Tagged by Finding Ninee

A while ago, while we were all sick, Kristi from Finding Ninee asked if she could tag me.  I said yes and then kind of forgot all about it.  So, here's my attempt at getting into the tagging game!  Wow, that's a lot of questions!

1. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Hopkins County, Kentucky, USA

2. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER SOMEONE?
No.  My parents actually thought I was going to be a boy; guess I was born in the days prior to ultrasound.  So, they had already chosen a boys name and everything.  In fact, I was going to be a Patrick.

3. HOW MANY CHILDREN DO YOU HAVE?
Two.

4. HOW MANY PETS DO YOU HAVE?
Two.

5. WHAT’S YOUR WORST BOO-BOO?
Hmmm.  I fell last spring in the drive way and scrapped my elbow.  That is my most recent boo-boo, anyway.

6. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO BAKE?
Probably Secret Kiss Cookies.  Although it's like a love-hate thing.  I love to eat them, but I'm not so crazy about chilling the dough and unwrapping all of the Hershey Kisses!

8. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE FAST FOOD?
Oh this is a tough one.  But, for the sake of choosing, I guess a burger is my favorite fast food.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Absolutely not!

10. WHAT’S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Hmmm.  I have no idea!

11. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Yesterday!  JT and I have been watching Men in Black 3 on the Kindle as we wait for Patty to get out of school.  And the ending totally made me cry!

12. ANY CURRENT WORRIES?
Oh, goodness, too many to count!

13. THREE DRINKS YOU DRINK REGULARLY?
Sprite, Milk, Water.  I've never liked the taste of alcohol.

14. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE BOOK?
The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B Cooney, I've always loved that one!

15. WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE A PIRATE?
Weird question!  But, no.  Not even with Johnny Depp.

18. WHAT SONG DO YOU WANT PLAYED AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Stubborn Love by The Lumineers

19. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE HOBBY?
I love the digi-scrap our photos.  I am so behind in that!

20. WHAT FUN THINGS DO YOU DO?
Seriously, I would never accuse myself of being fun.  But, I do enjoy having the family over for dinner and just chatting and catching up.

21. WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Everything.  The dumber the better.

22. DO YOU HAVE A GUN?
No.  I respect a person's right to own weapons, but I do not own one.

23. DO YOU HAVE A.D.D?
No.

24. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Turkey.

25. DO YOU LIKE BLUE CHEESE?
Ewe, no.  I didn't eat cheese of any kind until about nine years ago.  Unless you count cheetos!

26. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF HOT DOGS?
Love them.  Don't want to know what they are made of!

27. WHAT’S THE LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
I am watching one called Martha Marcy May Marlene, it recorded on the DVR because I have it set to record anything with Hugh Dancy, I'm looking forward to the Hannibal series.  This movie, though, not so crazy about, it's a weird one.

28. SUMMER OR WINTER?
Definitely summer.  Hate the cold.

29. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
The Invisible Man by HG Wells.

30. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SHOE?
Tennis shoes.  I can not wear dress shoes, they kill my feet.  If you have to suffer for fashion, I will always be unfashionable!

31. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO?
England.

32. DO YOU OWN SLIPPERS?
No.

33. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
French Vanilla.  Seriously, I am plain jane.

34. CAN YOU WHISTLE?
Yes, but I think it barely qualifies as a whistle.

35. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE GIRL’S NAME?
I always liked the name Darby, but it was vetoed.

36. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE TREAT?
Right now, Rollos.

37. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SOUND?
My kids laughing.

38. WHAT’S THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
South Korea.

39. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
Hmmmm.  I  know my way around Photoshop, which comes in pretty handy.  I'm not too bad with the camera, I guess.

40. DO YOU LIKE ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS?
Yes.  This made my ordinary day a little less mundane.

41. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOE LACES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No.

42. WHAT DO YOU LIKE BETTER, RED OR PINK?
Red, I think.

43. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
Pringles, the regular kind, good and plain!

44. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
There's no one I miss most, I miss them all.

45. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Gray.  Seriously, am I boring or what?

46. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE SONG?
No favorite really.

47. MOUNTAIN OR BEACH?
Hmmm.  Beach, I guess.

48. DO YOU LIKE SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY MOVIES?
I like them both, but happy movies most.
 
49. WHAT’S IN YOUR POCKET?
Right now I'm wearing sweat pants, no pockets!

50. WHO IS YOUR LOUDEST FRIEND?
Hmmm.  That's a good one.

51. WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE CANDY?
Rollos, if that counts as candy.  Cherry Lifesavers, if Rollos don't count.

