

2. What is it about you that makes everyone want to know you? Wait, you’re not done yet. Now tell us WHY that one particular thing? What makes that element of yourself so special? (Come on, don’t be shy. This is your opportunity to write about something positive about yourself).

My sense of humor. No, it’s my sarcasm. Actually, it’s my sarcastic sense of humor. No seriously, I know that’s hard to believe, but I have a knack for saying off-the-wall, probably-shouldn’t-be-saying-that-in-mixed-company things that make people either burst out laughing or sputter embarrassed chuckles over. (My MIL sputters, a lot. I like to sort of shock her. hehe)

WHY my sense of humor? I think I resort to humor because I simply don’t know what else to say around people a lot of times and because honestly? People amuse me. And it’s so much more fun to be around people who can laugh at themselves, you know?

Actually, I’m a pretty fun person to be around.

What. I’m serious.

3. What is the oldest thing you own? What is the newest?

Oldest thing … let’s see. I have my old high school yearbooks. Those are always fun to bring out and laugh over at parties.

I used to have some old Golden children’s books … I’m not sure if those are still in the attic or not. Kevin has a tendency to “organize” me and I can never find anything after that happens.

I still have my wedding dress. That’s pretty old. Almost 19 years old. It’s hanging up in my closet in a white garment bag. I really need to look into getting that thing professionally stored.

4. Tell us about your childrens’ (all ages!) first day of school, walk us through it. How did you handle it? How did your children handle it? Do you have a picture?

The boys had two years of preschool before they started kindergarten, so both of them were prepared, and excited, about starting.

They also both had the same teacher so by the time MK started, I was a little more prepared.

GD was a little hesitant about being left behind, but MK embraced the experience and practically pushed me out the door. I purposefully cut the departure short because I knew that if I lingered and allowed myself to get too nervous about it, they would have to call security guards to remove me.

I quickly walked back out to my car and promptly burst into tears for both boys. In fact, I’ve been crying on their first days of school for years. I think this past year might have been the first time I DIDN’T cry.

It was a pivotal moment, as I’m sure a lot of parents can relate to. There aren’t many opportunities to actually SEE the fork in the road of life, but the first day of school is definitely one of those moments. It’s a scary, exciting and quite sobering moment.

5. What is your greatest consumer mistake, something that you are shaking your head at now, saying, “Boy, I wish I wouldn’t have bought _____”? So, why did you buy it? What happened to it?

Don Lapre’s “tiny classified ads in the newspapers.” Do you guys remember this infomercial?

I honestly have no idea why I fell for this scam. I think I thought Lapre was hot or something. But his voice … he just hypnotized me. And at the time, I was thinking of quitting my job to stay home full time with the boys and I wanted to try and find something that I could do from home and make money.

I ordered the “kit.” Looked it over and promptly forgot about it. What a total waste of money! Kevin STILL makes fun of my crush on Don Lapre. Later, I read that he had filed bankruptcy, TWICE.

Whee! Look at me! I’m a total sucker!

When I was researching the video for this, I found a funny spoof. You’ll have to watch the above video to really get an appreciation for the spoof.

6. What advice do you have for a new blogger?

Be careful and don’t get sucked in by the pretty widgets. Or the flashy graphics. Keep your blog simple and concentrate on writing good content. (HA! Like I do that, but it sounds good, right? *grin*).

Blog for yourself. Write what and when you want to. Have fun and try not to be intimidated by the “old timers.” We were all newbies at one time.

Be friendly and if you have time, visit other bloggers. Though comments are great and we all love them, don’t comment unless you have something to say. There is nothing more annoying than commenting on someone else’s blog simply to promote your own blog. Don’t do it. Resist the temptation. Trust me on this.

7. How did your car get that little scratch/dent? (Because let’s face it, we ALL have car stories, right?

The first scratch I got was on the back bumper. I have one of those bumpers that aren’t really a bumper but part of the car so when it was scratched, it was pretty noticeable.

