Bookmarked
Way back in the day, I told you that I was working on a list of blogs that I read on a reglular basis. Well, a thousand excuses later, and a long story short, I finally published the Bookmarked page.
This page will always be a work in progress. As I find new blogs, and as my interests change, I will update the list.
Gratitude 12.30.09
Today I am grateful the New Year. I know that it’s not quite here yet, but knowing that 2010 is swiftly approaching brings me a sense of renewal and rejuvenation. New Year’s is one of my favorite holidays. I’m not so much about the midnight excitement, but the fresh start the next morning brings. I love that New Year’s is shiny and new. It sparkles with the many possibilities that will unfold over the next twelve months.
This New Years isn’t just the start of a new year. It’s the start of a new decade – a new era. What events will define the next 10 years of our lives? Will it be a national tragedy? Will we end our dependence on oil? Will poodle skirts and sweater sets come back into style? Will we find the cures to the world’s most deadly diseases? Will we elect our first female president? Will the marijuana become legalized?
No one knows. That’s the beauty of it. I am so grateful for the many possibilities that will come my way in the next year, (or 10 years). I can dream about what events will shape my life and how I will grow. But, I am most grateful that despite my best planning efforts, I have no idea what will come. The unknown is the best part.
The Confessional
The time has come. I must come clean and confess. It’s been awfully amusing listening to my little brother and coworkers try and figure out my fib. I’ve had my fun, and I’ve drawn out my fun as long as possibly can…
Actually, I’m going to put it off for just a minute more.
Do I remind you of a certain vampire you might know?
Wait. Don’t answer that.
Does my new hair remind you of a certain vampire?
OK, OK. I’m done…
__________
Here is the truth to my “25 Truths and a Lie”
A. I am not a good sleeper. – TRUE
~ Some nights it takes me forever to fall asleep, and some nights I wake up a dozen times or more. There are also nights were I never actually sleep. I lay there and as soon as I’m drifting off to sleep, I think of something and snap awake. This will go on all night long.
B. I require alone time. – TRUE
~ I need time to myself to decompress. I need time to think and relax. If I don’t get this time, I get overwhelmed with life. I can also be quite cranky, if my personal time is interrupted. Sometimes I spend this time reading, cooking, watching TV, writing, sleeping, cleaning or doing absolutely nothing. I strongly believe that sometimes doing nothing, is doing something.
C. Despite my love for traveling, I have only been to two foreign countries. – TRUE
~ I absolutely love to travel, but have only left the country twice. I went to Niagara Falls, Canada my sophomore year of college, and to the Dominican Republic my junior year. It’s highly possible that if I were not a Mommy at this point in my life, that I would be traveling the world. I am not complaining. I would not trade Moanna for anything. I’m just saying that if life went a different direction (we all have things that we would be doing if we were not parents, CEO’s, monks or athletes), I would probably be globe trotting.
D. When I get tired, I become dyslexic. – TRUE
~ I learned this about myself by high school at the latest. When I get tired words, letters and numbers get jumbled. Numbers are the worst. I discovered this in math class one day. I would know exactly how to do a complete equation but get it wrong because somewhere along the way a 56 became a 65.
E. I do not like talking on the phone. – TRUE
~ I hate talking on the phone. I am famous, well infamous, for not answering my phone. I don’t know why, but I would rather snail mail you a letter or drive 10 hours to see you in person than answer a phone and forget being the person making the call. My stomach flips when I have to make a phone call.
F. I love to cook. – TRUE
~ If I did not have to work, I would spend my time teaching myself to cook like the contestants of Top Chef. I love to cook – love it. I just don’t have the time and energy (or counter space) to really get into it. Thankfully, Steve and I have a deal. If I cook, Steve does the dishes. I feel for him because I use every dish and gadget in the kitchen. By the time I’ve finished a dish I realize how I could have made it easier on myself and my dishwasher.
G. I have gray hair. – TRUE
~ Sadly it’s true. I have gray hair, and I tweeze them. I discovered the first one visiting while High School Boyfriend at college one weekend. Now, I spend time searching my head and plucking them out. Some of that alone time we were talking about earlier is spent plucking out the grays. If my hair wasn’t so dark, I probably wouldn’t even know they were there.
