Maybe Matilda: My Answers to Your Personal Questions

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

My Answers to Your Personal Questions

More answers to your questions! I answered your crochet questions in this post, and here are my responses to your personal questions. Thanks for asking, by the way—they were actually really fun to think about and come up with answers to! (I’m sprinkling in mildly-related pictures to keep things interesting . . . most of them are from my Instagram. If you want to see more, my username is maybematilda.)

Since I love finding a new good book to read, what are you currently reading? Or better yet, what book have you read lately that you would put on the top of your recommendation list?

Yay, a fellow reader! I have recently read and would recommend Daughter of Smoke and Bone, The Nazi Officer’s Wife, Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Practice, and Ready Player One. (Such a random assortment of titles and genres . . . but I enjoyed them all quite a lot.)

IMG_20130120_162733

Since becoming a mom I've started wondering--what do other moms do with their day? How much of your day is spent making sure Forrest is happy and how much do you spend on crafting, cleaning, etc?

Very interesting question—I am always a tad hesitant to talk about parenting/motherhood because there are so many judgmental moms out there, poised to attack (even if it’s just in the guise of ‘helpful advice’; I’m almost never interested in hearing unsolicited parenting advice). To tell you the truth, I don’t spend gobs of time entertaining/playing with Forrest. He’s always welcome to join me in whatever I’m doing (he often wants to help me wash dishes or vacuum or fold laundry or even sit with me and look at a book while I crochet), and of course I’ll stop what I’m doing and play with him or read him a book every once in a while, but for the most part, he entertains himself and I do my own thing. My average day consists mostly of housework/errands, crocheting, reading, and whatever other housewifey-type things are on the to-do list, with bits of playtime with the nugget mixed in here and there. When he was an infant, I spent much more time trying to keep him happy/stimulated/etc., but now that he’s a little older and can play and keep himself happy, I view his entertainment as his responsibility. He has plenty of toys and books, and my opinion is that it’s more or less up to him to keep himself occupied. When he gets bored, we’ll read a book together, or we’ll snuggle while we watch a movie for a while, or we’ll bake cookies together, or we’ll put on music and dance for a few minutes, but I view his entertainment/playtime as mainly his own responsibility. This isn’t to say that we go around ignoring each other all the time, but I don’t let my day revolve around his entertainment. That probably works for some moms, and kudos to them for the loads of attention their kids receive, but it doesn’t work for me, and it’s a surefire way for me to wind up feeling depressed and unimportant and unfulfilled. Note to all: don’t you dare leave mean comments telling me I’m neglecting him or not interacting with him enough or selfishly putting my wants/needs before his. I’ll delete you so fast your mouse will be spinning.

Forrest is a very handsome boy. Do you want more kids? If so how many? Anytime soon?

Indeed he is a handsome boy, thank you for saying so! We do want more kids. Probably just one more. If our second child is an absolute angel (translation: the complete opposite of fiercely colicky, constantly screaming, never sleeping ever ever ever ever ever infant Forrest), we might consider having a third. But at this point, two is sounding pretty good to us. Anytime soon? Maybe. We’ll see. I change my mind on timing matters on a daily basis.

IMG_20120906_072951

I want to know what does being a Mormon mean? I grew up Dutch Reformed Christian in NJ…I really want to know details. Same Bible?

Great question! Right off the bat, I’ll direct you to our church’s website, Mormon.org, where you can find plenty of information about our beliefs, presented more eloquently and completely than I’ll probably be able to present it here. I guess that if I were to boil down what being a Mormon means to me and try to present it in just a few short sentences, it would be this:

- We are Christian, and believe Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior.

- We read and believe in the Bible. We also read and believe in the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ, similar to the Bible in its teachings and purpose. We believe they are complementary books of scripture—both testify of Christ. (If you are curious about the Book of Mormon, you can request a free copy HERE.)

- We believe in a living prophet. Just as there were prophets in the Bible, like Moses and Noah, we believe that God still gives His children guidance and direction through a prophet today, who is the head of our church.

- We believe that families can be joined together eternally, and are our greatest opportunity for growth, love, and joy.

Do you exercise? What is your routine?

