Top Ten Tuesday - Things You Don't Know About Me

Here's the top ten things you {probably} don't know about me. You also probably don't care, but I thought I'd share anyway. You're welcome. =P

10. I've never taken a single photoshop or computer editing software program class. Shhh! Don't tell my clients that I'm self-taught, they'll get crazy ideas like thinking they can design their own holiday cards and business logos too. Well, I suppose that's not an entirely bad thing. I'm a firm believer in knowledge is power.

9. I do a wicked Kermit the Frog impression.

8. I'm only 63 inches tall, which sounds much more impressive than 5' 3". Okay, okay...I'm 5' 2.75" but you round up, right?

7. The Dark Crystal traumatized me as a small child growing up. {No worries, I absolutely love it now and plan to terrorize subject my children to it later in life.}

6. I once drank ate and drank an entire large (64 ounce) jar of dill pickles. Because it sounded like a good idea. It wasn't.

5. I've wanted to be an architect since I was in third grade. My childhood hero was Frank Lloyd Wright. I think Legos had a huge impact on me wanting to become an architect.

4. I no longer have any desire to be an architect. Crazy how life changes you.

3. I have an addiction. I'm afraid it's pretty serious. I. Can't. Stop. Pinning. Things. On. Pinterest. I think I need a 12 step program, or just more hours in the day. Yes, that'll solve it.

2. I watch really dumb comedies and giggle all the while. I'm pretty sure atleast 40% of my brain is used up by useless movie quotes. Some of my favorites: Super Troopers, Dodgeball, and Tommy Boy.

1. I've never had much of a backbone. I have a hard time with conflict and standing up for myself. I've gotten better over the years, but it's still something I struggle with.

Linking up to Oh Amanda for her fun Top 10 Tuesday. Check out more Top 10 lists at her website!

Top Ten Tuesday - #!@#$ Edition

I recently have a friend remark that I have a, um, colorful vocabulary. Especially when it comes to curse (cuss) words. I have two little ones in the house, so believe me when I say that I try my hardest not to curse or yell anything inappropriate lest they become little mockingbirds. I remember when I was around fourteen and fifteen and I used to curse like a sailor (when out of earshot of my parents of course). Ah, back then I thought many things were cool. I was wrong about most of them, as it turns out. I find that I still have a sometimes penchant for strong words, but I've learned to switch them up. Here's some of my favorite, more colorful phrases:

10. Son of a pharaoh! This is my pretty standard response to when things go poorly, whether I've stubbed my big toe on the table again, or I've dropped the groceries or am just generally frustrated with a situation.

9. Oh for crying out loud...This one is usually reserved for the kids. It's for times when they've left their toys out in the yard again, or they're fighting..again (or still..sometimes it's hard to tell).

8. Well, schnikeys! A nice way to say, Well, crap. I figure crap isn't much better than its four letter S-word counterpart. I definitely don't want my toddler yelling about crap, so whenever I feel the urge to call a situation like the dung it is, I revert to schnikeys instead but really any unusual colorful word will do. You might also try, well, hoodlums! or well, galoshes! or another favorite of mine: well, muckluck! Not sure if that last one's a real word or not but it's loads of fun to say. Go on, give it a go.

7. Flippin' A nice inoffensive substitute for a similar F-word. Used as an adjective. Like, "that flippin' lady just pulled out without looking!" Usually only reserved in extreme cases where I'm caught unawares and have just the briefest of moments to PG rate my dialogue.

6. Good gravy. Good old Charlie Brown gave me this one. Well, technically he said good grief, but good gravy is just so much cooler. A phrase best used to express your particular frustration with a situation.

5. Holy guacamole! Rather than exclaiming that dung or crap is holy, it makes much more sense to claim that a certain green dip is saint-like. Don't you agree? Okay, maybe it makes no sense at all, but again, it's one of those phrases that's fun. I mean, who doesn't like to rhyme?

4. Bozo. A term of endearment for someone who's acting like a fool. This one I stole from my mother. She often reserved it for other drivers on the road, like those people that insist on tailgating or switching lanes without regard for the other cars. "Did you see that BOZO!"

3. Fiddlesticks! Again, an exclamation for frustration. This one I tend to reserve for when I personally do something silly like spill an entire box of spaghetti noodles on the floor.

2. Son of a biscuit-eater! A step up from Son of a Pharaoh. This is reserved for extreme cases of misfortune and I only just catch myself in time to lighten up my foul language.

