Interview with Luka

Okay, so it's Luka's turn. He is a bit behind Ethan in language skills. Pretty good at saying what he wants to say, but not the greatest at comprehending what is said to him. I had to ask him some of these questions in different wording. And this interview was done in about three different sittings because he was a bit frustrated. But it's darn cute.


1. What is something mommy always says to you?
(makes a kiss sound)

2. What makes mommy happy?
A bandaid.


3. What makes mommy sad?
What about clothes?


4. How does your mommy make you laugh?
Look what I found!


5. What did your mommy like to do when she was a child?
I want to find you on a picture.


6. How old is your mommy ?
4


7. How tall is your mommy ?
Big!


8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
Dora.


9. What does your mommy do when you're not around?
Counting.


10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Five.


11. What is your mommy really good at?
Four. Or two. Or one.


12. What is your mommy not very good at?
I want to play my games.


13. What does your mommy do for her job?
Type.


14. What is your mommy 's favorite food?
Carrots


15. What makes you proud of your mommy?
Luka!


16. If your mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
What cartoon mean?


17. What do you and your mommy do together?
Play outside. Let me show you outside.


18. How are you and your mommy the same?
There's blocks in the jar.


19. How are you and your mommy different?
I'll brought you something.


20. How do you know your mommy loves you?
Loves me!


21. What does your mommy like most about your daddy?
Love him!


22. Where is your mommy 's favorite place to go?
Playground!

Interview With Ethan

Well, I did this "interview your kids meme" with Noah the other week, and so I thought I would give it a go with Ethan next. Ethan is 3 and 1/3 right now. His language skills finally took a jump forward after lagging for awhile, so its kind of fun chatting with him now. Here goes:


1. What is something mommy always says to you?
Eat.

2. What makes mommy happy?
Play blocks!


3. What makes mommy sad?
Draw on the table. And microwave, too.


4. How does your mommy make you laugh?
Funny kinds.


5. What did your mommy like to do when she was a child?
Say "goo goo gah gah".


6. How old is your mommy ?
You are 5!


7. How tall is your mommy ?
Check your email!


8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
Daddy's video!


9. What does your mommy do when you're not around?
Make a Dora plate. And a Mario plate.


10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
25!


11. What is your mommy really good at?
Eating!


12. What is your mommy not very good at?
Draw on the table.


13. What does your mommy do for her job?
Checking your email on the computer.


14. What is your mommy 's favorite food?
Ummm... salad.


15. What makes you proud of your mommy?
Hug and Love.


16. If your mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
A girl. A man too with Daddy on it.


17. What do you and your mommy do together?
Dance!


18. How are you and your mommy the same?
We got names.


19. How are you and your mommy different?
A girl and a boy.


20. How do you know your mommy loves you?
Huggy.


21. What does your mommy like most about your daddy?
Hug him. I love Daddy and you.


22. Where is your mommy 's favorite place to go?
In the office.

Interview With Noah

I found a meme that some of my blog friends have been doing where you ask your kids interview questions and write down their answers word for word. I might try this one with the twins as well, but here is Noah's interview.

1. What is something mommy always says to you?
Time to go to bed! Time to go to bed!


2. What makes mommy happy?
My love.


3. What makes mommy sad?
My little brothers keep having problems. They keep getting hurt and having tantrums.


4. How does your mommy make you laugh?
You tell good jokes.


5. What did your mommy like to do when she was a child?
Play Tetris!


6. How old is your mommy ?
I don't know. 24?


7. How tall is your mommy ?
I'll get a ruler.


8. What is her favorite thing to watch on TV?
House buying shows. (He means the ones on HGTV!)


9. What does your mommy do when you're not around?
Hang out with her husband.


10. If your mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
Hmmm.... I know... singing! (then he starts singing "Figaro! Figaro!")


11. What is your mommy really good at?
Cooking.


12. What is your mommy not very good at?
Singing. And Art.


13. What does your mommy do for her job?
Usually you just do the kids' stuff. What they need.


14. What is your mommy 's favorite food?
Chinese food.


15. What makes you proud of your mommy?
I'm just impressed with everything.


16. If your mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
I've never seen a cartoon like you.


17. What do you and your mommy do together?
Play board games.


18. How are you and your mommy the same?
We both have very dark hair.


19. How are you and your mommy different?
I have dark skin and you have bright skin.


20. How do you know your mommy loves you?
She says it more than enough times!


21. What does your mommy like most about your daddy?
He's very handsome.


22. Where is your mommy 's favorite place to go?
To the park.

25 Things

Over on facebook, there is a wave of people doing a "25 Random Things About Me" meme, and I have been having so much fun reading all my friends' lists. Most of them have tagged me since you are "supposed" to tag 25 people. I often ignore this kind of peer pressure, but I could use some blog fodder, and I figured if I am going to write that much about myself, I am sure as heck going to make it a blog post!