I try. My goal (rarely reached) is to work out 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes a day. Lately, I’ve been using videos from Fitness Blender—that site has hundreds of free workout videos of varying intensity, type, and time commitment. I like the variety, I love that they are free to use, and that I don’t get bored doing the same video endlessly. I especially like their Booty Boot Camp and kickboxing videos, as well as some of the shorter 15-20 minute interval training workouts.

How did you and your husband meet? Love at first sight? Or, the he sort of grew on me kind of love?

We met when we were both students at BYU—we lived in neighboring apartment complexes and were introduced at a volleyball game. I didn’t want to play because I am abominable at sports and knew from sad experience that I would embarrass myself, but I figured that since I had just moved in and was one of only three new girls in the complex that semester, people would be nice to me and hold back their laughter even when they watched me make a fool of myself playing volleyball. Everyone was nice . . . except for some jerk who teased me when I lobbed the ball in the wrong direction. I made some smart-A reply and made a mental note to avoid that jerk in the future, but I met so many people that day that I quickly forgot which of the dozens of names I tried to memorize was the volleyball jerk. Fast forward a few months, and I had made friends with a certain apartment of guys and hung out with them a lot. I thought one of the roommates in particular was kind of cute, and turned on the charm until he finally asked me out. It wasn’t until we’d been dating for 2 or 3 months that I finally made the connection that this new boyfriend was the same jerk who had made fun of me at the volleyball game so many months before. But alas, it was too late, so I finally had to just let it go. To this day, he is an enormous pest, and I have to remind him every few weeks that his ‘playful teasing’ isn’t as fun for me as it is for him. Oh, the trials of marrying a pest. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

816

Do you work outside the home? If not now, do you miss it?

I don’t work outside the home right now, but I consider my Etsy shop and blog my work-from-home part-time job(s). I can’t say I particularly miss any of my old jobs, but I definitely do miss the adult interaction and sense of accomplishment (especially in the form of rewards—a paycheck, a raise, an employee evaluation, etc . . . being a stay-at-home mom has precious few tangible and recognizable rewards), and I miss the feeling of being stimulated/challenged.

I am also a busy new momma, and today in particular I have a bad case of "Ihadsomuchtodobutfeellikei'vedonenothingitis". Do you have any tips for making essential things happen? (workout, make dinner...) despite teething, blowouts, baby feedings and temper tantrums (yours and baby's)?

I totally get this. Some days are just so difficult, and being a stay at home mom is far more challenging than I expected it to be. I’m sure everyone’s advice would be different on this topic, but for me the steps to making essential things happen and having a productive day are to: 1) Get dressed and ready. I’ve learned that if I don’t get dressed in real clothes (ie not sweats/pajamas) and put on makeup/do my hair (even if it’s nothing fancy—in fact, it is  never remotely fancy), I just can’t seem to get myself motivated to do anything that day. 2) Eat a real breakfast. Like, not a handful of Teddy Grahams at 10:30 because you’re starving and grouchy. A real, filling breakfast at a reasonable breakfast hour. 3) Have a game plan. I always have a better day if I make a to-do list first thing in the morning, and I purposely make it longer than I know I’ll be able to complete so that I feel pushed to stay busy. And an optional item #4 is to not beat yourself up about a lazy day—they happen every now and then. Just consider it a day off and jump back in tomorrow.

Who is your favorite Michelle in blogland?

The questioner and answer are one and the same.

When are you getting a dog?

If I could talk Jeff into it, the answer would be today. But since he has never had a ‘real’ pet (I’m sorry, but a guinea pig and frog do not count), all he can imagine are the work and expense involved and not the affection and bonding and love. I want to get a basset hound. I love those grumpy, droopy faces.

IMG_20130125_214814 (1)

(with my brother’s new puppy, a sweet beagle named Lily. All together now: awwwwww!!)

Who are your celebrity crushes?

Why, I’m glad that you asked.

When are you moving back to Iowa?

Ha! Never. Sorry. When I wasn’t near death due to the sub-Arctic wintertime temperatures, I was near melting due to the humidity, or seasonally affected due to the utter lack of sunshine from October-May. But I’m sure it’s just a matter of time until we head back for a Palmer Homecoming!

