Summer Camp Day 21 - Names

Day 21- What names would you NEVER name a child or pet?

Being a teacher, there are quite a few names that are "ruined" by some particularly difficult students I've had. That became quite an issue when were trying to figure out a name for Jack. He'd suggest something and I would immediately nix it because of that one student who drove me up a wall. I can appreciate the names when others name children those names, though. They just don't work for me. Lol.

But there is one name that always makes me cringe and I would NEVER use it for something I love. The name is Omar. Ugh. Just writing that name makes me annoyed.

Omar was a particularly rotten kid in class. Unlike my other challenging students, he was difficult for me to like even outside of class (and that says a lot).  At one point, he even made up a story that I had hit him (I did not) and his grandparents went to the district office to file a formal complaint. Fortunately, the rest of the students agreed that he was batshit crazy and the issue was dropped.

The thing that ultimately led to an ending of our student/teacher relationship was that he stole my pager (that dates me!) out of my purse in my locked teacher's desk. While I was there. I don't know how the sneaky bastard did it, but I knew it was him. When HE returned the message I'd left on the pager, that clinched it and he was suspended and removed from my class. Oh darn.

What name do you wish you had been named?

The name I always coveted as a child was Holly. Oh how I wanted to be called Holly! I had my mom convinced (or so I believed) that she had made the worst mistake in the world naming me Stacie. I just knew that such a poor choice of a name had doomed me to a life of misfortune. Calling me Holly would change everything for the better. I think I was a bit of a drama queen.

Do you like the name of your blog?

I did like the name of this new blog until I discovered that this was the name of Br.et Mi.chael's reality show. :-( There are also like fifty million other blogs with the same name or a very similar variation which kind of sucks. When I was he.ee.ee.re.st.or.key, it was a given who I was when you saw the name.

Oh well. What I write here is my life as I know it, so I guess that it fits.

Summer Camp Day 19 - PDA

Day 19 – How do you (and your partner if applicable) feel about PDA?

I am not a touchy/feely person. I never have been. The most I feel comfortable with in public, unless it concerns my boys, is to hold hands with Is.aac or maybe hugging a friend. Is.aac, on the other hand, is VERY affectionate. He has no problem kissing or grabbing my butt out in public. Displays like that make me twitchy, though, so it doesn't happen very often.

Even though I am not comfortable hugging or kissing in public, I have surrounded myself with friends who are very much the opposite. They always go in for at least the hug, which means that I, too, have to hug the person when I am with them. (If I didn't, it would be totally obvious that I was the only one who didn't hug, and I'd look like a complete be-otch.) It's getting to the point that I now know it's coming and resign myself to the fact that I will end up doing the same.

Does your husband/wife/partner know that you blog and if so are they involved?

Is.aac knows about this blog and is pretty much okay with whatever I write on here. There have only been two instances in which he asked me not to blog about something. I, of course, did as he wished. Everything else is fair game. And still, even though he knows about this place, he has never read a single post here. Oh, wait. He read one that I showed him.

To his credit, he recognizes my need to communicate and will even suggest I sit down and write or read them when I've had a hard day.

As for the boys' blog, he has written two posts in the three, almost four years I've been writing it. He does read most posts before I publish them though (and ends up proofing them for me which is a tad annoying). Again, he has no problem with what I write about on their blog.

He is quite proud of that blog and has even made little business cards with the blog address to give out to people. :-)

Summer Camp Day 18 - Astrology

Day 18 – How do you feel about astrology? What’s your sign, baby, and do you think it matches your personality?

My birthday is April 18, which means I'm an Aries. I've been told all my life that this sign accurately describes my personality, so I guess I have to agree with everyone I've ever known and say it does. :-)

According to Astrology.com, the Aries:

