My Life as Mama Jodi

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun - won’t you join in?

1. Have you ever played hooky (from school or work)? yes to both
If so, what excuse did you use to get out of school/work? school I can’t remember, work - I have used my “kids being sick” as an excuse.
What did you do instead of going to school/work? school - slept usually. work - day off to go shopping I think?? (its been a while since I have worked outside of the home)
How often do you play hooky? not often
If you’ve never played hooky, why not? –
What one thing HAS to happen before you would consider playing hooky (again)? I guess it would be that I would have to have a job first! LOL
Has your significant other every played hooky? no
If so, tell us about it. If not, why not? he just wouldn’t do that
Has anyone you known ever gotten caught playing hooky? not that I know of

2. I can’t tell you the number of posts I read from bloggers who were going to BlogHer about what sorts of clothes they were going to pack for the trip. If you went (or wanted to go) to BlogHer, describe the outfit you did, or would have, worn for the first day of the conference. Remember, first impressions are everything (most of the time) so you want to impress your blogging buddies. Don’t forget to describe your shoes/accessories! Better yet, link us to your outfit so we can “see” what you’re talking about. Why did you pick this particular ensemble? I didn’t go, but if I did, I would be dressing for comfort.

3. If you could be guaranteed an honest answer to three questions, what questions would you ask, and who would you ask them of?
1. Who created you? — God
2. Would you like a relationship with me? — my biological father
3. Why have you turned so bitter? — my mother

4. If you could give a single piece of advice to the film industry in Hollywood, what would you say? Clean up the smut!
If you were a powerful film producer, what sorts of films would you produce? Why? I would produce more family friendly movies. why - because there is too much garbage out there!

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun - won’t you join in?

1. Do you ever change the ring tone on your phone? Sometimes
What is your current ring tone? Amazing Grace by Chris Tomlin
What cell phone service do you use now? Verizon
Are you happy with said service? I am
What sort of phone do you have? a pink Razr

Are you happy with your phone? I am, but I did see that they have my phone now in purple… I so want it!!

How often do you use your cell phone in a 24-hour period? I use it all day long!

2. The year is half over (can you believe it?!) - think back, where were you at midnight, when it became 2008? I was at home, and probably on the computer.
If you made goals for ‘08, what were they and have you met them? No plans were made
What would you like to accomplish before ‘08 is over? Tell us ONE thing you absolutely MUST have done before the year is out. I want our house on the market!!!

3. It’s Saturday – are you going to lounge around the house and be sloppy? Or are you going to be social and run errands and catch up with friends? Sloppy or social? I will be a social butterfly! After being home all week, I don’t want to be sitting at home on a Saturday!

4. If you could live one day in the life of your favorite TV character, who would it be and why? I don’t have a fave TV character, but if I choose one, I guess it would be Jill Taylor from Home Improvement. We have been watching lots of reruns, and this show still cracks me up. There is never a dull moment in her household, so I think that would be fun.

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun - won’t you join in?

1. What is your blog about? Me, my family, friends and my kitty.
How long have you been blogging? for a couple of years.
Why did you begin blogging? originally to journal my thoughts
Is it the same reason that you continue to blog today? yes and no ~ I sometimes journal my thoughts, but mostly just write about fun stuff and do meme’s
How has your blog changed over the time you’ve had it? It has, I do more meme’s, and now I am into paid blogging.
In six words, sum up your blog. Its about my life as Jodi.

2. When you go for a haircut, do you do something drastic? not usually, I am too chicken.
Or are you more of a ‘just a trim’ sort of person? for the most part I am just a trimmer.
Do you color your hair? If so, how often? I do color my hair. I used to color it a few times a year, but now I seem to color it ever 3-4 weeks! When I see the gray pop through, I know its time to color again.
Tell us about your best, and worst, hairstyle. Worst, would have to be some bad perms I had to endure! Best, I would have to say right now. I love this last cut I did. You can see the style I wanted here.
What sort of hairsyle do you think looks good on you now? this is how my hair looked when I got it cut a few months ago. I need to go have it updated again!

3. Tell us about your 4th of July celebration. Show us some pictures (if you have them). What did your family do? Did you go and see a big fireworks display? Or did you stay home and have a (semi) quiet family fireworks celebration?  Let’s just say it wasn’t the best 4th I have had. I pretty much spent the weekend in my bedroom, as my hubby and I weren’t getting along. We have since made up, but I am still sad we didn’t go see the fireworks.