What camera do you use for your photos?

I have a Nikon D3000 and love it! I’m far from being a photography expert, but I’m getting more proficient at shooting in manual and figuring out exactly what I have to do to make my photos look the way I want them to, and the D3000 is very user-friendly and easy to play with. I also use (and love) a 50mm/f1.8 lens (in addition to the kit lens that came with the camera). I don’t have or even want or understand Photoshop—I edit my pictures in Picasa, which is not fancy in the slightest, but has worked fine for me and my very low needs so far.

DSC_0187

What is your favorite part about blogging? What do you feel is the best way to promote your blog to get more viewers?

There’s a lot that I like about blogging . . . I love the friendships I’ve made with other bloggers and readers, the extra bit of motivation it provides to finish projects in a timely manner or branch out to try something new, and I feel like it has helped me narrow in on my strengths and style and preferences. As far as promotion, I’m probably not a great person to ask . . . I don’t do very much. But I think that the best promotion—not just to increase numbers but to gain meaningful readers who will be engaged and interested and create a feeling of community—is to really become involved in your blogging community. For instance, if you participate in DIY link parties, don’t just drop your link and run. Spend some time leaving meaningful comments on other participants’ blogs (‘meaningful’ being not just a ‘nice work!’ or ‘love it!’ but a legitimate, thought out comment of more than 2 words), reply to the comments you receive, visit the blogs of those who visit yours and leave a comment in return, visit the blogs of those who are commenting on the same blogs you are also commenting on, etc. I think worrying about numbers is a waste of time, to be honest (although of course it depends on what your goal is with blogging!), but I do value and work on the friendship and contact behind the numbers. I’d rather have only 10 readers who I feel a sense of camaraderie and friendship and shared common interest with than 1,000 anonymous ones who never comment, never have anything to say, and will drift off to another blog and forget about me 2 seconds after seeing a post (now, this is not to say that a reader who never comments is worthless—heaven knows I am a lurker on far more blogs than I am active on—my point is just that the value, for me, in blogging is mainly in the sense of community and friendship that it can provide, which comes from involvement and chatting and building relationships, so if I have time to spend on ‘promotion’, I try to spend it on chatting and emails and comments rather than ‘real’ promotion.). So I guess in a nutshell, my advice for the best way to promote your blog would be to really be involved with both your own readers and the blogs you read, which will lead to natural, meaningful growth. In my opinion, a smaller count of meaningful, engaged readers can be worth far more than just numbers alone.

What are your favorite movies (because it's always hard to pick just one)?

I’ll go with Lars and the Real Girl, Serenity, and, since I have a toddler and watch this one a looooot, Toy Story 3. I cry at the ending every dang time. Forrest was so baffled yesterday when I was weeping at the end. “Mama? Sad? Cwy?”

IMG_20121223_122207

What are your top three biggest pet peeves?

Loud smacking chewing noises drive me up the wall (marital issue: I honestly have a hard time eating a meal with Jeff because of this pet peeve). Silly spelling/grammatical errors that could be easily fixed if the writer bothered to proofread or run spell check make the list as well (of course, we all make the occasional typo, no biggie; it’s consistent, repeated, glaring errors that could be fixed by a simple read-through that bug me). And for my third pet peeve, I’m going to go with noisy ‘natural’ mothers. Not just ‘natural’ mothers—they’re doing what they feel is best, just like every mom on the planet—my pet peeve is reserved for the loud, in-your-face, ‘you’re doing that wrong!’ ones who can’t just make their own decisions and leave others in peace to do the same without receiving plenty of unasked-for granola-inspired input. Do whatever you want with your own kids, I truly don’t care, but if I see one more facebook status/blog post/mom in the park berating ‘uneducated’ parents for vaccinating their children or not breastfeeding until the age of 3 or letting their child eat evil, evil sugar or selfishly using wicked Satanic drugs during labor/delivery, Imma bust a cap. (I suppose I could have just said loud/judgmental mothers are a pet peeve, but it seems to me like the loudest/most judgmental tend to be the more natural ones, probably just because they are fewer in numbers and I’ve been the recipient of a number of berating lectures for not being ‘natural enough.’ So I hope I didn’t offend any granola moms with that pet peeve—it sure isn’t the naturalness that bothers me [for pete’s sake, my own husband is a chiropractor], but the in-your-face know-it-all you’re-doing-that-wrong attitude that I’ve come to associate with the handful of loud crunchy moms I know.)