• Aries see themselves as first. Aries are the leaders of the pack, first in line to get things going. Most would probably consider me a leader, especially at work. I am usually the go to person when someone is trying to start up (or revive) a program at the school.
• Aries prefers to initiate rather than to complete. I have an intense desire to get started NOW on everything, but I do struggle with completion issues. You should see my kitchen. I was pregnant with the big boys the last time I did something in there. I have all the base boards to install, a few places to retouch the painting, and some ceramic tiles to finish in the back splash!
• The leadership displayed by Aries is most impressive, so don't be surprised if they can rally the troops against seemingly insurmountable odds. I'm in the middle of this now. I have a staff that doesn't care for change, and a school facing year 5 program improvement (in other words, our test scores suck with a capital S). There are some major changes heading our way. Guess who is part of the very small restructuring team? 
• Aries are impulsive. Yep.
• Aries are blunt and to the point. When it comes to everything but my feelings--then I can hem and haw like the best of them.
• Aries are bold, aggressive and courageous. They can summon up the inner strength required to take on most anyone, and they'll probably win. It doesn't feel like this is accurate for me, especially in my personal life. My inner strength has gone missing.
• Aries do not lack energy or vitality, and they can stay in the game longer than most anyone else. I do not like to give up.
• Aries love physicality, so they won't sit on the sidelines for long, if at all. They'll jump into the fray full force and will contribute much in the process. Yes. 
• Aries are also unafraid of stepping onto new terrain. I usually don't mind change. :-)
• Aries plays as hard as they work. Um...sure!
• The great strength of the Aries-born is in their initiative, courage and determination. These folks love to get things going and are fearless along the way. Their dynamism and competitive spirit add considerably to any of their endeavors. This sounds like a nice way of saying I am hard headed and stubborn. Ahem.

Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood http://creatingmotherhood.com/2011/06/28/summer-camp/#ixzz1SQwrSsIT

Summer Camp Day 17 - Weekends

Day 17 – What is your favorite thing about the weekend?
This questions is easy. My favorite thing about the weekend is I get one day of sleeping in as late as I want to (or can get away with before the boys notice I am gone and come looking for me).

Is.aac and I have worked it out that we each get one weekend morning off "duty". You get to use that morning however you want. In my case, I use it to sleep in because...well, I love to sleep, read, or play on the computer. He often uses his morning to go exercising or running or some sort of thing, which to me TOTALLY defeats the idea of getting the morning off if you are going out to do work like exercise, but that is just me I suppose.

Do you take a break from blogs or is this when you catch up?

I usually use the weekend to catch up with blogs. It is amazing how much easier the day is when there are two of us here to manage the little folk. There are moments when I have free! time! while he is here. It is heavenly.
Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood

Summer Camp Days 15 & 16

Sorry no post yesterday. Got my subpoena. It was a long night. :-/

Did you know that anyone can deliver a subpoena? I was a little shocked about that. I was mostly shocked by the boobs that assaulted me when I opened the door. It was a friend of the defendant's mother...

um...okay.

I guess I thought some police officer would appear to hand it over or something. Maybe someone in a suit if not a uniform? Not a heavy set woman in a very low cut tank top and ill fitting shorts, that's for sure.

Not someone who wanted to use my bathroom... (shudder)

I don't know what I was expecting the subpoena to look like either. I don't believe I expected a cover letter with a typo (had to refrain from taking out my red pen!) attached to a single sheet with a bunch of checked boxes.

All of this made my anxiety rocket up a notch or two.

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Day 15 – What was your college experience like? Were you involved in any clubs, groups, etc?

Even though I commuted and hour to school every day, I enjoyed college. I loved the wide range of classes and was lucky enough to get mostly talented professors. I learned a LOT.

My major was Liberal Studies, which meant everyone I met in class intended to be teachers. We got together regularly to study (well talk) and supported each other during the challenge of student teaching, but I have to admit there weren't many wild times hanging out with this group.

I wasn't in any clubs because I had to get home to go to work. Is.aac played football, however, so I regularly went to the football games (froze my butt off).

Day 16 – How many friends of yours blog/tweet/actively facebook? Has social media helped or hurt your friendships?

None of my friends blog. One friend has a twitter account, although I don't know what her account name is nor does she know mine. Everyone, it seems, is on facebook.

I don't think the social media has hurt our friendships. In fact, I think it has helped us stay more connected. Right after the big boys were born I started the family blog. My friends and family all relied heavily on that blog for news and insight into what was happening in our world. For months, checking my blog was what most of them did at work before the school day began. Then the school district banned blogger. Oh was there an uproar over that! :-)

Now we use also use facebook as an easy and fast way to connect with each other and find out what is happening in everyone's life!
Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood

Summer Camp Day 14 - The Way I Dress

Day 14 – How do you typically dress to run errands? Do you think bloggers dress better or worse than “regular people”?

I'm definitely a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. Most days, that is what I'll wear when I need to go out for something. I have a few nicer dresses for special occasions, but all of them are black. (Is.aac's family is the only side that does have nicer functions, and black is their dress up color. Rather than stick out more than I already do in a sea of black/brown hair, I just go with it and wear black, too.) I have some nice slacks and a few blouses that I wear to work.

