Five Question Friday...5

Here's a fun linky I haven't participated in for a while...

1. What is your favorite summer time activity?

Ahhh...I love summer!  I have several favorite activities...but they all revolve around the best ever...I get to be a stay-at-home-mom during the summer and I love it!!

* Reading...anytime & anywhere...preferably while "watching" my kids doing something fun like skateboarding or swimming

* Hanging out at the skateboard park, local pool, beach or park with my kids

* Hanging out in the backyard with my kids...throw in some girlfriends and their kids and you've got a party!

2. Do you have one laundry soap you stick to, or do you buy whatever's on sale?

I always buy Tide.  When I was growing up I had sensitive skin and I can remember being very itchy sometimes when my mom changed detergents.  My son is also prone to itchiness, so I stick to the same thing.  At this point it really is more out of habit than real allergic need...I am a creature of habit when it comes to product loyalty.

3. What is your favorite dinner to make in the summer?

I love to BBQ!  That said, I am rarely the cook whether it's summer or any other season.  My husband is an excellent cook and he enjoys cooking so it's usually him at the stove, or BBQ as the case may be.  My favorite dinner to make in the summer is Kyle's BBQ steaks, with corn-on-the-cob on the grill, yummy fresh fruit and a tasty summer drink.

4. Do you have any talents?

Well, that's debatable.  I feel like a very talented singer, but I have been told that the best place to showcase this talent is in the car...when I am by myself...and someone else is loudly singing over me :)

I suppose a real talent I have is for crafting...I love to create and make things.  Right now I am into paper crafts and multi-media, but I also like to sew and paint.  It's a great way to relax and have something to show for it when I am all finished.

I also love to share science with kids.  I am always on the look out to find ways to incorporate science ideas into projects or outings.  I think that teaching kids how to think and examine their world with curiosity is a life time gift and it's so rewarding.

5. If you could instantly be an expert in something, what would it be? Why?

Hmmm...I would love to be more mechanically minded.  It would be very satisfactory to be able to repair small engines, or work on my car with competence.  I would also really like to learn how to weld.  I think that being able to fabricate things in metal would be fantastic.

Well, that's it for this week.  I have finished the last few days of school and I am getting ready to settle in for a fantastic summer with my boys.  That also means lots more time to devote to this little blog.  Keep checking back...I have ideas {and finally the time to implement them!}

I wish you all a wonderful weekend!

Happy Friday...

It's been a long week and this working mom is celebrating the fact that it's Friday!  I decided to link up with Mama M over at My Little Life for 5 Question Friday...

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love?

We met one summer at a local amusement park.  He ran the Ferris Wheel...it was pretty cool!  I actually met him the day after he graduated from High School.  We spent the summer hanging out and having fun.  It wasn't actually love at first sight...but it was like at first sight.  We started dating at the end of the summer and the rest is history!
2. What is your favorite room in your house?
I don't really have a favorite room.  I spend most of my time in my kitchen-dining room-living room, that's where we all spend most of our time.  I love my little craft room/office though and at the end of the day, my bedroom is very cozy.
3. Can you wiggle your ears?
Nope...that would be a great party trick!
4. What is your evening ritual?
Once the kids are done with dinner, they usually finish whatever game they were playing when we interrupted them with dinner.  Kyle and I chat a bit longer at the table.  Then we launch into "every day jobs and baths"...the kids have a few jobs that need to be done and they typically dawdle a bit before they clean up and head to the bath or shower.  Kyle and I clean up the kitchen and corral the boys.  Then we all head to the family room to snuggle on the couch and watch something we have saved on the DVR.  I love "couch time" because it relaxes us all and gives me an excuse to snuggle with my kiddos...who think they're too old!  Finally, we head upstairs...I read a story with the youngest and then all four of us settle into reading in bed until lights out.
5. How many hours of sleep do you need to function?
Lots!  I really like to get 7 hours if I can although that doesn't always happen.  The more the merrier the next morning!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend...

It's Friday...Happy Dance...