On a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the best), how patriotic would you say you are? about a 7 or an 8

Do you routinely talk about our country’s issues within your family unit? we do at times
Do you and your significant other see eye-to-eye on political issues? we do!
International friends: tell us how you celebrate your country’s birthday/new year/significant annual event.

4. If you only had enough time each day to read one section of the newspaper, which section would you read? the job section
Why this particular section? because I am looking for a job.

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun - won’t you join in?

1. Do you think that gift cards are suitable gifts to give? Do you find them to be impersonal? I like giving gift cards. I don’t find them impersonal at all, it takes the hassle out of trying to find the right gift for a person, then to later find out they didn’t really like it, and they possibly return the item. This way they can go shopping for something they want.

Do you like receiving gift cards? If so, from where and do you cash them in right away, or do you wait for the right item/price to come along? I like to receive them as well, for the same reasons. My favorite store to get a gift card from is Kohl’s.

2. Have you ever counted up all the pills and/or vitamin capsules that you take every day? I have
How many are there? I take vitamins daily (through out the day) 8 in the morning, 6 at lunch time, and 6 at dinner time
What do you take on a daily basis? I take Herbalife vitamins, a multi vitamin, cell activator, calcium, relax now, tang kuei, total control. Then I have an iron supplement and a fiber tablet (these are not Herbalife products).
Do you give your children vitamins? If so, what kind? my youngest takes a multivitamin daily

3. What five things would you put in a time capsule? a Bible, a copy of the Grand Rapids Press,

4. Would you rather be overdressed or underdressed for a party? Why? I would rather be underdressed; I don’t like to draw attention to myself
Tell us about the last time you were overdressed and/or underdressed; what happened? I can’t think of a time.
Did anyone notice you were over/under dressed? n/a

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun - won’t you join in?

1. Tell me, what do you have planned for father’s day? Do the kids really help you pick out a gift, or is it all you? If you don’t have a significant other, what do you have planned for your father? What gift do you plan on giving to the father in your life? We will start the day off at church, then go out for lunch, his choice. Trent will pick out a few shirts for him; Christopher has been going the card routes lately. I am not sure if we are going over to his parents or not. I don’t see my parents, so I have nothing for my dad.

2. What did you do over the weekend? Saturday ~ went to the library with Trent, then home to veg for the day until the hubby got home, made dinner, then we played the Wii. Sunday ~ church, then home to veg. It was a veggie kinda weekend.

3. What is your favorite saying, quote or expression? WHY is this your favorite? Is there a story behind your favorite quote? “Put on your big girl panties and deal with it!” This relates to the board I run and how people tend to over react on things. When I was at Mall of America, I found a t-shirt with this saying on it and had to have it!

4. How “green” are you? Tell us what you’re currently doing to help the planet. Tell us what you could do better to help the planet. I am not very green at all… the only thing I have done thus far is by the reusable bags from the grocery store I shop at. I could do more recycling, just wish the city wouldn’t have a separate charge for this from our garbage.

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun - won’t you join in?

1. What kind of water do you drink? Bottled water, tap water, sparkling water….? How MUCH water do you drink in a day? If you’re not drinking water, what ARE you drinking? We have filtered water here at home. I hate our tap water, growing up drinking well water will do that to you. I will fill up my water bottle (16.9 oz) about 4-5 times a day, and will add to it the Crystal Light to go packets.

2. Would you rather be Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, or Belle? Why? Cinderella, as she gets to be the bell of the ball, and then marries the prince.

3. Are you an urban dweller, a suburbanite, or a country person? Are you happy where you live? Without giving too many details, tell us about the place where you live. What makes it different than other places? What do you like the most? The least? I am a suburbanite, but long to be in the country again. I am not happy where we are living right now. I don’t care for the schools in the area we live, or the closeness of the houses. Soon hopefully we will be moving.

4. What little annoying thing does someone (pick any person) do that drives you absolutely crazy? Have you told this person this? Why or why not? What do you think this person would say is the most annoying thing about you? My hubby… the most annoying - he’s a procrastinator, I have told him, but it has done no good. He would say my “nagging” is annoying to him.

