Five question Friday...on Saturday

After the longest week ever (or at least in recent memory)....I need to have some fun on the ol' blog.

So, here is my Saturday edition of Five Question Friday.

1. Can you drive a stick shift?
Absolutely....NOT! An ex-boyfriend tried to teach me once, and I kept stalling the car. So I have no desire to ever learn. And, minivans don't come in stick shift - so I think it's OK if I never learn.

2. What are two foods you just can't eat?
Brussel Sprouts. Anchovies.

3. Do you buy Girl Scout Cookies? What are your favorite kinds?
Disclaimer: I work for the Girl Scouts, so I am constantly surrounded by Girl Scout Cookies. I eat, sleep, breathe, and live GS Cookies in my job (communications). And, my daughter is a Girl Scout Daisy who sold cookies for the first time this year. So yes....I buy GS Cookies. And I have them in my office at work. And we eat them at work. But, selling them is such a great activity for the Girl Scouts so I will always buy some - whether it's from Olivia or another GS. (The girls learn so many things about business, handling money, etc.)

And my favorite? Tagalongs (also known as Peanut Butter Patties, depending on which baker you get the cookies from - there are two licensed GS Cookie bakers in the US).

4. How do you pamper yourself?
Ha! Hahahahahahahhaha. Yeah, right. As if I have time to pamper myself. That's too funny.

OK...here's what I do - every 6 weeks I get my hair colored/highlighted. A few times a year I might get a pedicure (the ultimate pampering for me). But normally, I'll just grab a Starbucks or go wander through Target for a bit. That's as crazy as it gets around here.

5. What is your nickname and how did you get it?
I don't really have a nickname. "Trace" is one, I guess. (You can't really shorten "Traci").

Don't forget to head over to My Little Life and link up your Five Question Friday post!

Will winter never end?

Dear Mother Nature,

I am so done with winter.
So very done.

The end of last week was wonderful - all the snow melted, the sun was shining and it was almost spring-like.

And then the snow started yesterday.
Then it turned to rain.
And then freezing rain.

For the record - the weathermen did NOT predict this ice storm.
They said it was going to RAIN.
Not rain and then freeze every single thing in sight.
(They also didn't predict this snowstorm we're having tonight...until some time last night).

Last night I got 3 hours of sleep.
Why?

Because I fear trees.
Yeah, I said it.
I fear trees....especially when they are covered in 1/3 inch of ice and the wind is howling.
THAT makes trees fall down. And crack. And land on my roof

So...last night I sat up all night listening to tree limbs fall on my house, waiting for the worst.
Now, I'm not normally a "nervous Nelly" but....right now I'm a wreck.

This morning we lost power at 9:30 a.m.
As I write this, it is 7 p.m. and we still have no power.
I am at my parent's house with the kids and Kevin is home alone - in our cold, dark house with the dogs.
And...it is STILL snowing.

In a word - this sucks.

Mother Nature you are a nasty witch.

Spring had better get here soon.
I can't handle much more winter.

Five Question Friday!

OK...this "five question Friday" originates over at My Little Life (and I found it via Mama of all Trades).

Here we go!

1. Have you worn the same outfit more than one day in a row?
Um, yes. I'm quite certain that I have done this. I know there have been days where I wake up and decide "I'm not getting out of my pajamas today" even though I've been in them since mid-afternoon the day before. I have two kids. Sometimes I don't want to make the effort. Sue me.

2. If you had to choose any LARGE city to live in, which would it be?
At one point in time I might have answered Chicago. But now I have one answer...just one. Orlando. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that shocks no one. Why? Florida. No snow. No ice. Palm trees. And, of course, Disney. (My second choice? Tampa.)

3. Fly or drive with the kids on vacation?
We've done both successfully since the girls were "younger." Emma's first plane trip was at 8 months old. Olivia was 3 at the time. Last spring we drove to Disney - and while the drive down to Florida is OK, the drive home is always exhausting. It's fun to take road trips - there's a sense of adventure in packing up the car with suitcases, snacks, coolers, toys, pillows and blankets. And then by day two on the road you just WANT TO GET THERE NOW! So...if I had to choose, I'd say fly. For now.

4. What is your idea of "spring cleaning"?
Cleaning every room of the house top to bottom. Washing all floor rugs, shampooing the carpet, washing the hardwood floors, scrubbing with the strongest cleaner I can find, opening all the windows and getting rid of every single stubborn winter germ. Oh, and cleaning out closets, cupboards AND the basement and putting all the junk at the curb for our "unlimited trash" day in April. It should be noted that I cannot wait for spring cleaning this year.

5. What is the best book you have ever read?
Wow. This is a tough question. I have so many "favorite" books, but to determine THE BEST? I'll try....the best "fiction" would likely be Spring Moon by Bette Bao Lord. I read it in high school and fell in love - I have read it several times again since. The best "horror" book would be The Stand by Stephen King. (I almost said IT by Stephen King only because when I finished that book I actually slept with the lights on for two weeks). For the record, my favorite book is Gone with the Wind. I've read it 10 times. At least.

OK...there you have it.
Happy Friday!

