Five Question Friday ---I've missed it!

None of you may have even noticed it was missing, but about a year ago I gave up doing the Five Question Fridays.  I'm not sure why.  I really like it!!  If you go to the blog "My Little Life" located at fivecrookedhalos.blogspot.com, you can find the weekly questions listed.  They are good conversation starters sometimes.  Other times, they're just fun to answer.  If you decide to answer them, too, let me know!!

Onto this week's questions!  (I'm a day late!  Oops!)

1. Where do you hide things from your kids at?
At Christmas, presents go under my bed or in gift bags that are on the shelf where I keep gift wrap & bags (so it just looks like a bag sitting there) or wherever else I can find to hide it!

But if we're talking about snacks that I don't want them to eat, I put them in one particular cabinet in the kitchen that no one but me bothers to open. (That works for hiding snacks from Larry, too! ha ha)

2. What is your favorite rainy day activity for bored toddlers?
It's been a while since I've had a toddler.  My youngest is 12 yrs old.  But at the preschool where I worked, we have all sorts of crazy fun ideas for rainy days.  One of my favorites is playing in shaving cream.  I roll masking tape onto the table to divide it up into little boxes (one box for each child) and then squirt shaving cream on the table.  The kids love to squish & rub & spread it and it's easy clean up!

3. Are you a punctual person or are you always running a few minutes (or more!) late??
Umm...well, you see I have 4 other people following me around most of the time.  If it's just ME, I can get there on time.  If I am getting the kids fed, lunches packed, Larry out of bed & into the shower, etc...it may take longer.  It seems like we're always running late!

4. When eating out, do you prefer off the beaten path "Mom and Pop" cafes or tried and true national food chains?
I like both for different reasons!

5. Does your significant other snore? Do YOU snore?
If I could attach a sound file here, I totally would.  I've recorded Larry snoring to prove to him that he snores.  It's LOUD & like a freight train.  But he doesn't snore every night--only about 50% of the time.  I don't snore usually, but I have occasionally snored at random times.  Larry says I make a "click & pop" sound instead of a snore.  ha ha!!

Five Question Friday

1. Are you looking forward to the time change this weekend?
Not just no but.....
Losing sleep is never something I look forward to!

2. Are you getting the new iPad/would you want an iPad?
I am not getting one, but I would love to have one!

3. If money was not a problem, what is the one thing you would splurge on?
That's just mean. I am a girl who lives paycheck to paycheck & just barely pays the bills. Asking me to name "just one thing" I'd splurge on if money was no object is like asking a starving man to choose from his 10 favorite foods. I want a little of this & a little of that. Pay off debts, new (bigger) house, new furniture, new clothes, give to a lot of organizations that I want to support but can't now, a tummy tuck & a few other nips & tucks for me.....the list goes on.

4. How did you and the Mr. (or Mrs.) meet?
We worked together at a pizza place. He walked in to get his schedule for the upcoming week wearing a denim jacket & acid washed jeans, a ball cap & a lei...and I was hooked. (Oh yeah, it was 1992.)

5. Summer is right around the corner. Bikini or one-piece?
Neither. I don't feel comfortable wearing any type of bathing suit in public. And it's not just because of the tummy tuck that I mentioned in #3. It's a modesty thing for me. If you really care to hear that whole schpeal, just ask me privately & I'll share. Now...if we had a privacy fence surrounding the backyard & had our own private pool, I wouldn't be so hesitant to wear a bathing suit (1 piece), but I swim in a Tshirt & cotton shorts. (Speaking of that, I need to get a new swim outfit this summer!)

I lied.

I gave up doing the Five Question Friday posts a while back. I told you I wasn't going to do it anymore.
But I'm going to do it again. It's fun and I love doing it. So if you don't like it, feel free to skip these posts. :)

1. Where is your favorite vacation spot and why?
Somewhere peaceful. Wherever that is, it's my favorite. Sometimes that means camping (although I am soooo not a camping girl, I really do love the woods, so hanging out there is peaceful to me), sometimes that's a beach, sometimes it's the mountains, sometimes it's a drive to the lake.

2. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
Dr. Pepper, bubble baths & People magazine

3. What is your favorite fashion trend right now?
Hmm....I have no idea. To be honest, I don't even know what fashion trends are out there right now. I try to avoid the mall & the only fashionable people I hang around are between the ages of 17 & 20, and I don't exactly take my fashion cues from students. So, maybe I should just pick jeans & Tshirts....it's my favorite style after all!

4. What are your spring break plans?
First we're going to rent a limo & go to the casino. Then we'll dine on lobster & champagne room service. And then Tuesday......

Wait. Yeah, forget all that. Not gonna happen. We'll probably just hang out & wish away the days while listening to the kids argue. And then by Friday I'll be saying Where did the week go?? I'm going to miss the kids next week! Trust me, I know me.

5. What baby names do you hate?
I can't do that. Almost every name that I hate has ended up being a friend's child's name. And I've ended up changing my mind about the name because I love the kid so darn much. So I'm not even gonna go there!

Five Question Friday

1. What's the last thing you spent too much money on?
I can't think of anything at the moment. We've been in a super-conservative mode for a long while, so we haven't had many splurges in a while.

2. What celeb chef would you want to make you dinner?
I'm gonna go with Rachel Ray. But does she could as a "chef"?

3. Where do you hide things when visitors pop over or do you let them see the real deal?
First, I'm giggling. I can tell the author of these questions is not from the south. We'd never say something "popped over". I think of popcorn & things popping out of the toaster when I read that. LOL!

Second, it depends who the visitor is. Some of my friends/family see the truth....and love me anyway. If it's someone who I don't want to see things, I usually meet them in the yard & talk in the sunshine vs inviting them in.

4. Who is your oldest living family member?
Larry's Aunt Edna

5. What is your favorite DQ treat and/or Sonic drink combo (ie: cherry vanilla Dr. Pepper)?
During the summer, I love to order a coconut lime slush from Sonic. It's like summer in a cup! Yum!
Samuel, on the other hand, loves to weird me out by ordering a coke with 4 or 5 flavors in it. I've had to limit him to only 3 flavors and he MUST drink it --- no matter how gross it tastes! His weirdest one was a Chocolate Lemon Coke. :::shudders:::

Five Question Friday (on Saturday)

1. Do you prefer cotton, silk, or flannel sheets?
Cotton only, please. Silk or flannel would make me sweat.

2. What time zone are you in?
Central

3. What is your favorite part of the holiday season?
As if I could narrow it down to JUST ONE thing! That's craziness.

4. What is your favorite "wintry" drink? (It doesn't have to be an "alcoholic" drink!)
Egg Nog. But I've learned my lesson. I can only buy it one time per season. One bottle/carton is way more than enough. It's SO rich & sweet and SOOOO full of calories & fat. ONE egg nog is plenty....but I have to have it at least ONCE.

5. In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?
I could not & will not ever work with dead bodies. I have a morbid fascination with documentaries, pictures & videos of how things work in a funeral home, even autopsies sort of fascinate me. But when it comes down to me actually being near a body, it freaks me out. I've had friends and relatives who I dearly loved pass away & I found it hard to stand next to the casket, let alone touch them. It creeps me out for some reason. So if you ever see me homeless & begging for money on the street, you'll know it's because I lost my job & the only thing available was a mortician position at the local funeral parlor. :::shudder:::

My husband, however, thinks it would be cool to run a funeral home.

Five Question Friday

1. Do you prefer your ice cream in a bowl or in a cone?
I really don't care. Just hand me the ice cream & get out of the way!

2. What three things do you love the smell of?
Vanilla, fresh cut grass, burning leaves

3. Gift cards or no? (In regards to gift giving...)
Yes!

4. What sports did you play in high school if any and do you still play them?
I didn't play any sports in junior high or high school. But I workout now!