MK put that scratch there. He accidentally scraped his saxophone case against it when he was putting it in the back of my car after school one day. I was sitting in the driver’s seat and though I didn’t see it happen, I felt it. It was like someone running their fingernails down a chalkboard.

And I felt sick to my stomach because I hadn’t had the car for very long. But I was sort of relieved, too. It was like I didn’t have to walk on eggshells just waiting for that first scratch anymore.

8. In your opinion, what is the worst-tasting candy? Now, what is the best-tasting candy? How often do you eat candy? Do you keep it around your house? Do you allow your children to eat very much candy?

The worst: Licorice. OH. MY. GOSH. That stuff is freaking NASTY!! The black kind. I can handle the red kind. In fact, I can’t handle taking liquid Nyquil at all because it tastes so much like black licorice. I do the cat trying to hack up a hairball thing whenever I force myself to take it. *shudder*

The best: Wow. This is a tough one because other than licorice, I pretty much love ALL candy. But I really dig Kit Kats. I can (and sometimes do!) eat a whole bag of Kit Kats before I come to my senses. My family often catches me by surprise after consuming hundreds of those delicious stick bars with chocolate all around my mouth. It’s embarrassing, but I don’t care. I swear, I get high eating that stuff. (Hence the reason there are Kit Kats in my header. *Homer Simpson voice* Mmmm, Kit Kats).

9. I can’t live without my _________. Now, please tell us why you can’t live without it.

I can’t live without my nose spray. No seriously, I’d be a walking migraine if I didn’t have my nose spray. Whenever we travel, I pack like ten bottles just in case.

I get killer sinus headaches.

10. What is the cheesiest movie you ever saw, and secretly enjoyed? Why did you enjoy it so much?

Footloose. I know. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I love that movie. One, because Kevin Bacon, RAWR. Two, because I love the message behind the movie. And three, the music is so fun!

For all you young whipper-snappers – you really must watch it. Share the cheese! That’s what I always say. (Okay, not really. I just now said that for the first time. But it’s late, and I’m getting tired so .. roll with it, mmkay?)

I DARE you not to chair dance to this. I DOUBLE dare you!

If you’re really curious, you can watch more clips on YouTube.

11. How do you define happiness?

a: a state of well-being and contentment : joy b: a pleasurable or satisfying experience

Oh, wait. That’s the technical term. But you know. It applies. I AM content. I AM satisfied with my life.

Happiness to me is: God. Family. Love. The little moments in life.

12. On a scale of one to ten, how sick are you of the presidential campaign? Do you talk about politics on your blog? What about in real life? Why or why not?

Old question, but I’ll answer it anyway. By the end of the campaign, I was in the negative numbers. I knew Obama would win and I knew that might not be a good thing in the long run.

I talk about politics on my blog, but not very often. It’s hard to be fair and unbiased when I talk about it here when what I really want to do is vent and rant like a crazy person. But it’s also good for me to force myself to slow down and look at all the angles/options.

But the vent/rant, crazy woman thing? Yeah, I do that in real life. NEVER ask me about politics in real life.

Seriously.

13. What about your life today would surprise your teen-aged self?

That life is not all about me. That being self-centered and selfish leads to unhappiness.

When I was a stupid young woman (as opposed to now, a stupid old woman), I thought that men existed to make me happy. Everything was about me. And if I wasn’t happy, then it was because of some outside factor – my job, my lack of money, my crappy car, my b*tchy girlfriends, my weak, clueless boyfriends, etc, etc.

I bought into the whole feminist attitude that I will do what I want, when I want and screw anyone who gets in my way. I am female. Fear and respect me. (At least, that’s how I defined feminism back then).

But when I got married, and refused to budge on these idiotic ideals, to compromise with my spouse, to accept the fact that to be truly happy I needed to be fair, compassionate, humble and yes, even submissive (at times), then I finally began to understand what happiness truly was.

I’ve learned a lot about myself these past decades – some good, mostly bad, and I’m a better person because of these lessons. I was honest with myself and I actively worked on being a better person.

But the lessons I learned over the years aren’t something I can just tell you. They are lessons that you simply must live yourself.

