This week for #AskAwayFriday I am pairing up with Stephanie from So I've Been Thinking. Stephanie is a new blogging friend and I've had fun getting to know her. She a married mom of three. She has a singleton and a set of twins who are in the teen/tween stages, so I'm going to keep an eye on her blog for some insight on what I've got coming my way. I've already learned you shouldn't play lacrosse on a trampoline!!
If you're not familiar with #AskAwayFriday, it's a great way to meet new people and get really nosy! You pair up and swap ten questions with your partner to be answered in a post on Friday. #AskAwayFriday was created by Penny of The Real Housewife of Caroline County, and is now hosted by some new #AskAwayFriday hosts…
Tiffany from Mrs. Tee Love Life Laughter,
Christy from Uplifting Families,
Stacey from This Momma’s Ramblings
and
Amber from Bold Fit Mom
And now for my answers to Stephanie's questions:
ridiculous
1. I read your resolutions update and am impressed that you are still following up and working on each of them. Have you always been goal oriented? Are you a list maker as well? What do you do to stay motivated and check things off your list?
I feel like my resolutions are more life adjustments then they are things I can finish with and cross off a list. Praying more, eating better, exercising; those are all things that are ongoing, and my goal is to keep making progress. Hopefully even turn them into habits. With that said, I am a list maker. I have a ton of lists on my desk and in my notebook I carry around. I love crossing things of my lists!! Just being able to cross things off my list is usually enough to keep me motivated, usually. Sometimes though I have to remind myself to take baby steps and not get discouraged. Other times, I have to text my Julie and have her assign me something to do and request picture evidence!
2. I was asked this recently: what do each of your children do that reminds you of yourself. Can you choose one thing you love and one thing you don’t for each?
My kids are funny. Frances is witty and has a subtle sense of humor. Henry likes to get laughs and he loves being silly or crazy to get attention. Benjamin just says funny things. I think my husband and I are both funny people, and we laugh a lot at our house, so I'm not sure who they get it from most, but I know it's from one of us.
All three of my kids get cranky about cleaning. I feel like that's pretty normal, but I re-enforce it because I get cranky about cleaning too. I'm trying to make things more fun, but turning things into a game usually gets sidetracked into a lot of game and no actual work!
3. I tried to do a Project 365 this year but couldn’t keep up with the editing and posting and trying to come up with something new every day. You did an April instagram challenge – what did you think? Did you come away inspired to take more pictures? Did you learn anything?
I loved the April challenge and it really made me think about taking pictures more often. I used to wait for something to happen and then take a picture. Now I feel like I have ideas in my head and seek out opportunities to photograph those things. It's a fun way to share pictures and sometimes it's nice to not have to say something to go along with it.
4. If you had to go back to school full-time for one year but you could choose any course of study that was interesting to you, what would you choose?
That is a question I think about ALL THE TIME!! I work in the education department of a university. It is possible and even encouraged to always be learning. When I first started working here, I wanted to take some education classes and get my certification back. I've thought about being a school librarian or a resource teacher. That idea hasn't totally gone away, but I think right now, at this stage of my life, I'd rather do some work in the non-profit area. I'd like to know more about grant writing and how the non-profit sector works. I hear about these things on the Board of Second Home, but I don't often know exactly what they are talking about.
5. You are heading out on a road trip with your family…tell me 5 songs on your playlist.
I'm not very good at making play lists. That's really Ken's domain. He always likes to create a soundtrack for whatever we're doing. I make fun of him sometimes because someone will make a comment at dinner and it makes him think of a song, so he has to go find that song and play it. Here are some songs that I've really been enjoying lately:
I'm not sure they are all kid friendly songs, but that's what I've been listening to.
6. I always ask a variation of this question because I am amazed at how other people cook and think so I’d love to know: you’ve just realized it’s 5:30 on a school night, you don’t have anything planned for dinner, what is your go-to, fast, everyone-loves-it dinner?
Leftovers!! My kids actually like leftovers! If that's not available, the kids love it when I make "lunchables" by letting them eat rolled up lunch meat, cheese slices and crackers with dinner. I can get out whatever fruit and vegetabel we have in the fridge and call it dinner. Now I should mention that Ken would not really appreciate this dinner, but then again, is he's home it's his night to cook, so this wouldn't be my problem! LOL!!