5. Were you in band in high school? What instrument did you play?
No, but I wish I was. I thought band kids were nerds when I had the chance to join. But by the time I graduated HS, I realized that it would've been really cool to learn how to play an instrument.

Five Question Friday

1. What is your go to comfort food or sweet?
Stouffer's frozen mac & cheese. Oh my word.

2. What is the most romantic place you've ever been to?
Every single time that Larry & I take a weekend & go somewhere alone, it's the most romantic place I've ever been. Seriously, I am not a real picky girl. No high maintenance stuff here. Just take me somewhere, spend time with me, treat me like a queen for a couple days and I'm yours forever.

3. What is your favorite thing about fall/Halloween?
You know, 10 years ago my answer to this question would've been totally different. I would've told you all the reasons that I was anti-Halloween. And to be honest, I still am not a fan of the creepy, scary, bloody, gorey stuff. I still won't let my kids dress up like freaky-looking stuff. No eyeballs danging from a mask or costumes that would frighten little children! THAT is the stuff I was always "anti-Halloween" for!

But as the kids have gotten older, I've come to enjoy it. I like giving them 1 night a year to be silly & dress up in funny costumes for the sake of begging for candy. Whether we go trick or treating through a neighborhood or to a church carnival, it's a hoot to see them create costumes just for the sake of candy!

And the older I get, the more I become my mom! ha ha! When I was little, she was a dental assistant, so that means there were lots of candies I was never allowed to eat. Mom's basic rule was if you can't just chew it up & swallow it, it's bad for your teeth & you need to get rid of it. And I tend to cull out those same sorts of candies when the kids come home on Halloween night. We only save a few suckers, gummy things and hard candies.

4. How would you spend 24 hours alone?
I'd nap, get a massage (at least 2 hours!), get a pedicure, take another nap, eat all the things that I normally can't or won't cook because my family won't eat it, and spend a whole lot of time with Jesus!

5. Does you husband bring you flowers? Are you the bring-me-flowers type of girl?
We both enjoy getting gifts, but we are usually too broke for costly things like flowers. So I am happy when he comes home with a Dr. Pepper for me. :) But yes, I would love flowers any day!

Five Question Friday

1. Dream job...realistic and completely unrealistic.
Realistic dream job: Preschool teacher (again) or the curriculum director for a preschool.
Completely unrealistic dream job: Realtor or Marriage counselor.

2. Do you pass gas in front of your significant other?
Yes. We've been together for 19 years. If I never did, I would've exploded by now.

3. What's the farthest you've ever traveled from home? How far and where was it?
I can name 3 far away places, but I'm not really sure which one is farthest from home. It's a tie between New York City, Los Angeles and Mexico City.

4. How do you celebrate birthdays for your kids? Family only or friends? ... Alternate for those without kiddos: How did you celebrate birthdays as a kid?
Our kids have learned that birthdays are expensive & our house is small. So that means a couple of things. One: don't expect to get a hundred presents. Never gonna happen. and Two: Don't expect to invite 15 kids over for a slumber party. That's also never gonna happen. If we do a "party" at all, it's away from the house so that there is room for more people and so that someone else can clean it up! ha ha! If we do anything at home, it's for the birthday kid and ONE friend. When they were younger we did family parties.

When I was a kid, I had a slumber party almost every year from the time I was about 8 years old on. When I was a teen, I would often have a co-ed party & then the boys would go home at 10-11pm and the girls would spend the night.

5. Fave thing about fall?
Pumpkin flavored/scented everything! Cool night air....I love to drive with the windows down & listen to the crickets chirp. SO peaceful. The smell of people burning leaves (although I won't smell that this year.....it's so dry that most of the state has been under a burn ban for months!). Hot apple cider. Football game weather....and hot chocolate at those games.

I'll stop. I could go on & on!

