PractiGal

You Asked / I Answer -- Part III

Momma K asked: What was the worst thing you ever did as a teenager? Details please :)
(By the way, happy 1-year bloggiversary, MommaK!)

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Well, well, well...

Did you know I was a goody-two-shoes, MommaK?  You know those "One time at band camp" jokes? Yeah, that was me. No, I never went to a camp, but I did all that musical stuff: competitions, summer music theater, all-county band, etc. I was pretty nerdy as a teenager. So my "worst thing" might not be anything to some people. It's all relative, of course.

There was skipping school (usually just study hall) -- sitting on the bleachers. We had a crazy English teacher who'd write passes for anyone at any time. It was nuts. She'd even hand them out to kids she didn't know. I think she was on something and was eventually fired.  So, there was that,...

But the incident I'll tell you about was The Party.

In 10th grade I went to high school, where I met my friend SLM, who is still one of my best friends 25 years later. Anyway, SLM's parents were going to be out of town on a weekend night, so she and her older sister were going to have the house to themselves. We planned a party to coincide with the parent-free house. I told my parents that it was a sleepover and didn't tell them that the parents wouldn't be there. And of course I didn't tell them that we were planning a party.

My friend's sister bought some beer for us, and we had invited people over. I had about one and a half beers over the course of the party, but by the end of the evening I was pretty stinky since one of my friends had poured beer on my head. Old Milwaukee. Ick.

Of course there were kids who came to the party who had too much to drink. Later in the evening people's parents started showing up to take home those who weren't staying overnight. One kid hitched a ride with someones parents and got sick in the car on the way home. That parent called the parents of the others who were at the party, including mine.

My younger sister was at home, and at midnight when my parents went in to tell her that they were going to get me, and that there was drinking going on, my sister replied with a concerned "Ohhhh." And she thought to herself, "yeah, I know they've been planning this for weeks!" As soon as they left the house, my sister got on the phone and called to warn us that the parents were coming. We scrambled to pick up and hide things, but the place was a mess. Someone else had gotten sick at the house. Crazy kids!

I was fine but faced a grilling when I got home. When asked if I had anything to drink, I lied and said no. My mother said that she could smell it on me. Crap. I had had beer poured on my head, and of course I smelled! So, I admitted that I had had some beer.

From then on, everything I did was thoroughly screened. And I didn't even ask to do things that I knew my parents would question.

I just waited til I got to college to go wild.

Winners in the Blog Olympics!

Congratulations to Blogging Olympians Running2Ks and Uisce! They tied for 1st place in the first Blog Olympics, hosted by Barbara at Trying to Catch Up.

This competition revealed that both winners are bloggers extraordinaire. From the amount of posting they do, to the number of comments they receive, to the amount of linky love they share, Running2Ks and Uisce rock.

Be sure to check out their sites: Running2Ks at True Blue Semi-Crunchy Mama and Uisce at Whiskey Talking.

And a big THANK YOU to Barbara for organizing the events! Stay tuned to Trying to Catch Up for news on future Blog Olympics.

No underwater cameras allowed!

The ironic part of taking a water aerobics class as part of your fitness program is that you must wear a bathing suit. Here you are, trying to lose pounds and inches, so that you'll look better in, say, a BATHING SUIT!

My class started the other night -- I've taken it several times, but haven't signed up since last spring. I got myself a new suit, which I really like, even though I was bummed that I had to buy size Humongous. Oh well, it's just me and a bunch of senior citizen ladies for the most part. They seem pretty relaxed. I doubt they're really critiquing anyone else's body in the pool. It's kind of nice to escape to a little oasis where no one cares what you look like -- they're all there to exercise and have fun, like me.

At the first class, we splashed, laughed, ran in the pool, did exercises with our pool noodles, splashed and laughed some more. A great time, 'til...

The instructor announces that at some point in our class session we may have a visitor stopping by. A photographer may snap some shots for the continuing ed catalog to promote the class.

To which the universal response was "AAAAAAACK!"

If the photographer does show up, I'll be the one hiding out in the locker room!

In-vest-ment

A while back, I loaded my car with several bags of clothes and shoes and donated them to a charity. Today, I looked squarely at some of the items that survived the purge and thought maybe they should go, too.

