Truthful Tuesday: Random Thoughts

My favorite herbs to cook and bake with are rosemary, thyme, sage and marjoram.  Dill is another favorite (sometimes it's just fun to say "dill weed"....).  And yes, occasionally I do sing "Parsley, sage, rosemary and thymmmmmmme" to myself in the kitchen.  I'm not a fan of parsley though--it doesn't add much to the dish.

Learning how to bake artisan bread was one of the most freeing experiences I've ever had.

Writing is the next most freeing thing I'm able to do.

I'm very rigid, schedule-oriented, a rule follower.  My kitchen is the only place I can free myself from all of that and do as I please.  It is my haven, my comfort zone, my zen.  I don't really follow the rules with writing, either.

My college granted me special circumstances my sophomore year to move off campus.  Turns out, I needed a cat more than I needed antidepressants.

My freshman year of college, I snuck a stray cat into my dorm room and snuggled with it overnight.  That same cat gave a floor mate an ER-worthy asthma attack that same night.....

I can be aloof and distant one minute, demanding and in your face the next.  If I believed in such a thing, I would say I was a cat in a former life.

We have opted Noah out of the public school health class/sex ed forum.  As his parents, he needs to learn these things from us, and it needs to be a team effort.  In addition, my hope is that in the heat of the moment, hearing his mother's voice in his head saying words like "penis" and "vagina" will kill said moment.  

Avery has met his sister in his dreams, although he does not know she is his sister.  The first time he told me about playing with a girl named Gwace and then waking up when she had to go, it was like a sucker punch.  Another time he bopped into the kitchen to tell me that "Gwace and Gwetta pway wots of fwisbee in heaven" and bopped right back out.  Avery does not know he has a sister in heaven, nor does he know her name is Grace.  

I've learned the difference between "fair" and God's timing.

I hate cleaning my house.  In fact, I might actually be putting it off right now....  I might also still be putting off putting Max's favorite toy--I mean, the Christmas tree--away.

I've always been high strung and easily stressed out.  When someone asks what relaxes me, I usually draw a blank.

I love the sound of snow falling at night, especially when the moon is bright.

I've learned there are friends we never meet, friends for a time, friends we talk with daily, and friends we talk with once in a blue moon, but always pick up right where we left off.  I'm grateful for my friends in each of those categories, as I need each and every one of them.

2010 and 2011 were the most difficult years of my adult life, even more so than the year Noah was born, and the year my parents divorced.  My college years were difficult, but I think of them more as 'the stupid years' rather than adult years.

I've seen We Bought a Zoo so many times I've lost count, and it still leaves me sobbing.  It has become my go-to when I need a good cry.  Typically, my people run and hide when they see me take the movie case out of the rack (you just pictured them running for cover, yelling "SHE'S GONNA BLOWWWWW," didn't you?!).

I still won't let Noah ride in the front seat.  I made him ride in a booster seat until middle school, when there was an epic household battle over the issue (I wanted it, he didn't, Shawn sided with him).  His safety is more important to me than being the cool mom.  I think the new standards for the car seat laws are stupid.  Not all 8 yr olds are created equal, so you can't make a blanket statement saying it's okay for the child to be out of a booster at 8 years old.  I abide by the old laws, which used weight and height, and the guidelines for my car.  Related, Avery is still in a 5 point harness.

My yard is scattered with logs, sticks and branches. They are Lilly's favorite outside toys.  I don't bother picking them up anymore--it's a lot like trying to pick up the Legos inside. 

I hibernate October-March.  Winter months are the worst for me.  I know it's coming, but it still slams into me like a freight train.  Think of me more as the bear roaring out of her cave after being disturbed, and less like the caterpillar turning into the butterfly. 

I have a lot of fears, but I'm trying to have more faith.  My faith is the only reason I'm still here.  Oh, and my college cat.  Don't forget her.