Five Question Friday

1. What ringtone do you have on your cell phone?
I don't have a smart phone, so my ring tones aren't the "cool" ones like so many other people have. And to be honest, I have my phone on vibrate pretty much 100% of the time, so I couldn't even tell you what ring tone it's set to when it's off vibrate!

2. What is your favorite memory from this summer?
My time at the preschool. Loved going back for the summer!

3. Paper books or ebooks?
paper

4. If you could have one home upgrade what would it be and why?
I'd have my kitchen re-configured or added on to. Right now we have a really tiny kitchen. We have our dining table shoved in there, but there isn't enough room for us to put all the chairs around it (one side is pushed up against a wall to make it fit at all). So since it can't really be used for dining, it instead becomes my desk/work area/catch all space. It basically has no functional use and that bothers me. I was raised in a family where you sat down together for mealtimes. And there is no place for that in my house. I would love to either have a bigger kitchen or a dedicated dining room so that we could eat together.

5. When was your first serious boyfriend/girlfriend?
Hmm...I guess at different stages in my 'dating' years, I considered various boyfriends to be 'serious'. Of course I look back now & realize how very NOT serious most of those boyfriends were. But I guess the first time I was ACTUALLY 'serious' about someone was in 9th grade when I was dating CV. (I'll just stick to initials here.) CV was my only other long-term boyfriend outside of Larry. I dated other guys, but CV & Larry were the only ones that made it into that coveted teen relationship status of "long-term". (which just means we dated for more than 1 year)

Five Question Friday

1. Do you close the bathroom door when you are home alone?
The way our bathroom is layed out, you kind of have to shut the door to get to the toilet. So yes, but not because I'm hiding from someone.

2. You have to walk around with a word on your forehead. That word describes you. One word. What is it?
Something silly to make people laugh. I mean, if I'm stuck with a word on my forehead for the rest of my life, it might as well be one that makes people smile. Maybe just the word SMILE so that people will see it & grin.

3. What store do you refuse to shop at and why?
Larry & I have sort of had a vendetta for Sears for years now. In 1999, we filed bankruptcy. I had a Sears credit card at the time that I'd used to buy my maternity clothes while I was pregnant with Samuel. We had a $0 balance at the time of the bankruptcy, so our attorney told us to just put the card up somewhere & hold onto it. After the bankruptcy was over, we could use that card to rebuild our credit, buying things & paying them off so show that we were capable of managing debt....that sort of thing. So we did just that.

Several months after the bankruptcy was finalized, Larry was in a college class that required the use of a computer with a CD drive. Our very old computer did not have one & it was on its last leg anyway, so we pulled out the ol' Sears card & made a trip to the store to purchase a computer with a CD drive to use for Larry's class. We spent at least an hour browsing different models & types, having the nice salesman help us pick out components that we would use, chatting with him about the baby I was due with 'any day now'. We finally made it up to the checkout line with 2-3 people waiting behind us. When the cashier checked us out & we handed over our credit card, it was denied. She dialed a phone next to her cash register & handed us the receiver. She had dialed the credit card people to find out why the card was denied. They told us that they had cancelled our card. When we asked WHY, they said "because you filed bankruptcy". Despite the fact that we did not file on THEM and they were not out any money because of our bankruptcy, they made the decision to cancel our card & never tell us. We questioned why we were not informed when they cancelled the card & they said that it's in the fine print on the application---that if you ever file bankruptcy they will close your account. And that's that.

So there we stood, completely humiliated, in front of all these people who were waiting in line and the poor salesman who had spent an hour with us.

We walked out of the store that day & swore we'd never shop there again!

It's been over 10 years now & we've only darkened their doors about 2 times since that day. We used to shop there on a more regular basis but they lost our confidence in them that day. Now days we only go there if it's a last resort and we can't find a product ANYWHERE else. We'd rather pay a few dollars more than to shop at Sears.