H. I want to have four children. – TRUE
~ What can I say? I was put on this Earth to have lots of babies. It’s something I know about myself and have known it since forever.
I. I get really bad cabin fever. – TRUE
~ After being at home for a couple of days, I go crazy. This condition probably developed while I was growing up in the middle of no where. I mean no where. I would become sad and irritable after being stuck at home for so long. Isolation is not my friend.
J. If I had the time I would be a serious news junkie. – TRUE
~ Every morning, my TV turns on at 7:00AM so I can watch the TODAY Show as I wake up and get ready for work. As I drive to work, I listen to CNN on the radio. One of my favorite things about staying in a hotel is having USA TODAY waiting outside my door for me when I wake up (yes, I’m a loser). I don’t get heated and into the politics of it all. I think it is important to know what is going on in the world around you and to constantly expand your mind. In case you were wondering, celebrity gossip is not news.
K. I’ve not had fast food since October. – TRUE
~ I love an icy Coke, hot French fries, cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets. My mouth is watering and my cholesterol is going up just thinking about it. At the end of October, in an effort to save money and eat healthier, Steve and I agreed to not eat anything that was not purchased in a grocery store for the month of November. When November was over, we extended it to the end of the year. The only exceptions are for date nights. We are in negotiations about what to do in 2010.
L. Clutter gives me anxiety attacks. – TRUE
~ I can go days and weeks, when I am blind to clutter and messes. I think it’s a survival technique, but then the day comes when I freak out because there is too much crap in our house, and there is no where to put it. I kid you not, I have left my house hyperventilating because I can’t stand it. When this happens, I feel defeated and helpless. I have issues. When I regain focus and control, the house gets cleaned and things get kicked to the curb.
M. I remember things from when I slept in a crib. – TRUE
~ I do. I remember wearing footed PJ’s, jumping up and down in my crib and calling for someone to come get me out. I also remember that there was a dresser inside the front door of the house we lived in. Every now-and-then I have flashes of memory of other things from being a wee one.
N. I tend to kill plants. – TRUE
~ I have dreams of growing fresh herbs and vegetables. I have dreams of having a lush flower garden. I even have dreams of maintaining a few house plants. However, 90% of everything I have planted has died. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I water. I sun. I rotate. None of it seems to work, my plants die. I have one or two plants that seem to be doing well, but I don’t want to say for sure and then have them die on me next week.
O. I have only gotten two speeding tickets. – FALSE
~ BIG FAT LIE. I have only gotten one speeding ticket in my life, and that was dropped to equipment failure (or whatever they call it). I was driving to Roanoke the week before my wedding in a desperate attempt to find a dress for the rehearsal. My mind was else where, and I was not paying attention to my speed. I was pulled over by a nice officer who informed me that I was speeding more than a little bit. He checked my license and then said, “I have to give you a ticket because we are doing a traffic sting this week, but here’s what you do. Come dressed appropriately for court. Tell the judge it was a few days before your wedding and there was a lot on your mind. I’ll tell the judge that you were very cooperative. You’ll get a ticket for failed equipment. No points on your licenses and your insurance won’t go up. Now, watch out for more cops because they are everywhere today. Congratulations on your wedding. It’s a lot of work, but it’s worth it.” I’ve also gotten a ticket for hitting a parked car a few weeks after getting my driver’s license, but we won’t talk about that today.
P. I forget to eat. – TRUE
~ When I’m at home, or out and about, I get busy and totally forget to eat. It will be 3 or 4 in the afternoon before I realize that I’ve not eaten all day. If it were not for the screaming headaches and waves of nausea I would probably forget to eat all together. The crazy thing is that I will fix Moanna breakfast and lunch, and still not think that I need to eat.
Q. I have a lot of debt. – TRUE
~ Even with scholarships, college is expensive. It all started with my trip to the Dominican Republic, and I’ve been fighting the cycle ever since. I paid for my study abroad trip with credit cards because I couldn’t get a student loan. I don’t regret it one bit, and I’d do it again tomorrow if my passport was still valid.
R. I knew how to read before I started Kindergarten. – TRUE
~ Before Kindergarten, I learned how to read from the books that your grandma learned to read from. I also knew how to count by 2s, 5s, and 10s. Spelling is a whole different story.