This week has been busy, crazy, fun and exhausting...all at the same time!  I went to first grade open house, middle school open house, two football practices, one soccer practice, one soccer game, five days of work, three early morning workouts, and tonight my boys and I are going to our local high school football game!  Wow!

Today, I decided to link up with Mama M and ...



If you could speak with a different accent, what would it be?   The funny think is that I often lapse into a North Dakota accent...I've never lived in North Dakota.  Frequently people will ask me where I am from because of the way I say "boat" :) I've always lived in the Northwest but I can easily pass for North Dakota!

Can you fall asleep anywhere? Yup!  When I was a little girl I would get motion sick and my Gram told me that if I fell asleep I wouldn't feel sick.  Now, it's a little Pavlovian whenever I am in a car or a boat...I get sleepy.  Add that to the exhaustion that accompanies babies, the need to sleep when they do and I have pretty much perfected falling asleep quickly and anywhere.

Do you use public restrooms?  Do you sit on the toilet?  TMI people!  Yes, when the need arises, I use public restrooms.  And yes, with the exception of one, I sit on the toilet.

If you were stuck in an elevator for 24 hours, what celebrity would you most want to be stuck with? Honestly, right now, if I got stuck in an elevator I would want to be with my husband.  I haven't seen him for a continuous 24 hours in ages...that would be super fun!

Where did you and your significant other go on your first date? That's such a fun story...Kyle and I were working together all summer at a local amusement park.  We'd gotten to be really good friends and had spent tons of time together.  For our first date, we actually got tattoos together!  I got my first one...a little daisy on the inside of my right ankle.  Kyle got a caricature of himself and his signature...a fun way he used to sign his name.  We've since gotten a couple of others but the first date tattoos are my favorites!  After tattoos we went to dinner and a movie...that continues to be our favorite date to this day.  Dinner and a movie never gets old :)

I hope your weekend is full of family, full of fun and full of Fall!

Five Question Friday...

It's been a while since I've joined Mama M at My Little Life for...

1. What do you do when you have time to yourself?

Wow...that's a fun question...I love to work on a scrapbook, do a craft, or read a book.  

2. When you look out your kitchen window, what do you see?

We have a great fort that my husband built for the kids with swings, a climbing wall, a trapdoor ...it's great.  I love the flowers in my garden and the two new trees we planted this spring.  Beyond my yard is a great running path and I often see runners / walkers.  Beyond that is a huge open field...very pretty.

3. Who/What would you want to be reincarnated as?

My cat!  Her primary job in life is to sleep in the sun.  When she's tired of that she comes around and we play with her and snuggle with her.  Her food is always provided for her.  I would love to sleep all day in the sun!

4. What is your biggest pet peeve about other people's kids?

Bullies.  I hate being at a party or a gathering where all the parents are socializing while the kids play and one of the kids is a bully.  I just wish parents would all take responsibility for their children in large groups like that.  Usually it ends up being one or two moms who help facilitate all the kids and it's really challenging to try to discipline someone else's kid.

5. Regular or Diet soda?

Diet Coke all the way...from a fountain not a can or a bottle...with lots of ice...and a straw!  Yum!

Have a great weekend!

5 Question Friday...

 It's Friday, so I am linking up with Mama M at My Little Life for 5 Question Friday...

1.  What is one food you could eat everyday?  
I love cereal and could easily eat that everyday.  In fact, I nearly do!  It's a great breakfast...oatmeal or granola...and it's a great snack...Cocoa Puffs or Lucky Charms...it can even be dessert!  Yum!

2.  Are you working in the career you thought you would be when you were 18?
Not exactly...I grew up thinking I would be a teacher, but when it came down to applying to, and going to, college I switched to nursing.  I'm not exactly sure what brought on the sudden desire to be a nurse, and it didn't last long.  I was two years into the required Biology major and needed to apply to the actual nursing school when I gave a lot of thought to the actual job of a nurse...not for me!  I loved the science classes I was taking though and switched my major to secondary education with endorsements in Biology and Health Education.  I have never regretted the switch. 