1. Goofball. Another term of endearment for those acting silly. This one really is pretty harmless though and I catch myself calling my sons goofballs whenever they're in a particularly spunky or goofy mood.

So how do you avoid using the unmentionables when you're around young ears? Any silly phrases? Feel free to share them. I'm always looking to expand my vocabulary!

Linking up to Oh Amanda

Top Ten Tuesday - Italy Edition

So as I may have mentioned once or twice (or a thousand) times before, we recently took a vacation to Italy. I don't repeat the awesomeness that was the trip to make you jealous, but to make myself remember how grateful and how very lucky I am. It was an amazing time and I loved spending it with my family. Here's my top ten favorite photos from our trip (in no real particular order).

10. Murano Island off Venice. Beautiful scenery, lovely glassworking shops, and much serenity

9. Drake snuggling on Daddy at the Roman forum in Rome

8. Link giving his big sister a kiss on the gondola ride

7. Pompeii ruins

6. The Pantheon!

5. Big sister attracting some attention from the birds in St. Mark's Square in Venice

4. Link cooling off on a hot Roman day

3. One of the domes in Vatican City

2. The Colosseum, from the third floor

1. Traghetto boats moored up on the Grand Canal

Linking up to Oh Amanda

My Past Week

Things are crazy hectic around here. In a totally good way, though. Just busy, busy, busy. With what? Trips. Loads of fun trips. We've been saving our money and ideas for this time when our daughter is here with us. We want her to have a great time and take away some great memories. With that in mind, we've packed so many good things into such a short span of time that we're constantly busy or on the go. Here's my top ten photos from this past week (I take a lot of photos!).

10. My husband and his daughter are too much alike. Whenever they get together, it's like having a couple of extra kids around. They like to tease each other and wrestle and generally find ways to annoy each other. It's endearing, in a way.



10. Love his smile in this one; so genuine.

 

9. Emmy wanted to drive Drake's car and Link was running for his life. In this photo, she's laughing so hard she's covering her mouth. Little guy looks terrified!



9. I don't *think* she would actually run him over



8. A beautiful street in Kintzheim, France





7. Drake doing everything big sister does





6. Family pose



5. Beautiful castle we toured in Kintzheim, France



4. Feeding the monkeys at Monkey Mountain



3. Link really excited about the monkeys



2. Beautiful field of what I'm guessing is wheat



1. Emmy being silly in a field of sunflowers

Linking up to

Amanda's Top Ten Tuesday

Top Ten Tuesday - Things I'm thankful for this week

10. New blog followers! I'm sooo excited that you're here!

9.  My family. I know, this is standard and every night I thank my lucky stars for them. But I've been very blessed and I try not to lose sight of that.

8. Finding a sandbox on a craigslist type website for Germany. Now the boys are allowed to dig!

7. Having two very brave children. They both had to get blood drawn for yearly tests (standard checks for lead, anemia, etc) and Link didn't even flinch and Drake just said ow a couple times. I'm one impressed and thankful mama. I think anything that hurts your kids tends to hurt the parents more.

6. Tons of sales at the grocery store. There were so many deals that we spent $150 on groceries and essentials around here (like diapers, wipes, etc) but we got soo much out of it. Sometimes we hit the grocery store and feel like we spent a ton of money and got very little. Not this week..yay!

5. Having time to myself to craft. I've done a couple crafty projects this week and I think they keep me sane.

4. Having the husband home on vacation. He's only working a few days this week and then he's off for awhile. Partly because he needs to go pick up my step-daughter and fly her over here...which leads me to number 3...

3. My step-daughter is going to be here in less than a week! I can't wait. I've missed her sooo much. And I know she's going to love Germany and Europe in general. We have a ton of fun things planned, like a vacation to Venice and Rome. Yeah, we're spoiled.

2. New playmates, for both the boys and myself. I'm so excited about some friends that we made and it's been a blast having playdates. I know the boys are always happiest when they're playing with other children and I'm always happy to have company as well. (I know this isn't a photo from our playdate, but I am reluctant to post someone else's child to the internet)

1. Warmer weather where I can let the boys play about in their blow-up kiddie pool. It's like an entirely new toy to them and they spent hours amusing themselves, and letting this mama take a break.

Anything you're particularly thankful for this week? Share them in the comments. I'd love to hear from you! Linking up to Oh Amanda

Top Ten Tuesday - the Dad version

So I'm not a dad, but I've had experiences with one. I lived with my parents til I was eighteen, and I've been living with my hubby for almost eight years now, three of which he's been a daddy to our little boys. While he hasn't had many opportunities to use the little nuggets of wisdom that most fathers pass on to their children yet, I was inspired by my free printable father's day cards which feature these epithets. Here's a few of my favorites.

