It was only a matter of time

Really? Again?

Meet Me On Monday

Thanks to Never Growing Old for this week's edition of Meet Me on Monday.
1. Tomorrow I am _________
Going on a field trip to the Iowa State Capitol in Des Moines with Carly's class. I'm excited! I haven't been there on a tour since I was in elementary school.

2. When is your birthday?
June 7. I'll be 45. It weirds me out to be so close to 50.

3. What are you currently excited about?
Summer and going to my favorite people watching spot, the community pool!

4. Do you have any secrets?
Maybe one or two, but my memory is so bad I couldn't say what they were. I'm mostly an open book, but that doesn't mean I tell everything. I usually operate on a need-to-know basis.
5. What do you normally eat for lunch?
It varies from week to week. Last week I ate an English muffin with peanut butter and microwaveable mac and cheese four days in a row. On Friday I went to Cazador and had a shredded beef chimi. Yum-o!

Battle of the Arches

A trip to St. Louis this weekend resulted in one basketball championship and one van with hail damage. Ah, memories.

Things I'll miss

Tonight was our final elementary chorus/band concert. It only took nine years to figure it out, but this time we arrived 30 minutes early and got both a parking space and a seat.

No wonder I'm teary.

Meet Me On Monday

It's time for another edition of Meet Me On Monday, courtesy of Never Growing Old.

1. I keep putting off _________

I put off everything. Last minute is when I do my best work!

2. What is your current weather?

Sunny and clear, 63 degrees

3. What is the nicest room in your house?

My favorite is always the one that's the quietest or the cleanest. Today it is the bathroom(s). They're clean right now, but only because someone stopped by on Saturday. I clean if I know you're coming. Otherwise it's best if you don't look too closely. It's a good thing my mom doesn't have Internet because she would be having a cow about now. I remember her washing the walls on weekends - for fun!

4. What jewelry do you never take off?

Diamond earrings that were a gift when Riley was born. But really, it's because they're easy. I have no fashion sense. Sometimes I'll wear my rings, but if I take them off it'll be at least a week before I put them back on.

5. Do you eat a snack before bed?
This feels like a trick question. I only snack between 7 am and 10 pm. I don't go to bed until 10:30. So not before bed, just all day long!

Fighting Father Time

The problem with getting old is that your body starts to do weird things. Mine is growing ugly skin tags. I usually yank them off, but the seven that popped up around my eye in the past year didn't want to come off. Believe me, I tried. That's how I ended up at the eye doctor today -- she with a pointy needle in hand and me wondering if anesthetic was even needed for such a little thing. The answer to that is hell yes. Turns out that all that snipping burns. A lot.

In mid-procedure, someone knocks on the door. She needs the Botox, which happens to be in that room. Hello? Why didn't anyone tell me there was Botox? I would have been all over that. I could have scheduled both for the same appointment and saved myself a co-pay. Adding insult to injury, the doctor tells me no eye makeup for a week. Uh-huh. Like that's going to happen. 

We Want to Know Wednesday

Hosted by Mamarazzi and Crazymama

1. What is your favorite go to breakfast recipe for special occasions or company?
My favorite is a recipe for a Mexican casserole. I first had it at a baby shower brunch. It is delish! My second choice would be waffles or bagels and cream cheese.  

2, What is your policy for kids that don't want to eat what you are serving?
I have a lot to say about this. One of the Hoop-lahs is a picky eater. PICKY. Always has been. When you are the parent of a picky eater you get tons of unsolicited opinions: Make her eat it. Make her go without. Don't let her leave the table until she's done. You're coddling her. Blah, blah, blah. On and on. I tried each of those theories at different times, plus a bunch more. They resulted in a child who would purposefully throw up after eating or hide food in her mouth, which she would spit out later behind the furniture in her room, in the trash can, or whatever spot was handy. For me, that was a warning sign that we were creating a negative relationship with food that could result in an eating disorder later. So I changed my approach. There are now three choices: eat what's on the table, have a peanut butter sandwich or hot dog, or go without. That approach works for us.

