New Midlife Mommy

Another Meme

Since there is a lull in the action now, and I'm just hanging in there with my Lupron and the evil, evil Estrace, I thought I would take a stab at a meme that I borrowed from Bee Cee.  If you want to participate (and tag, you're it!), just highlight the phrases that apply to you.  As you can tell, I have not had a very exciting life, but nonetheless, to borrow a phrase from Joe Walsh, life's been good to me so far . . .

Bought everyone in the bar a drink
Swam with wild dolphin
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
Been inside the Great Pyramid
Held a tarantula
Taken a candle lit bath
Said I love you and meant it
Hugged a Tree
Bungee jumped
Visited Paris
Watched a lightening storm at sea
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
Seen the Northern Lights
Gone to a huge sports game
Walked the stairs to the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Grown and eaten your own vegetables
Touched an iceberg
Slept under the stars (you mean, like, without a tent?)
Changed a baby’s diaper
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon (always wanted to do this)
Watched a meteor shower
Gotten drunk on champagne
Given more than you can afford to charity
Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
Had a food fight
Bet on a winning horse (nope, always the biggest loser)
Asked out a stranger
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
Held a lamb
Seen a total eclipse
Ridden a roller coaster
Hit a home run
Danced like a fool, not caring who watched
Adopted an accent for an entire day
Actually felt happy about your life, even for a moment
Had two hard drives for your computer
Visited all 50 states
Taken care of someone who was too drunk
Had amazing friends
Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
Watched wild whales
Stolen a sign
Hitchhiked in Europe
Taken a road-trip
Gone rock climbing
Midnight walk on the beach
Gone sky diving
Visited Ireland
Been heartbroken longer than you were in love
In a restaurant sat at a stranger’s table and ate with them
Visited Japan
Milked a cow
Alphabetized your CDs
Pretended to be a superhero
Sung karaoke
Lounged around in bed all day
Posed nude in front of strangers
Gone scuba diving
Kissed in the rain
Played in the mud
Played in the rain
Gone to a drive-in theater
Visited the Great Wall of China
Started a business
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken (thank you, DH)
Toured ancient sites
Taken a martial arts class
Played a computer game for more than 6 hours straight
Gotten married
Been in a movie
Crashed a party
Gotten divorced
Gone without food for 5 days
Made cookies from scratch
Won first prize in a costume contest
Ridden a gondola in Venice
Gotten a tattoo
Rafted the Snake River
Been on television news program as an “expert”
Got flowers for no reason
Performed on a stage
Been to Las Vegas
Recorded Music
Eaten shark
Had a one-night stand (ouch -- DH will read this one and just have to wonder)
Gone to Thailand
Bought a house
Been in a combat zone
Buried one/both of your parents
Been on a cruise ship
Spoken more than one language fluently
Performed in Rocky Horror
Raised children (does raising one right now count?)
Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
Picked up and moved to another city
Walked on the Golden Gate Bridge
Sang loudly in the car and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
Had plastic surgery
Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have
Wrote articles for a large publication
Lost over 100 lbs
Held someone while they were having a flashback
Piloted an airplane
Petted a stingray
Broken someone’s heart
Helped an animal give birth
Won money on a TV game show
Broken a bone
Gone on an African safari
Had a body part below the neck pierced
Fired a rifle, shotgun or pistol
Eaten mushrooms gathered in the wild
Ridden a horse
Had major surgery
Had a snake as a pet
Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
Slept for more than 30 hours over 48 consecutive hours
Visited more foreign countries than US States
Visited all 7 continents
Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
Eaten Kangaroo meat
Eaten sushi
Had your picture in the paper
Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
Gone back to school
Parasailed
Petted a cockroach (I have seen a number of dead ones -- at work!)
Eaten fried green tomatoes
Read the Iliad
Selected one important author who you missed school to read
Killed and prepared an animal for eating (fish)
Skipped all of your school reunions
Communicated with someone without sharing a common language
Been elected to public office
Written your own computer language
Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
Had to put someone you love in hospice care
Build your own PC from parts
Sold your own artwork to someone that didn’t know it was yours
Had a booth in a street fair
Dyed your hair
Been a DJ
Shaved your head
Caused a car accident
Saved someone’s life

