Feast or Famine & Hawaii

My blogging habits are either feast or famine. I've had my nose in the computer for 2 hours...YES, 2 hours catching up on y'alls blogs after about 1 1 /2 weeks of ignoring my google reader. I didn't realize how LONG my reader list was of creative ideas that give me inspiration or a good chuckle. 2 hours! My kids want to know what's for dinner and I don't even hear them asking me until they've asked 5 times and now are yelling in my ear. I want to know what's wrong with them...but I think I'm the one with the problem! Am I the only one? I am a multi-tasker, but I get in front of my screen and it sucks me in and I get tunnel vision...especially when I've been too busy to catch up lately.

7:41 pm I still managed to get semi-homemade dinner on the table and give two raggedy-it-looks-like-your-momma-doesn't-love-you BOYS haircuts and bathe the girls. I feel like Christmas is around the corner and in my head I was organized 6 weeks ago, but it's crept up fast and I'm feeling a little frenzied. Nothing a good nights sleep...or finishing a project can't fix!

On another note completely, Allison hit me with a photo 'tag' last week-to post the 4th pic in my 4th folder. If for nothing else, it was fun to go back and relive {at least in my head} more than 5 1/2 years ago...when my toes last wiggled in the Hawaii sand. March of '03.

Oddly enough, it was also a time of a 'housing crisis' of sorts--for us, at least. Curt had quit his job with Pfizer for the American dream of owning his own business. Only the guy he partnered with made our lives.... well, he ended up being a total nut job so you get the picture. So we left that crazy 'venture' and were unemployed for what seemed like forever...

My dad used miles to send us to Hawaii after a long bout of 'unwellness' my grandparents had as a thanks for everything I did to care for them from A to Z. So we went to Hawaii on a budget while we were unemployed and financially struggling...a total bright spot that got us through that nutty, crazy time in our lives. This is us above Hanauma Bay just about to take it all in and snorkel. The sun was very much in our eyes as if you couldn't tell. Wow, how two people can age in just five years...okay, maybe only I've aged. But I did have 3 babies, many life-altering experiences and changes during at least the last four of those years! I earned every bag under my eyes, grey hair, crows feet, roll in unforseen places and chin I now have that didn't exist back then!

And Katie! You lucky duck! Can I come play with you in Hawaii sometime?

Almost forgot! Three Simple Gratitudes today:

1. Gloria & Luc that help bring me sanity every week, today being the day...so I can see clean floors and shiny countertops & windows even if for a few hours. It's therapeutic and worth every penny.

2. Curt coming home from his Vegas trip just in time to help tuck the little ones in bed.

3. Costco frozen pasta & chicken marinara yumminess (they should call it that) and artisan bread...I can refer to it as semi-homemade when I warm them in the oven and then whip up a delicious salad to accompany them and my house comes away smelling like the a fine Italian Restaurant. I'm hungry again.

Unflattering Quirks & 'Shayisms'

I didn't forget, Becky!

A couple of weeks ago, my Beantown sis, Becky 'challenged' me to post six quirks as part of one of those crazy 'blog tags' we all participate in now and then. So in an effort to expose my less flattering side, here are six quirky things you may not know about me. For the record, Curt says I'm not a quirky person, and I'd tend to agree....but he sure help me put a list together in one minute flat!

1. I take bites out of chocolate....and then leave them in the box for someone else to enjoy. I LOVE dark chocolate, but could take or leave milk chocolate. (Although lately, with our Halloween stash quickly disappearing thanks to me...you wouldn't know I don't care for milk chocolate). I don't like the nougat and nutty fillings that come in the prepacked Sees box. So I take a small bite and if I like it, I'll eat it. But if it's not worth the calories to me, then I'll leave it, with my teeth marks for someone else to enjoy. Yeah, kind of gross and as you might imagine, this ticks Curt off. I figure, hey, it leaves more for someone else instead of throwing away the yucky ones. Those are not cheap! By then I've found the carmels, truffles and mints...ya know, the good stuff. Hey, it's usually my box of Sees anyway, what's everyone so uptight about?! I suppose I could use a knife...

2. My family has recently nicknamed me 'the Sheriff.' As in,

'The Sheriff's home, you can't play xbox until everything else under the sun is completed, or

'The sheriff's home, no more drinking out of dad's diet coke cause mom says no caffeine for 1, 3, and 4 year olds' or

'The sheriff's here, we can't go get a drink during sacrament meeting.'

I didn't name myself that. I just happen to be the 'bad cop' and more severe disciplinarian most of the time. I do have a super fun side too...just in case you were wondering. But I think if you were to poll the kids... dad's the fun one most definitely, even though I'm the 'adventurous one'. Hey, every family needs a sheriff! Don't mock.

