11. A nice oldschool MEME

What a happy day! Laura tagged me for a meme, and I was just saying (to myself) that it’s been WAY too long since anyone did a good meme. Not to mention my plan was to tell you all about how I cried for probably 20 minutes when I heard that Davy Jones died last week. And while my relationship with The Monkees (in my head, they don’t know me) was I don’t know, religious? Awesome? STRONG? You probably don’t want to hear about it. Or maybe you do. But anyway…a MEME!! Yay!!

 Post a picture of yourself, tell us 11 things we might not know about you, answer the 11 questions asked of you, then write 11 new questions and tag some friends to play along (let them know you tagged them!)

Here is a photo I took in my bathroom after screwing around with my hair for an hour after I had it cut the last time. I also had on make-up and earrings because I was going out. I still hate the hair cut, and am getting it fixed this week.

11 things you might not know about me

1. People who don’t know me very well think that I am very quiet and reserved—this is because I am shyawkward and not really a conversation starter with new people.
2. People who know me well know that I am severely inappropriate, and sarcastic/dry.
3. In my life, I have moved 10 times. 8 of those times were with my parents.
4. I’m not just a coffee drinker; I consider myself a coffee connoisseur. I love coffee! L O V E! But—I’m not a fan of most flavored coffee. I like it usually plain and black. Unless there is heavy cream in the house, and then God help us all.
5. I have perfectly straight teeth (except for a teeny gap between my front teeth) and never wore braces. EVERY time I am at the dentist, she marvels at how straight they are and asks me how long I wore braces.
6. I have a thing for colored pens. I love to write in color! I will never write in black ink if I can help it.
7. I have only flown twice in my life—2 round trips—for work.
8. I do not know how to apply makeup or nail polish. Like seriously, at all.
9. I’ve been on CNN twice! Once in high school with my show choir, and once a few years ago when there was this big story about my company and how we never answer the phone. I recorded our automated system, and so my voice played through the story over and over again. I’m famous, Mom!!
10. I can’t eat while I’m wearing my glasses. It makes me motion sick.
11. I always wished and wanted to take dance while I was growing up, but there was never any money for such things. Taking Zumba has totally filled that void for me.

Now for Laura’s questions to me:
1) What are your top five all-time favorite bands?
a) The Monkees
b) Meatloaf
c) Queen
d) Alanis Morisette
e) Simon and Garfunkel

2) What are your top five all-time favorite books?
This one is hard for me! I just love books! So these 1st 3 are ones I can read over and over and the last 2 are ones I’ve read recently and just loved.
a) Little House Series
b) Chronicles of Narnia
c) The Hunger Games Trilogy—can’t help it. LOVED it
d) The Descendents
e) The Help

3) What is the craziest thing you have ever done?
You know those sky coaster things at amusement parks? Like almost like bungee jumping but you are flat on your belly and kind of glide? I’ve done that. Twice.

4) What is your favorite treat?
I think (THINK!) bakery donuts. Like, real delicious donuts. If not, then brownies of any kind so long as there are no nuts.

5) What are you the proudest of?
It’s really hard to say. I think I am most proud of having a happy normal family, that I have managed to raise kids who are also good human beings (so far) and who love us and each other.
6) What are you the most ashamed of?
I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this or not. I didn’t graduate high school with my class. I screwed around and missed too many days/assignments in one class so I ended up finishing my senior year in August in summer school, making me an official part of the graduating class of 1997, rather than 1996, and leaving me off of the roister used for reunions etc. I kind of hope to use this as a lesson for my kids some day, but also, I would like to never have to tell them.

7) What is your guilty pleasure?
Reading blogs and blogging. I love that it is something that is just for me.
8) What are you really, really good at?
I can sing, like actually sing. Not like a pop star, but more in a classic way. I majored in voice and music in college with plans to be a music teacher. I am also a really good cook.
9) What does your handwriting look like? (post a pic!!!)?
It’s sort of half cursive/half print.