3.  What is something you wish you would have done when you were younger and you didn't?
 I wish I had stuck with sports.  I tried to play softball and basketball when I was in middle school, but I really wasn't very good and I had no confidence in a sporty me.  It wasn't until I was 35 that I realized there was a sporty me hidden inside and she just needed to find the right sport.  I wish I had stuck with being more athletic so it was a lifelong habit...I am really enjoying finding the sporty me now! 


4.  What color are your kitchen walls?
My walls are "Warm Cocoon"...such a lovely warm buttery, yellow.  I love them! That color makes me so happy!

5.  Do you remember what your very first favorite song was?
The first song I remember loving, separate from music my parents listened to, was Blondie's "Heart of Glass".  I got the Blondie cassette tape for my 10th birthday and listened to it in my cassette player, plugged into the wall, over and over and over!

Fun!  I love 5 Question Friday...I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Next week I will have a fun tutorial for "Not a Scrapbook", our Family World Cup Championship and July's Book Club...and I will have all the details on my first triathlon of the season - Valley Girl!

   

5 Question Friday...

I am playing along with 5 Question Friday, hosted by Mama M at My Little Life  

1.  What is one thing you miss the most about childhood?

When I was growing up most of our vacations included my extended family and were usually camping or Oregon coast trips.  On those vacations, my sister, my cousin and I spent so much time playing and exploring.  We would be busy all day with an involved imaginary game or an adventure.  Those were great trips!

2.  Are you still friends with your friends from high school?

Not really.  I still know several people I went to school with and we're friendly.  My close friends now are people I have met along the way of growing up.  When I graduated high school, I had a strong need to find out who I was in a different context, so I went away to college and really lost close contact with friends.  It is interesting to find some of those friends again, as an adult, and rediscover a new level of friendship. 

3.  Is there a catch phrase, cliche, or word that just drives you bonkers every time you hear it?

"Where the rubber meets the road"...I don't know what it is about that phrase but I think it's kind of ridiculous and there are better metaphors for "it's really time to get to work now!" 

4.  What is one thing you think symbolizes America...besides "Old Glory"?

We go to a lot of sporting events, and I love singing the National Anthem.  A stadium or arena full of people from all walks of life singing that song with pride and emotion always makes me tear up.  I wish that people celebrated their patriotism more frequently.

5. What are your 4th of July weekend plans?

I love the 4th of July and usually its a day full of traditions.  This year, as our kids are getting older, we're changing the traditions.  For the past 8 years, our kids have decorated bikes and wagons to walk in the neighborhood parade, we've had a family BBQ at my aunts and then found a fireworks display to watch.  This year, we have neighbors with a lake place.  On this particular lake, it is legal to set off your own fireworks (in the county where we live, personal fireworks of any kind are illegal).  Our neighbor is also a firefighter, so he and my husband are planning an amazing pyrotecnic display!  The boys are really excited to spend the day at the lake swimming and playing with their friends.  (And of course we all have our Old Navy t-shirts!)

I hope your holiday weekend is a spectacular one!  Happy 4th of July!

Tune in next week for the July Book Club, a fun "not a scrapbook" tutorial, and Mom Tips for family dinners.

  

5 Question Friday!

I am playing along with 5 Question Friday, hosted by Mama M over at My Little Life

1. Do you know how to play a musical instrument?
No, I took the mandatory piano lessons when I was very young and I played the flute in junior high band.  I love to listen to music, but I am not very talented in that direction.  I do however, totally rock out on the guitar in Rock Band with my kids :)



2. What is your pet peeve while driving?
My kids will attest to this...I hate repetitive noises.  Like telling the punchline to a joke over and over, or singing the same 3 lines of a song over and over or any of the other noises two boys can make - over and over!


3. Would you rather have a housekeeper or unlimited spa services?
Oh, that is a tough question!  Wow...I guess I would rather have unlimited spa services.  I love to have cute painted toes and there's nothing better than a hot rock massage.  I think having open access to my favorite spa would compensate nicely for housework :)


4. Is there a song that you hear that will take you back to the moment, like a junior high or high school dance?
Anything by Journey especially "Faithfully" - I think that song may have been played at every school dance I went to!  The other one that does it is the Violet Femmes "Blister in the Sun"...that is junior high summer grange dances all over :)


5. What song best represents your life right now?
That's another tough question...I am not sure I could pick just one song...how about a playlist?