If you could vacation anywhere, where would you go?

I honestly don’t know . . . Italy, maybe? The Caribbean? I’ve always thought London would be neat to visit, too. Since there is absolutely no chance of us taking a cool vacation anytime in our near future, I can’t say I’ve given this much thought before.

Have you made anything that Forrest adores?

Not really :-( :-( :-( For a while, he really was fond of the crocheted owl I made him, although he has lost interest in it recently. And he does really like his personalized coloring book—I’m really happy with how much he enjoys that and asks to color in it. But I think that’s about it—he is not a big appreciator of handmade items.

Whew, that was a long one. Thanks for the questions, guys, and 10 million cool points to you if you made it to the end without getting bored and clicking away! Now leave a comment and tell m something I ought to know about you, too.

45 comments :

  1. I LOVE your blog! I came by it via Pinterest and the infamous pixie cut grow out. :-)
    Something you should know about me? I am the mom of a toddler, full time special ed teacher, doctoral candidate, wife, and Christian. (More than one thing, I know!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dang, you've got a lot on your plate! And to think I felt like I was rather busy up until reading that comment . . .

      Well, welcome, and it's nice to virtually 'meet' you :-)

      Delete
  2. Jeff really liked the turtle growing up because it was terrifying to watch eat. We would dig up slugs in the back yard and gaze in wonder and awe as our cute little turtle disemboweled the poor slugs. Pretty fun to watch. Puppys could never be that interesting

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. But if watching a turtle disembowel a slug is exciting, think how thrilling it is to have your dog discover a nest of baby bunnies! (True story, my dog did that growing up. No bunnies were killed, thankfully--we spotted her in time.)

      Delete
  3. Love all the answers, as usual :-) I often wonder why Josh can't seem to entertain himself when he's at home, but I figure since we're apart all day, he wants the attention when he can get it. Would love to meet you one day!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Okay, this proves it. You and I are sisters from different misters (and moms). You crack me up lady! oh and natural shmatural is all I have to say about granola moms.

    ReplyDelete
  5. You are just SO adorable! I can't get over it! =) I love your parenting style, I think it's so important for kids to learn how to entertain themselves. I dislike hearing moms talk about how they plan their child's day down the the last second with activities/learning/blah. I think it's so important to spend time with your child, but it's also important for them to learn that their parents are not there to entertain them constantly! My mom did the same thing with us growing up (and we turned out semi-normal). =) Also? What you said about the loud, smacking, chewing noises- SO with you on that. I adore my husband, but he does this on a regular basis and it drives me up the wall. Also, when random strangers in the store walk by chomping on their gum, I want to scream and punch them in the face (but I almost never do this).

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've been following your blog for awhile, you introduced me to crocheting through your crochet-along, and I've been addicted ever since (to crocheting, but also, in part to your blog :) ).

    I completely agree with you on the entertaining kids point. My oldest is 3, and she pretty much entertains herself most of the day. I read her stories, and when it's nice we go on walks and play outside, but she plays by herself quite a bit. My youngest is almost 1, and she takes A LOT of attention, but that just comes with her age I think. Once she gets a little older I'm hoping they'll both play together most of the day, that's why you have multiple kids, right? Playmates?

    I also don't appreciate unsolicited parenting advice. I tend to lean a little towards the granola beliefs (although the extended nursing stuff creeps me out a little, I'm sorry, I nursed both my girls till age 1, but going on 2 and 3? *shudder*). But to each his/her own. Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and methods, just because something worked for you, doesn't mean it will work for everyone. Good for you for standing up for yourself.

    Thanks so much for introducing me to crochet, I do it every chance I get (lately only at naptimes). It's my relaxing escape :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay, I'm so glad you love to crochet now! It's the best.

