A New Tuesday Meme...

Hello, and Happy Tuesday! I've just come across a new-to-me meme hosted by Should Be Reading. Here is the description/explanation from the blog of how to join:

"Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

Grab your current read
Open to a random page
Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!"

I thought it sounded pretty fun, so here's my "teaser", from So Much For That, by Lionel Shriver:

"So your answer is to make our children ashamed of themselves, which doesn't improve their math skills one bit."

Carol's whisk-whisk motions were her only giveaway that she was furious.

Are you intrigued? Do you want to run out and find this book? Will you add it to your 'Must Read' list? This is the first book I've ever read of Lionel Shriver's. I've only just started it - so far it seems promising, if perhaps a bit slow right now...

What have you read lately that you would recommend?

Sunday Stealing...

Fellow bloggers, tell me - are you ever in the mood for blogging/writing but don't really have anything in particular in mind to write about? That's why I love memes! I Googled 'Sunday memes' and found 'Sunday Stealing' - love the name, love the concept! This is the 'Me Me Meme' - read on, and you'll know why...

1. Never in my life have I been: Outside of North America.

2. The one person who can drive me nuts is: My teenaged daughter.

3. High school was: Disappointing.

4. When I’m nervous I: Get anxious and irritable.

5. The last song I listened to was: Whatever the song was that Justin Bieber performed on SNL last night.

6. If I were to get married right now my best man/maid of honor: My sister.

7. My hair is: Red, chin-length inverted bob, and probably the best/most satisfying it's been in years./

8. When I was 5: My baby sister was born - I was so smitten! It was like having my own living, breathing dolly...

9. Last Christmas: Was the first time my hubby, children, and I have spent Christmas with my sister and her family, and it was so much fun! I'm hoping we do the same thing again this Christmas.

10. I should be..: Cleaning and purging in preparation for moving in a few weeks, but instead, well, obviously, I'm writing this and enjoying ever minute of it!

11. When I look down I see: A carpet that needs cleaning.

12. The happiest recent event was: My husband and I getting pre-approved for our very first mortgage!

13. If I were a character on 'Friends' I would be: Monica. I'm neurotic like that.

14. By this time next year: It would be nice to be about 50 pounds lighter...

15. My current gripe is: Oh, it's so hard to pick just one...but they all pretty much involve the purging/packing/moving situation.

16. I have a hard time understanding: Lots of things! Math, right off the top of my head...Then, of course, the bigger, more philosophical things in life...Also, how did they get the caramel inside the Caramilk bar?!

17. There’s this girl I know that: I have high hopes for and fear for all at the same time.

18. If I won an award, the first person I would tell would be: My husband.

19. Take my advice: Appreciate every day as if it were your last.

20. The thing I want to buy: New furniture/decor for my new house!

21. If you visited the place I was born: You'd be visiting the most beautiful, wonderful city in the world.

22. I plan to visit: Every province/territory in Canada.

23. If you spent the night at my house: You would probably have been up very late drinking wine, playing games, listening to music, and talking.

24. I’d stop my wedding if: How do I finish this sentence?...I've already married my best friend/soul mate, which means that he already qualified in every way all along the way, so I'll just take a pass on this one.

25. The world could do without: Men who prey on children and women.

26. I’d rather lick the belly of a cockroach than: Paint a house or pack and move a house - two things that I will be doing very soon. Don't get me wrong - I'm very grateful for the opportunity, but...I still can't help but fantasize about being rich enough to just hire somebody else to do it all for me. Moving really does encompass all the things I dislike most!!

27. Most recent thing I’ve bought myself: Nestabilities. If you're a scrapper/crafter/card maker, you'll know what I mean!

28. Most recent thing someone else bought me: Flowers, chocolates, and a card.

29. My favorite blonde is: Geez, I'm having a hard time with this one...now that I think about it, I don't really know very many blonds!! How about, my favorite blond joke is: Naw, better not...