52. DO YOU LIKE YOUR SHEETS?
I love them!

53. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Yes.

54. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
Life, but i only eat it dry.  I used to love Honey Comb, but I think they changed the recipe over the years.  Or maybe my palate evolved?

54. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
Yes, I think we're all strong in our own way.

Are They Trying To Poison Me?

Here's a fun fact about me.  I love holiday Reese Cups.  They are hands down better than the regular old Reese Cup.  But, last spring something strange happened when I indulged in one of my favorite treats.  I think I had an allergic reaction.  I kind of felt like my face was swelling and I got really itchy.  This had never happened in the past and I was pretty worried that I'd developed a peanut allergy.  Is that even possible?  Even though I can eat Jif by the spoonfuls and apparently Tagalongs have no adverse affect on me, I decided that I should stay away from Reese Cups.

So, imagine my somewhat puzzled surprise at Christmas when Casey gave me a tin filled with Christmas Tree Reese Cups.  And then, just the other day, my mom gave me a package of Easter Reese Cups.  Seriously?  If I were paranoid, I'd believe my family is trying to poison me!

Too Early For Summer School?

Would you send your child to school during the summer if your district offered a program? 

I do worry about the summer back slide, but I don't know if I'd want to send Patty or JT to school during the summer months.  

So, I'm getting a jump start and ordering a couple Summer Bridge Workbooks for the Kiddos.  A Kindergarten to First Grade for Patty, and Prek to Kindergarten for JT.

I looked at several workbooks last summer while we were trying to decide if Patty should have a second go at Kindergarten and I gotta tell you I was very intimidated by the First Grade work.

I'm really hoping the workbook will keep her interested in learning over the summer.

JT, on the other hand, needs all the help he can get.  Getting that kid to learn his ABCs is proving to be one of the most difficult things I have ever done!

He's really good at writing the letters just by looking at them but he has zero interest in learning the names of each letter. 

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Bed

Did you totally get that I'm mocking the famous line from jaws with the title of this post?  No?  Oh, well, I tried.

I can't remember exactly when it happened, but sometime over the past few years our sleep habits got totally messed up.  Patty and I would sleep in my bed.  Casey would sleep on the couch.  JT would sleep on the love seat.  See, totally messed up.  I mainly blame this on Casey's last deployment during which I let both kiddos sleep with me....for safe keeping.  It made sense at the time, but now, not so much.

A couple months ago I had the brilliant idea to rearrange our bedroom so that we could bring both of their toddler beds in and situate them next to our bed.  I'm not going to lie, there were a lot of tear filled nights as the kids began to transition to this new arrangement.  It wasn't perfect, but it worked.  Except, Patty was now just a little too big for her toddler bed and she often complained about that.  And her bed had to be close enough to my side of the bed that I could reach over and touch her.  And that meant getting in and out of the bed was not easy for me.  I have a bad hip and let's just say this arrangement was a beotch to deal with.  But, still, it worked better than the previous setup.

When we moved into this house a little over four years ago, both kids were in cribs.  The cribs fit side by side on the wall between their room and our room.  Every night, my babies were just a few inches of sheet rock away from me.  It was peace of mind, really it was.  But, since both of the kids are much bigger now, we started talking about getting twin beds and happily moving them back into the bedroom they shared as babies.  No one had slept in that room for a very long time and it was completely overrun by toys.  Something had to give. 

I knew this plan was destined to fail from the minute we began discussing it.  I wanted to buy a king sized bed for our room and move our queen bed into their room.  At least that way some of us would get a good nights sleep each night.  And everyone would get to sleep in a real bed.  Casey, on the other hand, wanted to buy bunk beds for the kids room.  After looking closely at several bunk beds, I put a stop to that idea.  Somehow we landed on the twin bed plan.  Really, I don't know what I was thinking.  Of course, all of this went down in February when we were all sick.  Guess I will blame it on the crud I had last month. 

I ordered twin size platform beds, the kind with drawers underneath.  The kids love the drawers.  They have toys in them.  Go figure.  They even like their new sheets.  Magenta for Patty.  Electric blue for JT.  I love the sheets, too.  I picked them out and they remind me of bright Easter egg colors.  The kids could care less about the color of their sheets.  We even had a new satellite receiver installed in their room so they would have the comfort of Disney JR at all hours of the day and night.  JT is not fond of this because he can no longer watch DVDs on that tv.  But, he'd been watching Wall-E on repeat so I don't consider it too terrible a loss.