"Then" by Brad Paisley
"It Happens" by Sugarland
"The Warrior's Code" by the Dropkick Murphys
"Stay with You" by the Goo Goo Dolls
Take all those together...that's a pretty good soundtrack for my life :)

That's another week...next week I will have a tutorial on a cute flag project I did, some before and after pics of the big garage project and mom tips for kids at camp...Have a great weekend!

Five Question Friday...

Hey...it's time for Five Question Friday hosted at My Little Life by Mama M.

1. What is your favorite thing about summertime?
I love being at home all summer with my kids.  Whether it's a day we're just relaxing around the house or we're on some adventure we always have fun.  It's nice to be able to relax the schedule and routine from our school year and spend more time playing.  My absolute favorite way to end a summer day is around the campfire in our backyard...watching the stars and making s'mores.
2. What is your ideal retirement location (if money didn't matter)?
I love this question!  If money didn't matter, I would retire to a small cottage on the Oregon Coast.  I would love to be near Cannon Beach.  I think being able to watch the Pacific Ocean in all the seasons would be amazing and it would be a great place to have grandchildren visit.  I can picture long nights curled up by a fire with a great book and the ocean crashing outside my door.
3. Do you live in the same town you grew up in?
Yes.  My husband and I tried to move when we first got married, but at that time we didn't have much money to make a move and we were both finishing college.  We decided that whoever got the first job, wherever it was, that's where we would live.  My parents still live in the house I grew up in and it's about 15 minutes away from where we now live.  I love the northwest and I really can't imagine living anywhere else...though we love to travel and explore new places.
4. What nervous habit did you have as a child that you kicked to the curb before becoming an adult?
Hmmm...I didn't really have any nervous habits that I can think of and most of the traits I had as a kid are still there in some shape or form.  The one that comes to mind is my anxiety of playing on team sports...I hate having people watch me.  While I can participate in a team sport now, I don't usually choose to...still don't like people watching me!  I love to be the sports fan!
5. What is the most embarrassing thing that happened to you while on the job?
When I was a new teacher, I was conducting a conference with parents.  They were asking me lots of questions about their child's math achievement and I shared an assessment I had recently given.  The scores were categorized into different math skills.  When the parents asked what the scores meant, I had no idea.  I had given the assessment because I was told to, but I didn't spend any time understanding what the scores meant in terms of each student.  I had no way to answer their questions and I just kept saying, "I don't really know."  Now, as an experienced teacher and a parent, I can't believe I would go into a Parent-Teacher conference so unprepared.  As I was teaching at a private school at the time, I am relieved the parents weren't harder on me than they were.

What's the most embarassing thing that's happened to you at work?  Have a great weekend everyone!

Five Question Friday...

Mama M over at My Little Life is hosting 5 Question Friday!  Here's my entry...

1. If you could go back to college would you change your major? Or, if you were to go to college right now...what major would you choose?

I think I would definitely stay in education...I love teaching and I love teaching science.  I have thought about going back for another masters, mine is in Curriculum and Instruction and I would like one in Biology.  I've also dreamed about going back for my doctorate...but those take so much time, so they're currently dreams.

2. What do you love most about your home?

I love my home...all of it!  It's the first house my husband and I every bought after living in a long chain of apartments.  I love the yard and flower beds, I love the floor plan, I love the family room my husband finished...it's a great home and it fits us perfectly!

3. What types of books do you like to read (if you like to read at all)?

  I love to read!  (Check out the bookshelf in my side bar to see my current reading list).  I'll read almost anything, though I'm not fond of scary books or really formulaic stories.  My favorites are stories with well-written characters that share experiences I've never had or make me think about new ideas.