7. You’ve been blogging for 7 years. That makes you, practically, an expert. What would you say is the biggest change you’ve noticed in the “blogosphere” between when you started vs. now?
I don't know if this is a difference in the blogosphere or a difference in me, but it seems like blogging is way more of a business now. I used to see a lot of blogs that people had put together themselves, to keep in touch with family and friends. The platforms have become so much more customizable and there is a real business to creating layouts and themes. I'm not saying it's good or bad, but it seems to me that a lot more people are paying big money to get a blog that is visually appealing and turning blogging into a real business. I see a lot of discussion of page rank and bounce rate that either wasn't there before or I wasn't aware of. And I pay attention to that stuff too, so I'm not pointing fingers.
8. They say hindsight is 20/20. Can you tell us about a defining moment or decision that didn’t seem momentous at the time but you realize now how important is was?
I don't know how specific I want to be, but in my past I used to be a lot more of a pushover. I essentially sat back and did what people told me to do. In looking back I see a few things that the current me would have fought harder about. I'm not sure how those decisions would have been affected, or even if things would have changed at all. I see two life-changing instances that I wish I would have been more assertive about. On the other hand, those circumstances led to where I am now, so I don't have total regret. Sometimes I wish were like a choose your own adventure story where you could flip back and change your decision and see how that affects things.
9. If you could choose to live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?
In a bigger house in the neighborhood right around the corner from me. There's a whole neighborhood I covet. I love the houses, the layout, the "feel" of that neighborhood. I actually really like the basic area that we are in. In fact, I wrote a whole list of things to do that are quite close by. I don't want to move too far from where we are right now.
10. On a sentimental note: I often think, “what will my children remember most about me?” There are things I’d love for them to remember and some I wish they’d forget. What do you hope your children think about you when they’re grown and raising their own families?
I hope they remember Friday night=Pizza night. Being read to in the dark. Singing meal blessings and nighttime prayers. I want them to remember walking to church, walking to the grocery store, walking through the cemetery and chasing bunnies. Supporting each other at soccer games, ballet recitals, choir and violin concerts. Visiting mommy at work and reading books. Visiting daddy at work and playing hide-and-seek in between boxes. Fairy circles in the front yard. Picking vegetables from the family garden. I love you/I love you too/I love you three/etc. Gosh, now I'm going to cry!! In essence, I hope they remember the little things, the silly family traditions that we do without thinking. I hope they pass those things on to their kids.
Now it's your turn! Pick a question from Stephanie and answer it in the comments! Don't forget to check out Stephanie's answers to my questions, too. And have a great weekend!!
ridiculous
1. I read your resolutions update and am impressed that you are still following up and working on each of them. Have you always been goal oriented? Are you a list maker as well? What do you do to stay motivated and check things off your list?
I feel like my resolutions are more life adjustments then they are things I can finish with and cross off a list. Praying more, eating better, exercising; those are all things that are ongoing, and my goal is to keep making progress. Hopefully even turn them into habits. With that said, I am a list maker. I have a ton of lists on my desk and in my notebook I carry around. I love crossing things of my lists!! Just being able to cross things off my list is usually enough to keep me motivated, usually. Sometimes though I have to remind myself to take baby steps and not get discouraged. Other times, I have to text my Julie and have her assign me something to do and request picture evidence!
My kids are funny. Frances is witty and has a subtle sense of humor. Henry likes to get laughs and he loves being silly or crazy to get attention. Benjamin just says funny things. I think my husband and I are both funny people, and we laugh a lot at our house, so I'm not sure who they get it from most, but I know it's from one of us.
All three of my kids get cranky about cleaning. I feel like that's pretty normal, but I re-enforce it because I get cranky about cleaning too. I'm trying to make things more fun, but turning things into a game usually gets sidetracked into a lot of game and no actual work!
3. I tried to do a Project 365 this year but couldn’t keep up with the editing and posting and trying to come up with something new every day. You did an April instagram challenge – what did you think? Did you come away inspired to take more pictures? Did you learn anything?
