#20

He's here! My family members will already know by now, but I thought I'd let my friends know that my sister Erin's baby finally decided to grace us with his long-awaited presence...here's the email from my Mom last night.

Ben called after 11 EDT to say they were in the recovery room then. Erin
was doing well except for the teeth chatters, and the baby had good signs.
He was smaller than I had guessed weighing 8 lb 8oz, and measuring 20 and a
quarter. He looks alot like Braeden with Ben's hairline, and kind of "mooshy". She ended up with the c-section even though she tried her best for the v-back. His name is Cole Joshua, I think. Cole, for sure. She will be at St. Joes Ypsi until Sunday.
Ben has next week off. Chrysler has a"paternity" benefit. How nice! His folks
are with Braeden and will stay until Sunday evening. We will visit tomorrow, and I
will try for a picture to post. But, don't hold your breath!

So there you have it! #20 to even out the number of grandchildren in the Day family. Who would have thought!?! We are so excited for another cousin to play with and another baby to steal and snuggle with (Mark, aka "baby stealer")!! So happy for Erin and Ben and Braeden. Can't wait to meet baby Cole!!

Another Great Debate

If you had your choice between a Lorna Doone Shortbread cookie and an Oreo, which one would you choose?
vs.

I’ve always been fascinated by people who don’t have a sweet tooth, or at least a mild sweet tooth. I’ve heard people say “I don’t really like chocolate” and been absolutely astounded. These same people who prefer a bowl of fruit to a pound of chocolate after a meal. It’s amazing. Is it just me? I think I’m an equal opportunist when it comes to sweet things. I really like rich and decadent, but at the same time I appreciate light and fluffy too. I’m not too picky, I pretty much like it all. So how about you? Are you a die-hard choc-o-holic, or are you more equal-opportunity?

Here’s a little experiment… given the opportunity, what would you choose?

Apple pie or French Silk Pie?
Strawberry Shortcake or Banana Split?
Jelly Beans or Reeses Peanut Butter Eggs?
Lemon Bar or Brownie?
Carrot Cake or German Chocolate Cake?
Muffin or Donut?
Thin Mint or Samoa?
Sherbet or Ice Cream?
Lemon cake, Raspberry Cheesecake, or Black Tie Mousse Cake at Olive Garden? (Or if you’re Becky, Casey, and Suzy on a GNO you share all three!! We missed you Sheila!)
Do you mix in frozen raspberries or M&M’s at Cold Stone?

Oh dear, what have I done? Where’s my spare change and the nearest vending machine?!? Question is, WHAT DO I BUY!?!

Popelka and the Parky

This mission story has been rolling around in my head ever since Mark and I took the girls to see Enchanted the other day. It’s just a funny memory from way back when. Hope you enjoy reading it!! (And Diane, if my memory is totally whacked and I’ve recalled this experience inaccurately, please let me know. This is simply my “interpretation” of what happened that day. And I hope you’re not offended by the “picky eater” comment. I’m sure you’ve grown out of it by now…hee hee. Love ya!!)

Popelka and the Parky (or Cinderella and the Sausages)

It was a cold, winter morning. With no appointments scheduled right off the bat, we set out to tract in the same neighborhood of Paneloky (high-rise apartment buildings) we had been working for the past several weeks. We bundled up and caught the bus outside our own apartment for about a 10 minute ride across town. I was serving with Sister Gerdy in a city called Hradec Kralove (City of Kings). She was my 2nd companion, a follow-up trainer to Sister Dorsey. Sister Gerdy was from Littleton, Colorado and my former roommate from my Freshman year at Ricks College. We had history and were happy to be serving together…it was familiar and we knew we had lots of things to work on and made many goals together. I knew her as “Diane” from Ricks. She was a silly 18-year old girl then, with quirky things about her that I got to know after sharing a bedroom with her in a tiny on-campus apartment. One of those things was that she was kind of a picky eater. She definitely didn’t like just anything and although she wasn’t extremely difficult to please with my own culinary inventions, she definitely had a hard time with the offerings from foreign people in a foreign land. Her stomach just wouldn’t tolerate a lot of the food there. And not only that, but the thought of certain KINDS of food would definitely squelch any appetite she may have had prior to the offering. In this case, it was parky (or sausages). Now I actually like sausage, most kinds really. I like the hot dog variety, the bratwurst variety, smoked sausage, polish kielbasa, and even those lil’ smokies that you sometimes eat on special occasions cooked in a tangy bbq sauce in a crock-pot for a million hours. And I have a pretty strong stomach and have never been a picky eater. I can usually eat pretty much anything and be okay with it. Not Diane. And not with sausages on a cold, winter morning.