4. If you participated in arranged marriages for your child(ren), who would you choose for your child(ren)?
Well I certainly don't participate in this, but a few of my friends & I have joked for years about setting our children up.

5. If you could pick how and when you would die, would you?
If I could choose, I would be really old & still in great health. I would go to bed one night & die in my sleep....no pain, no suffering. Here one minute, in the arms of God the next.

Five Question Friday

1. Do you have siblings and are you close with them?
I have 2 older sisters. We are close. Over the years, there have been times that I was much closer to one or the other.

2. Would you rather be slightly UNDER weight or slightly OVER weight?
Well since I've only been one of those in my life (overweight), I think I'd like to try the other one for a while. ha ha! I guess both have their problems, though.

3. What's your favorite State Fair food to splurge on?
Hmmm....I love turkey legs & cheeseburgers & cotton candy & funnel cakes. But to be quite honest, the older I get, the less any of those sound appetizing because of how they will effect my stomach after I eat them. It's just not worth it 95% of the time.

4. What are your thoughts on your kid(s) going to school in a few weeks?
It's growing on me.

5. Pool or Ocean?
Pool for swimming.
Ocean for laying on the beach & enjoying the beauty & playing in the waves.

Five Question Friday

1. Vow renewal ceremonies-yay or nay?
I really don't have an opinion about vow renewal ceremonies. I guess you'd say I'm neutral on this one. If you want to do it, go for it.

2. What sound(s) annoy you the most?
Can I only pick one? Smacking, LOUD talkers, little noises people make between words out of a nervous habit (giggles, tongue clicking, etc).

3. If you had to pick, would you have only all boys, or only all girls for kids?
Oh gosh. There's NO way I could choose.

4. Do you believe in alternative medicine?
Alternative as in hocus pocus weird stuff? Not really. But then again I'm not opposed to it. It's just not on my radar usually.
Alternative as in nutritional health & healing? Yes.
Alternative as in skipping all medical care completely? No.

5. Would you take a family members children and raise them if they needed it?
Been there, done that. (Go back and read this blog from Feb 2006 - Mar 2007)

Five Question Friday

1. If your husband had the BIG V and you got pregnant what would your first reaction be? For the dudes, what would your first reaction be if your wife told you she was pregnant after the Big V?
Well, my husband hasn't had that particular surgery, but I've had the girl version, so I can speak from the heart on this. If I were to find out right now that I was pregnant, it would be quite a shock. But after the shock wore off, we'd work out the details & figure out what we'd do. No doubt we'd keep the baby, but it would take a lot of budget juggling & probably lots of tears (shock, surprise, etc).

2. Best memory about this summer so far.
Our quick trip to Dallas.

3. How often do you change your sheets? Your kid’s sheets?
I plead the 5th.

4. Having just gone through TSA, would you rather have a full-body scan or a pat-down?
Can I opt for C: neither? If the scan would only be visible to the authorities who needed to verify that I was not carrying weapons, I'd probably go that route. But if the screen is visible to everyone else, I guess I'd take the pat-down. But prevention is the key, right? Just don't carry anything metal or questionable!!!

5. Since it is fair time...what's your favorite fair (county or state) memory?
You know, I remember going a few times as a kid, but we didn't go every year, so I don't have any particularly big county fair memories.

Five Question Friday

1. If you knew your best friend's spouse was cheating on her or him, would you tell her (him)?
Yes. And I would hope they'd do the same for me.

2. Soda in a can or a bottle?
Actually, I'd prefer it in a cup with ice. But I'll take a bottle if these are my only choices.

3. What do you wash first, hair or body?
Hair. I have super thick hair, so I wash it first so that the conditioner can sit in my hair while I wash my body. Then I rinse the conditioner & my body all at once.

4. What advice would you give to any new mama?
Trust your instincts.
Seriously---nap when the baby does!
Accept help whenever it's offered.
Relish every moment, it goes by quickly!