I loved the April challenge and it really made me think about taking pictures more often. I used to wait for something to happen and then take a picture. Now I feel like I have ideas in my head and seek out opportunities to photograph those things. It's a fun way to share pictures and sometimes it's nice to not have to say something to go along with it.
That is a question I think about ALL THE TIME!! I work in the education department of a university. It is possible and even encouraged to always be learning. When I first started working here, I wanted to take some education classes and get my certification back. I've thought about being a school librarian or a resource teacher. That idea hasn't totally gone away, but I think right now, at this stage of my life, I'd rather do some work in the non-profit area. I'd like to know more about grant writing and how the non-profit sector works. I hear about these things on the Board of Second Home, but I don't often know exactly what they are talking about.
5. You are heading out on a road trip with your family…tell me 5 songs on your playlist.
I'm not very good at making play lists. That's really Ken's domain. He always likes to create a soundtrack for whatever we're doing. I make fun of him sometimes because someone will make a comment at dinner and it makes him think of a song, so he has to go find that song and play it. Here are some songs that I've really been enjoying lately:
6. I always ask a variation of this question because I am amazed at how other people cook and think so I’d love to know: you’ve just realized it’s 5:30 on a school night, you don’t have anything planned for dinner, what is your go-to, fast, everyone-loves-it dinner?
Leftovers!! My kids actually like leftovers! If that's not available, the kids love it when I make "lunchables" by letting them eat rolled up lunch meat, cheese slices and crackers with dinner. I can get out whatever fruit and vegetabel we have in the fridge and call it dinner. Now I should mention that Ken would not really appreciate this dinner, but then again, is he's home it's his night to cook, so this wouldn't be my problem! LOL!!
7. You’ve been blogging for 7 years. That makes you, practically, an expert. What would you say is the biggest change you’ve noticed in the “blogosphere” between when you started vs. now?
I don't know if this is a difference in the blogosphere or a difference in me, but it seems like blogging is way more of a business now. I used to see a lot of blogs that people had put together themselves, to keep in touch with family and friends. The platforms have become so much more customizable and there is a real business to creating layouts and themes. I'm not saying it's good or bad, but it seems to me that a lot more people are paying big money to get a blog that is visually appealing and turning blogging into a real business. I see a lot of discussion of page rank and bounce rate that either wasn't there before or I wasn't aware of. And I pay attention to that stuff too, so I'm not pointing fingers.
8. They say hindsight is 20/20. Can you tell us about a defining moment or decision that didn’t seem momentous at the time but you realize now how important is was?
I don't know how specific I want to be, but in my past I used to be a lot more of a pushover. I essentially sat back and did what people told me to do. In looking back I see a few things that the current me would have fought harder about. I'm not sure how those decisions would have been affected, or even if things would have changed at all. I see two life-changing instances that I wish I would have been more assertive about. On the other hand, those circumstances led to where I am now, so I don't have total regret. Sometimes I wish were like a choose your own adventure story where you could flip back and change your decision and see how that affects things.
9. If you could choose to live anywhere in the world, where would it be? Why?
In a bigger house in the neighborhood right around the corner from me. There's a whole neighborhood I covet. I love the houses, the layout, the "feel" of that neighborhood. I actually really like the basic area that we are in. In fact, I wrote a whole list of things to do that are quite close by. I don't want to move too far from where we are right now.
10. On a sentimental note: I often think, “what will my children remember most about me?” There are things I’d love for them to remember and some I wish they’d forget. What do you hope your children think about you when they’re grown and raising their own families?
I hope they remember Friday night=Pizza night. Being read to in the dark. Singing meal blessings and nighttime prayers. I want them to remember walking to church, walking to the grocery store, walking through the cemetery and chasing bunnies. Supporting each other at soccer games, ballet recitals, choir and violin concerts. Visiting mommy at work and reading books. Visiting daddy at work and playing hide-and-seek in between boxes. Fairy circles in the front yard. Picking vegetables from the family garden. I love you/I love you too/I love you three/etc. Gosh, now I'm going to cry!! In essence, I hope they remember the little things, the silly family traditions that we do without thinking. I hope they pass those things on to their kids.
Now it's your turn! Pick a question from Stephanie and answer it in the comments! Don't forget to check out Stephanie's answers to my questions, too. And have a great weekend!!
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