Happy Friday questions (and where else to find me)

This week we checked off one of our New Year's resolutions -- Anouk got a lovely butterfly kite for her birthday, so we hit the beach and tried it out. I had forgot that flying a kite is so joyful -- it's like it's an extension of yourself up there fluttering around. We had a blast. Thanks, T!

Recently, the awesome Ali of Mom Explores Virginia Beach nominated me for a Liebster award, which as you might know, is a way of getting to know more about some of your fellow bloggers. When you accept the award, you also agree to answer some questions about yourself to go along with it, so I thought I'd do something different today and answer Ali's questions here just for fun and because sometimes I really do miss Myspace. 

Thanks for nominating the blog, Ali! I generally suck at passing along memes like this so I'll just say here for the record that we're big fans of yours, too. 

1. What do you love most about blogging? 

I like that it motivates me to seek out new experiences. I am a creature of habit and left to my own devices, I would pretty much do a variation of the same thing every day. Having the blog keeps me accountable to get out there and explore and do things I might not otherwise. I also really treasure the people I've met through blogging. Some of you I talk to every day, some of you I've only heard from once or twice in passing, but I appreciate all of these connections I might not otherwise have made. 

2. What is your favorite dessert food?

Store bought birthday cake or s'mores (are s'mores fancy enough to count as a dessert?) I know, my dessert tastes are a little declasse but the heart (stomach) wants what it wants.

3. What is the best parenting advice you ever received? 

When Anouk was a newborn, somebody told me to make a point to put real clothes (AKA something you would wear outside, in real life) on every day. I didn't always follow this advice but when I did, I found it really made the difference in helping keep the feeling of chaos at bay and made me more productive and proactive overall. More recently, my friend Molly recommended the Potty Watch, which had Anouk pretty much fully toilet trained in less than two weeks (hooray!) so I strongly recommend that, too.  

4. What habit would you like to break? 

Googling medical symptoms. It just never helps.  

5. If you could go on any vacation, where would you go and why?

I'm itching for a week in Key West. Further abroad: I'd love to take Anne to Prince Edward Island, which J. and I visited in 2009 and fell in love with. I just read a book set in Cornwall, and so right now I'd love to go there, too. 

6. What is your favorite television show?

I don't watch a ton of TV anymore, so this is a hard one for me. When I do watch, it's usually something like Top Chef. I also really am looking forward to the new season of Call the Midwife. Less so the last season of Mad Men but I am interested in seeing how it all ends up.  

7. What app on your smart phone (if you have a smart phone) do you use the most?

The Motivated Moms app. I love it. It gives you a list of housework tasks to do every day (wipe bathroom; make bed) and tasks to do every so often (empty toaster tray; clean baseboards). It helps me keep on top of housework but break everything up in manageable chunks and makes me feel like my house is pretty much company ready at all times (or at least not shocking in its filth, which is company ready when you have a toddler?) 

8. What is your favorite season: summer, fall, winter, or spring, and why?

I enjoy things about them all but definitely spring. I love watching my garden come to life; every year it seems completely impossible that it will happen but it always does. My camellias had buds on them for two whole months and just when I gave up thinking they would ever open, there they were, in all their glory. 

9. What is the last book you read?

An advance copy of The One Plus One by Jojo Moyes (cheesy in a few places but overall sweet). At the same time, I was also working my way through Project Kid (review coming soon!) 

10. How do you take your coffee/tea?

Iced, with a splash of soy milk and half a Splenda (I know it's chemicals and not good for me but I can't help it, nothing else tastes right). 

11. Which movie star, musician, or artist would you love to meet? 

This is a hard one, too -- I admire the work of many authors/musicians/artists but I am so socially awkward that the thought of meeting them sounds horrible, I'm sure I would say something stupid (or not be able to say anything at all). I also think it would be awful to meet one of your "heroes" and find you had nothing in common with them or that they were completely different from what you thought. That said, I guess I'd like to meet Exene Cervenka, from the band X, or Herman Wouk, or Tim Gunn (or all of them at once, wouldn't that be a random gathering?) 


And in case you're curious, over at Fun and Free Hampton Roads this week, I wrote about free active play for kids (bigs and littles) and also the Cause for Paws event happening this weekend to support local animal rescue. Be sure to check them out! And have a great weekend!