We were tracting a building, giving our usual performances. Knock a couple times and then if nobody answers, move to the next. Knock again, if somebody answered, we’d take turns giving a door approach. Usually it consisted of the following, “Hi, I’m Sister Day, and this is my companion, Sister Gerdy. We’re missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Have you ever heard of our Church?” And this was usually followed by a rude remark and the slamming of a door, or a polite, no thank you and gentle closing of a door, or some other tirade in the Czech language that I will never be capable of translating (then again, some things don’t really need translating). Anyway, on this particular morning the little birds and squirrels and friendly neighborhood deer must have been nudging us in the direction of this particular door. We knocked on the door of a woman named Popelka, which in Czech means “Cinderella”. She was a pretty, kind middle-aged woman. She was single. She had a bright and tidy little apartment and she invited us in!! We were always thrilled (and sometimes a bit suspicious) when this happened, and so we happily entered her almost fairy tale dwelling. She directed us to the couch, and we took our coats off and opened our backpacks readying ourselves for a first discussion. First, we took a little time to get to know her. Usually after talking for a few minutes, we would know if a person was really interested or just being polite and were really just curious about two young, American women showing up on their doorstep. She seemed interested so we continued. I think we got through the entire discussion. It was great. And it was still early. Her door had been one of the first we had knocked on for the day. I think it was only around 10:30. We were getting ready to ask for a second appointment to follow up with her when she politely asked if we were hungry. This is something most Czechs will do. First they offer tea, and then if they are especially generous, they will offer a small snack. We were instructed by our Mission president to always accept their offerings in order to be polite. We were also instructed to request herbal or fruit tea, and if we weren’t given it to just not drink it. Popelka offered us both. She busied herself in the kitchen as we packed up our things and cleared a space on the coffee table for our tea and snack. Sometimes their snacks would be a slice of babufka (coffee cake), or a small roll with some cheese or fruit. Sometimes they would make these intricately designed “chlebicky” or tiny open-faced sandwiches. The first layer would be potato salad, topped with ham or salami, cheese, and then decorated with sliced peppers, olives, hard-boiled eggs, or other mystery condiments. They were sometimes quite tasty, and other times quite not, especially if the potato salad had a slight crust forming on it from sitting out all day. I have to tell you, the Lord protects His missionaries, and lines their stomachs with lead too!! Popelka returned to the sitting room with two plates for Sister Gerdy and I. On the two plates was a slice of rye bread, a dollop of mustard, and 2 thick, juicy sausages. It sounds kind of good now that I’m writing the words, but for some reason it was not a good thing at the time. I think because it was still early in the morning and the sausages had a thick, crunchy casing and were slightly spicey on the inside, it was not necessarily an appetizing discovery. Normally the host/hostess will sit across from you as you eat and drink and watch, pleasantly engaging you in conversation, but not eating themselves. And that’s exactly what Popelka did. She sat and watched us eat the sausages, or at least try to. I was making progress, trying to take a bite of bread between bites of sausage to cut the spicey, greasy taste. I was okay, so far. I caught a glimpse of Diane out of the corner of my eye and I could tell she was struggling. She was kind of making a mess of ripping her bread apart and kind of dipping it into the mustard to make it look like she was really moving her food around, but she wasn’t coming near those sausages. Popelka got up and left the room for a minute and Diane immediately grabbed my arm. Desperation in her eyes, she pleaded with me, “I can’t do this! Not this morning! Not both of them!” I agreed to take one of her sausages and she flipped it over on my plate before Popelka returned. I started into eating it when Popelka asked how they were. “Great! Wonderful, Thank you” came our replies, ever trying to be the gracious guests and make a good impression on this woman so she’d let us return to teach her again. “Well, then let me get you some more!” She hurried for the kitchen and brought back two more sausages for each of us. AAGH! I knew Diane was already about to lose it after only eating about half of one sausage. I knew I was more than likely going to have to eat the next four after having just finished (choked down) three. That’s a total of seven sausages people!! I don’t know how I did it, but the Spirit must have been with me that day. I left Popelka’s house feeling extremely bloated and a lot sick to my stomach. I knew I’d be burping up sausage the rest of the day. Sister Gerdy, obviously very grateful for my compassion on her, offered whatever I wanted or needed in retribution for the next few days. Luckily, (it must have been those little bunnies whispering in her ear), Popelka agreed to have us return. I can’t remember what happened with her, but I will never forget that experience with Cinderella and the sausages.