The rules are to write 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. Hmmm...

Okay, lets see how this goes.

1) I got this far and ended for the night.

2) I was born in Findlay, Ohio but now live in San Diego. I first moved to CA when I was 18 to visit my friend Cathy, and moved out here about a year later. I have since moved back and forth about 8 or 10 times, probably because I miss my family in Ohio so much and love the land, the weather and culture here in California.

3) I have a mom and a dad and one brother. My parents live in Sanibel Island, FL most of the year now, but still have their house in Findlay. My brother lives outside of Cleveland with his wife, son and daughter. I also have a Japanese exchange-student sister who never really went home after her year with us, who lives in NYC now and is a painter. And I have Bill, who is like a brother/uncle to me. He lived in our house for most all of my life, and has always been part of our family. He still lives in our house in Findlay, and holds down the fort while my parents go off and play in Florida. These people are my family.

4) My husband's family is pretty awesome and I am thrilled that I like them so much. His parents are loving and so generous with their time, resources and love. His brother and sister are amazing people who I would actually love to be friends with and hang out with, even if I had never met their brother.

5) My mom is a genealogist and has traced many lines of our family tree, one of them back to (I think) the year 400. Some of my mom's lines have been here in America for 400 years, and my dad's parents came here as immigrants. I am related to lots of odd people from history, including Charlemagne, the Holy Roman Emperor. But you know what? You probably were, too.

6) I am madly in love with my three sons. We only planned for two, and the twins were a shock, but I can't imagine not having them in my life.

7) Even so, I am really disappointed I will never have a daughter.

8) My husband, Michael, is the best thing that EVER happened to me. He is 7 years younger than me, and I didn't meet him until I was almost 30. I joke that I waited so long to get married because I had to wait for the perfect man to grow up. He is handsome and kind, patient, respectful, he can cook, do the laundry, fix the car and the computer, and is an amazing parent. He is everything I ever wanted in a partner.

9) I believe that "thoughts are things". Some people call it prayer, some call it meditation, some call it positive thinking... but I believe that whatever you think gives power to make things happen. It won't MAKE things happen, but it will give power to it. I once sat down and got quiet and focused, and I asked the universe to send me the perfect man for me, and I described him down to the smallest detail. Then I asked for him to be sent to me, said "Thank You" and patiently waited and trusted that he would come. I met him two weeks later. He is my husband, Michael. I have used that trick when I really need and desire things in my life. It works. A lot.

10) I have always had a driving need to create art but have never been that talented in the actual creation of it. This is why I think I love working in theater and photography so much. In stage management, I can use my organizational skills and people skills to help theater artists (directors, actors and designers) to stay grounded and on task, so that some pretty awesome art can be created. And with photography, while I cannot draw an image that strikes a chord with people with any skill, I can see these images in the world around me, capture it, and show it to others with photography. I think my best actual creative art is the skill I have been building using Photoshop to manipulate images. I have SO MUCH FUN doing that, I think, because it is creative art, and I am pretty good at it.

11) I worked at South Coast Repertory Theater as a production assistant/ASM in the stage management department for 7 years. I loved being back stage, in the middle of the action, making things happen, and putting out fires. I met some really awesome people back then, and miss it a lot. I gave it up when I got pregnant with Noah, and we moved to Ohio so Michael could do his medical residency.

12) I really need to make these things shorter. I am going to lose readers. I tend to go on and on more than I need to.

13) Nothing makes me feel as comfortable and at peace as being in the forest. I love San Diego, and its one of the most awesome places I have ever lived, but a part of me knows I would be more "at home" in a town in the forest. San Diego is the desert on the ocean. Most all of the plants here have been actually planted. I miss moist earth.

14) I never want to live in the snow again. Finding a fantasy land where there is forest and no snow, and is within 2 hours of grandparents is no easy task. Thus, San Diego. lol

15) I used to get my "forest fix" by attending Rainbow Gatherings, which is an event where thousands of people gather deep in a National Forest every summer for a few weeks to build a community. There is music and good food, workshops, and drum circles. It is down-home village life. There is no price to get in. It's free and the food is free. You can donate money if you wish, but there is no pressure to do it, if you cannot afford it. People build about a hundred funky and fun kitchens in the woods with downed wood and tarps, mud ovens and hiked-in grills. Once in, you never see a car or hear amplified music. It's an amazing heart-filling experience. I plugged in with the crew at the Info Booth for 15 years before becoming pregnant with the twins and then we decided to take some time off until the chore of hiking in with small kids became easier. That just might be later this year!