5. What is your best hangover remedy?
You'd have to tell me. I've never had a hangover.

Five Question Friday

1. Do you think cursive writing is overrated? (Schools in Indiana have now voted to take teaching cursive writing out of their curriculum.)
Honestly, I have never given this 5 seconds of thought, so I don't know how I feel about cursive handwriting.

2. Do you still use a pocket calendar or notepad or do you keep your info on your smart phone?
I don't have a smart phone. Actually, I'd probably be classified as "low tech". We don't own a DVR/Tivo thing. We don't have smart phones. We still have a landline phone at home. And one of them is corded. We don't have built-in GPS systems in our cars (or phones). We don't have a Netflix account either.

I know....it's like we're dinosaurs, huh? ha ha!

Seriously, I like to keep paper records of things. I like paperwork & details. I do have a cell phone but it's only for making phone calls, sending/receiving texts (which I type on a keypad the size of 2 postage stamps---the only kind w/ the letters on the numbers so if I want to make a B, I have to press the 2 button twice) and taking blurry pictures that aren't useful to anyone.

And we're just fine with all that. To get any of those things we don't have above, it costs money. And well...we're still looking for the money tree.

3. What 3 things would you save if your house was burning down? (family & pets are already safe)
Seriously? I'd grab the computer. Lots of pictures & files that I'd like to save if possible. (By the way, anybody got a few spare thumb drives I could have? I really need to back up things again!!!)

4. Country Mouse or City Mouse, err Person?
Grew up in the country & loved it. Got married & moved into town & love that too. But I don't think you'd classify our little town as the big city. From one city limit sign to the other, it takes about 2.5 minutes to drive. Or if you really felt ambitious you could walk it. We have less than 10,000 people here. No hospitals or big stores. A few restaurants and there is talk that they might be building a hotel. But that's it. And I like it. If you threw me into a more metropolitan city, I'd die from daily panic attacks. No thank you, no sirree! Give me a little town anyday!

5. If you could pick ANY reality show to go on, which would you pick?
I'd love to be in the market for a new house & have the chance to go on House Hunters. But I want Sandra Rinamato to be my realtor (she's on a different HGTV show that we wouldn't qualify for).

Of course, Larry jokes that Michelle Duggar is my hero. I don't know that I'd qualify her as that and I'm pretty sure she'd blush & shy away from that title... but I DO think she is pretty amazing. I love her calm, quiet, patient nature with all her kids. I could certainly take some lessons in that regard. I feel like I've grown leaps & bounds in that manner since my kids have gotten a little older, but I still have a ways to go. While I don't completely agree with all the things their family does in raising their kids, I can't really name any parent who I totally & completely agree with 100%. But she's pretty awesome, so maybe I'd go on their show, too!

Five Question Friday

1. If you had the opportunity to bungee jump, would you?
What is that saying? I think it goes something like "Not just no, but ___ no!". Yeah, that fits.

2. Would you rather go to the movie theater or to the drive-in?
I can't honestly say because I've never been to a drive-in. But I know this much. In the 714 degree heat & 300% humidity we're experiencing in Texas right now, anything without air conditioning isn't exactly my idea of fun. So let's just stick with what I know...the theater!

3. Do you have your groceries delivered?
Nope. I go to the store & buy them myself!

4. Eyebrows: Do you wax, thread, pluck, or stay au naturel?
pluck

5. Would the people you went to high school with be surprised by your life today?
I don't think I'd shock anyone too much. I don't know...WHS friends, am I a surprise?

Five Question Friday

1. What is your current favorite TV show?
I really don't watch much TV. Honestly, when my friends & family ask if I've seen the latest episode of this or that show, 95% of the time I have to say no. And shhhh! Sometimes I don't even know that the show they mentions exists. This past season of Dancing with the Stars was my first season to watch. We really enjoyed it & got into voting for our favorite dancers each week, but I haven't watched anything on a regular basis since the show ended in May.

