Lost (in a Book)

Today's question is a classic: If you were to be stranded forever on a desert island and could have only one book to read, which would you want?

I realize this may sound like a pat answer (not to mention holier-than-thou) but I really would want the Bible with me. From a reader's perspective, it contains so many genres of literature, including history, poetry, and memoirs, which would be useful since I would get bored reading the same type of thing over and over again. And it would provide comfort during lonely times. I imagine I would probably read the book of Revelation keeping in mind that its author wrote it while he was in exile on an island. His description of the "new heaven and the new earth" reflects how he felt about his circumstances; he points out that "there shall be no more sea."

Enough about me and John the Revelator; what book would you want?

I'm Still Here...

I just haven't been posting because this week has been busy. I'm volunteering at Miss Pink's school three days this week--today was the book fair, which I enjoyed because I love books. The kids are so cute. We had a kindergarten class and a second-grade class come in while I was there. The kindergarteners needed help writing down items on their "wish list" which they could take home to their parents. Almost all of them had at least 7 or 8 things, some lists totaling up to $30.00 or more. (Some of these were massive hardbacks or educational computer games--things that cost more.) Their poor parents! I give Miss Pink $10.00 and if she wants to buy anything else she has to use her allowance money. I'd love to buy every book in the place, but since I can't, she might as well get used to picking what she really wants. There's always the library!

And the second graders! They brought their money and boy, were they ready to SPEND. If they had any money left over, they spent it on pens and pencils and other small items until their money was gone. One girl kept asking if we had anything for 15 cents. Um, no. Her teacher said she'd already told them they didn't HAVE to spend all their money. But that wasn't the way they saw it.

I volunteered on Tuesday in a classroom and will go again tomorrow. Having been a teacher, I've been assigned to help give some extra reading skills practice to kids in this class. The teacher picks out two or three kids every week for me to work with. It's a nice little break for them to do something outside of class and I just enjoy hanging out with them (they're in third grade.) This week I'm going twice because their big statewide test, the dreaded TAKS, is next week, and they're reviewing for it. Yesterday they were in small groups, playing games that reviewed a particular skill. I hope they do well. The school as a whole has gotten an Exemplary rating for the past few years, and not because they "teach to the test" all year. The teachers are just really good, imo. I'm so happy Miss P is there. She's learning to write dialogue properly punctuated with commas and quotation marks!

The little bit of tutoring I've been doing makes me realize that I'd like to go back to working part-time doing that. I'm going to check into it for next year. Probably not at Miss P's school--they probably don't need that much extra help, but the district does hire part-time tutors and the pay is much better than subbing.

Only two more days left until the weekend (unless you count the rest of today, and I don't think we should!)

My Second Baby

Since it's Mr. Blue's third birthday today, I thought I'd post the same meme for him.

1. WAS YOUR SECOND PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Yes.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
Yes.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Happiness!

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
No.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
30.

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
A home pregnancy test.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
My husband.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
Yes—unlike with our first. I would have waited, but Miss Pink was already saying she wanted a sister and I wanted her to have several months to get used to it if she was having a brother instead. It was almost as exciting to see the ultrasound as it was to wait until the baby was born—but not quite!

9. DUE DATE?
You know, I don’t remember.

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
No.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
Nothing in particular.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
Nothing that I can remember.

13. WHAT WAS YOUR CHILD’S SEX?
Male.

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
No. I was happy with a boy (but for the record, I would have been happy with a second girl.)

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN?
About 28.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Yes, given by my friends.

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
I knew.

18.DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
No, thank goodness.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Harris Southwest Methodist Hospital in Ft. Worth, TX. (It’s a different location than the hospital I had Miss Pink in. The rooms are much bigger, which was nice when we had visitors.)

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
Well, I started having mild labor pains three days earlier. But the real labor lasted eleven hours. It started during American Idol, and I waited until the show was over to go to the hospital. Not because I cared about the show so much, but because I wanted to make sure I was really in labor so that I wouldn't be sent home as I had been several days earlier. I have the sheet of paper we were writing the contraction times on.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
Justin. His mom was staying with us, so she stayed home with Miss Pink.

23. WAS IT VAGINAL OR C-SECTION?
Vaginal.

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
Uh-huh.

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
Eight pounds, fourteen ounces. (Did I mention I’m 5’2” and small-boned? Thank GOD for epidurals!)

26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN?
February 23, 2006.