The Good, The Bad, And the Ugly

I had intended to post pics from our weekend today, and share all of our Easter fun but alas, I forgot the camera at home. So that post will have to wait for later. In the meantime, I am stealing Mark's idea for a fun little survey to entertain and enlighten you this fine wintery, Spring day. If you like it, post one to yours!!

Things I'm Not Very Good At

Frosting cakes – I always jump the gun (too warm) or wait too long (too sticky) and always get crumbs in the frosting to where it looks like a crumby mess. What am I doing wrong?

Push ups – This is one of my fitness goals this year. I was once ridiculed and mocked by my Freshman gym teacher who asked me if I knew what a real push up was supposed to look like…too bad he’s not around to help pay my therapy bills. Anyway, I still have to push up from my knees and I let me head sag and my other end sticks up in the air. I definitely need better form and want to get to the point where I can do it from my toes.

Teaching Primary – This is also something that is one of my goals this year. It’s not that I completely suck at teaching primary. I’m just not as good as I thought I’d be and it’s a struggle. I have to work really hard at keeping the kids engaged and helping them to actually get something after the 45 minutes we spend together.

Remembering birthdays – I once made this a New Year’s resolution and by the 5th of January had already failed on my brother Jeff. I have great intentions of sending a card in the mail, or even sending off a quick email. These things are somehow impossible for my brain to negotiate. So, sorry if I’ve ever forgotten or neglected you on your special day…it’s not because I don’t love you.

Doing hair – I appreciate the luxury of paying a little bit more to get a quality cut and color. It’s really one of the only things I do to pamper myself. And they make my hair look fabulous, most of the time. The only problem is I can NEVER re-create what they do. I guess I just don’t have the appropriate tools, or products, or wrist-action to move the round brush properly while blow-drying sections of my hair. I just can’t do it. I’m struggling with my girls too. I can’t French braid, or do anything more fancy than a clip or ponytail. Occasionally I’ll curl their ends under or flip them out, but it doesn’t get much more complicated than that.

Things I Am Good At

“Freestyling” in the Kitchen – As Mark would call it; this action is when you are able to make a satisfying and delicious meal from items in the fridge and cupboards without a recipe. He’s always amazed at my ability to just kind of “whip something up” at the last minute.

Organization – Sometimes it borders on the verge of obsessive/compulsive disorder, but I do have a knack for everything having a place and having a place for every thing.

Name/Face Recognition – I can be watching a commercial for who-knows-what and spot and name the guy who played Brigham Young from the Work & the Glory in two seconds flat. I never forget names and faces from movies, TV shows, etc. and can recall them with alarmingly accurate precision and speed.

Editing – This has always been a skill that has served me well and probably one of my favorite things about my job (tech writer). I actually enjoy reading something with the specific task of looking for spelling and grammatical errors and fixing them, as well as re-working sentence structure, and suggesting alternative words.

Arranging knick-knacks and bric-a-brac – This is also a phrase coined by Mark. He refers to all my little decorations as such. In any case, I think I have a talent at making things look pretty together and arranging rooms, etc. I have always really enjoyed doing it. I can remember re-arranging my bedrooms as a kid, as well as decorating for every season and holiday at my Mother’s request. I got a Fisher Price Interior Design Kit for Christmas one year and wanted to become one as an adult…so much for that. Even if I don’t do it professionally, I can still love it as a hobby.

Isn’t Easter supposed to be in April?

Is it just me or has the fact that Easter is THIS Sunday completely escaped your Mom-radar? AAGH! Seriously. I am going to have to pull some major improvisation out of my you-know-what to pull this off. Add to that the fact that we usually do the Egg Hunt on Saturday morning puts me really, REALLY behind the 8-ball. That means I have to have the eggs died and decorated by Friday night. That means I actually have to get my tired carcass to the grocery store on a weeknight to buy the freaking eggs and dye kit. EEE-GADS! And what to put in the Easter baskets this year? They still have candy left over from Valentine’s Day. I think I’m going to stay conservative with a few jelly beans (Starburst only, right Stacie?), some Cadbury chocolate eggs, and a chocolate bunny. That’s all we really like (or need, hello!!) anyway. We also started a tradition with our girls to get them books and an Easter dress. Those are from us, not the bunny.

We actually attempted shopping for Easter dresses at Tar-jay on Saturday, but no luck. Everything is either tank topped (hello we’re still having 30 degree weather), or way too sheer for 5 and 7 year olds…don’t get me started on the spaghetti straps and skirt lengths. What is happening?!? I’m going to have to take them out on Friday to try and nail that down as well. I think I’ll probably hit TJ-Maxx and maybe Costco (they actually have some really cute dresses every now and then). I’m passing on myself more than likely since me finding a dress that fits and that I like takes way longer than a simple afternoon. It’s a debacle of epic proportions (thanks to my epic proportions, hee hee…just kidding!!)