10. If you keep making that face, it'll get stuck that way! This always fascinated and scared me growing up. I always wanted to do an experiment to see if this was true, but the fear of being perpetually frozen in a goofy grin prevented me from following through.



Link makes some of the strangest faces

 9. You make a better door than a window! This gem was primarily used for when either of us kids accidentally stood in front of the tv set. I always thought it sounded so funny and I wanted to have a witty comeback, like, "Yeah? Well you make a better couch potato!" ...I wish I was witty.

8. If you don't knock it off, I'm turning this car around. Always a roadtrip favorite. Often preceded by, "Are we there yet?"

7. I don't care who started it, I'll end it. This was an instant disagreement-ender. No matter who was in the wrong (we both were) or the right (we both were), we stopped the argument right then and there. I like this threat because it's pretty vague but incredibly effective. Might have to try it out on the boys some day.

6. If they jumped off a bridge, would you too? Or a cliff? Or the Empire State building? Which one did your father use?



We might be using this one often since they like to do everything together

5. A little dirt never hurt anyone. We live by this rule around here. Both boys love are obsessed with playing in the dirt, much to my dismay. I really need to buy them a sandbox...
4. Shut the door. Were you raised in a barn? Or, Are you trying to heat the whole outside? My father liked to mix it up and use both. I always thought the barn one was kinda funny since he obviously knew I wasn't raised in a barn, but under his roof and his rules!

3. If you don't stop crying, I'll give you something to cry about. I always hated this one growing up. It only made me cry harder, imagining what I could be crying about. I don't think we'll use this one on our kids. Here's Drake, hiding from the camera, but it passes as him crying, right?

2. Go ask your mother. The old standby. Used for everything from "I'm-too-tired-to-care" to a genuine "I-don't-know."

and my favorite:
1. No matter what, you can always come home. I love you. Dads are great. They often know just how to temper their strictness with the sweetest love and caring. My dad is a master at this.


Also, you can download my free father's day card by going HERE

Linking up to http://www.ohamanda.com/.

Top Ten Tuesday - Top 80s Movies

Alright, let me just preface this with a disclaimer: this is my personal top ten 80s movie favorites. I don't hold a degree in cinematography or anything like that, so this is just my favorite movies of the 80s. These are the kind of movies that I never get tired of watching over and over again. I own all of these except numbers 8 and 9, solely because I own them on VHS and haven't upgraded yet to a DVD. Also, these are in no particular order.

1. Adventures in Babysitting - My first exposure to this movie was with my best friend. We'll call her Jess since that is her real name. Maybe I like the memory of hanging out with my best friend more than I like the movie itself, but this movie is pretty cool. It also sparked my interest in Chicago and its architecture.

2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off- This movie is classic! I went to college and the house I stayed in didn't have a copy of it for their DVD collection. It was my going-away gift to them. Every one needs to see this movie atleast once in their lifetime, if only for the awesome lip-syncing and dancing during the parade scene. Movie mantra to live by: "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."

3. The Goonies - staple of any 80s must-see list. Admit it. On more than one occasion you've been known to yell out, "HEEYYY YOU GUYS!!!" in your best Sloth impersonation. No? Just me? Moving on...

4. The Princess Bride - What's not to like? A romantic comedy that isn't too mushy and has such great quotes like, "Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die," and "Inconceivable!" Well, they sound more impressive in context and if you've seen the movie. Also, Cary Elwes used to be hot.

5. Ghostbusters - Rick Moranis, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Sigourney Weaver...how can this movie not be awesome? I will also admit, rather reluctantly, to growing up and being a tattle-tale (don't judge.. I grew up with all male cousins and I was the youngest!). Whenever I'd threaten to tell, they'd start singing the "who you gonna call? Ghostbusters!" song which usually sent me into tears. Now that I put it like that, it doesn't sound like such a fond memory of a movie...

6. Dirty Dancing - another 80s staple. This movie also has some great one-liners, "No one puts baby in a corner." The weird thing is my old babysitter (this is when I was about four) used to put it on the television downstairs and tell us all to be quiet and watch the movie while she was upstairs doing Lord knows what. Even then I thought it was scandalous that we were watching such a naughty movie, but I wasn't one to complain either. It was a good movie.