10) Which chores do you refuse to do (or do your best to get out of)?
All of them. I hate housework. HATE IT. But the thing I put off the most is putting away my clothes. I wash, and the kids take care of folding and putting away their own laundry and the towels. My laundry usually sits in the basket until it’s time to do laundry again.
11) Do you have any tattoos, body piercings, etc.?
I have one hole in each ear. That is it! And if I wear earrings twice a year, that is a lot. I had wanted to pierce my eyebrow back in the day, but never got around to it. And the only way I’m getting a tattoo is over Hub’s dead body, so none of those either. I’m not sure the permanence of a tattoo is for me anyway. I like change.

Ok, so now here are my 11 questions for YOU! Any of you really, but I am specifically tagging the following people although putting them under no obligation to do this (even though they should!). Misty, because I miss her. Sarah, because her personal blog is EMPTY, Sarah, because she is on a posting roll, Sarah, because all the other Sara(h)’s are doing it, Carrie, because she’s going to have a baby any minute, and Mrs. Irritation and Mama Bub because I know how they love to answer my questions.
 Post a picture of yourself, tell us 11 things we might not know about you, answer the 11 questions asked of you, then write 11 new questions and tag some friends to play along (let them know you tagged them!)

1. If you could have any job in the world, what would it be, and why?
2. What is your favorite flower?
3. What is something you regret?
4. You are in a frou frou coffee shop. What do you order?
5. What is the best thing that you cook?
6. Where is your favorite place to vacation, and why?
7. What’s the weirdest thing in your refrigerator?
8. Do you collect anything?
9. You have an entire day alone with no plans. What would you do?
10. Who is your #1 celebrity crush?
11. How do you like your eggs?

Bullets, and (sort of) resolution to Hub's date proposition

• So Hub talked to Lana. She thought it would be a fun thing to do. Her husband wasn’t interested but “would go if he had to”. She knows Hub likes musicals (he has been in several musicals as he studied theatre and drama in high school and college but actually kind of hates musicals), so she thought he might want to go. I…don’t buy it for a second---and not just because The Entire Internet agreed with me. But he does, that naïve man. And so we are going to go bowling with them this weekend, and see Sp@m@lot when it comes to town in the spring. Hooray. Honestly, I would like to never see her again, and I am probably going to be all kinds of inappropriate when we see them. I am not jealous by nature. Like, AT ALL. And I trust Hub. But this girl…nope. And I’m done with her shenanigans.
• I’ve been mildly feverish and fighting a cold for the last 3 days, and it’s been pretty miserable. I have powered through and continued to work out which is completely out of character for me. I haven’t gotten full blown sick though. Could it be the exercise? Maybe I am sweating it out.
• Last night there was a big school budget hearing at the district office which also happens to be at the school where I take Zumba on Thursdays. Hub, and my friend’s husband really wanted to go, so we ended up bringing our 5 kids to class with us. They were really well behaved, actually. Hub stopped down on a break though, and saw me sweaty and dancing like a fool. Even though he has seen everything at this point, I was mortified. He…doesn’t need to see that.
• I went to Walgreens for prescriptions this morning and decided to check out the Cadbury eggs. They only had the dark chocolate version. I bought them, of course, but it sort of seems like sacrilege. I actually prefer dark chocolate in just about everything else, but I guess I am an egg purist. They are so-so.
• I bought myself 3 crappy day presents over the last couple of days because I am plum out. A bag of the new Starbucks Blonde roast, some new hair bands, and some new hair ties. Nothing spectacular, but things that will help brighten my day. Win!
• It’s 50 degrees out today, and tonight we are supposed to have severe thunderstorms and more high wind. Oh, the wind we’ve had this winter. I’ve never seen anything like it! I cannot handle the dog when it’s windy either; it is the one thing that scares her. I should have maybe bought some Benadryl at Walgreens.
• I guess I’ve lollygagged long enough on this post. My desk is a mess, and I swore to myself that I would clean it before the weekend. I think I’ll eat lunch first though. Or watch some TV…or…

When another woman wants to date your husband...

