Only in California! {Wordful Wednesday}

From reading others' blogs and from some of the comments I've gotten, I'm starting to realize that Californians might be really different from the rest of the United States.

For example, maybe only those in California would:

• worry about waste from balloons
• be approached by nannies in the park asking "Are both those kids yours? Do you need help?"
• serve edamame (soybeans) for dinner
• see "stars" in the daytime but not at night (because of light pollution)
• be served caviar with creme fraiche on a bellini for a preschool snack (in all fairness, our kids were learning about Russia that day)
  
• keep a compost pail on the kitchen counter
• pay $800K+ for 1,000 square feet house
• give their kids waste-free lunches (with Sigg bottles, snack sacks, bento boxes, reusable cutlery, etc.)
• find their kids playing "I found a parking space!" (Yes, Jack actually shouted this with glee when he found a "spot" in the backyard for one of his vehicles. It won't surprise me when the boys start playing "valet.")
• eat dry seaweed as a snack
• let their sons wear blue toe-nail polish
  

For more Wordful Wednesday posts, visit 7 Clown Circus.

100 Things About Me - Installment #2

I enjoy reading bloggers' 100-things-about-me posts. However, by the 32nd thing I usually have forgotten who's blog I'm reading. (Who am I kidding? By #11 I've forgotten!)
I thought it might be fun to try and write one but in the interest of anybody-who-might-actually-read-its sanity I was thoughtful enough to break up the list. In 10 easy installments you can learn everything you ever wanted to know, didn't want to know and could careless about regarding me.

I think it's customary to do this list as your 100th post. My 10th and last installment will be my 100th post (if I can remember).

Here is the second installment (#11-#20):
11. I cry when I hear patriotic music.

12. I wish Gilmore Girls never went off air.

13. I wear t-shirts...

14. And capri pants everyday.

15. I've never giggled as hard as when I zorbed in New Zealand.

16. I think Matchbox cars are one of the best inventions of the 20th century.

17. I've been skydiving.

18. I am a vegetarian...

19. And have been since I was 8 years old.

20. Chili's makes the best veggie burgers, in my opinion.

If you are interesting in reading more:
Installment #1

100 Things About Me - Installment #1

I enjoy reading bloggers' 100-things-about-me posts. However, by the 32nd thing I usually have forgotten who's blog I'm reading. (Who am I kidding? By #11 I've forgotten!)
I thought it might be fun to try and write one but in the interest of anybody-who-might-actually-read-its sanity I was thoughtful enough to break up the list. In 10 easy installments you can learn everything you ever wanted to know, didn't want to know and could careless about regarding me.

I think it's customary to do this list as your 100th post. My 10th and last installment will be my 100th post (if I can remember).

1. I have ridiculously small feet. In length my feet are a children's size 2 1/2. Honestly, its a miracle I don't fall over.

2. I have ridiculously wide feet.

3. Which is why I ALWAYS wear flip-flops.

4. So it's a good thing I live in sunny Southern California.

5. I hate bats.

6. I secretly love my Honda Odyssey minivan.

7. I not so secretly love my husband.

8. I have to sleep in a bra. (TMI?)

9. I secretly play with my boys' Legos.

10. I've swum with sharks in Belize.

100 Things About Me

In honor of my 100th post, I put together a list of 100, mostly quirky, things about me. In it's original form, it was 10 installments. The final installment was my 100th post, published on April 9, 2009. Here, I have recompiled the list and sorted it into a couple of different categories.

Here you can learn everything you ever wanted to know, didn't want to know and could careless about regarding me.


Regarding my feet:
1. I have ridiculously small feet. In length my feet are a children's size 2 1/2. Honestly, its a miracle I don't fall over.
2. I have ridiculously wide feet.
3. Which is why I ALWAYS wear flip-flops.
4. So it's a good thing I live in sunny Southern California.
75. One of my toes doesn't touch the ground so I only leave a four-toe footprint.


Regarding my mind and the rest of my body:
29. I have a congenital heart defect.
38. I am directionally challenged.
54. I had laser eye surgery several years ago...
55. And can't imagine my life without it.
60. I have a horrible memory.
65. I have asthma.
71. I am a world class procrastinator.
76. I wish I liked to exercise.
78. I inherited my blue eyes from both my grandmothers.
85. I'm all about efficiency (cost efficiency, time efficiency, etc.).


Regarding my husband, Scott:
7. I not so secretly love my husband.
77. I am so thankful that my family eats dinner together every night.
91. My husband and I were best friends...
92. And then roommates...
93. Before we were ever a couple.