Finding time for "just me"

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See those beauties? They are my pride and joy. My reason for existing. The loves of my life.
Sure, we love our kids to the moon and back...but sometimes, we need that "mommy time out."
We need those few minutes (or a few hours) when we do something for US - without feeling guilty about it.

Regular readers of my blog know that I struggle with balancing work/home/life and that I'm not ashamed to admit it. I work full time outside the home - after spending nearly seven years either working part-time or being a SAHM, and there are many, many days when I wish I could work AT home, thinking that perhaps I'd have more "me" time.

HA! I can hear your laughter.
I don't know one mommy who ever has enough "me" time - no matter where or how you spend the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.! Every mommy is a working mommy, and we all struggle with balancing the needs of our families with our own PERSONAL needs.

My "normal" day looks like this: I'm up at 6:15 a.m. and have to get ready for work, decide what I'm wearing and what the girls are wearing to school, make sure my husband has packed Liv's lunch, and then I pack my lunch (ha! who am I kidding?) and try to figure out what we might be having for dinner that night, and hope there's enough coffee left in the pot to get me to Starbucks. By 8 a.m. Liv is on the bus, headed to school. I make it to work at 8:30 a.m. (OK, 8:45 if I stop for Starbucks) and then work until 5:30 p.m. (sometimes I have time for lunch, sometimes I don't). By the time I get home it's 6 p.m. and if I remember to thaw out something then my husband has cooked dinner (and the angels sing from the heavens). Dinner is done at 6:30 if we're lucky, but then it's time for homework with Liv (normally a struggle), then bath time, and then story time, and then if we're lucky at least one of the kids is asleep by 8 p.m. (Emma will be asleep by 8:30 ... maybe).

And then....

This is where I try my best to have about an hour or so of "me" time. Whether I'm watching a trashy reality TV show (Monday night...The Bachelor), or catching up on the pile of magazines on my coffee table, or curling up with my netbook and Twitter - this is my time.

I need this time at night to decompress, to relax, to wipe away the stresses of my day and just be ME.

During the weekend, it's harder to find time for "just me" - between conquering Mt. Washmore and grocery shopping and cleaning the house (you'd never know it if you looked at my house) - my weekends end up being about what the family needs. And I'm OK with that - I love my husband and my kids.

But sometimes I just look at the ensuing chaos in my living room and declare "That's IT! I'm going to Target. ALONE." And for one lovely hour I wander aimlessly through Target, buying things I don't need. And I feel better.

So, how do you take a moment (or two) each day just for you?

Remember, visit http://www.facebook.com/crystallight to learn more about how Crystal Light can flavor your day with 30 refreshing flavors. I was selected and paid for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

i love my iPhone

I have been a loyal, if not somewhat frustrated, BlackBerry owner for the last two years. I loved my cute, pink BlackBerry. It was fun and easy to use. And for the most part, it was reliable.

Well, except for those times when it would totally freeze in the middle of something and I would have to pull the battery. Or when the entire BB network went down (thank you, RIM). Or when Facebook upgraded its app for BB and I suddenly had triplicates of every single post.

Yeah, other than that, my BB was lovely.

But I longed for an iPhone.

I will not lie.
I have had iPhone envy for quite some time.
And then....THE announcement was made!
Verizon was getting the iPhone.

And I knew what I had to do.

I broke up with my BlackBerry last night.
Forever.

My iPhone arrived yesterday afternoon and as soon as I opened the box, I was smitten.

It's a beauty.
And it's fast. And smart. And the apps...oh my...the apps!
Simply put, the iPhone is downright amazing.

Now I "get" it.
I understand why people stand in line for hours to get their hands on an iPhone.

The iPhone is IT.

Snow day!

As I type this, the sun is shining and our road is cleared of most snow...yet the entire county remains under a "level 3 snow emergency" - so essentially everything is shut down.

My office is closed.
Kevin's office is closed -or at least no one is there because no one is allowed to drive in a "level 3" unless you want a ticket.
School is closed.
Daycare is closed.

We're having a snow day!

I was going to work this afternoon...but well, I checked my work e-mail and there was nothing of importance to deal with so, I'm going to blog and then nap. In that order.

The storm was bad...but around these parts I wouldn't necessarily call it 'historic' or any of the other words the forecasters were throwing around earlier this week. We probably got about 8 inches of snow. And some sleet.

The worst part was the wind.

(I tweeted last night: Dear Mother Nature: we're sorry for whatever we did. we get your point. can the blizzard please stop now?)

I will admit - the wind scared me last night. It was loud. And it blew our chimney cap right off the chimney (and it landed in our front yard).

But really...it just seemed like a bad winter storm.
Not 'snowmageddon' or 'the storm of the decade' ....maybe in other parts of the country it was THAT bad. Here, it was winter in Ohio with some extra wind thrown in.

But today we (meaning my husband) cleared the driveway and we (meaning us) took the girls outside for some good old fashion fun (which means they played in the snow and I took photos).


All in all, I think every now and then we all need a 'snow day.'
I hope you're enjoying it.
Keep warm, stay safe and drink some hot chocolate!
And, on the bright side - that pesky rodent said we're in for an early spring.