3. I am the most annoying back-seat driver. I can't stand a certain someone to drive... especially my car, because I am so much better at it than he (that's a bit prideful and competitive, I realize). And who cares about such things as who is the better driver! It's so lame, but I seriously get uptight nerves driving with this person, not because he drives fast or slow, and not even because of his skill or lack thereof...I just don't like his style. I can't handle it when he presses the gas and then lets up, presses the gas, let's up, then breaks, speeds up, shoves on the brakes, etc. And in the end, he's really not all that bad, I'm just the annoying back-seat driver. My friends and family would probably all agree that I am a crazy driver. We have a few of those male versions in my Menzie family. Is this quirky? I don't know... but it is annoying. (shhh...don't tell, I almost failed my driving test when I was 16---because I almost ran a red arrow going back into the DMV-hey! It was one of those that the sun hits it just right and you can't even see it).

3. I'm pretty obsessive about my girls hair. Shocker, I know. It's not often that you'll find them in public without their hair done and accessorized. Hmmmm...I think this trickled down to me from my own mother, only I have 4 heads of hair to work with instead of just one. The only thing is that I'll pretty them up and by mid-afternoon they've taken it all apart because they like it hanging in their faces, apparently. A little too tomboyish for my tastes, so I stick flowers that resemble cabbages on their heads instead.

4. I always have to have a project. For some, projects are the stress....for me, they are my stress-relievers. I feel more productive and can accomplish more as a mom if I have a project going on...big or small. I'm a list-maker and that list has to get smaller and smaller so I can add to it. Anything from tearing out a bathroom to creating some crafty accessory. This is my next exciting project...of course I say next, but I'm sure Christmas stuff will have to come first. Check out Sandi Hendersen's patterns & line of fabric...TO DIE FOR!

5. I sleep on the edge of my bed...and I prefer my tummy. We have a king bed; I sleep on the left (as you look at it from the footboard) and I am typically not a cuddler, especially while sleeping. But I do love cuddling with my kids... I always end up nearly half off the bed in the morning. Not because I'm pushed or prodded by one of my two bedmates (yes, Vivie is a bedmate still...sick and wrong, I know). Well, maybe I am pushed by Vivie who has taken over. Another issue and post entirely.

I'm sitting here trying to remember the last one...I stand up and walk to the bathroom to take a look at this ingrown blemish thingy on my jawline and start picking at it. and then I quickly remember...

6. I'm a picker. Are you a picker? I'm talking about the face, the arms...wherever something might ooze. Yes, disgusting, but for you fellow pickers...you'd understand. I have less than perfect skin and large pores, probably because I am a picker. I don't pick scabs like McKenzie does, but if it oozes, I'll try to pick it. On me, and just maybe on you too! Watch out! hahaha

Don't love me less. Don't judge me. And for heaven sakes, don't mock me! Honesty was always the best policy and who doesn't love someone who can admit their little quirks or 'isms' or whatever category these fall into! In the spirit of 'the tag' if you've read this post, consider yourself 'tagged' to spill the beans about yourself and expose your true self to the blog world for pete's sake...silly, I know!

... and my new blog tradition ...

Dump Your Bag Tag?

Who would've thunk it----dump your bag because of a tag! My Beantown sis-in-law tagged me, so now you can all see which little trinkets, odds and ends call my purse 'home.'..if you cared in the first place!

I haven't cleaned it out since before Christmas and found some 'treasures'...so thanks for the tag so I could make my way to the bottom of my cute black toile & polka dot bag! I don't like traditional diaper-bags so I searched to find something neutral that fit me on a budget. It's a no-namer, by the way, homemade by a stay-at-home mom that I found on etsy...gotta love that marketplace! Maybe someday I'll open a store on etsy. But for now...here's what finds its home in my darling bag of tricks:

Are you sure you want to take a peak???

Yeah, I know you wonder how the heck all that could be shoved inside this bag?!

• 3 diapers for my Vivs and Iz (oh when will my 2-year-old potty-train???)!

• formula dispenser
• (wipes are missing,by the way-probably on the floor of my car, which is WAY worse than my purse!!!!)
  

• sunglasses

tampon/pad cause I know you wanted to know.

wallet with zero cash, planner stuffed to the hilt, pouch with insurance cards and 'club' cards

• Costco receipt and coupon book

• UPS receipt from sending back Vivs's defective swing

• Receipt from Dr. appt.

• French Pastry cafe menu--from a Kenz/mom brunch outing--YUM fruit tarts!