16) I am a Pepsi addict and have been since I was a teen. I have since switched to caffeine-free Pepsi since I discovered it tastes just the same! YAY!

17) I decided to force myself to drink coffee just before going across Europe on a backpacking trip with my friend, Carla. I was bitter that people who drank coffee always had free beverages everywhere you went, and wanted to hang out in cafes across Europe and drink coffee. I have since become an addict of coffee, as well.

18) So, yeah, I went to Europe with a backpack in 1989 and it was one of the most awesome experiences of my life. England, Ireland, France, The Netherlands, Germany, East Germany (GDR), Austria, Switzerland, Italy and Greece. We visited Berlin and went through Checkpoint Charlie to the East Berlin. I watched the wall come down on TV three weeks later absolutely stunned because there had been absolutely no hint of it happening when we were there.

19) If I could change one thing in my life I would arrange it so I could travel more. I have an unending thirst to see the world. The most amazing place I have ever been is Thailand. Michael and I went there on our honeymoon. While I always want to go someplace I have never been before when I travel, I would happily go back to Thailand in a second.

20) I check my email way too often. I leave my computer on all day, and as I go about my day, parenting, cleaning, taxi-ing, I sit down at the desk and refresh my email inbox and my facebook page at least once every 45 minutes, unless there are children on both computers. I am a hit-and-run computer user.

21) I love houses. When I was a kid, I would sometimes go to open houses with my dad, and loved to see how other people lived. Not just rich houses, but any houses. I love thumbing through magazines with log cabin floor plans, websites about home design and decorating, going on home tours, visiting historic homes, and just voyeuristically peering into peoples front windows while I take walks through the neighborhood. (No, I don't put my nose on the glass, I just keep walking!) I love Victorian houses and Craftsman design. Not in the same house, of course.

22) I almost never watch TV anymore. Parenting twin toddlers really prevents that during the day, and I just lost touch with what the good shows are anymore. I tape the shows I do still watch, and that is limited to Lost, Weeds (which isn't as good as it used to be) and Mad Men (which you really should be watching... from the beginning). I also watched The Shield up until it recently ended because a friend of mine was in it, but also because it was a great show.

23) My favorite movies seem to have been made quite a while ago. The ones I can watch over and over again are Harold and Maude and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I never really go to the movies anymore unless my sister-in-law gets me into the awesome independent movie theater she manages while my mother-in-law babysits. Otherwise, we watch movies on DVD.

24) I don't have time to read books anymore. I hope I do again someday. But my brother gave me the bright idea of listening to audio books while I go about my day on an iPod I wear on my arm. Now, when the kids are being self-sufficient, I can listen to a book while I wash the dishes or clean the bathroom! I love books that take place in other cultures and times (that are accurate depictions) and also love my science fiction.

25) I have been feeling kind of overwhelmed since the twins arrived and like I have set aside so many of the things I love to do to be a mom of 3 small kids. I am so excited to see the light at the end of the tunnel now that they are all learning self-sufficiency and do better without their mom every minute of the day, and have been fantasizing about what I can do to put a little me-time back in my life. I have been neglecting my health (mental, physical, spiritual, dental!, etc.) for a couple-three years and am considering taking a Tai-chi or a yoga class, or maybe having the family join a gym with child care so I can work out with the hubby without hiring a babysitter.


Wow! That wasn't as hard as I thought it would be! I am not going to tag anyone, but if you feel inspired to do one of these yourself, be sure to let me know so I can come read it!

Who Should You Vote For???

While reading a few friends' blogs this morning, I ran across one (Hi, B.C.!! ) that posted a link to this website that asks you questions about your political beliefs, and then tells you which candidate most closely matches your views! Interesting! It even asks you how important each issue is to you on a sliding scale.

On the fence? Give it a try!

Here are my results... Not that it helped, everyone so "neck and neck" and all. I have to say I am leaning toward Obama, though. I know he doesn't have much legislative experience, but I would love to see what a young person, as yet relatively uncorrupted by politics, would do in there.

But I have to say, after listening to lots of debates... Not even the least of the republican candidates scares the bejesus out of me like George W. does!!

Yay for ANY change!!

92% Hillary Clinton
91% Barack Obama
90% John Edwards
88% Chris Dodd
79% Joe Biden
78% Bill Richardson
64% Mike Gravel
63% Dennis Kucinich
57% Rudy Giuliani
44% John McCain
38% Tom Tancredo
34% Mitt Romney
31% Mike Huckabee
21% Fred Thompson
17% Ron Paul

2008 Presidential Candidate Matching Quiz

Resorting to Memes

You might have noticed that I haven’t written much of substance lately. Been feeling a bit “writer’s blocked” as it were. So, I decided to turn to one of these memes and just write what it says to write.