With massive progress on our plumbing project -- we now have new drain pipes from the 2nd floor sink and tub to the basement -- my husband is at the stage where he needs to get to an access panel to install a new pipe to vent the bathtub drain pipe. The access panel is in the very back of my bedroom closet.

So I emptied my closet today and had another look at the clothing I chose to keep.

In particular, my vest collection.

They're from the 80s and 90s. I loved my vests. Truth is, I haven't worn them in quite some time. I don't know if they'll ever be fashionable again, or that they ever were fashionable in the first place!

So tell me. Do you think these will ever be in style again? You can give it to be straight. I can take it. (Click photo to admire the vests in all their glory.)

You Asked / I Answer -- Part II

Last week, Running2Ks asked: Why do you blog?

and Bluegrass Mama asked: What's your favorite thing about blogging?  Your least favorite (other than blogger's block)?

Why do I blog? There are a number of things I get out of blogging. I enjoy the sense of community, the connection with others. I enjoy having an outlet for whatever I feel like sharing, whether its "creative" writing, journaling about my son, or just writing about every day stuff.

When I returned to work after having my son, I arranged to work part-time, and out of my home. The upside is that I get to spend lots of time with my little boy. The downside is that I'm not physically in a social environment every day. I am a social person, and while I still do things with friends and go in to the office at least once a week, I don't see friends as often as I used to. I think that blogging helps to fill that void somewhat.

I enjoy getting to know new people and I've made lots of new friends through blogging. As a kid, I had pen-pals who lived all over the world; I always enjoyed writing letters and getting acquainted with new people.

Blogging can be a great source of support too. I don't personally know a lot of "older" people with toddlers in real life, but I've met some through blogging; it's nice to know others who are going through similar stages -- joys and struggles -- in life. I also enjoy reading about people with interests and lives that are different from my own.  I'd say that my favorite thing about blogging is that it keeps me feeling connected to the world outside my home and family.

My least favorite thing, other than blogger's block? Hmm. I don't think I've had any bad experiences through blogging (knock on wood). But I guess my least favorite thing is that when I'm blogging I can't multi-task. It's not like folding laundry, where you can fold and watch a movie at the same time. So, in that sense it can be time-consuming. But when I'm super busy, I just don't post much, so that hasn't been a problem.

More answers to your wonderful questions as I get around to it! Some of your questions are really making me scratch my head and think!!

Did you ever wonder?

Is nothing sacred?

I just heard about this on the radio. Healthy options. From the Wonder bread people.

I was raised on Wonder bread. As a young child, my lunch consisted of grape jelly on Wonder bread, with a little bag of Fritos. And now they're introducing a nutritious line of Wonder bread? Since when is Wonder bread supposed to be nutritious?!

And no, I don't still eat Wonder bread. I eat healthy food now.

But isn't there a law or something to protect Wonder bread? Isn't it supposed to stick to the roof of your mouth and be pasty white?

Tot Tale

It's been pretty hectic around here with our massive plumbing project well underway. My husband is doing an amazing job installing the new pipes, cutting all the holes, making new supports, etc.

Since hubby's been tied up with the plumbing project for a few days straight, my little guy and I have been pretty much glued together during his waking hours. We've been to the library where we've played with the Thomas trains, we've strolled our sidewalk on some unusally "balmy" January days, and we've even gone out to lunch (to escape the noise and falling debris in the kitchen).

Speaking of being glued together, we were almost literally glued together this morning -- at least that's how it felt. I altered my work schedule so that I could take my little guy to a toddler playtime sponsored by our town. He's never been to a big indoor "play area" with lots of other kids, and he's ready for some fun and play with other kids his age. Not many kids are out on our street now that it's winter, so I wanted him to have a chance to run, climb, and play.

There were about 12-15 preschoolers there, along with moms and grandmas. The instant we walked into the room my son clung to me. "Hug! Hug!" He wanted to be held, and he wanted his face buried in my neck. This was fine for the first few minutes.