7. Big - love everything about this movie. Tom Hanks is easily one of my favorite actors of all time. I love him in this kid in a grown-up's body movie. It's really just a lot of fun, especially the iconic dancing on the large floor piano in the toy store. Whenever I see one of those fortune-telling machines in the mall or at a faire, I always reminisce about this movie.

8. Back to the Future - I love me some Michael J. Fox. This is the movie that put the DeLorean on the radar and made Marty McFly a household name. This movie is a perfect blend of science fiction, fun, and comedy.

9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - As a kid, I loved watching this movie. I don't know why. I guess ET is just so lovable, which is a feat in itself considering it's an animatronic prop. I remember thinking that it looked so real on the screen, but if you go and watch it today I'm sure it's not as impressive. Still a great movie, even if I never did find a bike that will fly up to the moon.

10. The Dark Crystal - Really creepy movie by Jim Henson of all people. Especially creepy if you first watch it when you're young, say six or seven. But that being said, it's also really fantastic, full of wonder, and it sticks with you. It's muppets in a whole new way.

What about you? Any favorite 80s movies? I know someone out there has to love Pretty in Pink or any John Hughes films, but sadly I didn't watch those movies until just recently and while good, they aren't part of my movie memories of the 80s.

Linked up to ohamanda.com

Top Ten Tuesday - the Kiddie Version

With two little guys under the age of four in my house, I spend a bunch all my time repeating rules and making mandates. "Don't eat that! Wipe your face! Use the potty, not the plants outside!" You know, the usual. But the more I got to thinking about it, the more I figured that I should be taking my own advice. Here's my top ten things I say to my toddlers that I should also do:

1. Wash your hands!  I'm not a germaphobe, but I make sure that my kids wash their hands often. They're often digging in the dirt outside, picking their noses (GROSS), or just plain being boys. Trust me, I wash my hands plenty during the day, especially near meal times, but there's tons of times that I'm more lax than I should be, especially since hand washing is by far the easiest way to eliminate germs and infections from your household.

2. Don't cry over spilt milk. The boys are both so young that they'll cry over virtually anything that doesn't go their way, so I've often told them not to cry over spilt milk. Yeah, I know...that old adage. I usually only reserve this for extreme times when I can't get them distracted or over it, but I think I should maybe take my own advice. I know there's been times when I've been incredibly bummed over something minor and silly. I have too much to be thankful for in my life to spend time crying over spilt milk.

3. Eat your veggies! Corn is about the only veggie around here that I can get the boys to eat without a fight. Maybe it's because I don't do better at modelling or maybe because I give up too easily with the veggies, but it definitely couldn't hurt me to eat more veggies myself.

4. Don't eat that! It fell on the floor! My boys, especially my youngest, are notoriously bad about dropping food. No matter how hard I scrub, this cheap carpet in our rental home is stained beyond repair. The boys have also been known to eat said food long after it's been sitting on the floor. I try to pick up the food as soon as I see it, but there's this vortex in the house that hides all the crumbs, hot wheels, and socks around here. Tiny toddler hands are the only ones capable of uncovering the missing pieces. So in the interest of full disclosure, I've been known to eat food off the floor too, but well within the five second rule. That being said, it's still gross, so I should probably listen to myself when I say, "don't eat that!"

5. If you're that bored, you can always clean your room. hahahah, like that one ever works. I doubt it'll work on me either, since a: I don't have much time to be bored, and b: cleaning isn't exactly my forte. But it's worth a shot!

6. Share! The boys are eighteen months apart, so their interests often overlap and they always seem to want the same exact toy at the same exact instant that the other one wants it. I find myself begging asking them to share things several times a day. But I'm also guilty of sneaking off to the kitchen to sneak a girl scout cookie or some other goodie without them seeing so that I don't have to share. I know, I'm terrible, but seriously those girl scout cookies only come around ONCE a year! I'll be better about sharing everything else, promise!

7. Remember your manners. My boys are pretty polite. Drake can say please and thank you in two languages (English and German) and Link is even saying please, thank you, and welcome (English only so far). I try to get them to be as polite as possible, and I know that sometimes I forget to say the niceties myself, especially to my family. I'm not sure why I'm forgetful about it when it comes to myself, but it's something I intend to rectify.

8. Use your indoor voice! Two rambunctious toddlers means my house often gets pretty noisy...and I often feel like a record on repeat asking for a little bit of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, I know that I also can be loud (hmm...wonder if that's where they learned it from?!). I may or may not have in the past yelled up the stairs at my hubby to "bring down the laundry please!" or at my kids to "quiet down!" Yelling up the stairs for them to quit yelling is probably not the best method of dealing with the noise, now that I think about it...