I hate trying to figure out what to wear places. Ugh. That is yet another area where I am stressing about BlogHer. What do I wear there?

As for the second part of the question, seeing how bloggers are regular people, I would assume that they dress like "regular people"--at least the people I read do. :-)



Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood http://creatingmotherhood.com/2011/06/28/summer-camp/#ixzz1S9Yp3L4K

Summer Camp Day 13 - Work

Day 13 – Tell us about the best job you ever had, and the worst. Do you ever blog or read blogs while at work? (My work blocks blogs and personal internet use, so no blog reading. Boo.) Do you ever quote or reference blogs while at work? (Most of the blogs I read are IF blogs, and not that appropriate for 12 and 13 year olds. That would be no, too.)

The May before I entered ninth grade I made the school cheerleading squad. At our first meeting, I learned that my new uniform would cost $300. On top of that, we were required to go to summer camp for an additional $600. My mom just about laughed me out the door when I told her that I'd need roughly $1000 before school even started. She told me that we didn't have that kind of money, and if I wanted to do this, I better figure out a way to earn it on my own.

Thus began my life in the working world. I've had quite a few jobs over the years.

The Good:

• Obviously, I like where I work now for the most part, even if it is in the hood. Minus the drama. I could do without the drama.
• I loved working at Hallmark. The job was easy and I liked to watch all the different people who came in to find cards. To this day, I will straighten the cards on the shelves when I see things are messy.
• I also worked for quite a while at Sears in the photography department. I was 16. I thought I was the shit because taking pictures was a serious job and all. This was back in the day when you came in for a sitting and then came back two weeks later to view your portraits. So along with taking pictures of the cute little babies, we had to sell them to the families for outrageous prices. I was pretty good at both.

The Bad:

• I was the Easter Bunny at the mall. I was in college. It was not all the fun you'd think it would be. What? You didn't think being the Easter Bunny would be fun? I have a picture of me somewhere...I'll have to find it and upload it as proof. Hm. You may not know it was me, though, with me being in the suit and all.
• I was also a Santa's Helper two years in a row. Um...the outfit they made us wear was awful. People are not nice around the holidays either. But, I did get to work with my friends, so I guess that was something. (I'm on the left.)
• I worked in a church nursery for 12 years. I was there so long that the people who hired me were no longer members of this church. By the time I finally left, I think people just thought I came with the building. Lol. 

The Ugly:

• Subbing. It was both bad and ugly. I learned a lot. I was good at it. But, I didn't like that there was no continuity, and people were not very respectful.
• KFC. I was 15 and oh how I hated working there. Ugh. I never felt like I could get clean after I worked. I think the smell of chicken was permanently embedded in my nose.
• I sucked it up and babysat for this couple with the worst kids on the planet. The thing was they knew their kids were horrible, so they paid REALLY well. I had a love/hate relationship with them. The worst time was when the kids somehow got me out of the house and locked the doors. That part didn't bother me much. The part I had a problem with was that I was locked out in their backyard...where their pit bulls were kept. Off of their chains. And which didn't like strangers. Cue lots of screaming and an attempt to jump their very high fence. (I didn't make it over.) The little brats called the dogs off of me just before I became glorified petfood. Needless to say, that was the last time I babysat for them.

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Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood http://creatingmotherhood.com/2011/06/28/summer-camp/#ixzz1S3lbspHK

Summer Camp Day 12 - Drinking

Day 12 – Tell us about the first time you got drunk or tipsy (as far as you can remember…) Do you ever stop yourself from telling too much when you write on-line or do you think you tell too much?

I don't think I have ever been drunk.

There. I said it. I learned very early that my people are prone to addictive personalities. My family members have a history of difficulty with any and all drugs. That was enough to scare me away from drinking (and drugs) as a teenager. As an adult, I don't like the taste of anything other than the really fruity girly drinks.

If I drink, I will have no more than one drink and I'll take forever and a day to drink it. I have had a few three times when my elbows got a little tingly. (It's sad that one drink can do that to me, right?) It freaks me out so I always stop if that happens.

I do remember the first drink I ever had. When we were 21, Is.aac and I had managed to get away to Vegas for a few nights. We were beyond giddy about being in the city of sin. Oh, there was so much to see and so much to do!

As we were walking through Circus Circus (what can I say? Our tastes were a bit on the immature side back then) we were handed a coupon book. Inside that book, we found a coupon for a free drink at another casino down the block.