Regarding Jack and Logan:
9. I secretly play with my boys' Legos.
16. I think Matchbox cars are one of the best inventions of the 20th century.
21. Nothing makes me happier than my two boys being sweet to each other.
37. I love the smell of sunscreen on the warm shoulders of my nearly-nekked babies.
44. The piece of furniture that I've racked up the most hours in is probably the huge wingback leather rocking chair in my boys' room.
52. I was in labor for 65 hours with Jack.
53. Luckily, Logan's labor was much shorter.
58. I wish I had more time (and more agreeable subjects) to study photography.
61. The only lullaby I sing the boys is Slumber Boat.
81. My sons are 15 months apart to the day.
87. I taught both my boys some sign language when they were little. I still use the sign for "potty" when I don't want to embarrass them (or myself).
90. I "wore" both my boys when they were babies (and I still wear Logan sometimes when he's sick). I plan on being cremated with my sling.


Regarding travel:
10. I've swum with sharks in Belize.
15. I've never giggled as hard as when I zorbed in New Zealand.
25. I thought I lost my eyesight while snorkling in the Cook Islands. (Read the story here.)
40. I've been taken OUT of a Vietnamese hospital by ambulance. (Read the story here.)
45. I love to travel to exotic places because...
46. I love to soak up different sounds, tastes, smells, customs, art.
50. I've slept under the stars on the sands of the Sahara.
51. I have petted a rhino on the Kenyan savanna.
59. I totaled a moped on the island of Naxos and luckily walked away without any major injuries.
66. I lived in Salzburg, Austria for several months.
72. I have hiked the world's most beautiful trek, the Milford Track; 35 miles in New Zealand.
83. In Guatemala, I've climbed Temple IV and the Pyramid of the Lost World at the Tikal ruins.
95. I have chewed on cinnamon bark straight from a tree in Zanzibar.


Regarding sleep:
8. I have to sleep in a bra. (TMI?)
22. I love my bed.
23. I love to sleep.
24. I love pajamas. (Are you sensing a theme?)
30. My husband and I sleep European style (no flat sheet or blanket, just a fitted sheet and a duvet). (TMI?)


Regarding animals:
5. I hate bats.
31. We have a cute mutt named Marley...
32. Whom I wish didn't drive me so insane.
88. I'm not afraid of snakes, spiders or sharks.
89. But I'm terrified of bats because one flew into my hair in the Philippines when I was little.


Regarding books, music, movies and TV:
11. I cry when I hear patriotic music.
12. I wish Gilmore Girls never went off air.
39. Oh, The Places You'll Go is my favorite book.
42. The Goonies might just be my favorite movie of all time.
43. I love to read books.
70. I watch TV every night to unwind.


Regarding food:
18. I am a vegetarian...
19. And have been since I was 8 years old.
20. Chili's makes the best veggie burgers, in my opinion.
26. Coke Zero is my drink of choice.
28. Kiwi makes my lips and tongue go numb.
36. I love potatoes.
56. I don't like the taste of coffee...
57. Or beer.
79. I love, love, love Mexican food.
84. I scream for ice cream.
86. I could eat air-popped popcorn for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
94. I have to have something sweet to eat in the evening.


Regarding my previous life:
33. In a previous life, I worked in advertising.
67. I was a practicing Buddhist for a year...
68. But in typical fashion, I rarely stick with anything.
82. When I was young, I wanted to be a Navy Blue Angel when I grew up.
96. In a previous life, I used to go the movies a lot.
97. I was born in California...
98. And though I grew up living in various places...
99. I always considered myself a California girl.


Regarding everything else:
6. I secretly love my Honda Odyssey minivan.
13. I wear t-shirts...
14. And capri pants everyday.
17. I've been skydiving.
27. My parents are my greatest role models.
34. I had a younger brother...
35. Who I miss very much.
41. I can't stand cleaning my kitchen. If I never saw it again, I'd be perfectly happy.
47. I rarely wear makeup because I usually forget.
48. I never wear perfume because I always forget.
49. I've been know to crochet but can only do blankets and scarves.
62. I hate to admit that I'm not a very good friend.
63. Being a military brat, I prided myself on being able to make friends easily as a kid.
64. But I'm not very good at maintaining the relationships that I form.
69. If I do say so myself, I'm a great party-planner.
73. I'm very organized but...
74. My house is messy.
80. Though she isn't born yet (or even conceived), I think of our daughter everyday.
100. I can't believe that I stuck with blogging long enough to make it to my 100th post.


These were the original 10 installments:
Installment #1
Installment #2
Installment #3
Installment #4
Follow-up to questions from #3 and #4
Installment #5
Installment #6
Installment #7
Installment #8
Installment #9
Installment #10

Rock star demands

My boys love music and will often perform for us. Very often their rock concerts are followed by their shouting "Thank you! Thank you very much!" before they throw their guitars into the audience. Scott was wondering what their performance contracts would look like once they become famous rock stars...you know, all the divaish stuff they would demand at each concert.