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun - won’t you join in?

1. If you were cooking dinner for a friend, what would you serve? (If you can, post the recipe!) WHY would you serve this particular meal for this particular friend? Marinaded grilled chicken breast (in Italian dressing), broccoli tortellini salad and a cherry cheese coffee cake.

Broccoli Tortellini Salad
4 cups broccoli florets
2 pkgs (9 oz) refrigerated cheese tortellini
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup reduced-fat mayonnaise
3 TBSP sugar
1 TBSP cider vinegar
5 slices bacon cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup unsalted sunflower kernels

Preparation
In a large saucepan, cook broccoli in 6 cups boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain immediately rince in cold water. In same saucepan, cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and immediately rinse in cold water. In a large bowl, combine the red onion, raisins, broccoli and tortellini. Combine the mayonise, sugar and vinegar. Pour over tortellini mixture: toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Just before serving, stir in the bacon and sunflower kernels.

Why would I serve this? Because its a simple menu to make, and it tastes so good.

2. How many hours a day do you spend blogging? What do you think about this number? If you weren’t spending that time blogging, what would you be spending that time doing? I probably spend over 20 hours blogging, between writing mine up and reading others. I think its alot, and if I weren’t doing this, I could have more time to do housework, or job hunting.

3. How much money is in your wallet right now? Do you carry a lot of cash on you? Why or why not? I have $30 in my wallet, I normally only have $20 or less, I don’t like to have lots of $$ on hand, if I have lots, I tend to spend more.

4. What is your favorite day of the year? my birthday
WHY is this your favorite day of the year? because its all about me… LOL
Now, what is your second favorite? Easter
Why is this your second favorite? because everything is new again, and its Resurrection day

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun - won’t you join in?

1. If you wrote a book, to whom would you dedicate it? Probably my hubby
Why would you dedicate it to that person? Because he is my biggest supporter.
What sort of book would you like to write? Maybe a romance novel.
If you became a best selling author, would you use your real name, or a pen name? I would probably use my real name
Why? because I can’t think up a really cool pen name.

2. So moms, tell us about your Mother’s Day. What did you do? We went to church in the morning, then out for lunch, then home to veg.
What gift did you receive? My hubby gave me a dozen roses and a sappy card, my oldest gave me a cute card and a lottery ticket, that I won $5, and my youngest gave me a hug and a kiss.
How did your family make your day special? Just being with them made my day special.
If you’re not a mom, tell us how you made your mom’s day special.

3. Now that gas prices have gone up so much, where are you going to come up with that extra money? I have been cleaning house, and selling unwanted stuff on Craigslist.
Do you have to give something up? we gave up our gym membership
How much does gas cost in your area? right now it is $3.85
How much does gas have to go up before you make drastic changes in your lifestyle? If it gets any higher we will be making some drastic changes, as it is I limit how far I am willing to drive.

4. What was the last DVD you watched? Waterhorse
Did you rent, or did you own the DVD? we rented it
If you rented, how much did it cost? $3.50
What was the last DVD you purchased? Alvin and the Chipmunks
What was the last movie you saw at a theater? Fools Gold
How much did it cost you? $6.50
If you go to the theater, do you purchase snacks and/or soft drinks? it depends on whether or not we eat breakfast/lunch/dinner before we go
If so, how much do you spend at one visit?$20-25?? Yikes!

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun - won’t you join in?

1. If you had one week to do anything you wanted, unlimited means to do so, what are some of the things you would try to do? I would fly out to California and spend the week with my friend Debbie and her girls, and her soon to be new grandbaby!

2. What’s the last thing you bought for yourself? Do you buy yourself things very often? If you were rich, would you buy yourself things more often? Why or why not? The last thing I bought for myself were a pair of sandles! I do buy myself things often (but am on hold of doing this as of right now, but as soon as I get a part time job I can resume LOL) If I had more money, I definitely would be doing more shopping… I love to shop!

3. When was the last time you sang? What did you sing? Do you ever sing in front of people? Why or why not? Does your significant other sing well? If you were (are) a good singer and it was financially within your means to do so, would you ever consider auditioning for American Idol? The last time I sang was yesterday in church. We sang praise and worship songs. I don’t sing in front of people, I will only sing in crowds. My hubby sings as well, pretty much the same way. If I were, I would probably, but alas, I am over the age limit.