With all that said, I enjoy several of the real estate shows on HGTV, but I don't watch them every time they're on. And I often end up watching several of the kids' shows with them while I'm cooking or when they ask me to come & watch a show with them. The TV is usually on Disney channel & Nickelodeon for those shows. I like iCarly, Wizards of Waverly Place & Good Luck Charlie.

2. What's the worst haircut you ever got?
The only time in my life that I remember really hating my hair was during the junior high/high school years when no matter what you do, you feel like a dork. But I don't think it had anything to do with a particular cut --- just the time of my life when I hated everything about myself physically.

3. What was something that you did as a child that you thought you were so cool for doing?
Oh gosh. I was a child of the 80's. I think I could go with a "'nuff said" sort of comment here.

4. Do you have any GREAT frugal family fun tips?
I have frugal tips, but I'm not sure that they qualify as "fun tips". They're just tips for saving money with a family in mind. Things like using white vinegar in a Downy ball instead of commercial fabric sofftener.....or clipping coupons & watching the sale papers to use those coupons....or buying generics....or cooking at home 95% of the time & skipping the meals out. I have others but I suppose I don't have a lot of frugal tips for family fun. At our house, if the family wants to have fun together & do it cheap, we stay home & watch a movie from the $1 Blockbuster rental machine. And if we're really feeling crazy, we'll pop some popcorn & maybe buy a couple sodas to drink/eat while we're watching the movie.

5. Would you drive across country if you had the money to fly?
That's a hard one.

On one hand, I have always said that flying is a vacation in itself for me. Since it's so rare that we take a long trip that requires a flight, it's a treat for me to get on an airplane at all. I like flying! It's really cool to get into a big metal tube in one state & get out in another state. Yes, I realize that in that manner it's similar to a bus ride, but I really just like flying!

But on the other hand, I really don't like long car rides. Traffic, big overpasses and driving on the freeway all scare me. But we have some of the best conversations & have made some really great memories in the car over the years! And some of those really long trips in the car have led us to see some really cool things & pretty parts of the country that we never would've seen otherwise.

So I don't know. My instinct says I'd fly, but maybe I'd drive home just for the experience.

Five Question Friday

1. What is your favorite summer time activity?
You're going to laugh when I say this.

My favorite summer time activity is sleeping.

Told ya that you'd laugh! Seriously, my most dreaded part about returning to school/work in the Fall is having to give up sleeping late. And the funny thing is, I don't really sleep LATE. But having to get up at 6am the rest of the year makes 8-9am during the summer seem really indulgent! And you better believe that I take an afternoon nap every day that I get a chance during the summer, too!!

2. Do you have one laundry soap you stick to, or do you buy whatever's on sale?
My favorite is Gain original scent. I love the way it smells & it works well. But there are VERY FEW coupons for Gain. And it doesn't often go on sale. And since I am a coupon user & a sale shopper, I often end up buying some other kind of laundry soap simply because it's on sale or I have a coupon. But every chance I get, I buy Gain!

3. What is your favorite dinner to make in the summer?
Veggie/feta pasta salad. Yummy & healthy! But we JUST got a gas tank for our grill (that we just got back in the Spring) so I'm anxiously looking forward to grilling all summer!!! Can't wait to use it Sunday night for the first time---Father's Day!

4. Do you have any talents?
Oh yes. I can survive on little sleep, juggle the schedules of 5 people all at once, break up arguments, entertain a toddler, balance the checkbook, organize the pantry, cook a meal and have a phone conversation all at one time. I am a mom!

5. If you could instantly be an expert in something, what would it be? Why?
playing piano --- I think it's beautiful & have always wished I could magically have the talent to play effortlessly without years of hard work to learn it.

Five Question Friday

1. How close to your childhood dreams is your life now?
You know, I am not sure how to answer this. I don't recall now what my childhood dreams were. I know at one point I thought that I'd grow up to be a professional singer....but we should all be thankful that one didn't work out. Other than that, I can't remember what my dreams were.