S. Magazines are one of my favorite things. – TRUE
~ I don’t have time to get into a book, so I read magazines, not trashy magazines either. I read REAL SIMPLE, Better Homes and Gardens, Family Fun… things like this. A lot of my alone time is spent with a magazine. Sometimes I have to lock myself in the bathroom in order to get five minutes of peace with my magazine. Is that TMI?
T. I have bathed in a creek. – TRUE
~ Not to get all Little House on the Prairie on you, but I have bathed in a creek many times, and I’ve showered in rain water. Not one of them has been a romantic situation, so don’t get any funny ideas. There were a few summers when the spring that supplied our home with water dried up. In order to bathe, I had to take baby shampoo and baby soap to the creek across the street from our house and lather up. I’ve even had to do this a few times before school in the morning. Your hair will never be softer than it is when you wash it in a creek or in the rain.
U. I do not blow my nose. – TRUE
~ Call me crazy, but I do not blow my nose. I’ve tried a few times, and all it does is trigger my over sensitive gag reflexes. I’d rather have a stuffy nose than go through a gagging fit. I also cannot breathe out of my nose when jumping into water or swimming, therefore I do not jump into water. I hope you have a life line if you plan on pushing me in because when I’m done freaking out and gagging you’re nothing short of dead.
V. I have taken West African and Irish dance classes. – TRUE
~ Irish dance, I did pretty well in. It almost looked like I knew what I was doing. West African was a total joke. My body is not made to move like that. Feel like laughing at yourself? Take a West African dance class. It’s liberating and humiliating all at the same time.
W. My favorite room to clean is the bathroom. – TRUE
~ My house may not always reflect it (parenting, crazy work schedules, church commitments and sleep get in the way of house keeping), but I love to clean. My favorite room to clean is the bathroom. I love that every surface can be sprayed and cleaned. I love that there is no vacuuming involved. I love that I don’t have to clean it before I can clean it. What I mean is, the rest of the house attracts stuff (shoes, books, toys, dishes, etc.) that has to be put away before you can get to the real cleaning. Let’s make a deal, I’ll clean your bathroom and you do my floors. I loathe vacuuming, sweeping and mopping.
X. If the sun doesn’t shine, I have no energy and my body aches. – TRUE
~ The only way you wouldn’t know this is if you’ve never met me or read anything I’ve ever written. There is no question that I am sensitive to Seasonal Affective Disorder. If I do not get my daily dose of sunshine, I have zero tolerance for pain or stress. My pain level on a cold and cloudy day is ten fold. It’s bad, and has gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. I know that one day in the future I will have to move somewhere where winter does not exist. Poor me, I need a prescription for warm sunny days. You will be jealous when the day comes.
Y. I enjoy public speaking. – TRUE
~ No idea where it came from, but talking in front of large groups of people has never made me uncomfortable. I enjoy it. It makes most people want to throw up, but I like the adrenalin rush. Actually, I find it calming. We’ve already established the fact that I have issues, so let’s move on.
Z. I am a certified EMT. – TRUE
~ I became a certified EMT my junior year of college. As if transferring schools and working wasn’t enough, I had this crazy idea that I needed to learn something new (outside of the 21 credit hours I was taking). I needed a distraction from my daily stresses, so I added a new one. When you are in an emergency type situation, you cannot think of money, relationships, classes or the laundry. All of your energy has to be focused on the patient and taking care of them. There is no room for your personal crap, and I find that to be fantastic.
__________
Now that I’ve let you in on way too much information. And, now that you think I have more issues than any amount of therapy can remedy. And, now that you know that I’m a grandma driving adrenalin junkie. And now that you know my bank account number and social security number (just kidding), let’s move on to the winner.
I’m so excited, I may wee my pants!
Drum roll please…
Keep it going….
A little longer…
And the winner is…
Colleen.
Collen will receive a homemade purse from Home Baked Thread.
I also want to recognize Anika and Laura for being the only two people to call out my lie.
Grandma, Mom, Auntie, Moanna… what did you think my lie was? This should be good.
This was fun. Let’s do it again sometime. Same time next year good for you?
In the Spirit of Giving
Recently, Steve and I have been doing things to teach Moanna about charity. We want her to understand how important and rewarding it is to give to others. To some, she may seem young to grasp the concept, but you’d be surprised at how much she understands and enjoys it.