4. If you found $1000 dollars in an unmarked wallet on the street, what would you do? Be specific. Don’t just say, “keep it,” Or “turn it in.” WHY would you keep it? HOW would you turn it in? (And if you turned it in, would you follow up to see if anyone claimed it later?) I would turn it in to the local police department, and wait to see if anyone claimed it, if not then it would be mine.

Karen from WriteFromKaren has started a new meme, appropriately titled the ‘Monday Morning Meme’. It’s a lot of fun - won’t you join in?

1. What book is currently on your nightstand? Please offer the blurb to your readers. What attracted you to this book? If you’re reading it, what do you like about it? If you haven’t read it yet, what are your expectations? “The Bait of Satan” by John Bevere. This was recommended to me to read by my pastor’s wife. I am going through some things, that she is helping me with. I have just started reading it, but I am expecting that I will be a new person by not living with past hurts.
A blurb from the book:
Every single person has been offended one time or other. How do I know? The Bible says it is so! No one who lives in a time like this is free from offense, but the offense does not need to color the way we see things, how we view life, and how we perceive the people who have offended us. The offense can grow to become bitterness and take root in our lives. This book helps us identify that we have been offended, and the great need to forgive and release the offense.

“Offended people produce much fruit, such as hurt, anger, outrage, jealousy, resentment, strife, bitterness, hatred, and envy. Some of the consequences of picking up an offense are insults, attacks, wounding, division, separation, broken relationships, betrayal, and backsliding.” (pg. xiv)

Why is the book entitled “The Bait of Satan”? Well, Bevere explains that the Greek word for “offend” in Luke 17:1 comes from the word skandalon, which originally referred to the part of the trap which the bait was attached. Hence, the word signifies laying a trap in someone’s way. In the New Testament it often describes an entrapment used by the enemy.

The following are some quotes from the book:
- Our response to an offense determines our future.
- An offended Christian is one who takes in life but because of fear, cannot release it.
- When we filter everything through past hurts, rejections, and experiences, we find it impossible to believe God.
- There is only one person who can get you out of the will of God, and that is you!
- It is righteous for God to avenge His servants. It is unrighteous for God’s servants to avenge themselves.
- Acquiring an offense keeps you from seeing your character flaws because blame is deferred to another.
- When we ratain an offense in our hearts, we filter everything through it.
- Jesus offended some people by obeying His Father, but He never caused an offense in order to assert His own rights.
- A slave is one who has to serve while a servant is one who lives to serve.
- A person who cannot forgive has forgotten how great a debt God has forgiven them.

2. Please finish this line: Sometimes I wish I could go back to the days when I was six and my biggest problem was…. wondering who I would play with at school

Now, what is your biggest problem today? (Either be specific or general, whatever you feel comfortable revealing). Trying to figure out our finances, since I will be unemployed as of this Friday.

3. Name your three favorite teachers and tell us what grade or subject they taught. Why were they your favorite? If you have children, what do you like, or dislike, about your children’s teachers? Ms. Franks ~ she was my 5th grade teacher, she was just a fun teacher. Mr. Woodhull ~ my accounting teacher in high school ~ he was so laid back and an awesome person! and finally Mrs. Thayler ~ I had her a few times, once in 7th grade for a reading class I believe, and then again as my volleyball coach in high school. She was an awesome lady, I still admire her to this day. As for my kids ~ when Christopher first started school he was in a district that I didn’t care for all that well, the teachers, in my opinion, were there just for a paycheck, they didn’t care about the kids one bit. Now we are involved with a charted school, and have been blessed with awesome teachers. My favorite by far has been Mr. Decker ~ he has an awesome way with kids! He is truely missed by everyone at this school, we wish him all the best!

4. Name three things that make a woman or man sexy. Now, please tell us WHY you think these attributes are sexy. Name three things that you think are sexy about you. (NO negative answers, please, stay positive - you’re beautiful as you are) Eyes, smile, butt (on a guy) ~ I have always looked at a guys eyes first and then their smile, that always gets me; and it doesn’t hurt if they have a nice butt too! Now 3 things on me… I guess my eyes, smile and ?? … I can’t think of 3.