• nifty brush/mirror..random blue comb

• fruit leather and nutri-grain bar (trusty snacks on-the-go)

• trident gum

• my favorite verbena lemon Bath&BW lotion-so fresh

• baby tylenol

• baby magic lotion

• Vivie's rattle/teether

• bulb snot catcher

• paci-holder

• socks that belong to one of the girls

• sweet crocheted mary janes my mom made

• Ricola

• misc. hair clippies & rubberbands

• ocean spray

• assorted MAC lipglass & liner--yeah! found one I thought was missing!

• eyelash curler and mascara

• schedule to read the standard works in a year (which hasn't made it out of my purse since church...uh..2 weeks ago)--I think last year's reading was plenty! I'll stick to the BofM
  

I'm out of breath! That was a lot of stuff in one bag!

..and the bottom of the barrel...which I haven't seen for a few months...lots of Ricola wrappers, heart nail file, crumbs and change.

Thanks for the tag so my bag got a swift cleaning!

...and now I tag Brooke Baker, Amy Timmerman, & Rachel Hazen!

It's a game of TAG--I'm it! Things you may or may not know about me...

Allison 'tagged' me and so here are some things you may or may not know about me:

I'm grateful that Curt has a career that allows me to be a stay-at-home Mom. Yes, it's difficult at times--heaven knows we sure could use a second income and sometimes I wish I could trade places with Curt just to get a break!! Sometimes I want to poke my own eyeballs out and have to give myself time-outs! That is normal, right??? But there's nothing more rewarding and joyful for this season in my life which will disappear all too soon. I recognize the rewards for this privilege I have of staying home with our children. I'm thankful that MY babe, Curt, has full confidence in me! XXXOOXX

I have this adventurous streak--I have always wanted to hang glide off the Point of the Mountain in Draper, Utah. I never had the chance because I was pregnant for most of the last 3 years we lived there (miscarriage before Lex & Iz). It's not that I'm this crazy thrill-seeker ...maybe it's the desire to 'fly'- Curt reminds me of my responsibility to our six children and at the same time has taken out a hefty insurance policy on me--is he trying to tell me something? Maybe he has tamed me a little bit.


I'm a do-it-yourself-er. Maybe that's not a complete 'unknown' fact. But it gets kind of obsessive at times. I'm the type that has a hard time spending money on things that I can make or do myself. A lot of it is the thrill of a completed project or gained skill. We've saved a lot of money over the years--hey, I even learned how to change brakes on my car last year (thanks to detailed instructions from my brother over the phone and my neighbor's helping hand). I enjoy doing everything from baby bows/flowers, photography, vinyl signs, baby blankies/burpies/lovies, sewing custom drapery, pillows, duvets, painting, designing--you know, all the crafty cutesie homemaker stuff, to tiling, taking out the side of a deck to install stairs (with the help of brothers) and knocking a hole in a fence to install a gate for quick access to school (AF house). If there's a way for me to learn how to do it and the quality isn't compromised, I'd much rather take that route and gain a skill than spend the money to watch someone else do it. The jury is out on whether this is obsessive, frugal, resourceful...or a combination of all of that. (The pics are before/after I transformed my UT master bath from ripping out the carpet, installing slate, to re-staining cabinetry..what a project that was!)

I have a photographic memory for numbers. Whoppee right? Yeah, it doesn't really serve me well for anything but a convenience-I'm not a CPA or anything like that. But I can rattle off my credit card #'s and even their exp. dates, cvc codes and things like our phone number from when I was 5 years old and every address we've ever lived at (since I could read). If I've dialed your phone number more than once then it's probably stored somewhere in my memory bank. With the convenience of cell phones & their phone books I don't use my little 'whopee' memory as much as I could. Just one of those things that was passed on to me from my dad.

I'm proud of this next one----I am 34...been driving for 18 years...and I've NEVER had a speeding/traffic ticket! I can't say that I haven't deserved my fair share of them, but my dad always taught me to drive 'with the rear view mirror. ' I've been pulled over a handful of times, but escaped with a slap on my hand. I realize as I'm writing this that I'm probably jinxing myself, but that's a dang good streak--betcha none of you can say that about yourselves?!!! Shouldn't I receive some sort of major insurance discount or accolade for that achievement???

And lastly, I'm still trying to figure out what I want to be 'when I grow up!' For this season it's an at-home mom. But I've always had the desire to go back and complete a masters degree. I used to think it would be in Special Ed ( I have a BS in Elementary Education), but as life's experiences change my needs, wants, and desires, that goal also changes. Sometimes I think deep down I have the ability to design and pursue opening my very own business of what--don't know yet! Other times my thoughts and passions lie with the pursuit of a medical degree of-sorts...becoming a Physician's Assistant (PA) in Pediatrics. Heck, I'm already half-way there with six kids and the sick days, diagnosis, treatment, etc...or at least it feels that way! We'll see what the future holds.

That took forever...now I tag Marla, Becky, & Poppy--go girls!