We chose two projects for our lesson in charity. We knew that Moanna would not understand donating money, so we chose projects that were tangible and would allow her to make decisions. It was important to us that she felt involved and empowered. And of course, we wanted it to be fun.
__________
Our first project was an Angel from the Salvation Army Angel Tree.
I selected an Angel that was close to Moanna’s age. Channon was a four-year-old little girl that wanted dolls and girly things.
Steve explained to Moanna that we were shopping for Channon. He told Moanna that Channon had been a good girl this year, and that she deserved some Christmas presents. Her family didn’t have enough money to buy presents, so they needed our help. Steve told Moanna that Channon and her family would be happy and grateful if we bought some presents, and that it makes us feel good to buy things for people that need help.
For each item on Channon’s list, we gave Moanna two choices.
“Do you think Channon would like the green shirt or the blue shirt?”
“The blue one!”
” I think so too. Put it in the cart for her.”
We did this for about an hour, until we had checked everything off the list. We bought Channon: a doll, doll accessories, dress-up clothes, coloring books and crayons, clothes, shoes, hair stuff, bath stuff, toothbrush, toothpaste and vitamins.
Moanna enjoyed shopping for our Angel. She felt so in charge picking out toys and clothes. Not once, did she ask to keep anything she picked out for Channon.
As we were turning in the bags of presents for Channon, Moanna said, “Channon is going to have such a happy Christmas.”
__________
Our second project was the Rockbridge Area Christmas Baskets Program.
Christmas Baskets is a project very close to my heart. It brings the entire community together to pack food and toys for area families in need. I started volunteering for this community project in high school, and ever since, my Christmas season is a little bit empty if I don’t get to help out.
Typically, Christmas Baskets is broken down into two days. On the first day, boxes are assembled and the food and toys are organized into assembly lines. On the second day, the boxes are packed with food, gift bags are filled with toys and everything is delivered to the deserving families. Because of an imminent snow storm, the whole project was compressed into one day.
While I was busy at work, Steve and Moanna went to the Virginia Horse Center to help pack boxes.
The assembly line began with empty boxes and bags, and a very long list of families in need of help.
Because Steve could not carry Moanna and heavy boxes of food, They focused on toys. Each time they went through the line, they were given a family sheet. Each family sheet listed how many people were in the family, and the ages and gender of each child.
As they went down the line, they stopped at the stations that had toys for the children on their family sheet.
My youngest brother Evan came to help too.
I had a break in my day, so I joined in. By this point, it was already snowing, and the snow had arrived much earlier than expected.
While Steve and Moanna continued working on toys, I packed boxes of food.
Each food station tells you how many cans of that kind of food you get.
At the end of the line, the boxes and bags are double checked and taped shut.
Once taped up, the boxes are carried to pickup stations based on the neighborhood listed on the family sheet.
From there, the boxes and bags are packed into trucks to be delivered.
Another trip through the assembly line.
A nice lady gave Moanna a toy for being such a good girl.
So many, many boxes to fill.
And another trip through the line. The snow is falling hard now.
At 4:00PM, we decided that it was time to go. The snow was covering the roads, and word was getting out that the roads were getting iffy. Steve needed to get Moanna and Evan home and off the roads. Thankfully, just as we were walking to our cars, I received a call from work telling me that I should head home instead of returning to work.
It took us more than 45 minutes to drive from the Horse Center to our home in Buena Vista. On any other day, it would have only taken ten minutes. Everyone in the county was trying to get home. Luckily we made it, but more than 1000 people were stranded overnight in their cars.
A few determined volunteers continued delivering baskets until the roads were closed. Any baskets not delivered that Friday night, were delivered when the roads were cleared.
Moanna passed out in the car before we left the parking lot, and barely stirred when we brought her in the house and laid her down on the couch.
By 7:00PM this was the view from our front porch.
And it continued well into the next morning.
__________
I know Moanna didn’t completely understand what we were doing. She didn’t understand why these people needed our help, but she did understand that helping them would make them happy. Moanna enjoyed our charity projects. We all did. It was nice to step outside of our daily lives and spend time and money giving back to the community that provides us with our home, jobs, church, family, friends and so many other opportunities.
On Why Santa is Fat
“Why is Santa so fat?”