We hightailed it to the casino and wandered around until we found a bar. We walked up to the bartender, plopped our free drink coupon on the bar, and asked her to give us our first drink.

Of course she wanted to know what kind of drink we wanted. I vividly remember looking at Is.aac and having NO IDEA what kind of drink I'd want. Is.aac thought he'd be smooth and asked her to make us her favorite.

She handed it over--a vodka martini. Is.aac grabbed it and off we went to find a little corner to try it out.

I took the first drink. And died. Ugh. It was the nastiest thing I had ever had in my life. My throat was on fire while I tried my best not to cough and choke. I think I managed to play it cool as the tears streamed down my cheeks. You believe that right?

Is.aac took one look at my face and decided he could do withOUT our little drink. Lol.

If I wasn't already leery of drinking, I think that first drink would have done the trick. Bleck.

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You can't have a blog about infertility and not feel like you tell too much. I mean, seriously, for years I've been writing about my cycles and all of the fun that goes with them. I've even posted pictures of my innards!
If that doesn't scream "too much information!" nothing would.

I keep writing the info that I do because I use this space as a way to document what I am going through like a personal diary. If I don't write it how I see it/feel it, then it isn't a true depiction of life as I know it to be.


Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood http://creatingmotherhood.com/2011/06/28/summer-camp/#ixzz1Rxf936Zv

Summer Camp Day 11 - My Mom

Day 11 – How are you different from your parents? How are you the same? Do your parents and/or family know that you write on-line?

My mom and I get along really well. We are both fiercely determined. There isn't much you can say to stop us from doing what we feel needs to be done. Is.aac often says we are each other's partner in crime. (My mom likes to call me the chief when it comes to doing things, and she is happy to be the worker bee.)

For as wonderful and amazing as my mother is, we are not very similar. My mom is quiet and reserved. She would rather listen to a person talk rather than talk herself, not because she thinks what she has to say is
unworthy but instead because the other person probably needs to talk more than she does. My mom is also very conservative. She makes all her decisions after careful consideration. Rarely does she buy anything impulsively. (Which I can't tell you how frustrating that is when you know she wants something and she'll walk away from it figuring if she really wants it, she'll go back for it later. If it isn't there when she goes back, then it wasn't meant to be. Maddening!)

I, on the other hand, am not reserved, especially if I know you. I enjoy being social, and as you can see, have no problems airing my dirty laundry out in the internets. :-) I am more impulsive in my decision making (for everything except for decisions about the boys). I go with my gut, and am fortunate to know that my gut is usually right. If I see something I like while shopping (within reason), I'll buy it without worry.

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Everyone in my family and most of my close friends know I have two blogs--the family blog and the personal blog. I'm pretty sure that my mom and Is.aac know what this blog is called. They also know that it wouldn't be too challenging to find this blog if they wanted to. As far as I know, they haven't tried. Frankly, I think Is.aac is happy I have another place to vent so he doesn't have to hear about all the crazy things on my mind.


Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood http://creatingmotherhood.com/2011/06/28/summer-camp/#ixzz1RriEKolo

Summer Camp Day 10 - 3 Recipes :-)

Day 10 – Share your favorite recipe (or two) (see! You CAN be a food blogger!)

 

Woohoo! Who'd have thought that I'd ever be a food blogger!

This is one of my favorites. I got the recipe from a friend at my bridal shower. We really like it..it is so easy too!

Chicken Tortilla Recipe

 

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour

 

Ingredients:

• 1 Package Foster Farms Grilled Chicken Breast Strips (they are pre-cooked and packaged in a bag) - Cubed
• 2 cups sour cream (regular or nonfat)
• 2 cups Mexican-style shredded cheese blend
• 1/2 cup mild, medium or hot salsa - drained
• 1 can 4-ounce chopped green chilies
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper (optional)
• 6 10-inch flour tortillas, cut into 2 inch pieces (or you can tear them into small pieces)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl add cubed chicken, sour cream, 1&1/4 cups of the shredded cheese, drained salsa, green chilies and pepper. Mix well and set aside.
3.  Coat bottom of a large Baking Dish (11" x 7" or whatever you have; The size of the dish may determine whether your Casserole has two layers or three layers; No big deal.) with non-stick cooking spray.
4. Arrange tortilla pieces in the bottom of baking dish, overlapping the pieces to cover the surface. Top with half of the chicken mixture and smooth over with the back of a spoon to even the top. Layer remaining tortillas over top and spoon over remaining chicken mixture. Cover with the remaining Mexican-style cheese and chopped cilantro.
5. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 30 more minutes, or until top is golden and bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do!