Another Meme

A meme, taken from Daisy:

TECHNOLOGY

Q. What is your wallpaper on your computer?
A: It changes daily; courtesy of the 10,000 images that I've downloaded from Webshots

Q. How many televisions you have in your house?
A: Two.

BIOLOGY

Q. Are you right-handed or left-handed?
A: Right.

Q. Have you ever had anything removed from your body?
A: A couple of teeth, some eggs, my tonsils and adenoids, and a spinal cord tumor

Q. What is the last heavy item you lifted?
A: The little bean (weighing in at just over 30 pounds).

Q. Have you ever been knocked out?
A: In addition to the surgeries, I fell through the floor of a barn loft, smack dab into about a foot of cow manure.  I woke up to some very frightened cows huddled in the corner of my cousin's barn.

BULLSHITOLOGY

Q. If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die?
A: Nope.

Q. If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
A: When I was a kid, I hated my name.  Now, I wouldn't change it.

Q. What color do you think looks best on you?
A: Navy blue or black.

Q. Have you ever swallowed a non-food item?
A: A quarter (daughter, do as I say, not as I do -- I used to put money in my mouth -- yuck!)

DAREOLOGY

Q. Would you kiss a member of the same sex for $100?
A: I'm not much of a kisser of either gender, sad to say.

Q. Would you allow one of your little fingers to be cut off for $200,000?
A: Nope.

Q. Would you never blog again for $50,000?
A: Maybe.

Q. Would you pose naked in a magazine for $250,000?
A: Nope, not even with my totally awesome 20's body.

Q. Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000?
A: Nope.

Q. Would you, without fear of punishment, take a human life for $1,000,000?
A: Nope.

DUMBOLOGY

Q: What is in your left pocket?
A: Nothing right now, though I did have a small rock in it for awhile, courtesy of my daughter.

Q: Is Napoleon Dynamite actually a good movie?
A: Never saw it.

Q: Do you have hardwood or carpet in your house?
A: Carpet and tile.

Q: Do you sit or stand in the shower?
A: Stand.  No place to sit.

Q: How many pairs of flip flops do you own?
A: One.

LASTOLOGY

Q: Last person who texted you?
A: T-Mobile, thanking me for my payment.  Come to think of it, they are usually the only people who text me.  Such a sorry life I lead.

Q: Last person who called you?
A: My boss.

Q: Person you hugged?
A: My daughter.

FAVORITOLOGY

Q: Number?
A: Two.

Q: Season?
A: Summer!  But spring is a close second.

Q: Color?
A: Red.

CURRENTOLOGY

Q: Missing someone?
A: My mom.

Q: Mood?

A: None, really.  Physically tired though.

Q: Listening to?
A: Croaking toads through the open window.  I do love summer.

Q: Watching?
A: My monitor.

Q: Worrying about?
A: The economy.  My daughter growing up too fast.  Whether my next cycle will work.  Whether the pregnancy will go well.

Q: Wearing?
A: Jogging suit.

RANDOMOLOGY

Q: First place you went this morning?
A: To my car, then the bakery for coffee, then the dry cleaners, and then work.

Q: What can you not wait to do?
A: Snuggle with my husband and daughter.

Q: Do you smile often?
A: Yes.

Q: Are you a friendly person?
A: Yes.

If you'd like to play along, consider yourself tagged.

I've Been Tagged

Anjali tagged me for a meme.  How flattering!  You've made my day.

Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog.
3. Share six unimportant things about yourself.
4. Tag six random people at the end of your entry.