Moanna, “Because he has babies in his belly.”
To think, all this time, we thought it was his diet of cookies and milk. This is going to take the “where do babies come from?” conversation to a whole new level.
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas!
We hope that your Holiday is filled with the blessings of family, friends, laughter and happy memories.
Cheers,
Moanna, Renee and Steve
The snow may be a week old, but in my book, this counts as a White Christmas.
25 Truths and a Lie
Did you ever play two truths and a lie? In high school or college maybe? It’s a get-to-know-you or confessional game.
Here’s how it works. You say two things about you that are true, and one thing that is a lie. The other people you are playing with try to guess your lie. If there is alcohol involved you can get people to give up some pretty good secrets. Juicy huh?
Short story for you… Steve and I played this game the first time we met – really met. We were at a sales team meeting, and the manager wanted everyone to get-to-know each other. My brilliant self came up with this game. Nerd. So there we were, 12 college kids playing a confessional game, 100% sober. Snooze fest. Steve called out my lie (I claimed I had a boyfriend). I called out Steve’s lie (he claimed to love snow).
In honor of my 25th birthday (I’m a quarter of the way to a century), we’re going to play a game. We’re gonna call it “25 Truths and a Lie”. I will list 25 things about me that are true and one that is not. You have to guess which one is not true. Everyone who play’s will be entered into a giveaway.
What will you get if you’re the lucky winner?
Well, I’m glad you asked.
The winner will receive a homemade purse from Home Baked Thread. Nicole is a great seamstress. I adore and admire her talent. She uses great fabrics, and everything she makes is just so darn cute.
Here we go…
“25 Truths and a Lie”
A. I am not a good sleeper.
B. I require alone time.
C. Despite my love for traveling, I have only been to two foreign countries.
D. When I get tired, I become dislexic.
E. I do not like talking on the phone.
F. I love to cook.
G. I have gray hair.
H. I want to have four children.
I. I get really bad cabin fever.
J. If I had the time I would be a serious news junkie.
K. I’ve not had fast food since October.
L. Clutter gives me anxiety attacks.
M. I remember things from when I slept in a crib.
N. I tend to kill plants.
O. I have only gotten two speeding tickets.
P. I forget to eat.
Q. I have a lot of debt.
R. I knew how to read before I started Kindergarden.
S. Magazines are one of my favorite things.
T. I have bathed in a creek.
U. I do not blow my nose.
V. I have taken West African and Irish dance classes.
W. My favorite room to clean is the bathroom.
X. If the sun doesn’t shine, I have no energy and my body aches.
Y. I enjoy public speaking.
Z. I am a certified EMT.
So which one is a lie? Hmmm….
Rules of the game.
1. Enter what you think is a lie in the comments section of this post.
2. Mom, Grandma, Auntie Jill, Husband, Brothers, Jai, Moanna… all family are not allowed to play. You might give away the answer, and that’s not fair.
3. One entry per person. Don’t stress if your comment takes awhile to show up
4. Everyone who plays will be entered into the giveaway. Everyone who correctly calls out my lie will receive an extra entry in the giveaway.
5. Contest ends on December 28, 2009 at 10:00AM.
6. The winner will be announced, and I will confess my lie on December 29, 2009.
Have you figured out which one is a big fat fib yet?
About the Green Poop…
Are you tired of hearing about the epic tale that is Moanna’s poop?
I don’t blame you, but at least you’re not the one cleaning it up. You don’t have to look at it, smell it, touch it. You just have to listen to me gripe about it.
Last week, when Moanna’s minor cough turned into coughing fits that caused her to throw up all over my kitchen floor (wait, wasn’t this supposed to be about green poop?), we decided it was time to visit the doctor. I’m not one to run to the doctor, but when coughing turns into puking, it’s time to go.
The doctor walked into the office. “Good to see you, Renee. What’s been going on with Moanna the last few days?”
Before I could speak, before the doctor could sit down, Moanna touched her throat and said, “My cough is bothering me.”
“Your cough is bothering you? Are you four years old now?”
“No, I’m two.”
“She’s only TWO?”
“Yea. About two-and-a-half actually.”
“She’s very articulate. I can’t get my adult patients to communicate what’s bothering them.”
“I guess she’s good at communicating.”