This is one of my go to appetizer recipes. Again super easy. (I suspect that is my claim to fame when it comes to eating.)

Spinach Pinwheels

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 oz) can of refrigerated crescent rolls (you know, the pop out of a can kind)
• 1 tub of garlic herb spreadable cheese
• 1 package of deli ham or turkey (you won't use the whole package)
• spinach leaves

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Separate the dough into 4 rectangles. Press on the perforations to seal them.
2. Spread the garlic herb cheese on the dough, top with the meat and spinach leaves.
3. Roll up each rectangle and pinch to seal.
4. Cut the roll into slices (approximately 6 slices per roll)
5. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and back for 12-18 minutes.

Lastly, here is an easy desert. A great thing to make the day before serving--I am often asked to take this to school when we have potlucks. :-)

Eclair Dessert

Ingredients:

For Eclair:

• 1 pound box of honey graham crackers
• 2 small boxes of vanilla instant pudding (you can also use banana)
• 3 cups of whole mild
• 8 oz tub of cool whip

For Frosting:

• 2 squares unsweetened chocolate
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 2 tbsp light corn syrup
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 1/2 cups of sifted powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Line the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan with a layer of whole graham crackers.
2. Mix pudding with milk. Fold in cool whip. Pour half of the mixture over the cracker layer.
3. Add another layer of graham crackers and top with remaining pudding mixture.
4. Top with a layer of graham crackers.
5. Spread frosting** over the top layer of graham crackers.
6. Refrigerate at least 12 hours.

**For frosting: Melt chocolate squares. Add butter, corn syrup, milk, and powdered sugar. Whisk together until smooth.


Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood http://creatingmotherhood.com/2011/06/28/summer-camp/#ixzz1RliIg38J

 

Summer Camp Day 9 - Lessons Learned

Day 9 – What is the most important lesson you learned from your own mother (or other primary caretaker)?

Oh boy, there are too many options--I've learned so much from my mom over the years.

I guess if I had to choose one, I'd say that one of the most important lessons my mom taught me is that the old fashion rules of womanhood didn't have to apply to me because they didn't apply to her. If she wanted to do something, she set about doing it. It didn't matter how daunting a task was, she'd develop a plan and conquer it. I was her faithful, although sometimes whiny, sidekick.

We need a new roof on our house? No problem. My mom and I shingled the entire 2300 square feet while my dad "supervised" from the ground.

Don't like the color of the paneling in the living room? No problem. My mom and I sanded down and refinished every wall. Then we did the same to the kitchen cabinets.

We cut and installed crown molding, flooring, and a toilet on our own.

That was such a far cry from the other mothers I knew! My friends' moms never did anything like that. Instead, they had their husbands do the dirty work. If that wasn't possible, they'd hire someone else to do it.

Not my mom. My mom believed that we could do whatever we wanted...and we did. Better yet, we still do. :-)

What do you imagine the name of your Grandmother’s blog would be and what would she write about?

While I am not a foodie, my grandmother certainly is. She is also a huge sports fan. Her blog would be about food or sports, I have no doubt. I like to envision it as a combination of the two.

She could name her blog something like "The Concession Stand" and talk about both of her loves.


Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood

Friday Night Leftovers & Summer Camp Day 8

• The dumbest thing about today was that they said we would contaminate the witness if we sat with her. Um, hello. We drove down to the courthouse together and we will be driving home. She was subpoenaed but not sworn in--there was no "contaminating" that could happen that we hadn't already discussed.
• It is strange to see the media in action. The press room was next door to the actual courtroom. It had a one-way mirror so the reporters could see inside the courtroom and hear all that is being said, but no one in the courtroom could see them. It was a good thing no one in the courtroom could see them. It would have freaked people out -- the press room was packed.
• We did tell the lawyer that we will be gone on the 19th and 20th. They said they'd "try" not to disrupt our travel plans. Saying that pissed me off. Damn right you'll "try" not to disrupt my plans. Grr.

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• Ja.son has been an absolute BEAR this week. It has been tantrum after tantrum and nothing I do is Ever! Right! in his opinion. I have no idea where this new...personality has come from. I wish it would go away.
• Even Sh.awn is annoyed by Ja.son's behavior. Sh.awn has told Ja.son that he was being bad several times. That of course just pissed Ja.son off all the more.
• Thankfully Jack is consistently sleeping through the night (9:00-6:30). If I didn't have some sleep under my belt, I would have snapped already.

