I was "tagged" by Brian's sister Lisa the other day, so I'll go ahead and play the game. Pretty much you answer these questions about yourself and "tag" several other bloggers to answer the same questions. It's just a cyberspace game that tells people about you and sends traffic to other people with blogs. So, here goes....
Favorite person (outside of your family)? As some of you know, Brian and I have had a core group of friends since high school and these people are still very important to us. Some have moved away, gotten married or divorced or have drifted away a little, but all of them will always have a special place in our hearts. We don't see them as much as we would like, but I hope that will change!
Favorite food? I can't narrow it down to just one. I can narrow it down to three, though. Anything crispy chicken, (sandwiches, salads, wraps, on pasta , alone, whatever, it doesn't matter. It's all good), mocha torte (a cake from Brian's aunt's store in Shenandoah, IA) and Easy Cheese (the kind that comes out of a can).
Quirks about you? I like things symmetrical, mostly when it comes to decorating and scrapbooking. Very rarely will you find something asymmetrical in my house. A couple of other small quirky things about me, I hate having my hair pulled up, because it gives me a headache. I will only pull my hair back if I'm really hot or it's really bothering me, and then I don't leave it up for long and mostly around the house. I don't like sweating, I have the air conditioning on as much as Brian will let me and I hate wearing sandals or having bare feet. I also have a love/hate relationship with reading books. I love reading books, and I read very fast and enjoy reading. But, I enjoy it too much. When I'm reading a good book, all I want to do is read because I have to find out what is going to happen next. So, everything else (housework, chores, etc.) suffers. So, that makes me hate reading. Plus, if I start reading a book that doesn't grab me, I don't ever read it. So, pretty much is all or nothing when it comes to reading.
How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less? Well, I will answer this one for Brian in two ways. One way which he thinks about me when he's irritated at me, and the other that (I think) he thinks the rest of the time. When he's mad at me he would say I "strive for mediocrity" because he thinks I'm lazy and don't care about making things as good as they can be, and I'm stubborn. On a good day, he would (probably) say that I'm conscientious, loving, a good mom and I don't know what else. That's a hard one to answer.
Any regrets in life? I can answer this almost truly and say no, I don't think so. Sometimes I wish I had done something a little different or said something a little nicer the first time around, but those things have always gotten resolved in the end and I don't regret the way they turned out. I am very happy with all the choices I have made in my life and the path that I'm on.
Favorite Charity/Cause? Since the triplets were born premature, I really admire and appreciate all the work the March of Dimes does. Their research and advancements with babies has made a world of difference for some families and I think that's wonderful. I know how scary it is to see your little tiny babies lying there in the hospital, although I am thankful ours were so healthy.
Favorite blog right now? My friend Susan Otte (art teacher at my old school, Zeman) has a daughter, Quinn, with a congenital heart defect. She had some complications with her first heart surgery last year that has led to some developmental delays. Susan has been keeping up a blog/online journal since then to keep everyone updated on her progress with doctors, surgeries and therapy. As it also happens, Susan's husband had a heart attack on Christmas day last year and has undergone several surgeries himself, so she also posts info about him. (Glad to report he is doing better). Susan is a wonderful person, whom I really admire. She is getting through some tough times and keeping a very positive attitude. I don't get to see her as much as I would like to (during cold and flu season, Quinn couldn't be around other kids for fear of infections) but I keep updated by reading her entries. Please take a look at her blog by clicking here and keep them in your prayers.
Something you can't get enough of? FREE TIME! There is precious little of it in our house. Now, I know I shouldn't complain, because we have 4 fantastic grandparents who take the kids several evenings a week and an occasional weekend evening, but it always seems I spend that time doing work instead of playing. I wish I had more scrapbooking time and I would love to start playing the piano and organ again.
Worst job you ever had? Hands down, the worst job I ever had was at Nantucket Child, a daycare I worked at in Maryland when we first moved there. I only stayed from mid-February until I left for New York in September, but those were the longest months of my life. My boss (the owner) was a nutjob who didn't know how to run a daycare. I didn't have anything in common with the people I worked with and didn't get along with some of them and we had some crazy parents. I was glad to leave for Albany when I did.
What job would you pay NOT to have? A high school or middle school principal. I wouldn't want to deal with all the delinquents and other problems, plus I think I would be horrible at it.
If you could be a fly on a wall, where would it be? The White House. I would love to hear what actually goes on behind closed doors that no one ever gets to hear.
Favorite bible verse right now: Philippians 4:6-7. "Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all human understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Guilty pleasure? Watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC. It is always good to see someone with multiples who is crazier that I am. I also enjoy the occasional game of spider solitaire on the computer.
If you HAD to spend $1000 on yourself, what would you do? Travel. With three kids only one income, we will never get to go anywhere. I would go on a cruise, or perhaps to Hawaii or Europe. Those are the three places I really want to go.
Favorite thing about your house? The location. We're close to great shopping (hello, Super Target!), restaurants and great schools. The library, YMCA, parks and grandparents' house are relatively close, too. The only drawback is being so far from Brian's work and Sam's Club.
Least favorite thing about your house? How dirty it is. The kids have destroyed the wood floor and carpet. We need to have them refinished and cleaned, respectively. Plus, no matter how often I clean (which isn't that often) it never seems clean enough or stays clean.
One thing you are bad at? Confrontations. Telling people exactly how I feel in a constructive, non-accusatory manor.
Who would you like to meet someday? This is a hard one, and I confess, I can't think of anyone that intrigues me so much that I would really want to meet them.
Who is your real life hero? Any mom or dad of multiples who has raised those kids to adulthood relatively unscathed. By far raising triplets is the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life and I completely admire anyone who has successfully done it.
What is the hardest part of your job? I don't think this one needs explanation. Most or all of you reading this have been around my kids at some point in time and know how crazy and hard it can be. Every part about being a stay at home mom is hard.
When are you the most relaxed? I'd say when all the cleaning, laundry and chores are done, the kids are in bed and I am free to watch TV, scrapbook or read a book (but only when the right one comes along).
What stresses you out? Screaming kids and tantrums, running late, bad drivers and extreme hot or cold weather.
What can you not live without? Music. I don't play much piano anymore, and most of the music I listen to these days is sung by a furry red monster, but I know my life would be a lot less meaningful without music. I enjoying singing in choirs, and wish I did it more. And, as I said before, I wish I had more time to restart playing piano or organ. Doing music at church has been good for me to keep that part of my life going and Kara, Brian and I do an occasional wedding where I'll get to play some.
Why do you blog? At first I started blogging to make it easier to give updates on the kids when they were small. Then as time went on, I started to realize that this is giving me a great record of things they did, when they did them and funny stories about our lives. So, now my reasons are two-fold, I blog for all of you, as well as us. I hope the triplets can look back on this when they're older and read about everything they did growing up.
Who am I tagging?
New/newer bloggers: Denise Alexander (I'll give you a link when she's up and running) and my cousin Stefanie Hoefs.
Bloggers you would like to get to know more: Michelle Moser (her husband works with Brian and their son Drew is the triplets' age).
Bloggers you don't think will respond, but hope will: Khara (a brilliant photographer, and friend of Kara's and by extension, mine. She keeps a blog for her photography studio, Kabloom Studios. She's the one responsible for the great professional pictures of the triplets.)
Bloggy friends: Susan, Becky
Rules
1. Answer the questions
2. Link back to whoever tagged you
3. Tag eight bloggers to do the same, 2 from each category:
New/ newer bloggers (since we want to share the love and send them traffic)
Bloggers you'd like to get to know better
Bloggers you don't think will respond, but you hope will
Bloggy friends
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