I will tell you one thing though – pay attention and prepare for change. Big change.

Visit the new Thursday 13 hub for more TT participants.

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It’s fun!

Some of my favorite Post Secrets. I’m posting these because they resonate with me on some level. What’s your favorite secret?

1.

So be careful who you accuse.

2.

Open your heart, it’s worth it.

3.

You are beautiful, don’t change for anyone.

4.

And that will affect how you view your life – be careful – or get some new friends.

5.

Sometimes, the ones you love tell you things to protect you.

6.

I sing and don’t wear a Blue tooth. I don’t care if people think I’m weird.

7.

Physical beauty is superficial, most of the time.

8.

Guilty.

9.

It’s fun to break the rules, sometimes.

10.

So choose wisely, my friends.

11.

When someone compliments me, I wish they wouldn’t.

12.

Our cat moved to the country – and I’ve felt guilty about that for many, many years.

13.

Get out of debt – it solves so many problems.

Visit the new Thursday 13 hub for more TT participants.

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It’s happening right now!

Thirteen “D” Words that Describe my Life

Scrolling through my life, one letter at a time.

1. Dabble – And boy, do I. In fact, I have so much fun dabbling that I forget the “F” word – finishing.

2. Daft – I can be, yes. In fact, I would say, on average, I’m usually firing on all pistons maybe …. seven percent of the time. That’s not a very flattering percentage, is it.

3. Daily – I post up to thrice daily. Because I’m a blog addict. And I am alone most of my day and there’s no one blowing garlic breath down my neck and telling me to get back to work. I need a boss. Preferably a good looking one wielding a whip. *winkwink*

4. Dainty – Something I’ve never been, unfortunately. I SO WANTED to be one of those cute petite girls in high school. So much so in fact, that I forced myself to wear smaller shoes because I was under the insane assumption that if my feet were small, then somehow the rest of me would be small too … yeah, I was high. (kidding) You should see my poor feet now because of this abuse. On second thought, you really shouldn’t look at my feet – they’re grotesque.

5. Dairy – I love dairy. Dairy … doesn’t care too much for me. I could live on cheese, ice cream, creamy coffees and yogurt but then I wouldn’t be a very pleasant person to be around … what am I talking about, I’m not a pleasant person to be around now. To hell with it, pass the milk.

6. Daisy – Remember those pretty little daisy chains that the elementary school girls would gather in a circle and make at recess and then proudly wear them around their necks the rest of the day? Yeah, I was never invited to any of those daisy making groups. Thanks to the daisy girls, I have issues now. Thanks.

7. Damage – Sometimes, and this is going to sound crazy, I wish I was damaged. Then I would have so much to blog about. And people could relate to my problems and I’d become popular because I’m damaged and I’d go to BlogHer and make a ton of friends and sponsors would scramble over themselves in an attempt to buy space on my blog and my husband could retire from his job and I could get paid to do something that I love to do … but alas, I’m normal. And happy. And boring. And my issues are pretty lame compared to so many other issues out there so … never mind.

8. Dance – I love it. And only do it in the privacy of my own home. And only when my guys are no where around because the ONE time they caught me dancing (I was pretending I was one of those dancers you see behind the lead singer on MTV), they made fun of me. They STILL make fun of me. So yeah, I’m a closet dancer. (And remember the Daily Dancer? *sigh* I miss him).

9. Dandruff – I don’t have any.

10. Dangerous – Not the risk-taking dangerous, but the if-you-don’t-get-out-of-my-way-when-I’m-on-a-mission-to-get-my-grocery-shopping-done-as-quickly-as-I-can-and-get-away-from-you-people dangerous. I’m impatient. And when I get hormonal, my impatience level drops into the negative range. When that happens? Yeah, I’m pretty dangerous to be around.

11. Daring – I’m not. I tend to over analyze any given situation before thinking about doing anything and even then, I have to list the pros and cons. I’m pretty predictable and I don’t like surprises. Unless I’m hormonal and then, all bets are off.