Stop by Danifred's for more leftovers.
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Summer Camp Day 8 – If you had to teach something, what would you teach? (If you DO teach, when did you discover your love for teaching/the subject?)

I have always been the person people come to when they don't understand something. It's been like that for as long as I remember. The time that really sealed the idea in my head happened in 7th grade. I taught my older brother how to solve a type of math equations he was learning about in the technical school he was attending. (I had never seen the type of problems he was doing, so I'd teach myself how to do them from the textbook first.) He went back to school and showed everyone how to work the problems the way I showed him. They all aced the test. After that, I wrote step by step directions on how to solve the problems they were working on for the week. I'd teach him how to do them. He'd go back and teach the rest of the class. My brother said I became a legend in that class. lol. To be honest, I would have LOVED to be a math teacher. I needed one more class to get my supplemental degree...I didn't do it because I was desperate for money and needed to work as soon as possible. That is such a huge regret now.

I actually have a credential to teach k-8th grade. I started teaching at the junior high because it was the job that was open at the time. I jumped at it, just happy to get my foot in the door. My goal, however, was to someday move down to kinder. I student taught in that level and fell in love with it. The longer I am in the junior high, though, I find that I do love this age group. They can be tough and full of the tude, but they are also pretty dang amazing.

Do you think blogs can play a role in education?

Yes! I love learning new things in blogs!
Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood

Summer Camp Day 7 - Favorite Foods

Day 7 – What’s your favorite thing to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner? Do you read food blogs or would you ever consider writing one?

One of the things about me that drives Is.aac crazy is that I am NOT a foodie. Frankly, I eat food because my body tells me I have to, not because I crave the taste of a certain dish (besides chocolate). That means more often than not, I eat when I am hungry, and even then I can take it or leave it. I could easily go a full day without eating and not really know the difference. Seriously, I can forget to eat ALL DAY. (I will admit that forgeting to eat is odd.)

Is.aac is nothing like that. He loves food. Feeding his family is a way he expresses his love.

When I go to a restaurant, I always have the exact same thing. He likes to try everything on the menu.

I could eat the same thing for dinner for an entire month. He thinks I am the craziest person he's ever met. ;-)

You can see how our different relationship with food can cause issues.

Because of his reaction to my way of eating, I am kind of leery about talking about food in general. The way I eat/what I want to eat was never an issue to me before. He used to try to get me to try things and be so frustrated when I would tell him no. It wouldn't smell right, or look right, or I wasn't in the mood. It took him years before he figured out that I wasn't trying to be difficult. I really just didn't care about food like he did. (Thank goodness he had that realization. Our relationship has been so much better since then. Hard to believe something like food could be such a big deal to a couple.)

Anyway, now on to answering the questions.
My favorite thing to eat for breakfast:

• at a restaurant - banana french toast
• at home - carnation instant breakfast and a bowl of Captain Crunch (don't judge)

My favorite thing to eat for lunch:

• at a restaurant - chow mein/fried rice and broccoli beef
• at home - Lean Cuisine pasta bowl thingies (okay. I don't even know what they are called. I like them because they are quick and I can control the amount of sauce I put on it. It is the simple things that make me happy.)

My favorite thing for dinner:

• at a restaurant - spaghetti with pine nuts and spinach, fresh sour dough bread, and salad
• at home - whatever I can find the time to eat. I tend to gravitate toward the bland, though.

See? Totally boring and you think I am strange. Oh well.

But I do read food blogs/sites, especially those that deal with baking. I love, love, love to bake. I don't always eat what I've baked but I like the process and the smells. Mmmm...

I've also read a few blogs that discuss what to feed a toddler. Unfortunately, my big boys have inherited my lack of desire to try new things.

Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood

Summer Camp Day 6 - New Things

Day 6 – When was the last time you tried something new? What was it and what was the result?

Outside of maneuvering my family through the medical world, I've not done anything new in the last several years. Sadly, I can't even remember anything else that's been new in my world. I so need to get out more.

In that vein, I do have a couple of new things lined up for the next month, and I am really excited about them!

First, I am going zip lining for the first time with two of my best friends. We decided that we're going to spend the night and have a girl's night out as well, even though this place is technically close enough for us to be able to get to and back from in a day.

The second new thing is that I am going to BlogHer. I am crazy nervous about going down there alone (please someone say hello to me while I am there!), but I am not going to let my nerves stop me. If you knew me IRL, you'd know what a stretch this is for me. I tend to talk myself out of doing things like this because I get so wrapped up in all the different scenarios that can happen and in a sense paralyze myself. When my nerves are not getting the best of me, I am really looking forward to it!