Speaking of Easter dresses, this really is one of my FAVORITE Easter-time memories and traditions of the holiday I think. Is that shallow? Vain, perhaps? My Mom pulled out all the stops when it came to dressing in your finest on Easter Sunday. Not only would we have the pastel colored dress (or outfit for the boys), but we’d more than likely have the matching knee-high socks or tights, white patent-leather shoes, sometimes dainty white gloves, and a cute little hat to top it off. I’m not joking. We went all out. It was awesome. I felt so special, pampered, spoiled, and beautiful. I always looked forward to shopping trips with my Mom, but Easter dress shopping was especially an event I cherished. It was time to bond, talk, and celebrate. Growing up with 5 other siblings also made it that much more fun. It was neat to see how different colors and combinations complemented each of my siblings, and seeing us lined up in our pew at Church was probably like looking at a row of decorated Easter eggs, each one different than the next but complementing each other perfectly. I know she liked to do it too. She liked dressing up “her little dolls”. And we happily obliged. So thanks Mom for always making Easter special and unique and something to look forward to. You’ve inspired me to do the same with my own little “dolls”.

My other favorite tradition for Easter is making egg-salad sandwiches for brunch or lunch. After meticulously decorating my assigned number of eggs, letting them cool and wait in the fridge overnight until the Bunny comes to collect and hide them, and then feverishly hunting them down to plop (and crack) into my basket, I loved finally peeling away the intricate shells to mash up with mayo and a little mustard and Mrs. Dash to spread on bread. What a delicacy! (I really am my father’s daughter!) I’m already looking forward to doing this on Sunday morning! I’m sure that breakfast casseroles and coffee cakes and different things would be lovely, but I’m all about the egg-salad sandwich and chocolate…pure and simple.

An added bonus for us this year is that Dennis and Laurie (Mark’s parents) will be joining us all the way from Idaho! So we may have to serve up a few potatoes with those sandwiches just to “keep it real”.

So we’ve still got some time, it’s now T-4 days and counting…so get cracking (not the eggs of course) and have a great Easter!

Got Luck?

Well, I didn’t wear green today. It totally slipped my mind, not to mention the fact I don’t think I have anything (work worthy) in green anyway. So pinch me virtually if you must. “Luckily” my co-workers and I don’t have the kind of relationship where I think they’d assault me either. Today the feature items down at the Compuware Café were Irish favorites including Corned Beef and Cabbage or a Reuben sandwich. I got a salad instead. I don’t know what my problem is. It’s not like I have anything against St. Patrick’s Day, I just don’t really see what the big deal is. I know it’s a significant day for a lot of people, but I’ve never really understood why. The girls asked me what it was a few weeks ago and I think I told them that it was a day for Irish people to celebrate their heritage. Mark was like, “Really? I thought it was for St. Patrick, the Saint who did such and such…”. I was all, “whatever…basically it means that you wear green, get candy at school probably, maybe some green cupcakes, and color pictures of some leprechauns or pots-o-gold and rainbows”. Is that terrible? Maybe it’s because I kind of have a grudge about luck. I don’t consider myself a “lucky” person. I never win stuff. (Except at baby showers that is, for some reason I do end up cleaning house with those baby shower games.) But I can’t tell you how many giveaways, raffles, and surveys I’ve filled out in hopes of having my name called for the big prize. It never happens. In Elementary school, I was always the kid who got the “Participation Certificate” instead of the trophy on Field Day. I’m not bitter or anything, I’m just saying. I’m also not really one of those people who find themselves “in the right place at the right time”, especially in terms of getting great deals or avoiding accidents by a millisecond. I think I kind of just live my life and don’t really believe in luck or karma and all that superstitious stuff. When we first got married, I remember falling for the Publisher’s Clearing House mail campaign. I returned the first letter with the attached gold sticker to enter into a lottery for a million bucks or something. I think I actually kept at it for almost a year until I finally realized I was never going to win and was just wasting my time. “My luck ran out.” Now, when I think of luck it reminds me of a few random things. The first is that in Czech they have these funny phrases that are like colloquialisms in their culture. You know how Americans say weird stuff that only we get like “off the hook” or even just the term “cool”. Czechs do the same thing. When they want to praise you for being “lucky” they say, “mas kliku” (mosh clee-koo). It translates to “you have a key”. I guess it kinda makes sense. You have the key to good fortune or something or other…(sounds more like a Chinese proverb). The other thing that I think of is Napoleon Dynamite jealously praising Rico for his sweet bike by saying, “you got shocks, pegs…LUCKY!” And how could I not think of Desmond? My favorite Irish person as of late. “Yeh gonta dye, Chah-lee. Aye, brotha!” Well I hope you all have a fun holiday today if St. Paddy’s Day is your cup of tea. So go eat lots of candy and maybe some corned beef and cabbage and hopefully by the end of the day your face won’t match your shirt or the food coloring on your cupcake.