30. My favorite brunette is: A four-way tie between my husband, my daughter, and my two sons.

31. My favorite red head is: Me!

32. My middle name is: Charlene. I don't like the name at all, except that I was named after my grandpa, Charles - Charlene being the feminine of Charles, so I love the reason why I was named Charlene.

33. In the morning I: Rely heavily on caffeine to get me going. I wish I didn't, but I do. I accept this.

34. The animals I would like to see flying besides birds are: Humans. Specifically, me.

35. Once, at a bar: I met my soul mate.

36. Last night I was: Spending a low-key night at home...my favorite way to spend any night.

37. There’s this guy I know who: Is the biggest ass ever! Well, actually, I don't know him personally, but I know of him...you might too - Tiger Woods? He's this golfer who...well, if you don't know, you can always Google him - type in 'World's Biggest Ass' and it will lead you right to him!

38. If I was an animal I’d be: A female grizzly bear.

39. A better name for me would be: Your Highness.

40. Tomorrow I am: Back to the full-time Mommy gig. For now, my two boys are at their grandparents' house this weekend so that hubby and I can purge/pack unimpeded by little people who pop up at the most inopportune time and claim old McDonald's Happy Meal toys and broken trucks found in the playground as "their most favorite, special toy(s) ever!!" and then demand in the most screechy and intolerable way that these ridiculous little toy-things cannot be thrown out/given away ever, never, ever!!!

41. Tonight I am: Staying up too late, I'm sure - like always!

42. My birthday is: July 18th - I've always loved having a summer birthday!

7 Quick Takes Friday - 2nd Edition

Hello! Happy Friday, TGIF, and all that! Coming at you with the great 7 Quick Takes Friday meme hosted by The Conversion Diary. Jumping right in...

1. Is there truly any such thing as a bra that fits well, is comfortable to wear, and makes the girls look great? Is there?! Really?! Because if there is, I haven't ever found one in my entire bra-wearin' life! Am I missing a really obvious/simple piece of the puzzle? What gives?! It's the 21st century for cryin' out loud! We've got space tourists visiting the International Space Station, the human genome has been mapped, and the United States has elected it's first black president. Could somebody please provide me with a comfortable and effective flopper stopper?!

2. Pearl Jam. Eddie Vedder. 'Just Breathe'. Enough said.

3. I love playing 'Lexulous' on Facebook. It's the online equivalent of Scrabble. It can be played against friends, or you can join a table or host a table with other users. It is not uncommon to have multiple games going at once, and some can be finished in one sitting while others last for days. There is one thing about Lexulous that perplexes me though, and it's this: Some people use it as a hot talk forum. I'm not a prude, but come on, people! Time and place! Is Lexulous really it?! Here are some real examples of requests:

"PLEASE READ THIS!!!! Fun girls only. ;) Say 'yes I'm naughty' when you start the game."
"Looking for sexy girls for sexy chat."
"Any other guys sitting at home in their underwear?"
"hot girls 18-30. cum and play - do not play if you don't want to talk dirty x"
"WOMEN ONLY..FLIRTY TYPES only..if you dont want to chat dont play....no blank pics, pet pics, or fake pics..i want to see who im playing..chatting a must..NO GUYS"

Really?! This is an online SCRABBLE game!! Can you find no other forum for this? Does this actually WORK for you?! Is the Scrabble component necessary for your gratification? Forgive me for being judgemental, but I find it quite strange...

4. There are days with my children where I swing wildly between being so besotted with the cuteness of them, so powerfully captured by their sweetness and goodness that it's all I can do to keep from imploding with love - to finding myself catapulted instantaneously into raving irritation and annoyance with them - their whining, their fussing, their dawdling, their pickiness over food - I need to physically restrain myself from bolting from the house, raving like a lunatic, frantically fleeing my suburban home for the wildness of...wherever...anything else is a celebrated alternative and reprieve! Is this a common Mommy experience?! Please - provide me with perspective! I'm either a horrible monster for feeling this way, or in ample good company!

