Category Archives: Five Question Friday

Hi folks… It’s been a while since I’ve participated in Five Question Friday so here it is! But first, I’m thrilled to tell you that not one but TWO people found my blog yesterday by googling the phrase “his penis and testicles surgically removed.” For real. I have arrived people. Sorry you did not find what you were looking for here and also, really?

1. Flu mist? Flu shot? Or take your chances?
I have gotten a flu shot a couple times in my life, I don’t really tend to get the flu but when I have gotten a flu shot, those seasons I have actually gotten the flu. But it is bad this year and I know too many babies so a flu shot is a must have.

2. Do your kids have iPads? What are some good educational apps? Price?
Our kids don’t have iPads but we as a family have an iPad. We actually need some suggestions for educational apps because right now they use it to play Temple Run, decorate gingerbread cookies, play Where’s my Perry? and  watch Amazon Instant Videos. And each night at bedtime they ask to watch this video:

3. What are your favorite boy/girl baby names?
I feel like I already answered this here, here and here (at least I’m consistent), but just to reiterate for those who don’t want to click through: I love both Liam and Jack for boy names equally, 100% love. And if we to have had a girl, we would have gone with Fiona.

4. If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, which apple do you choose to eat? (red/green, gala, red delicious…)
Gala, Pink Lady or Honeycrisp. Perhaps a Golden Delicious, but I’ve been burned by too many soft or mealy ones. And NEVER a Red Delicious – I really can’t understand why people like this kind of apple (Simon doesn’t mind them).

5. What is your favorite place to escape to for peace & quiet, to think? Why?
Coffee shop with headphones on and Pandora streaming. Why? Because, COFFEE and MUSIC and ME TIME… what’s not to like? I like to pretend I’m all cool and coffee shoppy when I do this, like I’ve got all the time in the world (instead of a couple hours before Simon will start texting me to inquire about when I might be coming home) and nothing else to do (there are always a 100 other things you could be doing). Bliss.

Linking up with Mama M for Five Question Friday.

Happy Friday people! TGIF! This week was the last one until the end of the year that didn’t really have big plans – though I did still get to hang out with some of my favorite people over coffee, diet coke and goat cheese dip. I feel like I should use the weekend to rest up but I have promised the boys we would decorate the house for Christmas and shock of all shocks, I intend to put up our Christmas tree. Anyone want to place bets on how long it takes for Jack to knock it down or how often George will growl at it (it’s 4 years after we got our curbside recycling bin and he still barks at it every other Friday night when he goes outside to do his business)?

1. What do you give teachers for gifts?
For daycare I make up a BIG tray of Christmas goodies (gifts of food = my love language) and bring it in for everyone to eat and with baggies so they can take stuff home for themselves. For Liam, I contribute to the teacher gift and do a little something extra because I want her to know how truly much we appreciate her!

2. Do you text? One finger texter or total pro?
Do I text? Please let me refer you to this post and this one. So yes, I text, to me texting as a 30-something is like when I used to talk on the phone as a teenager and how I first used FB… a necessary means of communication, much preferred to all others (except with my parents who I love to talk to on the phone). I go back and forth with my texting, if I do it one fingered, it’s using my Swype keyboard (have I mentioned that I LOVE IT!?) and sometimes I type with my pointer finger on my right and the thumb of my left, it’s strange, but it works. If quantity of texts sent are any indicator, I am a total pro. I celebrate when close friends get unlimited texting plans. It’s sad but true.

3. Do you give back during the holidays? If so, in what way/which is your favorite charity?
We give back year-round, not just during the holidays. Sure, it’s so much more in your face at the holidays between the bell-ringers (Simon used to work for the Salvation Army and when I met him, he was in charge of the bell ringers so I had my fair share of it and cannot walk past one without putting something in, even though he doesn’t work there anymore), Angel Tree stuff and year-end pleas for financial support from every non-profit organization but charity is an all-the-time thing and there are all-the-time needs everywhere in the world. I wish more people put in as much effort as they do at Christmas during the rest of the year. I like charities that help with addressing the base reasons for the problems – lack of nutrition leads to being behind educationally which leads to being behind in life – and cover basic needs – like food, water, clothing, shelter. I believe in fixing problems, not putting bandages on gushing wounds.

4. If you would’ve been the sole winner of the 575+ million dollar Powerball jackpot, what would you have done with all that money?
Wouldn’t that be a wonderful problem to have? It is my (not-so-) secret desire to be independently wealthy (talked about here and here). I guess I’d buy all the things in this post, plus a house in Australia and make sure our family was taken care of for the rest of our lives and then I would get to work making the money make more money and fixing the world’s problems. No big deal.

5. Will you please take just a moment to spread the word and pray about Mama M’s friend’s missing family members? There still is no news, and I can’t imagine their pain and worry. Facebook prayer page: Prayers for Trista, Shy and Matt

Linking up with Mama M for Five Question Friday.

I guess I don’t have a whole lot of blogging creativity happening this week… a random post, an Instagram post and 5QF is all you are getting from me. I have used up all my words on things and have zero thoughts on other things.