27. WHAT DID YOU NAME YOUR CHILD?
I’m not going to tell you since this is the Internet—you know him as Mr. Blue.

28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST-BORN TODAY?
3.

Happy birthday, Mr. Blue! You'll always be my baby boy.

That's chocolate on his mouth!

My First Baby

Here is a baby meme I've seen around and decided to share with you.

1. WAS YOUR FIRST PREGNANCY PLANNED?
Very much so.

2. WERE YOU MARRIED AT THE TIME?
Yes.

3. WHAT WERE YOUR REACTIONS?
Excitement, joy, and a little bit of fear.

4. WAS ABORTION AN OPTION FOR YOU?
No.

5. HOW OLD WERE YOU?
27.

6. HOW DID YOU FIND OUT YOU WERE PREGNANT?
A home pregnancy test.

7. WHO DID YOU TELL FIRST?
My husband. He was waiting for the results of the test with me.

8. DID YOU WANT TO FIND OUT THE SEX?
No, and we held out despite my mom's desire to know so she could shop for the baby.

9. DUE DATE?
December 14, 2002. (I had to look this up.)

10. DID YOU HAVE MORNING SICKNESS?
No. I have always wondered what I did to get so lucky.

11. WHAT DID YOU CRAVE?
My second trimester was during the summer, so I ate a lot of snow cones. Other than that, I just ate anything that sounded good.

12. WHO/WHAT IRRITATED YOU THE MOST?
I wasn’t irritable when I was pregnant. (Really! You can ask my husband!)

13. WHAT WAS YOUR CHILD’S SEX?
Female.

14. DID YOU WISH YOU HAD THE OPPOSITE SEX OF WHAT YOU WERE GETTING?
No—I secretly wanted a girl. Because of the clothes (see #8).

15. HOW MANY POUNDS DID YOU GAIN?
I think it was 27.

16. DID YOU HAVE A BABY SHOWER?
Yes, given by the church. (They do that for all first babies.)

17. WAS IT A SURPRISE OR DID YOU KNOW?
I knew. It was actually after the birth because people wanted to know the sex before buying gifts.

18.DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPLICATIONS DURING YOUR PREGNANCY?
No, thank goodness.

19. WHERE DID YOU GIVE BIRTH?
Harris Methodist Hospital in Ft. Worth, TX

20. HOW MANY HOURS WERE YOU IN LABOR?
Around 12—from 2 a.m. to 2:01 p.m.

21. WHO DROVE YOU TO THE HOSPITAL?
Justin. We stopped at the bank to get some money out of the ATM on the way. Because it was SO IMPORTANT that he have money so he could feed himself while I was in labor. (What was up with that?)

23. WAS IT VAGINAL OR C-SECTION?
Vaginal.

24. DID YOU TAKE MEDICINE TO EASE THE PAIN?
You bet! My doctor said, “You can have the epidural now,” as I was starting to get pretty tired from the pain and wondering how much longer I could do this without freaking out. A few minutes after I had the epidural, I was a happy woman.

25. HOW MUCH DID YOUR CHILD WEIGH?
Seven pounds, eleven ounces.

26. WHEN WAS YOUR CHILD ACTUALLY BORN?
December 11, 2002.

27. WHAT DID YOU NAME YOUR CHILD?
I’m not going to tell you since this is the Internet—you know her as Miss Pink.

28. HOW OLD IS YOUR FIRST-BORN TODAY?
6.

Designed for You

Today I'm going to cop out on what was supposed to be the next question in my book called If, which is where I get these questions, in case you thought I was being clever enough to think them up. I promised myself I wouldn't skip them just because I didn't want to answer them. But what if I have a lame answer?

The question is: If you were to have your entire wardrobe designed for you by a single clothing designer for the rest of your life, who would you select?

Eh. I don't know. I do like clothes, but I am not into high fashion at all. Not to mention the clothes that look great on models who weigh the same as I do yet are a foot taller than I am wouldn't look good on me. So I really have no idea. My feeling is to say "whoever designs for Banana Republic," but I hear designer clothes are supposedly so amazing--I wouldn't want to miss out on having a custom-made wardrobe. Tell you what: if it ever happens, I'll let you know who I pick.

All you fashionistas out there: which designer would give you the best bang for your (imaginary) buck?

Jobs I Would Not Be Good At

I have a quirky mental habit of coming up with jobs I could do to support myself if I had to. Of course anything that requires specialized training, like being a doctor or a pilot, is out. Here are some other careers I should never pursue.

• Animal trainer. I don't have any experience with animals. Unless you count my children.
  

