open book, schmopen book: january 2009 edition

I put out the call for some new open book, schmopen book questions last week, it wasn't a loud call, so don't worry if you missed it. Because ChurchPunkMom from Embellished Truth and Polite Fiction and Julia from In Java, Literally, came through like rays of sunshine after a rainstorm. I don't really know what that means, but those lovely ladies (smell them in the air...think I'll put my anchor in the harbour over there....sorry, not appropriate, I know. But name that musical anyway.)

Where was I? Right. Those gals each sent me a very interesting set of questions to answer. And answer, I have!

First, from ChurchPunkMom...alphabetical order and all...

1. What's your favorite and least favorite things about where you live?
I lovelovelove the seasons. Sure, this winter has been a little long, dark and snowy for my taste, but I would sure miss it if the temperature was warm all the time. And the least favorite? The village we live in sends the water bills out on a postcard, and I always lose the postcard, and end up paying the late fee. Every.quarter. Mer. I wish they sent it in an envelope like normal people. Even if I had to pay for the paper, envelope and stamp, it would still be cheaper than the late fee.

2. What is your proudest parenting moment?
I am proudest of my children when they think of other people's feelings, when they are kind, generous, and sensitive. I imagine fancying the time they cease pounding each other in the face, but I can't be quite sure, as it hasn't happened yet.

3. Who were you in your previous life? aka, what did you do before you had kids? Do you miss it?
By certification, I was a music teacher. I also taught Real Subjects at a local Catholic school the year I moved back to New York because it was the only teaching gig I could get, as there were no music ed positions available in all of Western New York State. Do I miss it? Not for a second. Teaching was the absolute wrong choice of profession. (Thanks, Mr. Rahn! That was a great bit of advice you gave me! So glad you retired!!!)

4. What is your goal for your blog.. what is your objective?
I want blogging to be fun for me, to give me a way to connect with other adults on a day to day basis, to give me a chance to use the part of my brain that isn't involved in butt-wiping and laundry. Of course I would like to be one of the cool kids on the bloggity block, get a bazillion comments and have my feed reader and follower list explode...who doesn't want an ego feeder like that? But really? I blog because I enjoy it. And I'll pull the plug if it ever becomes anything other than fun.

5. What do you appreciate/admire most about The Mister?
His ability to...oh wait. My brothers read this. I like watching him have fun with the short people. I like watching him cuddle the short people. I appreciate that he works hard so that we can have our home and eat, and have a comfortable life. I appreciate that he likes me so darn much. I appreciate that he is useful and not dumb. And he appreciates that about me, too, except for when I'm pregnant sometimes I'm dumb, but he gives me a free pass for being dumb when I'm pregnant. I also appreciate that. Oh, here's another one...I appreciate that there is no drama. And no (ahem) stepping out (cough). There's really a lot of things I admire and appreciate about that guy.

6. When your shampoo bottle is nearly empty, do you then store it upside down in the shower?
Ha! I actually store my shampoo bottles upside down all of the time. I like the stuff to come right out of the bottle instantly, and I do not like the sound the bottles make when the stuff doesn't come right out.

And Julia, not to be mistaken for Julia Goolia, by the way.

1. What's one language you'd like to learn, why?
I would like to learn French because it sounds supercool and supersexy to talk in French. Also, my MIL teaches my children French (not sexy when they talk in French, for the record, it's just cute), and I have to scramble to keep up with the vocabulary. If I could speak French, we'd speak French half the time and English the other half of the time, and I'd have supersmart bilingual babies and that would rock.

2. What year changed your entire life?
Probably 2001. My parents' marriage went down the crapper, he moved to the southwest with a Person of Questionable History (read: convicted felon), and everything in general went off the deep end. I started hanging out with The (Not Yet) Mister as a coping mechanism, then I moved to New York State (back in with my mother after six years away), then I got engaged and then I got married. I also went overseas for the first time.

The understatement of 2001: I experienced some transition.

3. What are you proud of?
I am proud of the way we live our lives. I am proud that we are raising our children to be confident, competent, considerate adults.

4. Why do you live where you live?
We live in the village where we grew up. Our house has been in the family since the early 1940's, when The Mister's granddad was the principal, then superintendent of schools for the district. His granddad and grandma bought the house from the school district, and we bought it from The Mister's dad after his granddad passed away. We are not moving. Ever.

5. What is a your favorite hobby, and why?
I like to cook and bake. It's very relaxing. I cook dinner pretty much every night, and it's fulfilling to be able to provide my people with tasty, nutritious food (Miss O might disagree). The whole Food for the Soul thing applies. I think it's the one thing I can consistently do right for my family. I might not always be the nicest person to be around, I might not have a clean bathroom, and I definitely cannot keep up with the laundry, but I can pretty much always put something really great on the table.

So there you go, eleven little peeks into life with the Boss of Things, here at the dayton time. Next open book, schmopen book after the baby is born. I'm sure y'all'll have tons of good questions then.