4. What is the grossest thing you've ever eaten?

I don't like gross food...life's too short to eat something yucky.  I would not be a good contestant on challenges with gross food...I won't eat it!

5. If you HAD to be a character on a TV show, whom would you be?

Hmmm...I think I am a lot like the mom on "Modern Family"...a bit neurotic and quirky.  (She's also fun and cute...don't forget those traits! )  

That's it for this week...have a great weekend!

Five Question Friday...

Mama M over at My Little Life hosts 5 Question Friday...

follow the linked button if you want to play along!

1. Do you have an iPhone and, if so, how do you get apps and what are your favorites? - Yes, I got one for my birthday from my wonderful huband and I love it!  I download apps from the app store (which is in itself an app)  My favorites are the movie one where we can find movie times and locations, I have a Night Sky one that lets me identify stars and constellations really easily and I couldn't live without my Weight Watchers app.

2. What is your fondest memory of K-3rd grade? - My third grade teacher, Ms Luden, was lovely.  She was the best teacher I had had and I loved her class.  She inspired me to read more and I think she's the one that got me started thinking about being a teacher.

3. What makes you cringe at the thought of touching? - oooohhh...snakes!  I hate them, hate them, hate them!  I used to be absolutely phobic but now I can tolerate pictures and my kids love to watch them in the pet store but just the thought of touching one...ugh!


4. If you could have any celebrity show up on your doorstep who would it be and why? (I just went with what came to mind first!)  I would have to say Wayne Rooney.  He's an amazing soccer player in England, he plays for Manchester United.  My kids (and husband) would go crazy!  He's their favorite and they even named one of our cats after him :)

5. What would you say is your best physical feature? Hmmm...I would say my legs.  I'm pretty strong and I think they carry off a short skirt pretty well!

That's it for Five Question Friday...pretty fun isn't it?  Have a great weekend!

Five Question Friday...

Mama M over at 5 Crooked Halos is hosting "Five "Question Friday".  Follow the link below to check out her blog too.

1. What is your worst memory of your siblings? My sister and I used to argue over the dumbest things.  She died 18 years ago and that's one thing that has stuck with me...the time I wasted arguing over who should have changed the toilet paper.


2. What was YOUR naughtiest childhood memory? (Must be something YOU did, no pawning it off on someone else!)  I was a goody two-shoes when I was a kid...I was the one who could be counted on to always make the right choice.  When I was a senior in high school I took a physics class.  Our teacher was not very attentive and was usually busy with something at his desk...especially during a test.  I sat at a table with three other people and we decided to cheat, just because we could.  {I did this in Pre-Calculus too!}  I guess it's not very naughty compared to other people, but I felt very daring!  Ironically, I was almost kicked out of a test the following year in college, because my high school cheat notes fell out of my calculator cover!  I had to prove they weren't notes for the chemistry test I was taking - LOL.
3. Where do you like to go to relax? I love to curl up anywhere to read...on the couch under a quilt, in bed, at the beach...love reading.  I am also a big fan of retail therapy...wandering through a favorite store with a coffee...blissful!

4. What was the last thing you won? Hmmm...I can't really remember anything too recently.  My husband and I were in Vegas at the end of August and the Roulette gods were very generous!  I love playing roulette :)
5. If you could be on a game show, which would you choose? The Amazing Race...hands down.  My husband and I love that show!

5 Question Friday!

I am participating in 5 Question Friday hosted by My Little Life...



1. If you could, would you go back to high school? - No, I enjoyed High School, but I really discovered who I was afterwards.  As a professional move, I have chosen to spend my life in middle school :) hmmm.....


2. If a genie appeared and granted you two wishes, what would they be? (And, no saying "more wishes".) - wow...that's tough...first I would ensure my kids could attend their college of choice and then I would wish for a cottage on the Oregon Coast.

3. What kids show do you secretly like? - iCarly...Spencer cracks my up

4. What is your beverage of choice? - depends on the time of day...cup of coffee or a nice Shiraz

5. What is something that you would change about yourself (or are working to change in yourself)? - healthier eating and a bit of weight loss