Hotsseat Answers

Thanks to everyone that submitted questions yesterday. Thanks Heidi, MrsMoma, Martina, Mountain Mom, Susan, Deanna, Lindsay, Jen, LauraC, Mama's Losin It, and Joanna!

How did you end up in Georgia?
I moved to Macon from Iowa with my family when I was 12. When I was 19 I'd had enough of the small, backwards town and went to live in Milwaukee, where my Dad lives. After one year in the frozen tundra I doubled back to Florida where my Mom and family lived. I spent less than a year there because I was too poor to live in the nice area where my family lived and sick of living in the neighborhood in Tampa that was shown every time "COPS" Tampa aired. So I found myself in Atlanta. This is where I really wanted to go all along. but I didn't originally because I felt it was too close to Macon. I've been in Atlanta since 94. I don't see myself moving anywhere else any time soon.

Where the heck have you been??? Okay that's not really my question..
Well, first my sister was here and we spent every available moment working on clothes and closets. Then when she left, I gave in to all of the mommy blogger peer pressure and picked up Twilight. I read the first and second book in three days and just started the third. I'm terrible about putting a book down once I start reading it.

How do you really feel about having 2 girls, esp when you think about the teen years to come? :)
I love having two girls. Sometimes I wish we also had a boy for Bill, but I wouldn't trade our two girls for anything. I am hoping we can go through the teen years with our relationships mostly in tact, our sanity in check, and midriffs covered. I may be a little optimistic on all three.

how do you come up with your topics? and writing style? and hilarity? ok, so take your pick on what you want to answer, lol.
My life gives me most of the topics. I have that kind of life that just seems to be a magnet for disaster, even of the most mundane and unsuspecting tasks. Believe it or not, some of the best stories have never made it into the blog. They probably never will either, because I don't want to share stories that would possibly hurt or embarrass someone in the end or get me in trouble at work. As far as my writing style, I just write as I would speak to someone. And I think you're being overly generous with the hilarity, but I'll take it.

If you were stranded on a desert island and you could have one person with you and only one item to eat every single day, who would you choose to be with you and what would you eat? And, how do you think you would have answered this question before you were married and had kids?
My person of choice would be Bill. If I were pregnant I'd say my food of choice would be a Burger King bacon double cheeseburger (was addicted to those with both pregnancies). Not pregnant, I'd have to go with triscuits and hummus. I never seem to get sick of that. Before I was married with kids I still would have gone for the Triscuits and Hummus.

Do you ever worry your kids will have some of your physical or personality traits that you don't care for in yourself?
Absolutely. I don't want my kids to be fat or have the Irish cankles (I think they are both doomed on the cankles anyway). When I get angry I cry. It's embarrassing and maddening. I hope to spare the girls of that trait. I also recognize that I carry the "addictive gene" and while I've managed to avoid life altering addictions, I can easily become addicted to smaller, unhealthy things. I hope they avoid that too.

Least favorite house chore?
Hmm...based on the bazillion posts about my closets piled to the ceiling with clothes, I'd have to go with laundry.

How did you and DH (dear husband) meet?
We have a mutual friend. Bill was having a big party that was going to be catered, DJ'd, and decorated. Our mutual friend volunteered me to do the decorations for his party.

Have you ever been back to that store where you had that horrible experience that you posted about? Also, any other horrid shopping experiences?
Yes, once and I think some recognized me. While taking both girls hasn't always been a cakewalk, nothing has ever compared to the one fateful grocery store experience. I pray I am always able to say that statement.

What are the most common misconceptions people have about you (and your family) as LDS?
People think we still practice polygamy or confuse us with Jehovah's Witnesses. I've had people say I didn't believe in Jesus or surprised that I dance. People assume I want six kids. Let me assure you, I do not. When my current client manager learned I was LDS he said, "Really? I wouldn't have pegged you as LDS. Most Mormons I can pick out within 10 minutes of meeting them because they are so over bubbly. You aren't...bubbly" I don't know what that all means, exactly. I still haven't decided if I'm insulted.

Have you stopped playing WoW?
I haven't cancelled my subscription, but I haven't played in quite a while. I just haven't had the time. After being glued to it for the first two weeks of starting to play again, it was a lot easier for me to walk way.

How much time a day do you spend blogging?
Lately, not enough. When I'm posting every day like I normally do, it is about an hour a day. Of course, I couldn't tell you how much time I spend reading other people's blogs. I spend way more time reading others' than working on mine.

Why do you blog?
Originally I started blogging because I was terrible at keeping up baby books and scrapbooks and I wanted my girls to have a record of their lives. That is still one of the primary functions of this blog. I don't put anything in here I wouldn't want them to be able to read 15 years from now. However, once I started blogging I found it was a great replacement for a therapist and it led me to tons of friends I didn't know I wanted or needed. My introverted self really gets a lot out of being able to communicate with people in this medium. I love to write and I love knowing people are reading what I write. That's what keeps me blogging.

What's your favorite thing about each of your kids?
I love Reagan's intelligence and her creativity to problem solving
I love Bailey's infectious smile and laugh

What's your least favorite think about each of your kids?
Reagan wakes up crying, every single day.
Bailey doesn't want to sleep through the night.

If your child was enrolled in swim lessons, but screamed each time you had to go...would you insist or would you pull her out??
Tough question. I think I wouldn't give up on the swimming lessons, I'd look for another approach to teaching them. We have a pool so it was really important that Reagan learned to swim sooner rather than later. I don't think I would have given up on that goal.

Would you like to adopt a Greyhound?
I don't even want to adopt a goldfish

What was your favorite subject in high school?
English

What "group" would you classify yourself in high school?
I was a nerd. I'm still a nerd.

What is a typical dinner like at your house?
Somewhere other than at our house.

How often do you and your husband go out for "date" nights just the two of you?
This is very rare. We have babysitter issues and no family in town so we only get to go a few times a year.

And am I your top number one favoritist bestest most loved blog to read EVER??? (their is a right and wrong answer to this question)
YES! (and so are all of the other blogs I read regularly)

What is your biggest fear for you girls as they grow up?
That they will be hurt and not feel like they fit in with any friends

What kind of books do you like to read?
I'm all over the board with books. I read all kinds of stuff. My favorites though are ones with a bit of a sci fi/fantasy/goth theme through them.

What is your guilty pleasure?
Going skinny dipping in the pool around midnight and floating around, looking up at the stars.