5. I fear that I am turning into my mother. Case in point #1 (and sadly, there are probably a total of TEN or more 'case in point's'...) - I think I am becoming a technological dinosaur. I have never sent a text message. I don't know what to do when I receive one. I know how to program contacts into my cell phone's directory, but I get easily frustrated with the process and ask my daughter to "just do it for me!", which reminds me of my mother's inability to program her own VCR to tape a program and her reliance on us to take care of it for her. It's comparisons like these that send a cold, creeping prickle of fear up my spine...

6. I love books. I especially have a thing for children's books. We are avid library users and always have stacks of library books in the house, but we also have a LOT of our own books too. Now that we've bought a house and are going to be moving in approximately six weeks, I'm looking around at all of our overflowing book shelves and dreading not only the boxing them all up, but the moving them! Boxes of books weigh a LOT! I'm crossing my fingers that we're going to end up hiring movers, but even so - we are going to have scores of boxes of books to deal with. I've always said that if I ever won the lottery, the bookstore would be on my list of Top 3 places I'd go to first...why does it look like that's already happened?! I've got the books, now where's all the leftover cash winnings?! Sigh...something's out of whack here!

7. Another great Friday challenge over at The Inspired Scrapper - mixing black and white photos with colour - check out Cari's and Virginia's awesome examples!

7 Quick Takes...

I came across this fun meme over at The Conversion Diary and I thought I'd join in, so without further delay, here are my 7 Quick Takes:

1. Another Friday, another challenge over at The Inspired Scrapper. This one is simply to use flowers. Spring is springing, after all! Check it out, and join in via Mr. Linky!

2. After being married for almost eight years and having three children, my husband and I are now looking to buy our first home. It's a nerve wracking process at times! In the past, whenever I've heard anybody say they were 'devastated' when an offer that they've made on a house hasn't worked out, I would think, 'Relax - it's just a house - find another!'. Nice, eh?! Now - I understand how somebody could feel that way.

3. This is the final weekend of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I'm going to miss it! Living in the host city has been the opportunity of a lifetime - I wonder, have I done enough? Have I taken advantage of all the goings on? How are my children going to remember this time? I think that Vancouver is going to feel some post-event blues. I think I will too. On the positive side, while I've enjoyed watching all the Canadian and International coverage on televsion - I'm looking forward to NOT having the TV on for awhile!

4. I never thought I'd ever say this, but...I actually prefer McDonald's coffee to Tim Hortons and Starbucks! I used to look at McDonald's coffee with complete disdain. Then, sometime this past year, McDonald's offered free coffee in the morning for a period of a few weeks, so I started hitting the drive-thru on my way to work for my freebie, and marketing works, folks, because McDonald's proved to me that their coffee is now not only improved, but superior! I actually crave it now and will go out of my way just to hit the drive-thru. I still feel a bit embarrassed to be seen drinking their coffee (I'm sure that will pass), but...I'm a convert!

5. I have been blogging for over three years now - I can't believe it! I started this blog when my last born child was about three weeks old - feels like a lifetime ago. At the time, I wasn't sure about this whole blogging thing, but three years later - I absolutely love it! I think I'll be blogging forever - although, it will be interesting to see how blogging evolves and what it will consist of in the years to come.

6. I am mulling over the idea of getting a dog. For years, I was dead-set against having any pets, but now...this little itch for a dog is getting bigger. I'm not going to make any sudden moves - it's a huge decision. Like having another child, in a lot of ways. A dog is a big, long-term, and somewhat expensive commitment, and not one that I take lightly. I think I'll have to dedicate an entirely separate post to discussing the pros and cons of adding a dog to our family. I hope my husband's not reading this...I don't think he's anywhere near being ready for a conversation about this! The kids, however, would be ecstatic. We'll keep this quiet for now...ssshhh...

7. It was harder than I thought it would be to come up with '7' quick takes, and I don't know if they'd all qualify as 'quick', but this was a fun meme to take part in and I will definitely be doing it again!