Hub and I have friends, a couple, who we have known now for 20 years. I will call them Lana and Fred. Lana was Hub’s next door neighbor, and she and I were friends in middle school (in the years that I was not a big fan of Hub’s). She moved when I was in 8th or 9th grade and I lost touch with her. She and Hub kept in contact quite a bit though.

When Hub and I began dating we would hang out with Lana occasionally and some friends of hers, one of whom was Fred. They were just friends at that point, but this gives you a clear picture of how long Fred has been around. Lana was always very affectionate towards Hub, but she is also the kind of girl who kisses ME hello, on the lips, and thinks nothing of it, so it never really bothered me.

We grew up, did the college thing and lost touch with Lana and Fred. When we were planning our wedding, we ran in to them in a restaurant, together with a child and one on the way. We reconnected and started hanging out again fairly regularly. Fred stood up in our wedding. We considered them to be family.

Soon after though, Lana started rubbing me the wrong way. She would make these comments to Hub, always with a laugh, pretending she was kidding.

“Well, now that Saly’s pregnant, I guess you and I never have a chance.”

This one was when they were on the phone (Hub always talks on speaker) and I was in the other room. “I have this plan, that when Saly and Fred die, you and I will finally get to be together.”

And finally, a couple years ago “Hey Hub, how come you never asked me out when we were teenagers? How come you and I never hooked up?” This was said in front of me, in my living room. Hub and I just looked at each other, and I said “Are you kidding me??” and she just laughed it off. They have not been back at our house since.

Now, Fred works for Hub in some capacity, and they do come to our family parties and we haven’t cut them out of our lives or anything, but we definitely don’t just hang out anymore. Hub and Fred, maybe once in a while, but that’s it.

So on New Years, Lana texted Hub “Happy New Year, Babe!” and he ignored her. A few weeks ago, she texted him “Hey Hub, I’ve been thinking about you. I hope you’re doing well. I miss you!” which he also ignored, but also started to think that she was possibly being inappropriate. Then yesterday, she sent him the following: “Hi Hub. If I was able to get my hands on tickets for (musical in town this weekend) for Friday night, would you want to go with me?”

This is why I had to give the background to this story. That text alone is innocent enough—wanting to do something with her old friend, I guess. But I kind of think she was asking my husband out on a date. People get fancied up, and go downtown and see what ever show has come in for the week. It’s something 2 girlfriends would go see, or a couple. He hasn’t answered her yet because he doesn’t know how to play it.

These are the options he is considering:
1. Are you asking me out on a date? LOL! (and then seeing what her response is)
2. Are we talking 2 tickets or 4 tickets?
3. Deleting the text and pretending he never got it.

I think I am in favor of number 1, or a combination of 1 and 2. Either that or I’m going to take a drive and unleash my fists of fury.

What would you do in this situation? What would you have your husband do? Do you think it’s possible that I am overreacting? To be clear, Hub has shared all of this with me; I’m not a snooper. But seriously. What’s the best way to handle this little situation?

500

I’ve been avoiding posting. Not for any good reason, but mostly because this is my 500th post on this little blog and I didn’t want to mar it with the bad stuff I’ve had going on recently. It’s not been anything that has directly affected me…everyone here is healthy and generally happy, but people close to me are just going through things and it’s getting me down. Without going in to too many details, here are the bullets:
• Good friend’s husband has been diagnosed with a deadly illness…prognosis is 5 years at best.
• Fellow TKD mom with 11yo twins has stage4 L*ngC@ncer that has spread to her brain. Though she is fighting, prognosis is months. And I can’t stop thinking about her girls. Her poor poor girls. (her son and husband too)
• My godmother’s sister—same as above but to a lesser degree. We are hopeful.
• Major financial issues for my parents. Feeling like I am sometimes the grown-up in our relationship. (I know we are all grownups now…but you kow what I mean)
• My brother’s divorce and whether he really is ok.
So like I said, none of these things are happening directly to me, but I have just been so overwhelmed with all of it. People my age die. People my age have their lives fall apart. People who are much older than me still don’t have their shit together. It all just makes me feel fragile and scared and somewhat out of control. SO. That’s where I’ve been.