You can be sure I'll tell you all about both of these when I get back!

Have you ever done something just so that you could blog about it?

I don't think I've ever done anything just so I can blog about it. I don't have the time! I'd guess the closest I've ever come to that would be going to BlogHer, although I really want to go so I can meet people and learn new things, not necessarily have something to blog about.

 I do take pictures doing certain things so I can add them to posts I am writing, though.
Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood

Summer Camp Day 5 - Celebrations & Post 1000

And here we are at post 1000. Wow!

It took 1,542 days, or 4 years, 2 months, and 20 days to get to this point. That is a post every one and a half days! Go me! :-)

Who'd have thought I'd still be doing this blogging stuff after 4 years? I am pretty sure I didn't.

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It's summer camp time. The topic of the day is -What do you prefer to do on your birthday?

My birthday is in April and always falls right around Easter. It also falls during spring break.

I hated that when I was a kid. No one was ever around to par-tay. And no one could ever come over for a spend the night. Such a challenging life I led back then. Lol.

Now, I find the timing of it is a blessing. I always get my birthday off from work! (It even worked this year, when my birthday would have fallen on the first day back to school after spring break--cue maternity leave!) Not too many people can say that. :-)

To celebrate, I tend to like my birthdays low key. I love it if I get to sleep in a little later than usual. It is nice if we get to go out to dinner to a restaurant of my choosing, but I am just as happy with a quick meal and a relaxing evening at home. The thing that I most treasure is spending time with those I love.


Read more: 31 Days of Blog Juice at Creating Motherhood

Summer Camp Day 4 - The Surprises of Adulthood

Day 4 – What has most surprised you about being an adult?
Being an adult is wonderful, but dang if it isn't hard. I think that was my biggest surprise, how difficult things can be...how hard it is to make some really scary, life altering decisions for those you love all on your own, and how horrible it feels when you learn that despite your best intentions, your decisions didn't pan out the way you wanted them to. Everything is on you, which is such an awesome responsibility. That realization has made me very careful about what I decide for my family, especially when it affects the boys, and I take things much more seriously than a younger me would have.

Another big surprise for me is how fast time seems to pass. A summer vacation from school when I was a child lasted forever. By the end I was begging to go back. Now, a summer vacation from school seems like it is over before it even starts. The vacation of long ago and today's are the same length, but now there is never enough time.

When I think of how fast my kids are growing, I just want to stop the clock and savor every second. I wonder how it could have been that I never felt like I would get to be a teenager much less an actual adult myself and yet it feels like my own kids are going to be a teenager so soon. I literally feel like the days fly by now.

What have you learned about yourself through blogging?

Blogging has helped me see just how hard on myself I am. I've gone back to read posts I've written and have been shocked at how downright mean I am to myself. I now know I expect unrealistic perfection in my thoughts and actions from myself and yet will forgive almost anything from someone else. I am trying to give myself a break when I see that I am doing that now.

I've also learned that I am not so different than most other people--such a freeing thought! We'll just leave it at that. :-)

Summer Camp Day 3 - Guilty Pleasures

Day 3 -What are your guilty pleasures?

Indulging in things that I love is something that doesn't usually make me feel guilty. I figure that I work hard every day, so I should get to enjoy the things that bring me pleasure. Of course, like with all things, I do try to keep myself within reason. :-)

Some of the top contenders are:

• Pepsi - I love Pepsi. I do try to limit how much I drink to 2 a day at the max. Most of the time, I will only drink one.
• Riesen chocolates - OMG the person who created these should have a place in Heaven, these are so good. I have been known to eat a one pound bag in a day and a half.
• Sleep - I could sleep 10 hours a night easily. My preference would be to stay up until 2 am (I am at my most productive at night) and then sleep until noon.
• Chocolate - I am not even all that picky! Whatever you've got will do.
• Baking - I love to bake. Most of the time I don't even eat more than a small bite of what I've baked, but there is something so satisfying in following a recipe and finishing with a yummy treat at the end.
• Words with Friends and Hanging with Friends - I love trying to beat my friends at these games.  
• Blogging - I make sure to give myself time in my day to read blogs and/or write on my own. It relaxes me, and I am all for anything that does that!
• Reality TV - Mob Wives, Project Runway, Amazing Race, and Top Chef are among my favorites. :-)
• Days of Our Lives - I've been watching this show since like 5th grade! The plot lines are totally ridiculous, but I watch it anyway.
• Super long hot showers - It's even better if I don't have to keep an ear open for the little ones. Ah... I also tend to do my best thinking in the shower.
• Shopping - I love to shop. I don't always buy things, but I love to shop.

