Random things meme

It seems like memes make the rounds at jus the right times- I have really been struggling to write lately and when I read this meme Caroline’s blog, it just seemed too easy to pass up!

1. Spell my name as it sounds: Stacey- I think this is the best way to write it!

2. Am I a worrier? Yes, yes and yes but somehow less as I get older…

3. What’s my favorite CD? This question almost made me skip this whole thing because the music thing really intimidates me- I really don’t listen to all that much… The only CD that I’ve purchased recently is Josh Groban’s Christmas CD- I did love this- it actually was supposed to be for my mom but I opened it to listen to and never gave it to her!

4. Favorite colour(s)? Blue

5. Does my home have an attic? No and it really needs one!

6. Have I ever been to Canada? Yes, on an eighth grade field trip.

7. Have I ever gone fishing? Yes, with my dad when I was very, very little.

8. Have I ever seen a celebrity? My memory for these things is terrible. I know we sat next to someone at a restaurant in San Diego years ago and I can’t remember who it was. This is why Rob got me a subscription to People for Christmas- he thinks my lack of celebrity knowledge is very strange!

9. Have I ever been on a motorcycle? Yes, it was terrifying- I don’t recommend it.

10. How much money do I have on me right now? None on me, $15 in my wallet.

11. How many cars have I owned? Two.

12. How many jobs have I had? 5 counting my years as a summer camp counselor.

13. How tall am I? 5′5″.

14. Last person to call me: Rob- to switch his plans from coming home early tonight to having a late meeting tonight- bummer!

15. Last thing I yelled out loud: “Hurry, hurry, hurry!” It seems as hard as I try, we are always running late on the way to school in the morning.

16. Last person I was in a car with: Caroline

17. Last time I ate at McDonald’s: Years ago…

18. Last thing I bought: Sandwich bags at CVS because I forgot them this weekend at the grocery store and we are completely out.

19. Last person I saw: Katherine

20. Last time I cried: This weekend out of complete fatigue.  Caroline is still waking in the middle of the night and very early and Katherine is alternating between teething and having ear infections- it is not pretty around here!

21. Last time I laughed: Lunch time at Katherine.

22. What is the temperature outside?40F but it says it feels like 33F- yuck!

23. What time of the day did I get married? Late afternoon.

24. What did I do two nights ago?Went to bed early. Rob and I actually canceled a night out because we were so darned tired…, PhD

25. Who’s birthday is coming up next? Katheirn
Katherine’s

26. What time did I go to bed last night? 9:00pm

27. What was the first thing I thought this morning? Is she really crying, now…

28. What are my plans for this weekend? Go to a Newcomer’s Event with the girls at a fun indoor playground, get together with Rob’s sister’s family, attend a Service Auction at our church.

29. Lemonade or iced tea? Iced tea

30. What do I dislike at this moment? My hair.

31. What did I dream about last night? I am so sick of the sleep complaints but honestly, I didn’t dream- I don’t think I go into REM sleep anymore- my dream life is seriously lacking!

32. What’s the last TV show I watched? MSNBC with the results of the SC primary. 

33. What is my favorite piece of jewelry? Engagement ring.

34. Am I a dancer? Definitely not.

35. Have I ever cut my own hair? No!

36. What is my favorite treat? Ice cream.

37. How many piercings/tattoos do I have? Pierced ears.

38. Where’s my favorite place to be? The beach.

39. Is there someone I haven’t seen in a while and miss? Yes, Richmond  friends.

40. Who was the last text I sent to? I don’t text.

41. Do I care what strangers think about me? I’m afraid I do sometimes- I’m trying not to…

42. Last person I talked to on Instant Messenger: Don’t do this either.

43. Last person to make me cry: Caroline

44. Who can I tell anything to? Rob

45. What am I doing tomorrow?  Going to my great writing class, playing with the girls…

46. Do I have alcohol in my home? Not much- wine, beer, some vodka, gin and bourbon that have moved with us for years now and have never been opened.

47. Do I like ketchup? Yes.

48. Do I think I will be on a vacation this summer? Yes, at least once to the beach.

49. What colour is my master bathroom? Green

50. Do I wear a bikini at the beach? No- someday again soon, I hope! 

51. Have I ever been to the Grand Canyon? No.

52. What is my favorite fruit? Strawberries.

53. What did I really want to do today?Sleep- surprise, surprise!

54. Am I always cold? Not as much as I used to be. Before I got pregnant with Caroline I was always freezing- ever since, I have been much improved.

55. Does it annoy me when someone says they’ll call or text, but don’t? Yes. Rob always laughs at me because if someone doesn’t call me back nearly immediately, I am pretty offended.