      Ha, I know what you mean with the extended nursing . . . I met a woman at a playgroup a while ago who honestly acted horrified when she heard (after asking me, of course, I didn't offer this up on my own) that I had only nursed Forrest for a few months. It just didn't work out well for us, but my gosh, you'd think I'd said I beat him or something, based on her reaction. She said she nursed her son until he was 3 1/2 and only stopped because her husband asked her to--he was embarrassed when they were out in public together and she would sit down and nurse their almost-4-year old. And I did not appreciate her shock and horror that I hadn't nursed for very long . . . just because she loved it didn't mean I had to love it, too! If it isn't a good fit, it isn't a good fit, and formula is still food, for pete's sake, not poison. (Needless to say, that was the last time I went to that playgroup.)

      Delete
  7. This was such a fun post to read! We share a lot in common... from the ways we spend our days to the loud-chewer pet peeve and, yes, a fun trip to London sometime in the (far distant) future. :) I have to say, it made me giggle to hear you talk about busting a cap on the obnoxious, loudly opinionated granola moms. AMEN SISTA!! I have removed sooooo many people from my Facebook news feed because of this very issue. SO many. Thanks for sharing with everyone! It's posts like these that keep me coming back for more! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. RACHEL, STOP NEGLECTING YOUR CHILD!!! Just kidding! I'm pretty sure you're doing a great job at the parenting gig, from what I can tell. I'm looking forward to a time when I can "neglect" Shep a little more to get some stuff done. There's more to life, which is sometimes unfortunate.

    And I can sympathize now: Feeling judged as a mom is seriously difficult. I think natural parenting folks tend to speak louder because they feel like they are the rare few trying to be different than the accepted social parenting norms and have their style be acceptable, but it doesn't really help anyone to broadcast your style as truth or comment publicly in judge-y ways on others' styles. Yet it is incredibly hard to avoid. So it's like an inevitable battle that never ends. Urgh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 100% agree. I know that I, for one, would have a way better view of 'crunchy' parenting choices if they weren't linked in my head to being judged/berated/lectured for not doing things that way. I don't know how other people feel, but as a mom, I kind of ALWAYS feel like I'm doing a rather crappy job no matter how hard I try, so having other women point out ways they think I'm doing something poorly/wrong is definitely not helpful. I've made it my goal to never give advice or opinions to another mom in my life, unless specifically asked :-)

      Delete
  9. this was so fun to read! michelle cracks me up and i love jennifer garner, too. i loved learning more about you.... and we share the grammar pet peeve. (grammer, anyone???) oh, that drives me bonkers! of course i shouldn't talk because i am too lazy to use the shift key to capitalize my letters.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Rach, do you know that you're my very favorite blog to read on the internet? Seriously, you are. I get a little giddy when I see you've done a new post, and it's posts like this that I LOVE. Insights in the Rach Land.
    You're such a good person, wife, and mommy.
    -chelle sheldon

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Chelle Sheldon, thank you for signing your comments with your name, you adorable little octogenarian. I never would have figured out who a comment from 'dean and chelle' was without it. Certainly not my friends Dean and Michelle? . . .

      PSILOVEYOU

      Delete
  11. I'm new to the blog...I pinned your post about growing your hair out. I chopped mine off and I absolutely love it, however, I'm a women and realize in probably a year I'll be over it. I love this post too! My circle (which makes me think I need a new circle) looked at me like I had 3 heads when I explained Friday is movie day in our house. "What do you mean," they asked, dumbfounded. What I mean is from the time I get up until my husband gets home on Fridays I have a movie on ALL. DAY. LONG. It keeps me sane, because by Friday I am done! I completely agree with you about your son entertaining himself to a certain extent and also the angry, in your face natural moms. oiy...they sure like to throw a bunch of doozy's out there.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ummmmm, I love movie Friday. I'm totally stealing that idea for my house.

      Delete
  12. Thank you so much for taking time to answer so many questions (including my little question). Fantastic and very helpful! You're blog is so fun - I love your honesty!