Wow.  Six unimportant things.  Mostly, since I live such a boring life, there are many unimportant things, unfortunately.  Hmmm.  How about:

1.  The little toe on my right foot crosses over the fourth toe.  When I was small, the doctor told my mother to tape it straight, so that we could "train" it to be straight.  It didn't work.  But, the doctor said as long as it didn't bother me, we shouldn't worry about it.  Fixing it would require surgery and three months of crutches.  It doesn't bother me, and it's kind of a family thing.  I have a cousin who had the same problem.  She was one of fifteen (!) kids, and it did start to bother her.  So they cut her toe off.  I guess they figured she had nine more toes and that she wouldn't miss a little one (her sister lost four fingers in a threshing machine when she was two).  Thank goodness I wasn't raised on the farm and was allowed to keep all my fingers and toes. 

2.  I use my cruise control.  Everywhere.  I absolutely cannot drive the speed limit.  I'm certain that I would have lost my license by now, if it weren't for this marvelous invention.  On the few occasions when I've had to rent a car, I absolutely freak the eff out if the car doesn't have it.

3.  I can take shorthand.  I don't even think they teach this stuff anymore.  I used it in my first job, which was as a secretary.  But really, I used it more during college.  I took all my notes in shorthand, and transcribing it into my computer helped drill the material into my brain.  Thank you, teacher-whose-name-I-can-no-longer-remember.  It is the gift that keeps on giving, and I still use it to take notes when I need to get something down verbatim.

4.  I learned to swim in the Kentucky river while on vacation with my family.  Sort of.  Well, enough to allow me to fake my way out of the beginner's class when we had to take swimming lessons in high school.

5.  I am absolutely addicted to HSN and QVC.  I always have them on in the background, when no one else is around (because my husband hates hates hates them).  I'm especially partial to the jewelry, and I have more pearls than I can possible wear in a lifetime (or so my husband says).  Although HSN?  Your jewelry really is looking lame lately.

6.  I have four sizes worth of clothes in my closet.  And also in my husband's closet, since there isn't any room for all this stuff.  I'm working my way back down again, but it's slow going.  My husband can't wait.  No, he doesn't notice the weight loss.  He would just like some closet space, please.

OK.  I tag:

Daisy

BrooklynGirl

Tanya

Moo

Jamie

Jennie

A Privilege Meme

I don't normally do these, but I saw this from Jenn on Life In The Dish and couldn't resist.  I'm totally stealing her idea of comparing her life to her children's lives, but I'm going to throw in what I know about my parents as well, since they had fairly similar lives growing up.  I've bolded the things that are true and made comments in parentheses.  I am making a lot of predictions as far as things from DD's perspective, since some of them can't possibly be true yet.  Even so, I guess we can safely say that DD is spoiled rotten.

The meme from MY PARENTS’ perspective (9/34):

1. Father went to college (my mother’s father earned a teaching certificate)
2. Father finished college (my mother’s father earned a teaching certificate)
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor

6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.

8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
9. Were read children’s books by a parent.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 (mother had piano lessons)
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18

12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them. 

22. There was original art in your house when you were a child.
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house (father did; mother lived in a two-story, two-family residence with her cousins on the first floor)
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course (doubt they had them)
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school (doubt they had them)
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16

31. Went on a cruise with your family.
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family.
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

The meme from MY perspective (14/34):

1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college (business school)
4. Mother finished college (business school)
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor

6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers.
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.

8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
9. Were read children’s books by a parent.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 (but I refuse to say what kind!)
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18

12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively (ahem -- mom jeans, need I say more?)
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs
16. Went to a private high school
17. Went to summer camp
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels (nope; camping)
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them. 

22. There was original art in your house when you were a child. (my mother’s paintings)
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course.
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school.
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16

31. Went on a cruise with your family (as an adult)
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family (as an adult)
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up. (museums)
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

The meme from DD’s perspective (24/34):

1. Father went to college
2. Father finished college
3. Mother went to college
4. Mother finished college
5. Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor

6. Were the same or higher class than your high school teachers (she’s not there yet, but I suppose so)
7. Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.

8. Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
9. Were read children’s books by a parent.
10. Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 (plan to – right now, she takes phonics, music, and gym at school, which are extra classes, over and above her tuition)
11. Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18 (I have no doubt this will be the case)

12. The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.
13. Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18 (not if I can help it)
14. Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.
15. Your parents (or a trust) paid for all of your college costs (shouldn’t she work and pay for some of it during the summer?)
16. Went to a private high school (doubt it)
17. Went to summer camp (don’t know about this one, but probably, since there is no day care for older kids during summer vacation)
18. Had a private tutor before you turned 18.
19. Family vacations involved staying at hotels (no doubt; DH hates “roughing it”)
20. Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18 (nope; I love e-Bay for kid’s clothes)
21. Your parents bought you a car that was not a hand-me-down from them (she’ll be lucky if she gets that – she’s spoiled enough as it is)

22. There was original art in your house when you were a child.
23. You and your family lived in a single-family house
24. Your parent(s) owned their own house or apartment before you left home
25. You had your own room as a child
26. You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
27. Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course. (If they still have them, she will take them)
28. Had your own TV in your room in high school (don’t think so; too distracting)
29. Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college (if DH has his way, she will start saving early)
30. Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16 (probably)

31. Went on a cruise with your family
32. Went on more than one cruise with your family (we love to cruise)
33. Your parents took you to museums and art galleries as you grew up.
34. You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

(From What Privileges Do You Have?, based on an exercise about class and privilege developed by Will Barratt, Meagan Cahill, Angie Carlen, Minnette Huck, Drew Lurker, Stacy Ploskonka at Illinois State University. If you participate in this blog game, they ask that you PLEASE acknowledge their copyright.)

Germophobic

I admit it.  I hate to be sick.  And I like to try to avoid being sick whenever possible.  In our house, when someone is sick, the (adult) sick person needs to wash his/her hands after nose blowing.  And everyone needs to avoid touching their eyes and nose and frequently wash his/her hands during the course of the cold.  We also try to practice this type of hygiene daily when out in public, and we wipe off DD's hands after she has been playing on the playground.

I read about this strategy a few years back, and it really works, though it is not foolproof.  As a result, is pretty rare that DH and I will share a cold, and we have been lucky to keep them away from DD as well.  And we all get our flu shots, because the flu is a whole other story. 

I remember being a basket case when we brought DD home.  I'd read somewhere that if a small infant ran a high fever, it was standard practice to do a lumbar puncture to rule out meningitis.  The thought of someone doing that to my child was horrifying, and I was extra vigilant during those first few months.  Someone at work told me that she'd let everyone hold her first born without reservation, and it developed a serious respiratory infection that required hospitalization.  She warned me about being careful and telling people not to come around the baby if they were sick. (Shouldn't that just be a given?  I mean, duh.)

I wouldn't let anyone hold DD when she was small unless they'd washed their hands.  I asked politely, but a lot of people asked me if "other people" were put off by that request.  I replied that no one had been upset by it, and of course, if it bothered anyone, no one actually needed to hold the baby, did they?  I brought a large container of Purell to the christening and asked people to use it.  No one seemed insulted, but I did get some snickering from my close friends.  Oh well.  I guess it was pretty funny, since it was a Sam's Club size bottle.  (To this day, we've only used about 1/8 of the container.)

Not sure what the point of this post is, other than everyone has been sick lately and it is getting tiring.  Probably the worst thing about it is that there is nothing to do but wait things out.  I just wish things were back to normal at our house, with all members feeling well.  Sigh.  I hate the colder months.

Direct Hit

Ugh.  I think I caught DD's stomach flu.  It hasn't affected me as badly as it did her, but I feel yucky and am running a fever.  DH is still sick with his cold.  I hope that he keeps those germs away from DD and I.  Nothing more to say, except, ugh.  Time to lie down, if DD will let me.  Doubt it.

Introduction

Hello.  I have no idea what to write, this being my first blog entry ever.  I want to write a journal about my dear daughter, light of my life.  Yes, another mommy blogger.  Different only because I am a "late in life" mommy.  Someone who married late and strugged with infertility treatments for several years before finally bringing my little one into the world.  But I will probalby write about other things as well.  All in all, I'm not sure what I will say here, but I look forward to saying it.