Protect your brains...

for I am

Kiki Zombie

Rock on!

What's Your Rockstar Name?

Blogthings: Discover the Parts of Your Personality that Have Been Hiding

Not fair!

We don't do fairs. It's simply too risky for us to go since D's a runner. If I'm going to go to a fair/carnival/whatever, I want to be able to enjoy myself. I want to know that I can trust that my child won't run off and that I won't then be left searching for him for hours. No, it's not fair, but it is what it is. Fairs are just not part of our lives at this stage. They're entirely too overwhelming for D because of the sounds and sights. I loved fairs as a kid though. I'd go to the Monmouth County Fair every summer, sometimes the Ocean and Middlesex county fairs too. And Manalapan Day! The Optimists Club Carnival held near Freehold Raceway. Ah, memories!!!

Sporting...

I'm really not a big fan of sports, playing or watching. If forced to choose a favorite team, I'd have to with the Philadelphia Phillies. Why? Well, when I was but a wee lass of 11, my neighbors bought tickets for a game with the intention of taking my father and older buttmunch of a brother along with them. (A gift for the buttmunch's 15th birthday, IIRC). Sufficed to say, said buttmunch decided he was too cool to attend a major league baseball game with his dad and neighbors, so I got to go in his place! I don't really recall much about the game except that it was a shut out against the Padres (9-0!) and I got to eat as many Philadelpha soft pretzels as I could eat. Oh, and I got to spend the day/evening with my Daddy. Getting time alone with him in a family of four kids was a rarity, so I soaked up every second that I could.

Anyway, because of that game some 24 years ago, I'm a die-hard Phillies fan.

Five Questions

1. Do you wash your own car or do you go to a car wash?

We take it to a car wash.

2. Are you wearing socks right now?

Nope!

3. Where were you 3 hours ago?

In bed!

4. Do you have laundry waiting to be done?

Yes!

5. Can you pick objects up with your toes?

LOL! No, I can't. Andrew and Devin can though!

Summer Snaps...

I have a confession to make: I haven't really used my camera much this summer. We don't reallydo much, so there aren't a lot of photo opportunities. That said, I did make certain to take a slew of pictures of my niece when I saw her a couple weeks ago. They're definitely something I'll treasure, especially since I only see her once a year. So, without further ado, The Bubs:

We be jammin'...

This FOBTY challenge is rather timely for me. For my 35th (did I just admit that?) birthday this past Monday, my wonderful husband bought me an iPhone, something I've been pining for for quite some time now. With that purchase, I can finally take my music with me! Seriously, I was the only person in the house who didn't own some form of MP3 player. Yes, even my six year old has one. Time for Mommy to come out of the dark ages, right?

Well, here's what's on my list:

Guy Sebastian (winner of season one Australian Idol): The Memphis Album (and a sampler EP)

Ryan Star: Last Train Home EP and Breathe single

Jimmy Needham: Not Without Love and Speak (full albums)

Greg Laswell: Three Flights From Alto Nido

Parachute: Losing Sleep

Julian Drive: My Coming Day

Jamie Cullum: Catching Tales

Ayo: Joyful

I'm still building the playlist right now, so that's where I'm at.

Road Warriors...

That's what we are right now. Well, sort of. Andrew's the warrior, D and I are just along for the ride. ;) Yesterday, we drove through Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, and part of Illinois. Friday we made it through South Carolina and part of Georgia. Today's the final leg of the trip--we'll be home tonight!

I managed to get one picture of Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, TN as we drove by. For a picture from my phone, I'm pretty happy with it, lol!

Now I have to go get in the car again. Just six or seven more hours until home!!

Cheesecake--food of the Gods?

I love cheesecake. Sweet, savory, fruity, chocolatey. I love cheesecake. My favorite? A nice big slice of classic New York Cheesecake. It's rich and decadent on its own, sweet and creamy and so dense that I can never finish the whole slice. Bonus! Leftovers! Add a spoon of cherries or strawberries on top, I'm in heaven. There is no better treat. These days, that cheesecake is a distant (as in 700+ miles away) dream. I haven't found cheesecake that good here in WI, but I haven't given up hope. Someone, somewhere has it. I will find it!!