    ReplyDelete
  13. You are so awesome. I read every word and think you are really brave/real for saying that you don't spend 12 hours a day creating activities and entertainment for Forrest, and for calling out all the "loud, crunchy" moms. Something you should know about me? Hm. I JUDGE YOU EVERY DAY FOR GIVING FORREST CANDY. Ha. Right. Really what can I tell you about me? I obsessively count stairs when I am walking up or down them. Also I do math in my head just for fun. Mostly I work in percentages. "There are 30 days in March and we are 6 days in so we are about 20% through March." I'm telling you this just to make sure you don't ever think I am actually cool.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I laughed throughout your entire post! I love that you shared your real feelings, and we share some of the same peeves! My husband and I both have full-time jobs, and although we'd love to spend every waking hour with our son when we're home at nights and on the weekends, we have responsibilities--cooking, cleaning, yard work, laundry, etc.--and our own interests that we enjoy doing, and we have to let our son play on his own. He's almost 3 and very independent, and he gets along just fine with his wild imagination. He's happy, healthy, and certainly not neglected!

    Thanks for sharing!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen! It's just not realistic to spend every waking moment entertaining your kid . . . not to mention the imagination you might be quelling if you never let them play on their own. Sounds like you're doing perfect. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  15. Oh thank you for letting your little one learn to entertain himself. His imagination will be epic!

    Something you should know about me.... I love Johnny Depp, even though he is technically old enough to be my father. My husband knows. He is ok with it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I will help you bust a cap in the loud crunchy mom category. I will tell you what, I am probably like 80-90% 'crunchy' my own self which not a lot of people necessarily know because I'm not preaching it at everyone, and I still want to bust a cap.
    "We don't like to say no." is another pet peeve. Yes, I say no. NO don't hit your brother. NO you may not eat the stick of butter. NO you may not throw sand because it can scratch your cornea, just ask your dad. NO don't put the dog in a cardboard box and push it down the stairs. YES please look the other way while mommy busts a cap on the other mommy who just gave her a Look and said "We don't like to say no" when I told her child "Oh, no, please don't throw rocks!" in a cheerful voice.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Can I affirm your not saying "no" pet peeve?? We had some friends that wanted EVERYONE around them to say "not for 'name of child'" instead of "no" to their child. Drove me nuts. No means no, and when I want to say no I will, got it?

      Delete
  17. I love your love of Nathan Fillion and all things Firefly/Serenity. Forrest's little Captain Mal outfit for Halloween was so stinking cute. Love your blog. You inspired me to cut my hair short and I've never loved my own hair so much as I do now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay, I'm so glad you love it! It's fun, isn't it? I remember feeling so free and uninhibited after that first big pixie cut chop. It's the best!

      Delete
  18. Wow, I never knew you had so many groupies - myself included! It's probably because you spend less time promoting, and more time just being awesome! :D

    I must commend you for your use of abominable. Truly excellent! I adore "big words", and I couldn't agree more with your grammar pet peeve. Although I do admit that I'm a tad over zealous in my comma usage sometimes.

    I also can't wait until Corbin gets a bit older and he and Aurelia can entertain each other. Currently there is much to much chasing going on as I try to keep gates closed, and tiny fingers off of things they shouldn't touch.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hehe, I married a pest, too. I bet you'd find a lot of humor in this blog (her husband is a huge pest lol): http://sloanandjulia.blogspot.com/2013/01/lets-go-for-drive.html
    Anyway, crunchy loud moms are a pet peeve of mine too. I just think, "nice. pat yourself on the back and get over yourself." I was having this conversation with my husband the other day because I decided to sign up for a hypnobirthing class (not because I think epidurals are evil ;)....) and I am nervous that the teacher is going to be loud and pushy-crunchy and force me to write a detailed "birth plan", and I will also be surrounded by pushy-crunchy moms! My husband said, "you just don't want to like anything trendy." me: "What??? That's not true... I love skinny jeans. I still like chevron..." Eric: "what the crap is chevron?"

