Music Monday: What I’m Loving Lately

Back by popular demand (if I say it, it makes it true, right?)… Music Monday!

My mind is void of topics for this post, though I could tell you we had a great weekend and leave it at that. We had a great weekend (there was food, people and awesome worship in church; and Captain America and Chris Evans is attractive and Tommy Lee Jones was likable /long parenthetical).

This is what I’ve been listening to lately (and loving)…

Here We Go | The Fresh Beat Band (Yes, really. Liam LOVES this video so we play it often and both boys dance like crazy and now the song randomly pops into my head during the day – I cannot believe I linked to something from Nick Jr.)
Continue reading

Five Question Friday

Happy Friday! This has been a LONG week, but not a bad week, just a long one! I think the next two months are just going to be busy (who am I kidding, the next two decades are going to be busy) so I’m just going to have to embrace the crazy.
I hope you enjoyed yesterday’s flashback photo – I’ve got a few more to share in the future thanks to FB friends with scanners. They are pretty awesome (if awesome = entertaining for you and embarrassing for me).
Here are some things I’m thinking about:

  • I’ve worked out every day this week (except yesterday) and eaten well and as of this morning I’ve gained a half a pound – what the heck? We’re going to pretend it’s all new muscle. But it makes me a little stabby crazy.
  • We’re going to a potluck at Simon’s old work (a camp) tomorrow and I’m making everyone’s favorite buffalo chicken dip and my favorite pineapple zucchini cake with cream cheese frosting (linked here)
  • Liam has another birthday party on Saturday for his friend he was in daycare with from 6 months to 3.5 years – they were born 4 days apart and oh how they loved each other. It makes my heart happy.
  • Date night on Sunday night, on the lineup: dinner at The Electric Cheetah (it’s delicious) and a movie (Captain America or Horrible Bosses, but NOT Friends with Benefits)
  • Yeah for walking with Sandy today after too long of a break. It’s hot and the heat and humidity makes me grumpy but we have such a great time!

Huzzah for the weekend! Hope you have fun plans, too! And now, a little five question Friday!

1. Vow renewal ceremonies-yay or nay?
Nay, I feel like staying married is vow renewal enough. But I am not adverse to anniversary parties for 25 and 50 years… or week-long tropical vacations for 10 and 15 years.

2. What sound/s annoy you the most?
Simon’s eyes squeak sometimes when he rubs them and the sound totally creeps me out. I also really hate our neighbor kids’ voices, they are all high-pitched and nasally and they yell all the time when they are outside and only call their mom “honey” which when they say it, sounds like “hahn-knee.” We call the neighbor kids the children of the corn because when we are outside on our deck, the kids often stand at the windows and watch us but if you wave at them or make eye contact, they just stare at you and don’t move. Perhaps they think we can’t see them if they aren’t moving but it’s still strange.

3. If you had to pick, would you have only all boys, or only all girls for kids?
All boys, all the way and not just because I have two boys (though they are awesome) and not because I don’t like girls (I totally do, because girls are also awesome). But I always said, (when we were considering a third child and people would ask “but what if it’s a boy again?”) “The only thing worse than having three boys would be having three girls.” Girls are drama and are often at odds with their moms in their teenage years, why would I wish for that? Boys are a different kind of difficult, for sure and we’ll just leave it at that.

4. Do you believe in alternative medicine?
Yes, but I also believe in modern medicine and that they can work together to best benefit a person and their needs but I don’t think you should have one without the other.

5. Would you take a family member’s children and raise them if they needed it?
Absolutely, no question.


Proof

I mentioned yesterday that I purchased a B.U.M. sweatshirt with some of my hard-earned cash, as proof, I offer up this lovely photo I discovered on Facebook from my freshman year of high school. It’s because I love you that I am willing to share this awesomeness with you. You’re welcome.

I would also like to point of the following things from this photo:

  • I am wearing the heck out of that sweatshirt WITH a turtleneck.
  • Thankfully the flash didn’t reflect off my braces too badly and blind the camera
  • I wore rings on every finger, every day (and one thumb, though not the one you can see)
  • After the trauma of the rectangle of bangs on top of my head, I avoided bangs completely but still wanted some lift to the front of my hair to mimic the curled claw of bangs sported by many of my classmates so I took the top part of my hair and twisted it and then pushed it forward and clipped it down to create a poof on top of my head. Sadly, I had not also embraced backcombing so my poof never rose to the heights displaying by some of the other girls I went to school with.
  • I was cool. Can’t you tell?
  • Also, don’t you love my friend’s couch in the background?

Things I Love Thursday: Cute Things My Kids Say

  • Both my kids misprounounce remote; Liam said, “grr-mote” and Jack currently says, “bro-mote” so this is what we call it all the time
  • While walking the other night, Liam kept looking at me and shouting, “You’re getting skinnier, mom!”
  • Also on walks, Liam asks (loudly), as we approach someone else walking, “Are they a stranger?” My lesson about talking to strangers apparently hit home. Continue reading

Working Girl

Since I was able, I have worked. I’ve always liked earning money (perhaps a little too much) and when I was younger, I found a lot of freedom in having my own money and being able to buy the things I wanted. While I did have a savings account that I was expected to put money into, I was also able to do what I wanted with the money I earned. And it was on me to buy the things I wanted that my parents didn’t think necessary like B.U.M. Equipment-branded clothing, Skids pants, hypercolor clothing (let’s pause to think about the appropriateness of clothing that changes color depending on body heat, for teenagers) and accessories from Contempo Casuals.
  
But this post is not to recount all the stupid ways I have spent my hard-earned cash (evidence: I also purchased and wore a Coed N@ked Bungee Jumping shirt, as “Coed N@ked… [fill-in the blank]” shirts were ever so popular). Instead, I’d like to reflect on all the jobs that I have held since it hit me that I have worked consistently since I was about 13 and started babysitting. That’s 20 years, which seems like it should be time for retirement, yet I’m not even middle-aged (I hope). Continue reading