2. What is one must have item for the summer?
flip flops!

3. Do you have your kids stay up on school stuff during summer vacation? (Or, if you don't have kiddos, did your parents make you keep up on school stuff during summer?)
Not really. I mean, I do make a point to have them read every day, but that's about all we 'officially' do. I don't pull out the workbooks & force them to sit & work 2 pages a day or anything like that.

4. Do you can or freeze fresh produce?
Occasionally I will freeze it if I have an abundance of something, but typically I don't buy more than I can use within the coming week.

5. Do you get ready for the day first thing in the morning?
Depends on the day. Usually no. It takes a little while for me to 'wake up' and get dressed & ready for the day usually.

Five Question Friday (oops...it's Saturday!)

1. If you had to choose, how would you prefer to choose to spend money...on landscaping or a pool?
Dang it. This question confuses me. Do I give the grown up, mature, responsible answer .... or what I really want?

See, the grown up, mature, responsible side of me says landscaping. It sure would be nice to have a professional come in & make our yard look amazing & then have them come back to maintain it & take care of it. Plus it would up the resale value of our home should we decide to move someday. Plus, pools are expensive to maintain & we'd need to add a privacy fence to keep all the neighbor kids out of our pool when we weren't home (ya know...to hide the fact that it exists!).

But the other part of me says What the heck? Spend the money on the fence & get the best darn pool you can buy! I'd LOVE to have a pool. We would literally LIVE in it all summer long.....'cuz remember, we live in the tropical rainforest's armpit of America. Between the 100+ degree heat & the sultry 85%+ humidity during 95% of our summer (read: May through October), a pool is like having your own little paradise. (Of course, by August, it's not really refreshing....just feels like you're getting into a hot tub, but hey, at least you're WET.)

Landscaping? A pool? Darn, it's just too hard to decide!

2. Death penalty, yay or nay?
Yay. (and I'm not just cheering for it....that means yes! ha ha)
And I'm in favor of families being able to make the choice to remove life support from a dying family member.
And I'm pro-life.
How does that one suit ya? Confused yet?

3. What's the worst thing your kid has gotten into when you turned your back/blogged/showered/blinked?
Oh my. How long do we have? I wonder what the max number of characters per post blogger will allow. ha!

Seriously, where do I begin?
Savannah cut her hair a time or two & dialed 911 (and then blamed it on her baby brother who didn't even know about numbers yet, let alone how to get them into the right order & press the 'send' button on a cell phone). And then there was that time with the permanent marker she found & 'decorated' her bed, the wall, the door frame....in our rented apartment with the high damage deposit.
Samuel liked to empty things....the kitchen cabinets, his closet (complete with removing all the clothes from the hangers), his toy box, the contents of the entire jar of fish food into the fish tank. And he loved to empty the movie cabinet over & over. See?

Sarah loved to get into my purse & chew entire packages of gum as fast as possible before I found her hiding....or get into the Easter baskets & eat EVERY piece of candy (hers & her sister's one year!) before I found her hiding in their closet. And don't get me started on the boxes & boxes of bandaids that were stuck all over her and the walls. Several times.

Seriously, I could keep going, but I'll stop there.

4. How often do you REALLY go to the dentist?
My mom was a dental assistant when I was a kid, so going to the dentist has never scared me or freaked me out. I went every 6 months for cleanings as a kid & even more often than that when the dentist also became my orthodontist at 9 years old.

After Larry & I got married, we didn't have dental insurance & would often stretch our cleanings out to once a year because we'd have to pay the dentist on a monthly basis til we paid off our visits....and that often took close to a year to get done.

Since having kids, we've endeavored to take them every six months, but there have been a couple times throughout the years that it was only once a year, usually due to finances.

We're actually scheduled to go this coming week! Larry on Thursday & the rest of us on Friday.

5. What is your favorite animal (doesn't have to be a pet-type animal)?
My favorite animal has always been a monkey. Any kind of ape will do, really. I love them all!