Jack's demands:

• cold drinks to be served in cup cozies so his hands don't get too cold
  
• lollipops in every size and flavor possible. He'd also like an "assistant" to hold them for him as he doesn't like his hands to get sticky
  
• red Gatorade
  
• blue only plates, bowls and cups
• another "assistant" to hold and comfort Nutmeg (the stuffed cat) who might be sad while Jack is on stage performing

Logan's demands:

• 1 large bag of clementines with two bowls (1 for the rinds and 1 for the sectioned pieces ready to eat)
  
• Herbie Fully Loaded cued up on the portable DVD player to the final race scene
• an "assistant" to build him forts and small spaces that he can squeeze into to calm himself before the big show (the smaller the space, the better!)
• hot chocolate in a sippy cup
• another "assistant" to hand feed him his meals so that he doesn't have to be confined to sitting at a table but can wander around to "create"

How about your kids? What would they insist in their performance contract?

So many lists, so little time...

By reading my blog you'd never know that I majored in Professional Non-Fiction Writing in college. (Yes, that was a real major at my university.) I'm an editor by nature. Give me something already written and I can make it better. But if, I have to start from scratch...forget about it. The only thing I'm proficient at are lists. I love to write lists. I make lists for:

• grocery stores, Costco and Target which I organize by the items' location in the store
• places to travel to someday
• to-do items which I divide into three categories: errands, small things to accomplish at home like phone calls and emails, and larger home projects like organizing the pantry
  
• things around the house to donate
• possible blog posts
  

And, of course, I couldn't resist putting my lists in a list!

3 Me Mornings!

Logan is starting school after winter break. He'll be going to the same preschool as Jack and in fact, will be in the same classroom as there is only one. Since the school is a co-op, I'll now be required to work there at least two days a week (since I'll have two kids attending). But what all this really means is:
I'LL HAVE THREE MORNINGS A WEEK ALONE!

Here is my to-do list for my three mornings a week:

• Catch up on all the sleep I've been deprived for the past 3 3/4 years
• Become fluent in Mandarin
  
• Get in shape
• Shop for new clothes (preferably after I get in shape)
• Get my wedding dress cleaned and preserved (as it's been hanging dirty in my closet for 5 1/2 years)
  
• Waste time surfing the web
  
• Take advantage of all the farmer's markets that my city has to offer
• Go to the bathroom without anyone else in the room with me
• Read a good book
• Buy new makeup (something I haven't done for at least 2 years...yuck!)
• Clean and organize all the catch-all drawers and cabinets around the house (of which there are about 147)
• Get a haircut
  
• Drink tea at a sidewalk cafe while soaking up the sun
  

In reality, I'll:

• Buy groceries and put them away
  
• Do several loads of laundry
• Get a haircut (well, it has been 9 months or more)
  
• Run random boring errands
  
• Clean the kitchen
  
• Miss my boys terribly and count the minutes until I can pick them up from school
  

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad

• listening to my husband play the guitar (quietly)
• carved hair sticks
• Candy Cane Joe-Joes
• hearing my boys giggle
• the prospect of travel to exotic lands
• hearing Logan call me his "bef fiend" as he throws his little arms around my neck
• The Sound of Music
• getting a squeeze and kiss from Jack for no reason
• a good book
• the one hour every weekday that I spend talking with other moms after my boys' school
• Numi Dry Desert Lime Teasan
• my bed
  

*Some words blatantly plagiarized by Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Dear Santa,

I realize that I'm writing this letter kind of late. I'm really sorry to be making last minute requests but I'm a procrastinator by nature. And I've been busy. Really busy. I know, it's no excuse...everyone is busy this time of year. But I've been really good...I promise. Well, I guess it depends who you ask. (Don't bother asking my kids...they never have anything nice to say about me.)

Anyway, all I want for Christmas is:

• gift receipts for any gifts I or the boys get. But not for your gifts, of course. We always love what you get us.

• for Logan's horrendous diaper rash to go away. Of course, it might have a small something to do with all the clementines he keeps eating and eating and eating. But he loves them...so maybe if you could just take the acid out of our clementines that would be best.

• a longer night. And wouldn't that help you out too? You've got so much to do on Christmas Eve that if you could just make the night a bit longer I'd get to sleep more and you've have more time to visit all the houses around the world.

• for the boys to not get out of bed in the middle of the night especially if you've been so gracious as to make the night longer.

• for Jack to quit patting me on the belly trying to get my attention when I'm talking to other grownups. The last thing I need is for the thickest area of my body it be thumped and jiggled in front of other adults.

• the biggest box of Oxyclean you've got.
  

Sincerely,

Things I should be doing instead of writing this post:

-Vacuuming sand out of my bed

-Starting to make dinner

-Updating our monthly photo blog (which I am sorely behind on)

-Rewriting my first post because I'm unhappy with it

-Catching up on sleep (hard to do with the sand in my bed and the fact that I should be feeding my family dinner soon)

-Mending Jack's pajama bottoms (several of which have developed a hole in the crotch?!?!?!)

-Writing down the to-do list swirling around my head before I forget something else