• Pizza delivery person, or UPS driver, or any other job that requires driving to locations I've never been before. Also, I have a little problem with scraping stationary objects with my car.

• Exercise class instructor. I'd be like, "Let's do five reps. Okay, now let's just lie here and rest for five minutes...maybe take a little nap."

• Door-to-door salesperson or telemarketer. I HATE to sell things, so I'd start with something like, "I know you probably don't want to buy this, but..."

• Anything in the medical field that involves needles and blood. I don't faint at the sight of either one, but I don't want to poke needles into other people. Especially babies.
  

• Housecleaner. I believe this one is self-explanatory.
  

What I Learned This Week #2

I'm loving this "What I Learned This Week" carnival! Not only is it helping me record small moments and lessons that I want to remember, but I'm also meeting new bloggy friends.

Here's what I learned (or re-learned) last week.

• Now that Miss Pink is learning to read and write, she has started wanting to write (or use sign language) instead of talk. And sometimes it's not always easy to figure out what she's trying to communicate. It took a long time Saturday morning for me to understand that she was trying to communicate that biscuits and bacon for breakfast are really yummy.

• Homemade biscuits and gravy (with bacon!) are worth the extra time it takes to make them.

• With any task Mr. Blue wants to do, I learned that NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES should I try to do it for him, help him do it, touch the object OR him, or say anything at all or he will scream.

• My decision to stop feeling guilty for taking naps when I can was justified. I read in a magazine that women who get more sleep (up to a certain amount, one assumes) are less likely to be overweight. So I am BURNING FAT in my sleep. It makes sense, though--when you sleep less, you're tired and stressed, so you don't have energy to exercise and you eat for comfort. Which I totally do when I feel tired and cranky. So of my two indulgences, sleep is better for me.
  

• I'm sorry I can't be more specific (because I promised my husband not to tell any details at all*) but I have to say that sometimes, when you're looking down the barrel of disaster, you ask for help, and the answer is yes. "Ask, and you shall receive..."

*It has nothing to do with any of our health, or the state of our marriage, so don't worry about that. And no matter what, I learned that the ONLY thing that matters is that our family is together and that God will be with us, too. A good lesson to learn in one weekend.

If I Could Turn Back Time

Today's Philosophical Friday question is a two-parter. One was easier for me to answer than the other--see what you think!

If you could return for one year to one age in your life, knowing what you know now, to relive that year as you wish, which year would you go back to?

This was a hard one for me! Even though I have regrets and things I wish I'd done differently, all of those choices did end up leading to good things. For example, maybe I shouldn't have quit teaching--but then I would have missed going to grad school and learning that I can write fiction when I try.

So I think I will say any of my college years--probably my sophomore or junior year. I was so serious and uptight and studious that I really didn't have very much fun in college. I'm not saying I would turn into a party animal if I could relive that time, but I would go out with friends more, study less, realize that I wouldn't die if I got a B, and definitely study abroad. I will always regret not doing that--even if I get to travel one day, it won't be as a student, and that experience would have been great for me at that age. I was scared of trying new and different things, and that's something I'd change if I could turn back the clock.

The other question is the other side of the coin of this one.

If you had to identically repeat any single year of your life to date, without changing a thing, which year would you relive?

Much easier--the year I met Justin. We fell in love almost at once and that whole year glows in my memory. Of course, as soon as we got married, the reality of finding work and scraping by on very little money hit--but the love that was born in the year before our wedding has lasted almost twelve years.

*sniff* Now I'm almost feeling ready for Valentine's Day.

Guilt, Begone

For some reason, I rarely feel that I've done enough. Enough for what, you ask? Just...enough. There's always more to be done, always something I could be doing better at. And there's always plenty of guilt to wallow in because of all the things that I haven't done that I could have, if I hadn't wasted all that time doing something I wanted to do instead.

Welcome to motherhood, right?

But I don't feel guilty today. Today I got dressed in actual clothes instead of workout gear. I cleaned the kitchen and bathrooms, did laundry (including that leaf-infested afghan), and vacuumed. I felt productive. Mr. Blue cleaned the toilet (splashing water all over the floor) and the mirror (leaving streaks on it.) But hey, I'm glad he wants to help since I know the desire is short-lived.