    I enjoyed this post. :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. I feel like we would be friends in real life. I am an illustrator with a baby in my last semester of art school, and I am loving (sarcasm) the juggle of everything. Blogging is my 5 minute break when I should be doing art :) AAAND, You did indeed inspire me to get a pixie cut. I was very brave and was not weenie-ish at all. I love it so much, and just discovered how wonderful it feels to go running with short hair. guys knew this forever and never told anyone. Selfish.

    ReplyDelete
  21. thanks for posting the link for the workout videos!
    love the story of how you and your hubby met.. my husband also loves teasing, I relate lol

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love your blog! I don't even know how to crochet, but still read your blog because it's so funny. I have two blogs- one is more about all the changes I've been experiencing in the last few years (married, graduated from psychiatry residency, moved across the country, had a baby, took command of a mental health/substance abuse Navy clinic for the first time, had to put my beloved 14 year old dog to sleep, etc) and the other one is just cute baby photos and milestones. If I weren't so freaking tired all the time, I'd post on my own blog more, but I don't think anyone reads it except my parents and husband. :)

    http://imwellpreserved.blogspot.com/
    http://marcusatticusmonth3.shutterfly.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. I LOVED Daughter of Smoke and Bone. Laini Taylor is such a fantastic writer!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Even though I did not ask the 2nd question, I would like to say thank you for being "transparent" and open about you and your son's daily routine. I am sort of the same way when it comes to my daughters for pretty much the same reason! Great Post & thanks for sharing:-)

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love your blog, especially your authenticity. Thanks for a fun post!

    ReplyDelete
  26. What a refreshing take on entertaining children! Amen and amen.

    ReplyDelete
  27. There are so many reasons I love you and your blog. This post just solidified my love again. I completely agree with your comments on kids entertaining themselves. Not saying there's a right or wrong way, but your philosophy aligns with mine. Henry is still a little too young to be expected to completely entertain himself but I do try to give him tme every day to play with toys. This gives me tile to get ready for work or make dinner or whatever. (I'd say clean, but that would imply that I clean.)

    Also, I love your favorite Michelle, too. And I love the story about meeting your man. So cute.

    ReplyDelete
  28. So my love affair with you continues...Lars and the Real Girl!!!!

    Kim and I are planning your Palmer reunion. As in, you ditch that chiro business and hang out with us. :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. My husband didn't want a dog either. I found the way to get around that challenge was to 1.) find a PetFinder listing for your breed of choice at a local rescue, 2.) call said rescue to discover there is only one puppy left from that litter, 3.) drive to the rescue within in an hour of the phone call, and 4.) don't leave until the adoption paperwork is signed ;) Perhaps a bit fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, but it's been 3 months, and my husband adores our dog. Even if he wouldn't admit it outright.

    Also, I can't make it through the end of Toy Story 3 without heaving, blubbery sobs.

    ReplyDelete
  30. It's so refreshing to know there's someone else with my exact same views on parenting, especially regarding entertainment. Virtual high-five.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Great to learn more about you. First started reading when I learned you were in Iowa. See, your time in Iowa gained me as a reader! It's not all bad! ;) I joke. I'm with you on the loud moms, grammatical errors, and self-entertaining kids. Word.
    Jamie

    ReplyDelete
  32. So I grew up in the same ward as your husband and that's how I heard of your blog a few years ago. I come and check in every so often but yesterday I really needed to hear what you said about what you do with your day. I think in this Mormon world we live in everyone is trying to top one another and trying to take on so much more than we physically can and for me it leaves me feeling depressed about my day. Just like the moms around me I want to be prefect but spending every second of every day with my child was making me crazy. I told my husband last night from now on like you said our sons entertainment/playtime as mainly his own responsibility and guess what it is making feel sane already with only doing this one day. So thank you, thank you!

    Laura

    ReplyDelete
  33. HAHAHA>>>>"crunchy" moms!!! Love it.

    ReplyDelete
  34. You are so beyond awesome, I love it! Thank you for being so real, down to earth, and truthful.

    ReplyDelete
  35. I just found your blog while I was researching pixie cut stuff, and have been on here all morning (: I love it when I stumble across Mormon bloggers! I am sold on the idea of a pixie cut, but now have to convince my parents haha! Keep up the awesomeness!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for commenting!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...