Nicer than Sponge Bob…

I was just sitting at the computer trying to work through the continued “mind numbing fatigue” (see below) when Caroline told Rob that Rachel Ray was going on vacation- she’d seen an ad about a show where Rachel is eating and cooking her way around the world. Oh, I guess it’s also important to note that Rachel Ray is now in our Tivo queue- I think we have a budding chef on our hands. … So, Rob asked Caroline if she liked Rachel Ray and she said she did. Rob’s comment was “Rachel Ray is nice isn’t she?” and Caroline responded, “Yeah, nicer than Sponge Bob!” Now, the funny part here is that Caroline does not watch Sponge Bob but she seems pretty qualified to judge his niceness…

Mind numbing fatigue

I learned this phrase in my wonderful Writing Motherhood class this week. What perfect timing… no one is sleeping in our house for various reasons and it has led to the kind of tiredness that can only be described as mind numbing. Just to put it in perspective- I was feeling really good this morning- I got up with Caroline at 6am and started to get things done- things that had been ignored all week. When Rob came downstairs he asked how the night had gone- at least he admits that he sometimes sleeps through all the action! As I began to say, “We had a great night!” I realized how false this was- what had actually happened was that somewhere in the night, I got a three hour stretch of connected sleep- longer than the two hour spurts we have been specializing in around here. I guess I may have drifted into a bit of REM sleep and I am ready to tackle the world… scary and mind numbing…

Irony

This is the week that Caroline begins to go school for a full day- well, not a full day as she reminds us- she will have breakfast and dinner with us at home- but she’ll be at school from 9-3. She has been going in the afternoon from 12:30 to 3 since we moved… this has been a really difficult amount of time and time of day for a long array of reasons so we have all been looking forward to this change…

Now for Irony #1… on this week that was to represent the return to my sanity and productivity, we have been forced into a relatively major bathroom renovation- our 1930s tub was leaking into our kitchen and there really was no way to fix it. So since 8am this morning there have been workers here making all sorts of noise and dirt. Now onto Irony #2- I have spent the day trying to figure out what to do with Katherine during her nap. She has been struggling lately- napping only a couple of times a week. I was really hesitant to get her into the habit of sleeping in the car but had thought that might be our only choice. Well, the guys took a lunch break right around nap time so I figured I would give it a shot. It is now an hour and a half and much incredibly loud noise later, and on she sleeps. This is the longest nap she has had in weeks- apparently demolition and needless worry encourages sleep in toddlers- remember you heard it here first!

Humor

On Sunday we had one of those circumstances during which I kept thinking, “blog…” the whole time it was happening.  A few days earlier, Rob’s aunt had told him that her definition of humor (original or not, I’m not sure) was disaster plus time. Time has passed and this was a funny one. Sunday we were scheduled for our last of many holiday get-togethers. We were to drive to Connecticut to Rob’s uncle’s house where his uncle and his girlfriend would be cooking lunch for 10- including Rob’s 90 year old grandparents.  This was a questionable commitment for us from the start- the drive could be long depending on traffic and Rob’s uncle’s only child is a 10 year old boy so we would need to pack up all the gear required for a day with two small children (a disgustingly large amount of stuff) and find a way to entertain our two angles in this environment.

Anyway, family loyalty won out over laziness and we got in the car. Our drive was relatively uneventful until we pulled off the highway. I heard Caroline say, “Mom, I’m going to throw up.” Somehow, I turned immediately into a small driveway and Rob was able to get her out almost in time. As I watched Rob hold Caroline up off the ground (later he said because her angel was all wrong and it was getting all over her shoes!), I noticed that I had pulled the wrong way into a one way exit of a Catholic church parking lot.  Moments later, I also noticed that church was over. Within minutes, I was face to face with a long stream of cars, trying to leave. The sermon must have preached kindness and patience because no one beeped as I got my wits about me. I realized my only option was to back out onto a relatively busy street and pull into the next driveway. As I was reversing, the car drove up onto a small piece of grass. Now, this is for a whole different post entirely, but Caroline is a real stickler for the rules of the road at all times. You would think she would have cut me some slack on this one but as I was trying to hurry, I hear her, shouting from outside the car, “Mom, you’re off the road.” Now that is serious multi-tasking- puking and directing traffic- impressive or scary, not sure which.

In time, we are all reunited in a new parking lot and Rob and I try to decide how to proceed. We are stumped so we call his parents who, as it turns out, are moments behind us in their own car and shortly join us in the parking lot. We put all our heads together and decide that we will at least go to Rob’s uncle’s house and re-group there. I am hesitant because I really don’t want to spread these germs but decide it really is the best plan. We arrive and Rob’s grandmother is so happy to see her grandson and her great-grandchildren that no pleas can stop her from hugging and kissing us all. I guess in her mind she had weighed her options and hugs and kisses won out. We finally had ourselves organized, probably half an hour later- all of us to the potty, new diaper for Katherine, as much food as Jim’s girlfriend could get together for us, towels and bags in case of a repeat performance and goodbyes all around. I don’t know who was more confused by our departure- Katherine who sort of got it but not really or Rob’s grandfather who is so hard of hearing that he had no idea any one was sick. When Rob said goodbye, he replied, “What! You’re leaving already?”

Caroline was still feeling queasy so we gave her a plastic bag. She kept insisting that she needed a bowl- something hard. Eventually, our adventure ended with both girls asleep for the majority of the ride with Caroline’s head resting on an opened playmate cooler- the hardest, open thing we could find. With queasiness all around the rest of the family, we are ready to put this humor behind us and venture into a new year. Happy and humorous New Year to all!