What a Week!!

As many of you may know (those that read Mark’s blog), Mark’s been out of town for 8 days. And I’ve tried to not complain, grouse, or gripe. I was happy his paper was accepted into the recent AML Conference and that he can proudly add that to his resume. (Anything Mark adds to his resume = good, right?) I was also happy he was able to take a jaunt up through Idaho and visit with his family, sleep in, go to movies, and out to lunch daily with cool people. Am I sounding a wee bit jealous? Maybe just a tad…but then again my time will come…October 9-12 isn’t too far away. (Sisters Reunion 2008 in Coeur d’Alene!! Whoo-hoo!!) Anyway, the thing I didn’t expect while Mark was away was just how much it would throw off the balance of the universe (my groove), and leave me kind of light-headed and generally spent. Here’s been my week since Mark’s departure.

Friday night—Had to endure the 90 odd minutes of the catastrophe that is called “Underdog” at the PTA Family Movie Night. It was not only horrible, but the popcorn at the concession was horribly salty.

Saturday—Please refer to “Grumpy Saturdays”, my post from earlier this week and you’ll know what a fun day I had except this time I was flying solo.

Saturday night—A highlight of the day was celebrating the March b-days with Costco chocolate bundt cake and ice cream at party central (little condo in the big woods), the low-light was Avery puking up the Costco bundt cake (and everything else) at about 3 am. All over her bed. Yuck.

Sunday—Had to bail on Primary…the girls were both scheduled for scripture and prayer AND I had to cancel on my Primary class (I hate doing that!) Besides after you spend that much time preparing, it feels like such a waste. If I didn’t think they’d remember, I’d have saved it for this Sunday and they would just have to hear about King Benjamin two weeks in a row. (Instead my conscience got to me and I just did another lesson.) We stayed home all day and I switched all the clocks in the house, or so I thought.

Monday—Please refer to “Excuses, Excuses, Excuses” for how my morning went. As a result, I had to skip my lunch break and missed my regularly scheduled Step class at the Wellness Center and started fearing for what was next.

Tuesday—Took the girls to McDonald’s for dinner. (I’m starting to break down already.)

Wednesday—Got to the Wellness Center for my Strength class and realized I left my shoes at home. What. Is. Happening? Not to mention the fact that it was 50 degrees today. That in and of itself should be freaking us all out.

Wednesday night—Avery starts puking again around midnight. Like projectile this time. All over her bed, wall, floor, hallway, bathroom. She covered more square footage than I’ve seen in a long time. It took me almost 2 hours to clean it all up. Meanwhile Maryn wakes up and is too scared to go back to sleep. We all get back to bed around 3 am.

Thursday—Call in and take a sick day…have to call the school absence line, the SACC absence line, my boss, and the Wellness Center for my noon appt. Taking the day off wasn’t so bad although now I won’t be able to play hooky when Mark’s parents come for a visit. Only 1 day to go!

Friday—Came into work and found out there’s a mandatory staff meeting at 9 am (soooo glad I wasn’t late today), and discover there are all kinds of changes going on in the company. EEK! So now we’re all stressed and freaking out, and the water cooler gossip is abundant! All I can focus on is getting to the airport by 7 tonight to pick Mark up and CHECK OUT!

I am done. I am officially clocking out of my life after the past week starting at 7 pm tonight. I don’t know what I’ll do tomorrow, but work, groceries, cleaning, and kids don’t factor into the equation. I have a GNO (Girl’s Night Out) scheduled on Saturday night and I think that will put me a step in the right direction. Hopefully we can start fresh on Sunday, or maybe Monday. Then again…

Hope you all have a great weekend!! And thanks for all of your thoughtful suggestions about how to make mine better!!