I am feeling better though. Trying to focus on the good. We’ve donated to TKD Mom’s cause and are trying to set up more donations for her benefit in June. I’m having a good time over at my paying blogging gig. Work is slow. My parents are going to be ok even though I’m not thrilled with their decisions. My brother really is going to be ok; although I don’t know when or if he will stop being bitter. We finally bought a new couch. It will be spring soon and we will be allowed to park in the street. I am, for the first time in my life enjoying exercise and making a commitment to do whatever is in my own control to be healthy and live a long life for my kids.

I guess we will all be ok. For as long as we can be anyway. And then when we’re not, we will deal with it the best way we know how.

I hope this post finds you all ok, in the best way you know how. Thanks for sticking with me through 500 (and more if you read my old blog). Here’s to 500 more!

not just A mom, THE mom

I’m in Bud’s room; it’s the middle of the day and I’m collecting laundry. Laundry that is strewn about his floor while his hamper remains e m p t y. I can’t help but to smile though, because this is the way it always is on TV. Someone who is not the mom might believe something like this to be exaggerated. But there is no exaggeration. No stereotype. The boy child is a messy child. He knows not where his hamper is and I will forever be digging dirty laundry out of the depths of his room.

Liv has put on her very favorite outfit to wear to pre-school, a frilly purple top and black and white striped leggings. She gets bored while waiting for Hub who is talking to the neighbors and begins to play in the front yard. Of course, she falls in the mud leaving her knees muddy beyond relief. Hub puts her in the car anyway, and calls me to tell me about it on the way to school, at which point I demand that he’d better have her change her pants when they get there, and he’d better bring me those pants immediately. He thinks I’m crazy, but he complies. I treat the shit out of those stains. I don’t just do laundry, I am good at doing laundry. Of course I am; I’m the mom.

I don’t notice crumbs on the floor. Really, I don’t. But I will notice when teeth haven’t been brushed correctly, when someone, who hates brushing her hair, has tried to hide snarls with some careful fingertip arranging, or when someone has been much too quiet (I will usually find THAT someone trying on one of my bras). I’ll notice who’s a little bit pale, circles under eyes, or pretending to be asleep when I come to check. I will know about that candy hidden in a sleeve or a pocket JUST as I walked in to the room. I will know about lunch food thrown away rather than eaten at school. I will be asked how, and I will answer that it’s because I am the mom.

I will laugh at unfunny jokes. I will even make up some of my own. I will pretend to be offended when one of them tells me that I always sound like I’m being sarcastic. I will put together the same puzzles, read the same books and sing the same songs.

I will feel every one of their emotions and sometimes wonder if I feel them more than they do.

I will love them fiercely even as they are on my last freaking nerve.

I will always tousle or stoke hair. I will always take that extra minute to sniff in their smell at bedtime.

I am the mom. Their mom.

Lucy tells us in the car the other night that she is never getting married. She only likes the cute funny boys. The ones who make her laugh. When she laughs hard she pees a little. She can’t spend the rest of her life peeing her pants. I laugh, and tell her that someday she’ll change her mind, and then of course, I post our exchange on Facebook. Hub looks at her approvingly and tells her it’s ok. Never get married. Ever.

Because he’s the dad.

What makes it lazy?

Both Carmen and StephLove asked me about my lazy pierogie last week, so here is a post dedicated to one of my very favorite foods.

I am asked more often than you think for this recipe and people are always surprised at how few ingredients there are in it. My mother has been making it for as long as I can remember. What makes it a lazy pierogie is that you don’t tediously roll out dough and painstakingly fill it with ingredients before par-boiling and then baking/frying the finished product. (Don’t worry, my very Polish mother does that too.) What makes them lazy is that you use regular old noodles from your pantry, and the whole process takes maybe an hour instead of 2 days.