After all the planning and attempts to make them love it, you know what?  They hate it.  They absolutely hate sleeping in their beds all alone.  Just to get them to fall asleep in their beds requires us to lay down with them.  And I must be spoiled because my whole body aches after I've spent any time in those twin beds.  Or maybe I'm just getting old.

We're really no better off than we started.

Right now, Patty is stretched out next to me on the couch where she is bound to fall asleep any minute.  JT is piled up in his bed playing games or watching a movie on his Kindle while the Disney channel blares loudly.  I have tried to get him into his bed and wait him out.  I keep thinking he'll eventually fall asleep on his own and it hasn't happened yet.  Casey is snoring happily in Patty's bed, wonder if I should wake him.  Maybe, just maybe I'll get to sleep in my bed all alone tonight!  Well, I might be able to sleep for a few hours, then one of them is bound to wake up, realize they are all alone and then come barrelling into our room and onto the bed. 

What I'm Reading Now, an Update

Although I've barely cracked the cover of The Invisible Man, I'm already loving it.  Why couldn't we read classics like this back in high school?  Plus, I snagged the Dover Thrift Edition for a great low price (search Dover Thrift Editions Classics on Amazon). 

I seriously love getting books for bucks these days.  Have I mentioned my serious Scholastic Book Club addiction?  Love those dollar books!

Anyhoo, I really liked The Time Machine, my favorite HG Wells so far, War of the Worlds and The Island of Dr. Moreau so I'm looking forward to getting deeper into this story as well.  Now I just have to find the time to get into it!

Recently, the Iron Fey series was recommended to me by one of my favorite middle schoolers.  I find it absolutely hilarious that this is a Harlequin Teen series.  I mean, who would have guessed Harlequin had a teen line of books?  Not me!  Don't you think that's funny, or is it just me?

You know I like a good book series and this one looks promising.  But, it also looks like there are several books to read, so I'm not sure I want to take the plunge.  It's been hard to find any extra time for reading lately.  Suffice it to say, I am way behind in my "one book a week" goal I made at the beginning of the year!  And if I fall in love with this author, it looks like she has two other series that I would want to read. 

Oy, I gotta find a better way to manage my time!

And I just added a new page to the blog called My Book Club so I can keep up with how far behind I am on my 52 books this year goal!

Didn't Know I'm A Kristen Bell Fan

I had no idea that I am in fact a Kristen Bell fan.  I somehow missed her tv series Veronica Mars and then apparently missed out on some really great movies, too!  Thankfully two of those movies were on ABC Family this past weekend and I got the chance to catchup.  Oh and didn't you know she's expecting a baby by none other than Parenthood's Dax Shepard.  Those two are my new favorite Hollywood couple.  Ok, onto the movies.

First up, When in Rome. 

Seriously, I have no idea how I missed this one. 

It co-stars Josh Duhamel.  I love him. 

This movie is an absolutely fabulous chick flick.

I just can't believe I hadn't watched it before now.

And then there's You Again.

OMG.  This one is great, too! 

Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver, Betty White, Kristin Chenoweth. 

You've got to watch it.  It gives a whole new meaning to "mean girls".

Boy am I glad I didn't have a similar high school experience!


I may have to upgrade our satellite package for Showtime so I can catch House of Lies, too.  Bonus, it looks like all of the episodes are available on demand so I can get caught up!

Feeling the Burn....Out That Is

On the way to Patty's last OT session she told me "that's not playing, that's work."  See, instead of calling it therapy, we call it "play".  In fact, the whole department is called Thera-Play and it's all about kids.  But, for a kid who doesn't like to color, there's only so much you can do to make it fun week after week.  I could see Patty was having a serious case of burn out.  And wouldn't you know it, her OT confirmed that even kids need a vacay from therapy.

Now, on one hand, I hate for her to miss her therapy appointments.  We were blessed with after school appointments and I know those are coveted so I don't want to risk losing those prime slots.  Not to mention that therapy has done wonders for her.  But, on the other hand, I'm a little tired of therapy, too.  It's hard to witness how tired she is week after week and we've had a lot of cold, yucky weather lately.  I think we'd all be a little more content if we'd just have a week of non-stop sunshine for a change.

So, today, I made an executive decision and cancelled speech therapy.  Missing one visit here and there can't be much harm, right?  Plus, I'm really hoping the mini-break will have her ready to get back to work next week!  And me, too.