The Name Game

You Like Names That Are Classic and Timeless

You prefer quality names that have stood the test of time. You don't like anything that's trendy today and outdated next year. Names are important to you, and naming someone should not be an social experiment. You are the type most likely to name someone after a family member. Some female names you might like: Andrea, Elizabeth, Hannah, Julia, Marie, Nicole, and Victoria Some male names you might like: Aaron, Benjamin, Christopher, Jonathan, Matthew, Thomas, and Zachary

What Kind of Names Do You Like?

Summertime...and the livin' is eeeeeeeeeeeeeasy...

You Should Spend Your Summer in the Mountains

You're quiet, introspective, and a great thinker. You need a summer vacation that gets you away from the crowds and the heat. So retreat to the mountains, where you can clear your head.

Where Should You Spend Your Summer?

Weather Today...

There's not too much to say about the weather in Madison. It's sunny, 75°, light breeze, a few little clouds. A lot of people tell me that I don't really get to experience a true summer here because of the cooler temperatures we have. I'm ok with that. I had enough "true summer" when I lived in New Jersey, Texas, and Florida, thankyouverymuch! I'll take our weather over "true summer" anyday!

Smoooooooooooooth....

You Are a Pineapple Smoothie

You are adventurous and brave. You aren't afraid of much. You are in love with new experiences. You are usually the first to try something. You get bored rather easily, and you need to be challenged in life. You are turbo charged. Most people find it impossible to keep up with you in any capacity.

What Flavor Smoothie Are You?

More like those 20s style suits...

You Are a One Piece Swimsuit

You are a bit conservative and traditional. And you are not at the beach to put your body on display! You are a low maintenance person. You like to look good, but you're not vain. Your taste tends to be sophisticated. You always opt for classy over trashy.

What Kind of Swimsuit Are You?

I'm a smarty pants...

Your Gift is Intellect

You are a big thinker, and you're always playing with new ideas. You are curious about the world. You enjoy learning and developing new theories. You enjoy researching, analyzing, and solving problems. Thinking hard feels good! You're the type of person who finds most mental tasks to be easy. You love to stretch your brain.

What's Your Gift?

Well, maybe a little...

You Are Bitter

You aren't bitter at the world, even though you have a strong personality. Instead, you are sophisticated and cultured. You appreciate acquired tastes. You are very powerful. You have the ability to change a room's energy. While some may find you disagreeable, your points of view are intelligent and interesting.

What Taste Are You?

Zoobie Zoobie Zoo

I'm quite partial to all things elephant. If the zoo I'm visiting has them, they're the first and last place I stop. Unfortunately for me, the free zoo in our town is missing an elephant barn. :( So sad, so so sad.

That said, for animals that I can see, I have to go with the "monkey" house.

My kind of spring?

You Are Baseball Games

You like old fashioned things. You're one of those people who values tradition. You enjoy a slow pace of life. You believe that life is all about enjoying every moment. You love the changing of the seasons, and you look forward to what each season brings. You are smart and a bit obsessive. You become very immersed in your interests.

What Part of Spring Are You?

I don't even like baseball, but I guess that the description is pretty spot on for me.

Not too surprised by this...

You Are Facebook

You are social, outgoing, and excited to connect to your friends. You are interested in your friends' lives, and you enjoy adding your opinion to the mix. While you enjoy sharing online, you don't want everyone to know your business. You value your privacy. Your life is an open book to those you know but not to strangers.

Are You Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter?

Simple, plain, delicious vanilla...

You Are Vanilla

You are a delightful, friendly person. You are optimistic about life and people. You are enthusiastic and energetic. You enjoy everything you do. You are cooperative and flexible. You get along with people from many walks of life. You're not a show off. Instead, you're more likely to help other people shine.

Are You Chocolate or Vanilla?

C is for Cookie

My favorite Girl Scout Cookie? Honestly, I can't decide.

Thin Mints are definitely a favorite. I love the mint chocolatey goodness, the crisp snap when I break the cookie, the cool minty flavor as it slides down my throat...but, I don't know. There are so many other good GS cookies!


There's always the Samoa. Caramel, coconut, chocolate. Three of my favorite things in one yummy place. Chewy and sweet, chocolatey and crunchy...it might well be perfection in a cookie...but still, I don't know...


The Tagalong...peanut butter, chocolate, cookie. Yum. Love it.