“Excuse me. My cough is bothering me. When I cough, it makes my throat hurt.”
“Seriously, she’s brilliant. Where is she going to college? Did your grades come easily to you in school?”
(Yes, this is a post about poop… it’s coming don’t worry. I just want to take a short moment to brag that the doctor was VERY impressed with my child. Doctors are not impressed with children. They think that kids develop at their own pace, and that we shouldn’t get excited if they are ahead or behind. For parents of young children, impressed doctors are a big deal.)
Moving on…
The doctor checked Moanna out, and decided that it was probably viral bronchitis. He gave her a breathing treatment and sent us on our way with two inhalers. Her cough cleared up immediately, and she returned to her highly spirited self.
That evening, Moanna and I were snuggling on the couch, when she started to complain of her tummy hurting. A few minutes later, she got a funny look on her face that I knew only meant one thing. She had pooped.
Let me just tell you, I have never seen poop that green before. It was fertilized grass green. I’m talking, the green from the eight-pack of crayons you have in the diaper bag green. It was that green. Green and smelly. It smelled of rotting eggs and toddler poop to the nth degree. Steve almost puked from the smell. It was green and smelly and slimy. Think of the bottom of a pond. No, think of a river in late August when it hasn’t rained in weeks. You know the spots where the water gets trapped? The spots where the water gets hot, sticky, green and stinky. THAT is what Moanna’s poop was like.
Do you feel bad for me yet?
No?
We went through this four times in a span of two hours – four times in two hours. Thankfully, thank-full-y, we switched from big-girl undies to pull-ups.
Come on. You have to have a little bit of sympathy for me. Just a smidgen.
I didn’t realize that viral bronchitis could come with green, smelly, slimy poop. As if the constant runny nose, and puke all over my kitchen floor weren’t enough, we had to add poop to the equation.
There you have it. The triple threat. Puke. Poop. Snot.
Momversation – Balancing the Load: A Working Mommy’s Secrets
On December 2, 2009 a blog post that I wrote for Momversation was posted.
It is the first time I have contributed to another website, so it was a very exciting day to say the least. For those of you not familiar with Momversation, it is one of my favorite Mommy websites. Momversation discusses topics from all aspects of parenting through short videos and blog posts. It’s hilarious, emotional and controversial. It’s amazing.
For my contribution, I chose to write about life as a working mom. I’m sorry to let you down, but I did not share any secrets about keeping your child on a schedule or keeping your house clean. Why? Because I don’t know how to do either of those with the line of business I’m in. Instead, I shared some of things things I’ve learned that help me accept the chaos and stay somewhat sane.
You can read my post here… “Balancing the Load: A Working Mommy’s Secret”
Speaking of sanity, how do you manage to remain sane when you have too much to do?
Gratitude 12.14.09
Today, I’m grateful for good days. Really good days.
I’m not talking about a day where something exciting happens. I’m not talking about a day of shopping and eating out. I’m not talking about a day of doing nothing. I’m not talking about a day when something memorable happens. In fact, you probably won’t even remember this kind of good day a month from now.
I’m talking about a good day. It’s a day when you wake up and you feel good. You feel refreshed. You accomplish things. Your body feels strong and healthy. You feel productive. You’re calm. You enjoy the tasks and chores for the day. You feel in control, confident and content. It’s a good day.
Days like these are more profound for people that suffer from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, depression, lyme disease or any other long term ailment. For some, good days are rare. When you’re going through a long spell of pain and exhaustion, it is hard to remember what it’s like to feel good.
Last Monday was a good day for me. My fibromyalgia symptoms were almost noneixistant. I woke up before my alarm went off, and felt rested. That almost never happens. I had a productive and enjoyable day at work. I went grocery shopping. I cooked dinner. I cleaned the house a bit. I felt no pain. I felt no exhaustion. It was a good day.
During the winter, especially with this cold and wet weather we’ve been having, good days do not come often for me. I can go weeks, and sometimes more than a month without a good day. When a good day does come along, I am so grateful. Good days bring me hope. They remind me that I have dreams and goals that are bigger than just making it through the day without my body crumbling beneath me. When I have a good day, I feel that I am adding value to the world around me. Good days push me to get through the bad days. Good days cultivate more good days, and that is something that I am deeply thankful for.