Many people like to make lazy pierogie with cream of mushroom soup. I say this is unnecessary and that it binds up your noodles. Other people add meat to it. Nope. Not here. But it is good with some fresh sausage on the side. You can do what you want, of course, and I too have enjoyed the variations of this dish, but at least make my version once. And if you are not a convert, well, I’ll kind of think you are lying.

I’m going to tell you the right way to make it. I will tell you that it is almost as good if you cut some of the butter out. This is one recipe where I won’t compromise the butter though, and I think it’s worth it in a world where we already make many compromises to do the right, heart healthy low fat thing. Besides, if you cut the butter my mother will cry. You don’t want her to cry now, do you?

So. Without further ado, here it is:

Saly’s Lazy Pierogie

Ingredients
4 sticks of butter
1 ½ large sweet onions, diced (I usually end up throwing in 2 whole onions, because I LOVE onions)
4lbs sauerkraut, squeezed and drained but NOT rinsed (you need to preserve the krauty goodness)
1.5 lbs rotini noodles, cooked
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a large frying pan (seriously, use your biggest one or you will be sorry), melt 2 sticks of butter.
2. When butter is melted add diced onions and sauté until brown and soft
3. Add 3rd stick of butter and melt
4. Reduce heat to low, combine sauerkraut with the onion, and cook for about 30-45 minutes until the kraut is browning (but not burning) and soft. Stir it up every so often so it cooks evenly and give it a taste—if it needs salt and pepper, go for it.
5. Combine sauerkraut mixture with cooked noodles (add more salt and pepper if necessary—the kraut really sort of sucks it up) in the baking dish of your choice, and dot the top with remaining butter.
6. Cover, and bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. This melds the flavors and just makes it delicious.
7. Stir, and serve!

This dish is a staple for us at picnics and pot lucks. I almost never bring any home, which is actually disappointing, because the leftovers are phenomenal.

If you try it, let me know how it turns out, ok? Or if you have tried a variation of this let me know too. I’d like to figure out a good way to make this with farmer’s cheese instead of sauerkraut too. Then I could have my two favorite kinds of pierogie in lazy form!

A-Z

I’m stealing this from Mrs. Irritation because I am lazy, but wanted to post something, anything other than what’s actually on my mind. So, here it goes.

A to Z


A. Age: 33

B. Bed size: Queen. Too small, but we have a small house, so what can you do.

C. Chore that you hate: Putting away laundry, and lately, wiping mud from dog paws.

D. Dogs: Haley the Obnoxious

E. Essential start to your day: C O F F E E

F. Favorite color: PINK! All forms of pink!

G. Gold or silver: Silver

H. Height: My license says 5’4” but I am closer to 5’2 ½”, aka SHORT

I. Instruments that you play: I can pick on a piano, but I am a singer

J. Job title: AVP; Process Design Consultant

K. Kids: Bud-8, Lucy-6, Olivia-3. The loves of my life/sources of constant frustration

L. Live: Western NY

M. Mother's name: think “monroe”

N. Nicknames: I have never had a nickname, which makes me sad

O. Overnight hospital stays: 3 births, 1 stay with kidney stones while pregnant with Lu, and one stay with Lu for a meningitis scare when she was 2 months old.

P. Pet peeves: I’m just going to pick the one that’s been grating on me lately. It is using “whole entire” in a phrase. “The whole entire room was laughing!!” It is redundant to say both “whole” and “entire”.

Q. Quote from a movie: Johnny has his hand! Johnny has his pride!

R: Right or left handed: Right

S: Siblings: 2 younger brothers

T. Treat you adore: Anything chocolate and ooey and gooey

U. Underwear: functional

V. Vegetable(s) you hate: peas. Hork.

W. What makes you run late: Kids, always.

X. X-rays you've had: Teeth, lungs, neck after a car accident

Y. Yummy food that you make: I am known for lazy pierogi, sweet and sour chicken, barbeque pulled pork, beef tips, and hot pepper dip.

Z. Zoo animal: Giraffes. Love.