Then I took Mr. Blue to Target to buy him some Valentines to give away at school tomorrow. He insisted on bringing his 4.00 to buy something. But everything at his eye level was too expensive. I wasn't going to buy him a $20.00 helicopter when his birthday is in two weeks and that's what my mom is getting him. He didn't understand that, of course, so he had a wall-eyed hissy fit all the way through the store and while I bought the Valentines (which turned out to be a sticker-puzzle that is way too complicated for his age group. Awesome.) After all that, I suggested we share a soft pretzel and a cherry Icee. I had to choke down the last third of the pretzel when my little darling decided he wanted to buy a small toy monster truck after all.

Great, I said. We went back to the toy section (avoiding the helicopter aisle) and got the one he wanted. By the time we got home, he wanted to do the puzzle on the Valentine (ALL BY SELF, as usual) and watch monster trucks on You Tube and then he wanted to go back to the store to buy a different truck and then he was crying again.

I diagnosed him as tired and I was right--he didn't protest taking his nap. And after reviewing the morning's events (I didn't even tell you about the elaborate getting-in-the-car ritual that we are well advised to follow), that's when I decided that I deserve every break I give myself, and I don't feel guilty about it at all.

What I Learned This Week

This is my first week to participate in Jo-Lynne's What I Learned This Week Carnival over at Musings of a Housewife.

I learned that if I let my kids take a crocheted afghan outside to have a picnic, it will get dirty dead leaves stuck in the yarn. And even though an elderly lady at church made it for Miss Pink's baby shower, I am considering throwing it away because I don't know how to get those leaves out. And that it will stay on top of my dryer for a week while I ignore it try to decide what to do. (Any ideas? Should I just wash it on gentle cycle?)

I learned that McDonald's (at least the one near me) does not host birthday parties anymore. So it looks like Mr. Blue's party will be here at the house since my motto for birthday parties is to keep them as cheap as possible for as long as possible. It also means I have a lot of cleaning in my near future--before AND after the party.

I learned that almost nothing makes me more proud than when Miss Pink reads me a book. (Last night it was Go Dog Go.) It's so awesome to experience this milestone with her!

I learned that when you have PMS, you should just go ahead and cry. It's best if I can do this when I'm alone. I feel better now and I didn't stir up any conflict with my husband when it's hormones anyway.

Stars in Your Eyes?

I'm a little late posting this because Mr. Blue and I took Miss Pink some lunch from her favorite place--McDonald's. Still, it didn't take too long for me to answer this question. I'm sure y'all have some different ideas which I'd love to hear.

If you could have had the starring role in one film already made, which movie would you pick?

I'm pretty sure I would take Julia Roberts' role in Ocean's Eleven. Mmmmmmm.


Of course, I probably would have gotten fired for forgetting my lines so often....

Homework, Part 2

As I was saying in this post before I so rudely interrupted myself with an account of how Miss Pink sometimes gets worried about the end of the world, I am used to having homework. More generally, I am used to being motivated by external obligations. I clean the house for my family, but I am much more motivated when I know people are coming over. If I tell you I'll do something, I'll do it, because I hate to disappoint anyone. I make to-do lists and put routine items on them just because I like crossing them off. ("Wake up--check!") I'm not quite that bad, though.) But you get the idea.

For some reason I have carried this character trait over into my use of technology. I hate to keep emails in my inbox and delete them as soon as I don't need the information anymore. I use Google Reader to read blogs and I feel a strange sense of accomplishment when I read all the posts. (I may be wasting time, but at least I waste it effectively--huh?) And since we have a DVR to record all the shows we like to watch after the kids go to bed, I have another list to get through. When we haven't watched in a while, or when I have several shows piled up that Justin doesn't want to watch, I get antsy. I can't just sit there and watch four hours of TV or whatever. On the other hand, I'm behind! I need to catch up on my TV homework!

This means that I can't subscribe to too many shows. I only have time for a few. So I may hear about a great new show and know I would probably like it (Mad Men, for example) yet I just don't have time for it, and at this point I'd be hopelessly behind, anyway--maybe when I'm 62 I can watch the old episodes. If a show really does sound interesting, I'll record one episode to see if it can hook me. That's what happened with Leverage, which I recently added to my series list. Fortunately Tim Gunn's show is on hiatus so I have time for the new one.

Justin is the opposite of me on this, by the way. He keeps all kinds of programs. I don't mind about the really funny comedians which we go back and watch every so often, but every time a movie comes on that he might want to see someday--I mean, when he hasn't watched it in six months, it really ought to go.

When we switched to a different cable provider, we had to ditch all the old stuff he had recorded. I watched what I hadn't yet and felt peaceful knowing that I didn't have any TV homework left to finish.