Excuses, Excuses, Excuses

Monday morning after the time change had me all messed up. I switched my clocks on Saturday night and figured we had time to get acclimated on Sunday. Well then Avery woke up puking around 3 am and Sunday was a blur. I didn’t even think about the clocks again until 7 am rolled around (6 am pre-daylight savings time) on Monday morning, and I rolled over and spied my alarm clock to see how many minutes I had left before it would rudely awaken me. I was so disoriented, it didn’t quite register. I had to really think about it for a minute. 7…as in 7 am…as in I overslept…as in I’m supposed to be out the door in 20 minutes…oh, great…here goes a lovely Monday. And off I went. That hasn’t happened to me in forever…the whole “my alarm didn’t go off” excuse. I arrived to work about a half hour late, and seriously considered letting my boss know that that’s why I was a tad bit late that day. Instead I opted for silence, and gave up my lunch break, sparing myself the humiliation and incredibly lame excuses. And it got me thinking…about excuses. And how they kind of confound and bug me. So I made a list…cause I’m seriously hooked on lists and my blog is basically becoming one giant list of smaller lists to organize and document my tidy, little life. Hee hee.

Excuses I will never understand:

I’m not hungry…what’s hunger got to do with eating? Add to that the infamous, “I forgot to eat” line that will forever amuse and stump me.

I forgot…this one is dicey because some people do just have really bad memory. I figure that’s what lists were invented for…so get a pen, some paper, and write it down, or you can always ask me to nag you, cause I’m really good at it.

I didn’t know…especially when it comes to getting this excuse from daughter #1, what she’s forgetting is that at some point I did tell her and she FORGOT, not “didn’t know at all”.

It was too late…I understand this excuse when it comes to the no-calls after 9 pm rule, or weeknight bedtimes for kiddies, but beyond that it seems like sometimes people use this as an excuse to just not leave the house after the sun sets…myself included…especially after watching “I Am Legend”. Yikes.

I was too tired…I "know" tired, and even that isn’t a reason to NOT do anything. For all the Mom's out there who've ever nursed a newborn babe in the wee hours of the morning, then you know that “tired” kind of becomes irrelevant and doesn’t really factor into just plain getting the job done.

I changed my mind…I have actually said this before, however when it is used as an excuse to back out of something after the fact, after you have left another person high and dry of your commitment, than you’re just being a wuss.

So do you have any other classic excuses that you either use or have heard somebody use that is just really lame?

Grumpy Saturdays

"Saturday is a special day,
it's the day we get ready for..."
BAH! HUMBUG!!

When I was a kid, I looked forward to Saturday like it was Christmas. Every week, I had Saturday waiting for me, motivating me to just get through another day to get to it. It always held the promise of a lazy day, with nothing pressing to do. Sleeping in (at least later than 8 am, eating bowls and bowls of cereal while watching cartoons, staying in my p.j.’s until noon…it was awesome. After finally getting dressed, there would be chores to do before fun could be had, but we still had a whole day in front of us. The possibilities were endless, or so it seemed in my mind. Would I go find a friend to play with? Or would Mom offer to take me to the mall for an unsolicited shopping trip? Maybe a movie, a game of kick the can, or rollerskating around the cul-de-sac with neighbor kids? I loved Saturdays.

When I was a SAHM, Saturday was simply another day in my long week of domesticity. If anything, I’d get ready for Saturdays by getting laundry, chores, and grocery shopping done during the week, so that Mark and the girls and I could enjoy a whole, free day together, possibly taking a field trip somewhere…getting out of town for a few hours to explore and relax…and break the monotony. I remember taking long drives into the backcountry of Idaho, stopping in little po-dunk towns, and eating lunch at their local greasy spoon. We’d get back by dinner and it was just enough of an escape to keep me going the rest of the week.