12. Dark Horse – Though I can be pretty predictable, I have my moments. In fact, that’s why my boys are so well behaved – they’re scared of me. They never QUITE know what I’m going to do next. And though I feel guilty about that at times, I sort of like it, too.

13. Dated – I think that became obvious when I mentioned MTV. (Does anyone even watch MTV anymore? Do they EVER play music videos anymore? I remember getting wasted at a friend’s house and watching MTV videos all night. Oh wait, that wasn’t me. *cough*)

ADDED: I know the Thursday Thirteen hub has dissipated, but I’m going to go ahead and continue with the TT’s because, well, I’ve been doing them for a few years now and I enjoy the list-type format. I’m including a Technorati link below, and I would suggest you do the same, so that other TT participants can find each other. You can find the code for the tag on this page.

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Update: What happened to the Thursday Thirteen hub? Are they quitting or have they just not renewed their web lease?

Because I’m kind of a stinker and I like to do things differently at WFK, I thought I would list 13 things I resolve NOT to do in 2009. Followed of course, by a more serious, doable list. *grin*

By the by, I did not come up with the anti-resolutions idea. That credit would lie with my good friend Dale. He posted his for this year and of course, I’m simply not original enough to think of these things on my own.

Sad, isn’t it.

1. I will not glare at my gluttonous, lazy, sloppy neighbors (as much)

2. I will not forsake my beloved blogs to work on paying gigs.

3. I will not volunteer my life away (as much).

4. I will not tell people the truth (even if it kills me).

5. I will not stop eating chocolate (even though chocolate hates me).

6. I will not stop obsessing over the size of my butt.

7. I will not stop obsessing about submitting my writing.

8. I will not consider my computer my best friend (as often).

9. I will not promise to stop cursing stupid, inconsiderate people.

10. I will not turn into a she-devil every time I’m asked “When was the last time you exercised?”

11. I will not stop riding my oldest son’s butt about his appearance/personality/moodiness/lack of interests.

12. I will not stop drinking Starbucks coffee even though I could save a pile of time and cash doing so.

13. I will not, for one moment, even think about turning this blog into something entertaining.

Humpf.

Okay, let’s get serious for a moment and list the things I really would like to accomplish in 2009.

My goals (because calling them resolutions just seems to set them up to fail in my book) are:

1. Spend more time with my family. Though we spend a lot of time now, I’m talking about the time spent AWAY from the computer/games and outside – going for bike rides, hikes and on another awesome family vacation (because we’ve had some REALLY good vacations).

2. Plan on taking the family to Disney World in August for vacation. The boys are not excited about this venture, but that’s because they don’t fully “get” Disney World and think it’s just for little kids. Oh contrare. We will go and we will have a blast.

3. Continue to exercise. Notice I didn’t say lose weight – too much pressure. I will continue to exercise thereby making my clothes fit better and as a result I will look and feel better. What more could I ask for?

4. Conquer my digestive problems. Yes, this will probably mean I’ll have to go see a doctor. *sigh* After dealing with painful/bloating cycle for two years I’m ready to throw in the white towel.

5. Chew my food better. I know this sounds silly, but honestly, eating is simply a means to an end for me. I don’t enjoy any part of it. I eat to exist. As a result, I virtually swallow my food whole. Which could account for a large part of why I’m having digestive problems.

6. Let go of my boys. This is so hard for me because I’m a control freak. They are getting older. They NEED to make their own decisions and yes, their own mistakes. MK will start high school this coming Fall. Good lord, just writing that makes my heart hurt. I have a feeling this will be a big growth year for both boys – and not just the physical kind.

7. Pimp myself out. I don’t do any sort of advertising for my web design work – mainly because I’m painfully shy (there’s a reason WHY I prefer to work behind a computer monitor). It’s all been word-of-mouth at this point. I will get my professional site back up and running and I will focus on drumming up more clients and more money this year.

8. Adult interaction. That said, I really do need adult interaction. I work from home; I’m a homebody. I never leave my home, and some days, it really gets me down. I get so lonely and just a bit depressed. I’m seriously thinking of getting a part-time job just so I can get out and be around other adults. Who knows, maybe I’ll make a friend.