1. Who wakes up in the morning with the kids, you or hubby?
Simon is the first person downstairs in the morning – I wake and immediately hop in the shower (sometimes not so immediately). Simon’s the early riser and if he has had enough sleep (i.e., wasn’t working second shift) he’s always the one who gets up with our kids (which is a blessing to me beyond measure), but most mornings, they wake up before us and run upstairs to have a cuddle in our bed before starting the day. Ironically, if you wake up before them and are already downstairs or have to wake them up – they are the grumpiest, non-morning people ever (outside of their sweet mother).

2. Do you watch the World Series even if your team isn’t in it?
I don’t really even watch it if my team is in the World Series. If Simon is home, the game will be on, but baseball is just not my sport. Yes, I hope the Tigers win, but I’m not really invested in it.

3. What is the best compliment you have received?
I love it when people tell me I’m a good mother because it is probably the most important thing I will ever do but I really can’t think of a specific compliment I’ve gotten that has stuck with me. I mean, I think everyone likes getting compliments, but I feel like I also know who I am and don’t necessarily need to hear from others what I’m good at – that said – compliments don’t hurt and I will always try and accept one graciously.

This got me thinking and I realized there are certain people whose opinions I really value or perhaps whose admiration I seek out and when they have said nice, or complimentary, things to me I have remembered them (though not the specific words, more the feeling that those words gave me). I have felt blessed by hearing them because it means a lot to me that they like something I have done.

4. Do/did you dress up to take your kids trick or treating?
Yeah, no.

5. Do you have a favorite bible verse? What is it and why?
I have two:

• Jeremiah 29:11 | For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
• Isaiah 40: 28-31 | Do you not know? Have you not heard?
  The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
  He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

The first was on a poster I was given at high school graduation and had up in my dorm room (thanks Sam and Chris for the poster) and it has always been one that resonated with me at special times in my life. And the second was from my junior year of college, during our RA staff meetings we would often sing a song with lyrics from this passage in Isaiah and I can hear the tune whenever I read the words and I have turned to it often when I have felt overwhelmed.

Happy weekend everyone!

Linking up with Mama M for Five Question Friday.

Hmmm… it’s Friday! Here’s a brief list of random stuff before we dive into Five Question Friday:

• The boys and I all had great reports from the dentist yesterday… no cavities! Jack amused the staff to no end but was overall great with his first real cleaning (not at all traumatized by his last dental visit which included a tooth extraction). Two of the hygienists asked if they could take him home with them – I was tempted to allow that to happen. Jack picked out a princess toothbrush, much to everyone’s amusement. Liam is getting his six-year molars and doesn’t have a hint of any loose teeth.
• Jack’s new bad habit is covering his mouth with both hands and whispering a bad word into them and then announcing to me, “You didn’t hear me say that bad word!”
• Liam is starting an art class after school next week – I hope he likes it! He begged to be signed up for it and then the day I signed him up, a slip came home advertising a wrestling club, which he also wanted to join but sadly could not as two of the weeks it meets are the same as the art class. So we are the parents who enroll their son in art instead of wrestling, for some reason, that amused me.

• My niece, Quinn, had her second baby Ethan Andrew (my godson!) yesterday morning and he is a doll. I get to see him on Saturday and I’m super excited! When she had Max, I had a little baby (Jack) of my own so I couldn’t appreciate the newborn-ness of Max as much as I can now with Ethan. Watch out Grandma Joan and Auntie Laura… my arms are dying for a little baby to hold and cuddle!
• I apparently nest for other people. Quinn had her baby and I immediately wanted to make food so I stopped by the grocery store after our dentist appointment, stocked up on supplies and came home and made wet burritos, lentil barley stew and two apple pies. My freezer is ready to supply them with some edibles.
• The Tigers are in the World Series – which is awesome, less awesome is that I now have to watch baseball and get excited about it 🙂

1. Where do you hide junk when people come over?
This assumes I have junk to hide – which is just not true. I am always perfectly cleaned up so there is no need to hide things (right now my husband is laughing hysterically [note: I initially spelled this wrong and it auto-corrected to “historically” which is amusing to me]). I reality, we hide stuff in our guest room (and shut the door), on our stairway (and shut the door) and in our front closet (and shut the door). I have also been known to put stuff in the oven, but that was when we had our house on the market.

2. Do political ads help you decide who you are going to vote for?
Not even a little. But they do help me be annoyed with politics and politicians in general.

3. What’s your favorite holiday party to host?
I like hosting things in general so any of them, sadly our house is a wee bit small for large gatherings but someday, in a bigger house, we are going to have awesome parties! I love people, I love food (making and eating) and I rather enjoy drinking things – so win-win all around when it comes to holiday parties.

4. You go to an island with your husband and can only take one personal item. What is it?
I won’t say razor because the hubs won’t care so this is more for me since I hate oily/greasy hair on my head. I would take a HUGE bottle of shampoo for my hair and to be used as body wash. I like to smell nice.

5. If you found out your spouse was a Dexter style serial killer (only kills people to save others) would you rat?
This is an awesome question. And one I don’t have an answer for because while a) murder is bad (duh), (b) I might be able to justify the killing of people to save others. But in actual reality, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t love my husband being a serial killer and would have a serious issue with staying married to him and also might be in fear of being murdered myself if I turned him in… I might encourage him to turn himself in. Does this make me an awful person that I wouldn’t immediately rat him out? Dear serial killers: If you are doing “good” with your killing spree, your secret is (potentially) safe with me.

Linking up with Mama M for Five Question Friday.