But then my neck started to sweat. His arms, covered by a fleece sweatshirt, were gripping my neck so tightly that I was actually perspiring. After 20 minutes of this, I finally convinced him to sit on my lap. After just a few minutes of this, he got down and started to explore.

Phew. I was so relieved! and proud!

He spent a good half hour running, sliding, climbing, and crawling through tunnels.

The fact that kids can get past their shyness and fears and charge ahead is really amazing. I'm proud of my brave little guy!

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On a completely different note... thanks for the questions, everyone!  Now to find some time to answer them! I have them in the back of my mind and will be chipping away at my replies as I can...

Blog Olympics

Stretching and warming up for the Blog Olympics, set to begin this evening... Anyone else competing?

Go see Barbara if you want to join in!

You Asked / I Answer -- Part I

InterstellarLass asked: What's your most embarassing moment ever?

Well, well, well. I think my most embarassing moment ever must have been when I was a child, but I guess I've blocked it out! I can only recall the embarassments in recent years, so I'll tell you about one of those.

When I was pregnant, I had the usual hormone-related experiences: crying over anything, being hot all the time, wanting egg salad or roasted chicken. I had another experience that I believe was related to the hormones, and it related to, um, waste elimination.

Just so you know, this post may well be TMI for some readers. I won't be offended if you stop reading here. TMI Alert!

There, you've been warned. Proceed at your own risk.

As I've mentioned, we live in an old house. Our main bathroom has an antique-ish toilet. It's not one of the power flushers they sell today. We've talked about replacing it with a more modern toilet, but we like the elegance of the old-fashioned toilet.

During my pregnancy, there were several occasions when I had to ask for my husband's help, because a simple flush of our elegant tank was not clearing the bowl. The bowl clogged. Repeatedly. As I said, maybe something related to the hormones caused me to "process" things differently. My husband is a good sport, though, and while he always teased me about this problem, he always managed to get the bowl cleared for its next use.

This was fine and dandy as long as we were home, or somewhere where there was a super-duper flusher available.

As I approached my due date, we weren't doing much cooking at home. Our kitchen was under construction, so we did a lot of Healthy Choice frozen meals, we'd get take-out, or we'd go out to eat.

One night, we headed out to a little Italian restaurant/pizzeria near us. We began eating, and the inevitable happened. I needed to use the restroom. For the 27th time that day. Only this time, I had serious business to take care of. The ladies room was a large, comfy one-seater. I had privacy. I took care of business, and flushed.

And ohhhhh noooooo!

Yes, I nearly flooded the toilet.

I panicked.

I washed up and returned to the table, not sure what to do. I knew I had to tell an employee, because the bathroom was a one-seater. Someone would need that toilet soon.

I told my husband what had happened, and I'm pretty sure at that moment his chest swelled with pride. Yes, I was his wife. The woman who plugged the only ladies room toilet was his wife. The mother of his child. A proud moment, to be sure.

I approached the woman who had waited on us, to let her know that the toilet wouldn't flush. Of course that was the understatement of the year, but they'd figure that out when they got there. I needed to get out of there. Fast. The question was, could we finish our dinner before they saw what I did, and then come out and associate it with me.

Mortified. That's what I was. Mor-ti-fied.

The woman sent one of the teenaged workers in to check out the toilet. The kid was in and out quickly to report back to the boss. Oh . My . Gosh. Must . Leave . Now.

We scooted out, and I remained mortified for a long time after that. In fact, that was 2 years ago, and I haven't set foot in the place since that incident.

I could go back now though. What are the chances I'd walk in and they'd say, "Hey, aren't you the lady..."

On second thought, I guess I don't need their pizza that badly.

Update

It's been crazy busy at this house today with the big plumbing project. I see that my famous last words were

This will be one of those projects that's worked on a little bit here, and a little bit there, and it's going to be a while. Shouldn't be too bad; the only real pain is emptying the bucket under the sink. And keeping a curious toddler away from it.

Let's just say that these projects have a way of taking on lives of their own. We've been wanting a new vanity and medicine cabinet in the bathroom anyway!

And keeping the curious toddler away from the activity is keeping me plenty busy.With all the power tools going, he has learned word "noise."

I hope to have a real post up this weekend! I hope everyone has a great one.