1.Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, find line 4 and write what it says.

”However, pushing the tortoise makes him retreat, not go faster.”

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can. What can you touch?

Oh, well, that would be the OTHER office chair. The one I got because it was in such nice shape, big and with arms, the one I got because it is the kind my husband likes so much and because it was FREE. The one that takes up a lot of space in our tiny office and is never used because we already HAVE a great big office chair AND a futon to sit on!
Well, I guess that’s not exactly true. The babies love to sit on it together while I spin them round and round. They say “Wheeeee!!” That makes the wasted space it takes up almost worth it.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?

Sesame Street. That is almost always the last thing I watched on TV.

4. Without looking, guess what time it is.

11:30am

5. Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?

11:33am!! I rock!

6. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?

Well, the babies are napping, so I hear the jets flying over at Miramar Marine Corp Air Base. That is an almost constant sound around here. If it was 9:53pm, I would be listening to the sound of the fireworks at SeaWorld.

7. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?

I snuck outside to throw the yogurt cups in the recycling which is now outside since the ants have attacked. I have to do it quietly and quickly because if the twins see me go outside, they come running in desperation and despair.

8. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?

My email.

9. Did you dream last night?

Probably, but I can’t recall it now.

10. When did you last laugh?

This morning with Ethan. I was helping him dribble a ball by holding his wrist and bouncing a ball in front of him and making him smack it. He giggled so much, its infectious.

11. What is on the walls of the room you are in?

Rental-House White paint. No pictures because we are lame about decorating. But there is a BIG map of San Diego on the wall. It helps us learn our way around our new city. San Diego is made up of lots and lots of little neighborhoods with names. So we are trying to learn it so we know if it’s a long way to Linda Vista, Mission Valley, Point Loma, or North Park.

12. Seen anything weird lately

Pretzels in odd places. I have toddlers, the toddlers like pretzels. They like putting things in odd places. Thus I find them in the dishwasher, the kitchen drawers, down inside the locked TV cabinet when I open the doors, pushed under the bathroom door, in our wicker chest where we keep shoes…

13. What do you think of this quiz?

Very random. Which is why I picked it.

14. What is the last film you saw?

I went to the new Harry Potter movie by myself. Since babysitters are so pricy, and we are new in town, Michael and I tend to go to movies we MUST see on separate nights, and then discuss it later. That is a movie date for us now… sigh…

15. If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?

A new house. Even in this market. And I would hire someone who would cook my family dinner, be in charge of feeding my babies, and could stay with the kids occasionally when my hubby and I want to go out and spend some time together. Yeah……

16. Tell me something about you that I don’t know?

Please refer to my 50th post, “Fifty Things About Me”

17. If you could change one thing about the world, what would you do?

Oh man… one thing? So many silver linings have dark clouds! Like if I got rid of pestilence and disease, we would be dealing with ridiculous overpopulation. I guess I would just UP the compassion in the world a few notches. I think that would help solve so many of our environmental, political, educational and social problems in this world.

18. Where are you on the war in Iraq?:

I think we should NEVER have gone in there this time. I am totally cool with the action in Afghanistan. But now that we are IN Iraq, and have made the financial commitment, lost so many lives, disrupted another society, etc, I am not sure we shouldn’t stay and get the job done. I am not passionate about pulling out or staying longer since there is so little un-biased information out there to base an opinion on. It’s hard to know how much good we are doing there, and the real detriment of pulling out. So hard to know who to believe.

19. Would you ever consider living abroad?

In a heartbeat. It’s harder now, with kids, but I think I would go almost anywhere SAFE with my family if I could come back in a year. But I would want to do it when the kids are a bit older and could benefit from the experience of living in another culture.

20. What do you want God to say to you when you get to heaven?

"Come on in! Can I get you a Pepsi?"

Only 73%??

So, the folks are coming out to visit for ten days (mine, from Ohio) and they are bringing along my neice who hasn't been to California, I think, since she was my flower girl at the wedding (She was barely three and needed to be walked down the aisle by her daddy, my brother, to keep her on track). So, I don't have a lot of time for blogging.

After moving into this house we did a lot of unpacking and got out and put away most of the stuff we really needed and left all that other crap in boxes up against walls, and in closets, and in corners of every room. Now with visitors looming, I have been taking a second look at getting back to unpacking a few more of those boxes, maybe putting a few more pictures up on the wall.

And so as not to leave you with some little tidbit in my blog to read (because I know your day is less swell without it, I leave you with this little "meme" test I took (wow, my first blog-meme. Am I stooping low? Selling out? Getting cooler?) which tells me just how addicted to coffee I am.

I am 73% Addicted to Coffee

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