There are more...oh man do I have a lot of guilty pleasures! Lol.

Check out the other campers at Calliope’s Summer Camp in the Blogosphere.

Summer Camp Day 2 - High School & Writing

Day 2 -What were you like in high school? What extracurricular activities, if any, did you take part in during high school? Did you consider yourself a writer?

I was very active during my high school years-I was on the cheerleading squad for all for years, worked part time, took all Honors classes (I did well in high school and graduated in the top 10 of my class. I got my only D+--my only grade less than an A--in trig my junior year the semester I met my husband.), was part of ASB, and even joined a few clubs on top of doing everything else. (I was even part of the Asian American Club. A lot of my friends were Filipino, so I went to the meetings with them at lunch.) I also worked on the yearbook my junior and senior years because my best friend was an editor. That kept me from drinking or doing drugs, because frankly I didn't have the time.

I liked school, I think because it was easy enough that I could focus on the social aspect of it rather than the academic. :-) I had lots of friends, and was fairly well known, but I admit I was closest to the other cheerleaders and kids in my Honors classes. I didn't feel popular, but I think I may have been fairly well known. (My husband says so at least.) I'd probably describe myself more as someone on the edge of the popular group.

I started dating Is.aac at the end of our junior year. (In fact, our first kiss was June 30, 1989.) My senior year ended up being on the rough side because of my going out with Is.aac. High school girls are so full of the drama when the boy they like likes someone else. Sigh.
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Did I see myself as a writer in high school? No. I could write on whatever topic I was given, and would get A's on my papers, but I never really enjoyed the act of writing. It was a necessary evil I had to endure so I could get the grade that I wanted. After a while, it got to be an issue for me when I would get these good grades on papers I KNEW wasn't my best work. I questioned whether I was getting the A's because of my ability to write or because of who I was. It sort of spiraled into a lack of confidence thing. Before I left high school, I had decided that I was a terrible writer and was just getting my good grades because of my reputation as a good student.

I will admit that I still don't consider myself a writer. I can write formally when I need to, don't get me wrong. I even teach kids how to write--I even believe I do a good job at teaching kids to write.

I just don't feel confident in the way I write, especially creatively. I'd rather just get to the point and move on to the next topic. That impatience doesn't lend itself to a whole lot of interesting details. lol.

This post is from Calliope’s Summer Camp in the Blogosphere.

Friday Night Leftovers & Blog Summer Camp Day 1

• My SILs came over with their kids today and spent the day. Fortunately, my older neice, M, was decently behaved some of the time. She still doesn't know my name (wtf? she's 5!), and she did do some things that were over the line, but Ja.son stood up to her and held his own.
• At one point, she was throwing lemons at Ja.son's head. I watched to see what he would do. My boy picked up a lemon and threw it back at her, stopping her from doing it again. I was quite proud.
• Ja.ck is freaking huge, especially when compared to other babies. Good grief, he is like three times the size of his 4 week old cousin. He was just as big as a friend's 9 month old baby. In fact, he weighs more than the 9 month old. It blows my mind.
• The bonus to having 36/37 students in my classes is the stipend I get at the end of the year. I got my check today, and it is AWESOME! Yay!
• Going to a party tomorrow night. So excited to be among big people. I hope I don't forget who I am with and break into a happy dance when someone uses the potty like a big boy (or girl). he he
• Speaking of the potty, Ja.son has sat on that damn toilet so much, he actually has little pressure bruises where the seat touches his legs. Poor guy. Note to self: need to investigate a new toilet seat for him.
• Just made chocolate cobbler for dessert. It smelled so good while it was baking. It tastes yummy, too!
• I'm going to be making cinnamon rolls tomorrow. I am in a baking mood.

• I joined Calliope’s Summer Camp in the Blogosphere. Per my MO, I joined the party a little late, but she was kind enough to create a second list for people like me. :-)
• Day 1: Today’s assignment is to show the place that you normally blog: my living room

• It isn't all that exciting. What you can't see is that I sit on the couch so much that there is a permanent dent from my butt. (I tell myself that it was from all those weeks of bed rest, but I am not sure how true that is.) lol. You also can't see all the toys that are still on the floor from today's visit.