My love for Saturdays has only recently been squelched. Now it just makes me grumpy. I still get to sleep in past my normal 6 am alarm clock, but by 8 or 8:30, my mind is already reeling at the thought of my merciless to-do list. Normally the girls are ready for their morning of cartoons and something to eat around 8:30. And then the cleaning and laundry commences. Our house can get pretty funky during the week, because we really have no time or inclination to do it after work. I know, I know. If I got on board with Fly Lady and split the tasks up daily, it would go faster, blah, blah, blah, but in reality the LAST thing I want to do is scrub toilets at 8:30 at night. Mark is really good at cleaning the bathrooms. He gets them done in record time…I’m not sure how he does it, but at least the toilets are clean, the bath and shower aren’t moldy, and there aren’t pet hairballs growing in the corner. I usually get started on the floors…sweeping, mopping, vacuuming. Sometimes we dust, but mostly not. I also just kind of organize stuff and put things where they go…this seems like a pretty simple task, but it is usually what takes the most time. It’s amazing how many things end up in the wrong place by Saturday morning. After the cleaning is done, I get to work on prepping my Primary lesson. It usually takes me an hour or two. I’m still trying to streamline this process, but haven’t mastered the art yet. Usually by this time, the girls have grown tired of cartoons, have finished their breakfast, and are ready to “go do something”. I (grumpily) inform everyone that there are plenty of things that need to be done in the house before any fun is had. (How dare they smile or laugh or play on this gloomy day???) Anyway, we eventually shower, dress, eat lunch, and get the grocery lists pulled together. This also requires sitting down with the recipe files and figuring out what to eat for 5 meals the following week. What do we already have? What sounds good? What’s on sale? UGH!! I hate that part! We split it into grocery and non-grocery items. If we all go together, I do the perimeter of the store and Mark does the aisles. What we save in efficiency in shopping we make up for in the checkout lane. It is soooo slow…especially at Meijer on Sat. afternoon. But what other choice do we have? Yep, me or Mark at Meijer at 9:30 on a weeknight…no thanks. We got shows to watch after all!! After the shopping is done, we have to take it all back home and unload it. By this time it is nearly 4 o’ clock. We only have a couple hours before dinner and bath/bedtime!! This part just ticks me off. I want and need more time for fun!! Or at least the option to just park it on my couch and not move for a few hours. We do try. We try to let the girls choose at least one fun thing to do so they feel like it’s not just all work and no play. But it’s hard. It’s hard because the next day is Sunday and in order to really enjoy Sunday (and keep it holy), we HAVE to get everything done on Saturday. And in order for everything to be ready for Monday morning, we have to get it all done on Saturday. Saturday = stress for me because of this. I feel so much pressure to get ready for the next week that I am unable to unwind from the week I just finished. And that makes me incredibly grouchy. So instead of stopping and breathing, I just proceed like a grouchy grump and snarl and snap at my family all day long. It isn’t until the to-do list is done or at least only a few items remain that I can unwind. And even then, it’s with bitter resentment. Because there are always a few items that remain that confound and disappoint me…leaving me feeling incapable and guilty. I know that this all sounds a bit whiney and insignificant. Things could me much, much worse. And there are starving children in Africa to worry and fret about instead of how little time I have for fun on Saturday. We are both blessed to have jobs at all right now in this economy, and although enticing, quitting my job at this point is not an option. I’m carrying the insurance benefits, and as long as Mark is in school, it’s best for me to work so we don’t end up with so much debt we can’t see straight. I know I’m sounding a bit like “the glass is half empty” about life. Am I just being a wuss? Do I need to just buck up? I need to do something. I can’t keep hating Saturday like this forever. What should I do? I’m serious…any ideas would be great. And I promise to try and not bite your head off if you suggest something I already mentioned. However, if you catch me on a Saturday morning, all bets are off…for the time being it’s best to just steer clear.

P.S. To Mark and the girls should they read this post…I’m sorry for snapping at you on Saturday. I’ll try harder not to yell and carry on like a raving lunatic. Thank you for cleaning the bathrooms and making your beds. I’m sorry I suck.

A Little Survey Lovin'

Who doesn't love a good questionnaire? I found this one and it was pretty easy to answer. If you're needing a good Q&A to pass the time, copy this one and post it to your own. I'd love to see everyone else's answers.

1) What is the last movie you saw in a theater? Was it good?

Enchanted. Yes, I liked it. The girls loved it. And I looked over at Mark a few times and saw him mildly amused. Mostly he didn’t know what to say when Giselle starts touching Robert’s chest hair, and Avery loudly asks, “Dad, why’s she checking out his fur?”

2) What is your favorite tv show?

Right now it’s Lost. It’s reeling me in, episode after episode. And after the Sahara Desert of no TV for months, it’s been a welcome addition. I’m also still faithful with my AI attendance.

3) What is the last album you bought (or stole from the internet, or burned from a friend) that you loved?

The last complete album I received was Carrie Underwood’s “Some Hearts” Album from Maryn for my birthday last year. But I’ve bought lots of iTunes lately for my shuffle. Among some of the hits are Pink, Kanye West, and the Killers.

4) If you were in charge of People Magazine’s Sexiest Person Alive, who would win?

If I was in charge, I’d have to say Josh Hartnett or Ben Affleck from their Pearl Harbor days. Then again, EVERYBODY in that movie was just super-naturally beautiful.

5) Who is your favorite artist? (Like art artist)

I actually have gone through different phases of what I like. When I was a teen and young adult, I loved Monet. I decorated my college dorm rooms in his watercolors. As I got older, I began to really like Picasso and Van Gogh for their funky impressionism. And I started liking photography…particularly Ansel Adams. Now, I really like really modern pieces like stuff from Allison Strine and Yellena, and photography from Pioneer Woman and Susannah317.