9. Clean up your toys! They've got hot wheels, Thomas the Train, and more little knick knacks than I care to think about. I've got lotions, books and magazines. This house would probably stay a lot cleaner if more of us listened to this little gem of advice.

10. Always be grateful. No matter what's going on in my life, my family and I have too much to be thankful for. I hope you do too!

Linking up to ohamanda.com for her fabulous top ten Tuesday!

Top Ten Tuesday - Germany Edition

In the spirit of Amanda over at ohamanda.com, I'm doing a Top Ten Tuesday list today. So without further ado, here it is:

TOP TEN THINGS I LOVE ABOUT GERMANY
subscript: things I wish the states would catch onto!

1. Stoplights that go from red, to red with yellow, to green. I know it's silly, but having that extra step of the yellow flashing on means more drivers are prepared for the green light. Or maybe it's just because I like to leave the line as soon as the light flashes green (and I know there aren't any other cars trying to make it through the light, of course). I think it's the inner racecar driver in me.

(I know this isn't a photo of a stoplight, but I apparently don't have one...don't ask me why I have a photo of a random sign either)
2. The good samaritan law. It's a law over here that if you see a car accident, you're required, by law, to stop and lend aid. While I think that people should stop of their own accord and not be coerced by the law, I know way too many people that think, "well, atleast it wasn't me," and drive on by.

I'm not even gonna try to post a photo for this one...

3. Recycling...everything. I love that we have mandatory recycling. It's not much effort at all on my part, but I always feel better knowing that the trash that we generate is getting a second life, and the earth is getting a reprieve.

4. The Autobahn! I love the autobahn. I know most people think of it as a race track of sorts, without any speed limits, but in fact there are speed limits and restrictions in a lot of areas.

5. The flowers. In my tiny city that I live in, there's atleast 10 florists (or blumen, if you will). That's not counting all the nurseries, or the places that sell fresh cut flowers (like all the grocery stores and gas stations). Every time I'm out, I see people walking with fresh cut flower arrangements. I always imagine they're taking them home to their significant others, and my heart warms. I know that's sappy, but I can deal with that. I think every woman (or man) should get flowers on a regular basis.

6. The architecture. Germany, and Europe in general, is amazingly rich in architecture. I'm not even talking about the castles (yeah, they're pretty awesome), but just the everyday architecture. You don't see cheap, flimsy vinyl siding over here. You'd be hard pressed to find sheet asphalt shingles too (which are also cheap and require loads of maintenance). Most houses are very sturdy, made of solid materials, and beautiful as a result. Quality building materials can make a ton of difference (no pun intended), but the houses themselves are great. Each house is different from its neighbor. You don't see cookie cutter houses like you do back in the states. I love it!

7. The culture. The culture over here is amazing. From what I've observed about the Germans (and this is strictly my own observations) is that they are hard-working, efficient, polite, and sincere. If there's so much as a scrap of paper out in the sidewalk's gutter, guaranteed it won't be there tomorrow. Some hard working Germany will be out there with his broom, shovel, and wheelbarrow to clean up the mess. The Germans also have a wonderful tradition of taking family walks (volksmarching) on Sundays. It doesn't have to be a walk, or even a Sunday, but the Germans are always outside, getting some fresh air and exercise. If there's one habit we take when we leave this country, I hope this one is it (well, it and the recycling).

(I know this isn't a photo of the culture, but it's a beautiful little street corner here)
8. The travel opportunies. We're sooo close to everything. There's a castle in our little town that overlooks the city. An hour away (by car) is Germany's oldest city, founded by the ancient Romans. Four hours away (again, by car) is Paris. The French border is only an hour away. It's so easy to get out and see things that I've only ever dreamt of. I'm a very lucky girl indeed.

9. The cheeses! I'm a cheese connoisseur and a bit of a cheese snob, if I'm being honest here. I guess since I'm in Germany I should be bragging about all the beers and bratwurst (yeah, they have them...they're great), but I'm more of a cheese and wine type of girl. And the cheeses here are so varied and so inexpensive. There's even a store nearby that has a "cheese bar" that showcases over 700 different kinds of cheese. I didn't even know there were that many...

10. The weather. We have such mild winters and summers. It doesn't get scorching hot like the Midwest that I hail from, nor do the summers get so freezing cold. Sure, they're cold, but atleast we have snow to show for it. I hate the cold without snow! I figure if I'm going to be freezing, I might as well enjoy the beauty of it.