9. Focus on getting my writing noticed. Seriously. What am I waiting for? Death? I am really going to concentrate on treating my writing as another job and submit some work this year. I have places I want to submit. I have ideas for stories. I even have a ton of work I could polish up and do something with. I just lack the discipline to WORK on any of it.

10. Take more pictures. I adore photography but I lack the patience to really train myself to SEE the possibilities around me. I really want to take pictures everyday, of all things mundane and definitely more portraits of my family.

11. Do a better job of responding to comments here as well as leaving comments on the blogs I follow in my Google Reader (which is at about 50 now). I read all of these blogs on a daily basis but I rarely comment. I would like to do a better job at corresponding with the blog-o-sphere.

I think that’s about it. Lofty goals. I’ll check back at the end of 2009 and see how I did.

Happy New Year, everyone!

(New blog design coming shortly).

And don’t forget to leave your name in the comment pot for a FREE book of your choice!

Thirteen Favorite Things About Christmas

1. The anticipation. It is so fun to buy gifts, wrap them and then wonder how the person you’re giving it to will react. Did you do a good job? Will they be surprised? What about my gifts? Will I be surprised? I savor the anticipation of not knowing these things.

2. Being cheerful. Our family, we’re like on happy overload. We laugh more, we choose to spend more time together. We’re relaxed. We’re, well, cheerful. We’re secure in our foursome.

3. The Christmas Music. I can’t get enough. I LOVE Christmas music. It’s all I listen to between Thanksgiving and the day after Christmas. I listen to our local radio station, who play nothing but Christmas music and I never get tired of it.

4. Goodwill toward man. People seem more generous this time of year. It warms my heart to see people pitch in and make holiday baskets, or sponsor an Angel Tree child, or donate money so children in need can buy new clothes and coats. I wish I could bottle this feeling and pass it out periodically – like during say, an election. 🙂

5. The Lights. I love lights. I remember I used to lay on the couch in my childhood home and just stare at the Christmas tree lights and listen to Christmas music when I was small. They’re peaceful; they’re beautiful.

6. A Renewed Sense of Hope. Christmas is about Christ. And you can’t think of Christ and not feel warm, loved and secure. This time of year is full of hope – it gives hope to those that need it.

7. Warmth. Not just in the literal sense, though those fires sure are cozy and warm, but warmth of the heart. The feeling of warmth toward mankind.

8. Tolerance and Patience. People seem to be more tolerant this time of year. I see more smiles this time of year than I do any other month – combined. People are more apt to take turns, to let someone into traffic, to relax around their unruly children, to overlook small irritations.

9. The Smells. Nothing beats that Christmas tree smell – nothing. (Though mine comes in candle form since we don’t have a real tree – but we won’t mention that part). The smell of fresh snow, the cold, crisp winter air, the smell of hot, fresh cookies.

10. Family. Because other than Christ, the holidays are about spending time with your family. Good times or bad times, it doesn’t matter. You’re spending time with one another and you’re creating memories.

11. My mother’s goodies. My mom always bakes a smorgasbord of candies, cookies, and pies. I always look forward to stuffing my face at her goody smorgasbord.

12. The Magic. The whole Santa mystique. It’s so much fun to stay up, look in on the kids and then get stressed out while placing their gifts under the tree because we don’t want them to wake up and see us. It’s an adrenaline rush. And then when it’s over, the sense of satisfaction that washes over us because we know it’s going to be another great Christmas together.

13. Christmas Morning. Waking up, having my first cup of coffee and deliberately making the boys wait to open presents because it’s fun to torture them. And then filming them as they open their gifts and watching their expressions as their immediate dreams come true. After the boys are done, they disappear to play and the husband and I have our private Christmas. We take turns opening our gifts and being grateful for what we receive. Then the time period right after the gifts have been opened, the paper has been cleaned up and we just relax and we ooh and aah over everyone’s new gifts. The husband and I usually end up playing some games with the boys and we’re relaxed and happy just being together.

Christmas song #18 Blue Christmas by Sheryl Crow