30-Day Blog Challenge Catch Up!

So, just a reminder (since I have been gone for awhile): On July 29th I decided to join Sam and Cheryl in completing the 30-day blog challenge. The goal was to post everyday for 30 days and answer all the questions/prompts. Well - since I have not posted since August 11th I am 8 days behind and August 29th is fast approaching .... so here is the catch up post!

Talk about your family:

Family is such a huge word! There is the family in my home - my husband and the boys! I like to think we are the happiest dysfunctional family you will ever meet. On most days there are two people in the house not getting along about something. It could be my husband and the teenager (step families are really hard to blend), or me and the pre-schooler (I discipline more than Daddy), or me and the teenager (do I have to explain this one, he is after all a teenager) or the five-year-old & seventeen-year-old, or it could be all of us and the dog! Who knows .... our life would be pretty boring without the drama we create. But at the end of the day there is nothing we wouldn't do for the other - whether it is the boys taking care of me when I am not feeling well, or my husband giving the teenager rides to work, or the teenager protecting his brother from older kids. We care about each other and love each other regardless of our faults (and we admit to many). Then there are my parents ... who are fabulous and who we could not live without! I do not have the time or space here to go through the list of trouble my parents have gotten me out of - including our vacation this week (we booked our vacation before we got the puppy, they do not allow dogs so my parents dog sat for the week). My Nana (my only grandparent still living) is one of my idols. I think she would be even if she was not family!

My family is not perfect - there are people I don't speak to much or get along with all the time or agree with on many occasions, but they are family and you can't choose the family you are born into. Overall I think I am fortunate and I am glad I have the family I have.

Things that instantly make you happy:

I have a page on my blog ....1,000 things that make me smile. I have been trying to update the page on a regular basis, the idea was to find one thing everyday that makes me smile. Again - I am a little behind. But here are a few things:

• My children's laughter
• Coffee
• Watching my children do things that make them happy
• Quiet mornings (with coffee)
• My House

Name the thing you are most scared of:

First it is always my children being hurt - not a booboo hurt that a bandaid will fix, but the kind of hurt that Mommy can't fix. That is the thing that will wake me up in a cold sweat.

Then there is the completely irrational and illogical fear of driving on the highway. Many years ago I suffered from panic attacks (I have since learned that this can be one of the weird lupus symptoms I suffer from). I had several while driving on the highway. The thing about panic attacks is that they happen for no rhyme or reason - your body suddenly goes into fight or flight mode, and on the highway you have nowhere to go. So ever since then I will avoid the highway at all costs. This is not a bad thing - I have discovered alot of small out of the way places on back roads that I never would have found speeding by on the highway. I can drive on the highway if I have to, I just prefer not to.

Your favorite music:

I have been known to like all kinds of music. I admit I am not one to seek out new music. I tend to stick to my favorite songs (see the blog about my MP3 player). But I am willing to listen to just about anything. Right now I love the show Glee! and I actually tortured the boys all week listening to it in the car!

How important do you think education is:

I think education is the most important thing you can give your children. I don't mean that I think everyone needs to go to college (of course don't tell this to my boss - enrollment is part of my job). Some of the smartest people I know never went to college - but they were always learning. Education can come in so many forms, whether it is learning about your job, or about politics, or nature. So, I think everyone needs to keep learning and education should be a vital part of a child's life.

What is one of your favorite TV shows:

Right now I have two. I like both of them because they are completely unrealistic and give me that sort of break from reality that is needed. One is just funny, the other is full of suspense. Glee and The Walking Dead. I can't pick one as my favorite because they each have a different purpose.

What is the last movie you saw in the theatre:

This answer actually compliments the last answer! Last Friday my mom and I went to see Glee 3D. My husband got me 8th row tickets to see The Glee Live Tour for my birthday and I went with my mom. We went to see the movie to see if you could see us in the audience (you can't, they did not use our concert as part of the footage). If you are a Glee junkie it was a great movie, if you are not I don't recommend it! :)

List photos of 5 famous guys you think are attractive:

Wow - seeing them all together I just realized how much they all look alike!

So, I am all caught up on my 30-day blog! Hope you enjoy!