6) What is your favorite musical/opera/play?

My favorite musical began as Annie, then Grease, then Sound of Music, Oklahoma, 7 Brides for 7 Brothers, Oliver, the Music Man (always best played by my brother), the Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, Joseph (and his amazing technicolor dreamcoat), Hairspray, and I must admit the High School Musicals. I’ve seen Operas too, but not as much of a fan. I saw a version of Carmen at an amazing theater in Prague and was blown away. And I don’t think I’ve seen a play since I had to do FA100 at Ricks.

7) What do you think is the worst song ever recorded?

I know my Mom reads my blog, so Mom, cover your eyes now. For the rest of you, do you remember that song called “The Thong Song”. Yep. That’s THE worst song of all time.

Knock, knock...

For those of you who want to get in on the inside joke about Maria Lion, here goes: When I was about 5 or 6, I was really into knock-knock jokes. I thought they were hilarious. Mostly because my brothers thought they were hilarious, and I (in classic little sister style) was always trying to impress them and make them laugh. Ryan would come up with great ones like “knock, knock…who’s there?...boo…boo, who?...it’s just a joke, you don’t have to cry about it!!” I was amazed at his skillz, so I took a gander in my own way. I came up with this:

Knock, knock…
Who’s there?
Maria.
Maria, who?
Maria Lion.

That was it. Get it? Nobody laughed. Or at least they didn't laugh because the joke made any sense. Obviously, I clearly didn’t understand the concept of knock, knock jokes, but it didn’t matter at that point. The damage had been done. Once you do or say something that classifies you into this category of ridiculousness, you are not allowed to EVER live it down and the act of humiliation or silly saying will live in infamy. It gets written in the “family” book of “remember when’s”. And that’s where Maria Lion was born. I have not been able to shake her. But after all this time, I kinda like Maria. I’m kinda tickled by the fact that I was just so stinking eager to please and amuse my elder siblings and that in their way, they did appreciate my humor for what it was. The teasing and the taunting was their way of showing their love for me...(right?) I guess I’ll need to remember that the next time I write a check for therapy. (Ha ha!) Also listed under famous Suzy sayings in our family book…”Let’s get vivica” which is what I sang for Olivia Newton John’s song, “Let’s get physical”, and “venchtables” and “ompen”, which is how I pronounced vegetables and sadly still pronounce open. Also floating around out there is a family movie with my impression of a mobster named Bugsy and I dread to think that it would ever get leaked at some point. I was 11-ish, had a tight, short perm, a retainer, and was kinda chubby…it was NOT pretty.

So let’s hear it…what famous sayings will you add to either the Day family or your own family book? Bill the Catholic, anyone?

We have a winner!!

Okay, so I closed the polls early. I couldn’t wait anymore. Besides, it seemed like “Ready to Run” was in the lead anyway so I just “ran” with it. Hope you like the new look and the new title!

I’m so glad you all chose this title. I LOVE this song by the Chicks. It’s on my iPod and it always gets me moving on the treadmill. Which is another reason I love this new title. As some of you know, I have learned to really love running these past couple years. It has definitely become my cardio of choice at the gym, and when the weather’s nice outside too. I have dreams of doing a half or full marathon someday (for now I don’t have the time to train). In the meantime, I’m actually getting ready to run a 10K in April. This is kind of a big deal for me as you know it has been a huge struggle for me to get here. It feels good. I used to hate it and now I find myself craving it. It has helped me in so many ways, and so I think it is appropriate for that reason.

I also like this title because I think it also describes our life most days. From the minute we wake up to the minute we climb in bed, we are running…to school, work, back home to make dinner and do homework, errands, activities, playing, etc. We lead a pretty busy life and try to keep up with ourselves.

There was some pretty serious competition out there, I must say. When I set up the poll, I did not expect “write-in’s” on the ballot. They were hilarious! You guys are so clever and I’m tickled that you would use your sweet skillz for me. I loved Shauna’s “Czech Me Out” and “Cubicle Chronicles”, which I totally would have used if it weren’t for my paranoia that my boss is reading my blog. Hee hee. “Tales from Maria Lion” was also a serious contender. My family will get the joke, but the rest of you may not. I’ll blog about it some other time. Thanks again for your votes…it was fun to get everybody’s participation. Maybe one of these days I’ll get one of my sisters to help me do something with my lame banner (hint, hint).

Until then…