I don't know. I just don't. You cannot make me choose.

Well, that's a plus...

Tulips Say You're Very Positive

You are very popular and universally admired. You are often hopelessly in love, and you connect to other people easily. You are a naturally cheerful and upbeat person. You have an amazing smile. You have a fresh perspective on things. You have a different way of looking at the world.

What Do The Flowers You Pick Say About You?

Birthday Bliss

My best birthday memory? For the most part, my birthdays haven't been all that wonderful. I mean, it was a major bonus that I never had to attend school on my birthday since it's in August, but I'm not a huge fan of birthdays. If I have to pick a favorite birthday though, it would definitely be my 33rd birthday in 2007. I had both of my boys with me, which in and of itself is the best birthday gift for me, and I made plans with my good friends M & J and their boys, R & R (the boys are the same age as my D---so they're all 6 right now). So the whole crew, along with my mother, trekked over to Henry Vilas Zoo (Dude, it's free...if you're ever in Madison: GO!) to check out the animals and just hang out. We had a picnic at the park next to the zoo where the boys got to run and play for a long time and I got to just change and hang with my girls.

The festivities continued on when J & her R came over to my mom's hotel with us to swim in the pool. J, D, & R had a blast! We had dinner at my house, and a great cake from Cold Stone.

All in all, it was a great day. There was no real birthday "pressure," just fun. I'd love to repeat that every year.

Oh, one other cool birthday thing for me: my MIL believes that you should celebrate your birthday for an entire month. She sends me little things for each day of the month. It's too much fun!!

Will I?

You Will Keep Your New Year's Resolution

You planning on making a resolution that's smart, attainable, and perfect for where your life is.

Will You Keep Your New Year's Resolution?

Well, I'm not sure how accurate that is since I don't actually make resolutions, but it was fun!

I'm it! Thanks Jennifer! ;)

Ok, I'll confess. This isn't the 6th picture from the 6th file. I don't have a 6th file yet since I'm using a new computer. So, this picture of JP attempting to shovel the walk for me on 12/22/08 is technically the 7th picture from the 5th file that's inside the 1st file. Clear as mud, right?

So as I said, JP made a valiant effort to help me out by shoveling our walkway so that the UPS guy could get to the door. Unfortunately for both of us, the shovel was too big for JP's 4'3½" body to handle, so I had to go out and do the shoveling.

It was pointless in the long run since my package (a new 50mm 1.4 lens for my camera) was delayed due to weather in another state.

Thanks Jennifer! That was fun!

Cupcakes? Eeeeeeeeeeeew!

My favorite cupcake would be made completely of buttercream frosting. Yes, that's right, frosting only. Whether it's sliced from a larger cake or in a small cupcake paper, I do not eat cake. I can't recall a time in my life when I actually enjoyed cake or cupcakes. So, hand me the frosting and it'll be ok!

Shopping? Eh, only if it's on the cheap...

You Are a Discount Shopper

You love to get things as cheaply as possible. You live for sales. It's partially because you like to save money, but it's also because you like the thrill of finding a fabulous deal. Of all the types, you tend to shop frequently but rarely by. You keep an eye on prices. Brand names are not that important to you. You know how to have style without collecting designer tags.

What Kind of Shopper Are You?

SSD FOBTY: Snow Test...

Your Snow Test Says You're Independent

You feel like something good will happen to you in the next few weeks. You love to work, especially when work is creative. You have the makings of a successful artist. You are an independent, individualistic person. You thrive when you're doing your own thing. Your biggest worry in your life is your own safety. You fear death and getting hurt. When it comes time to relax, you really indulge. You are all about your favorite comforts.

The Snow Test

Resolutions?

Maybe I'm a major spoilsport, but I truly don't believe that making resolutions for the new year do anything for me. Several years ago, when J was still a baby, I promised to not make any more resolutions. I'd never kept one, and doubted that I ever would. I've saved lots of time and worry by not making resolutions.

Goals though, I have goals. My biggest goal for my life, not just this year, is to get to a healthy weight again. My 35th birthday is coming up in August, and I hoping that I can reach a goal of at least 50# lost by then. It's definitely doable, I just need to figure out my best approach to it.

I have more goals. Weight loss is just the most pressing goal that I have at this time.