3. Do you take treats to neighbors? What kind?
Not to the neighbors, although we do make May baskets for the kids. I sometimes will bake something for one of Riley's basketball teams or for Scott's office (around the holidays). Cookies, rice crispy bars, things like that.

4. What is your most used spice in your cupboard? (Besides salt or pepper)
Italian seasoning and garlic salt

5. What is your favorite fruit? Do you have a fave veggie?
I love all fruit, but my favorite is watermelon and cantaloupe. No favorite veggie. I stick mostly to green beans, corn and potatoes. Will occasionally eat broccoli begrudgingly.

6. Bonus question . . . It was tax day here in the U.S. Did you get a return? How did you spend it?
I got the taxes in under the wire last week. We did get a refund, which we used to buy a new basketball hoop for Riley. We also plan to get Carly a new bike. If there is anything left it will go to bills.

Looks like someone made it

I hit the Well on Thursday night with Tricia from Three Men and a Lady, my mom and my sister-in-law to see Barry Manilow. I've seen him in concert a few times and am always impressed by his voice. He sounds just as good at 68 as he did 30+ years ago. My fond thoughts lasted until today when a friend who works at the Well told me that they were instructed that night by his staff to not look him in the eye if they should cross his path. That would have been the end of the world for sure. Dislike!

Meet Me On Monday

Courtesy of Never Growing Old

Meet me on Monday is back! Oh happy day!

1. Right now I could really eat _________?
Chips and salsa and a chimichanga from Cazador. I know, it's the middle of the morning. Weird. But it sounds yummy.

2. Full length pants or capris?
Capris! I love warmer weather. Once I pull the capris out the long pants are done. I've been known to wear my capris to office meetings - a time or two to my embarrassment at being inappropriately dressed. But I don't really care. The only downside is having to shave my legs again. But only the lower half!

3. The best smelling men's cologne (women's perfume for the guys playing) is ________?
Men's cologne isn't a huge deal at the Hoop-lah House, so I have no idea how to answer. I'll spend my day sniffing some random guys and get back to you. I should mention that a friend just gave me a bottle of Sheer Love from Victoria's Secret. Love it!

4. What is your favorite kind of Cheesecake?
Lemon raspberry from Cheesecake Factory. Just had some this weekend.

5. What TV Show do you currently never miss?
I never watch anything every week, but some of my favs are The Good Wife, Dancing with the Stars, The Anderson Show and Ellen.

We Want to Know Wednesday

Hosted once again by Mamarazzi and Crazymama

In the middle if LIFE is one big IF...so I am asking IF questions this week, and here is what I, Mamarazzi, wants to know:

1. If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?
I would pick The Ellen Show. Everyone always seems so happy -- dancing, fun guest stars, cool surprises, entertaining games and gags. Sounds like a good time to me!

2. If you could be guaranteed one thing in life besides money, what would you ask for?
Health and happiness for the Hoop-lahs. Technically two things, I know. But my mom always says, "You never know until you try." So I'd ask for two.

3. If you had to name the most terrifying event in your life thus far, what would it be?
I had a panic attack a few years ago brought on by stress. I thought I was having a heart attack. Watching the Hoop-lahs watch me have it was the worst thing I've ever experienced. It was a wake-up call for sure. Now I try really hard to not waste my time and energy dealing with things out of my control, which really means other people's crap. I'm more inclined to speak up when someone is being stupid. That's huge for me because I'm a people pleaser at heart.

4. If you could possess one supernatural ability, what would it be?
A cloak of invisibility - mostly because I'm nosy, but I think it would be fascinating to see what people do when they think no one is watching.

5. If you could "uninvent" one thing in the world , so that it would no longer exist, what would you choose?
Cell phones! It's a love-hate relationship. I love my I Phone and the things I can do with it, but I hate seeing people pay more attention to their phones than their families. I watched a couple having dinner the other night who didn't speak to each other the entire time, just looked at their phones. I try really hard to set a good example for the Hoop-lahs. 

As fun as it looks