Haven't done one of these in a while

Describe your self. What do you think about yourself and do you think people perceive you in the same way?  Sociable, stubborn, hard working, sensitive....judging by the way people treat me I don't think others see me as sensitive.
Which is your most favorite book ever?  Angela's Ashes..The Help
Which is the one television character that you simply adore?  Jennifer Aniston
What kind of music do you like? All kinds, I am a music junkie. I know the words to just about every song ever made.
Which is your favorite genre of movies? (Comedy/Romance/Suspense/Action/Horror) Suspense
What do you do when you feel very sad or depressed?  Keep to myself
What makes you angry? Are you short-tempered? How do you overcome your anger? Lots of things make me angry. I can be short-tempered, but not necessarily all the time. My fuse burns fast and I tend to get over my anger quickly.
Which is the best vacation you've ever had? We all know I love DisneyWorld, but my honeymoon in Hawaii was amazing, and the mother/daughter trips I've done with my Mom are also on the top of my list (New York, Chicago, Miami..and soon Cleveland again)
If you could have a luncheon with any three people (real or fictitious/from any time period/dead or alive), which three people would you choose and why?  Lincoln (I've been obsessively reading up on him lately) Oprah (do I need to say why?) Jesus
Which is your most cherished childhood memory? What kind of kid were you, naughty or nice? Just spending time with my brothers meant a lot to me. I was probably a mix of naughty and nice - kind of like every kid. Considering the fact that I had one parent who was naughty and one that was nice that isn't much of a suprise. I was very responsible growing up.
If given complete freedom to start afresh, what profession would you choose and why? I would be a lawyer. I don't have the time or energy for law school at this point in my life. Sign language is also a passion so I'm going that route.
What is your idea of fun? If given a chance to skip work for a day, how would you spend the entire day? Go to the beach, then out to eat, then shop, then a movie.
Which is your favorite time of the day? Morning, but not the first few minutes when I have to get up.
Are you a morning person or a night person? Morning - I am solar powered. Besides, when your days are as busy and draining as mine are bed is awfully inviting at the end of the day.
What is the craziest thing you've ever done? I seriously can't tell you. Seriously. But, I did jump out of a plane a couple times.
Name one person you love the most and one person you hate the most. Since I can only name 1 I will say I love my husband. Who do I hate? Rush Limbaugh?
If we were a couple and we had a fight, how would you try to patch things up?  If we were fighting I probably wouldn't want to patch things up. Saying sorry and a hug usually does the trick though.
What is the funniest prank played on you or played by you? I had a co-worker  run a fake mouse over my foot one time and I jumped on the table. He also pretended to be an old guy having a heart attack and I dialed 9-1-1....it was funnier in person.
If given a choice, which animal would you want to be? Why? An elephant because they're big and gentle and smart and kind.
Who was your first crush? Did you ever tell him/her about your feelings?  This kid named Ryan and I'm pretty sure he knew about it.
Which is your most favorite place in this earth? Home
If you were stranded on a lonely beach, what are the five things that you would want to survive?
If I can't choose people then I'd choose: food, water, lotion, books, pictures

Rewind: Halloween 'Season'

I totally forgot to post about Halloween!! We dressed up SO MANY times this year!!

I let the girls throw their own costume party for their friends the weekend before Halloween. We went to another party the next day and the day after that they dressed up for their Nanny and Papa Heer.

Of course we dressed up for Halloween day and for school.

The weekend after Halloween we had an adult only costume party/birthday party for yours truly and my birthday buddy/Bill's best friend Mike (the sadistic clown:)

I loooooove Halloween Season!!!!

Obama 2012

This morning we found out that President Obama was re-elected for a second term. Regardless of who you voted for I think it's important to respect our President - whoever he/she is. We need to set a good example for our children and act like adults. The extremely negative and out right disgusting things I get as emails and read on Facebook is out of control. There is a difference between being funny (eg: SNL, late night talk show hosts, etc) and just being plain mean.

I'm so glad this ugly election is over and I look forward to moving forward with my fellow Americans.

37

Today is my 37th birthday.
I never think about getting older so I never pictured what it would feel like to be 37.
Being 37 feels really awesome.
I feel successful.
I feel loved.
I feel proud of myself.
I feel pretty.
I feel strong.
I feel smart.
I feel accomplished.
I feel really happy.


I feel a little refined but mostly not. That's just me.

I love my birthday (like, a lot) and I love getting older. I think I will probably live to be super old.

Thanks to my children and my husband and my family and my friends for always making me feel so GREAT on my birthday. I don't think taking one day out of the year to celebrate yourself is out of the question either :)

Amy & Mark's Wedding

 

Rarely do members of the same family grow up under the same roof.

Richard Bach

 

In the last 18 years of my life my once small family of 5 has grown EXPONENTIALLY.

I want to thank the Knosalla family for welcoming us all with nothing but love and open arms. You have proven that it is possible to have a truly loving relationship with an extended family. We love you.

Can you relate to this too?

Profile of a highly ambitious woman

The highly ambitious woman is generally exciting, enthusiastic, and full of life. She works hard and is an over-achiever. She's your typical "Super-Mom," entrepreneur or corporate executive. She enjoys leadership positions and might even be considered bossy or controlling.

She has high energy levels and often has a low tolerance for people who can't keep up with her pace. She is generally creative and full of ideas. She thrives on responsibility and stress, but tends to take on more than she can handle. She feeds on intelligent, thought-provoking communication. Her greatest desire is to be loved, appreciated, and acknowledged for all she is able to accomplish.

School Mornings

Some days my mornings go pretty well with the kids. They get out of bed on time. They get dressed with appropriate-ish clothing. They eat their breakfast in a timely manner. They let me do their hair. They brush their teeth. They put their appropriate shoes on. They brush their teeth.

That's a good morning.

Other mornings I get told to STOP TALKING when I go to wake them. They put on striped shirts two sizes too small with polka dot shorts that are not weather appropriate and grrrowl at me when I ask them to change. They sit in front of their breakfast like a zombie for 20 minutes instead of eating. They 'do' their own hair - you know, with 3 pony tails and a fashionable long strand of hair hanging in their face. They try to sneak out wearing flip-flops. They all-of-a-sudden remember they forgot: a snack, a bottle of water, a form for me to fill out, a family picture (nobody has printed pictures anymore!), etc.
The 3 minutes before the bus comes becomes an all out battle zone - me screaming instructions and telling them to hurry up! Then, as they fly out the door and get on the bus I smile and always, always, always tell them to have a good day and I love them. In my warped mind this erases all the yelling I just did 2 seconds before. I actually think it works for them to.

This is a normal morning.

I'm sure there are things I could do to make things run more smoothly, but I'm too lazy to have them pick out their outfits at night because we're exhausted from the bedtime battle.

How do you rate your school mornings??