Show Me The Love!

24. Best Ways To Show Love

I think the best way to show love is to just be engaged with the person you are with. And I don't be "about to be married" engaged. I mean, take an interest in what your partner likes. For example, my husband enjoys video games. If he's playing a game that I think looks interesting, I'll sit with him and watch him play. Meanwhile, my husband has taken a few trips out to help me at my craft show tables. We both have our own separate hobbies but, at the same time, we know that it's not all about the "Me."

The same theory runs true with my daughter. Sometimes I'll sit and watch TV with her or we'll play games together. She also helps me make jewelry and helps out at my craft show tables when she can.

I don't really think that you have to be gushy with the displays of affection or anything. Just be with someone when you are with them. Put down the phone or iPad for awhile and just be together. Simple as that.

It's Time For

23. It's Time For...

Well, today is Sunday. That means it's time for laundry. After the laundry, it will be time for the dishes. (Due to the setup in our house, I can't run the washing machine and the dishwasher at the same time. It is annoying.) At some point, it will be time for grocery shopping. Sunday is almost always time for chores.

According to my dogs, it is time for a nap. But they always think it is time for a nap.

According to my husband, it is time for video games. He is currently playing Titanfall.

And, according to my daughter, it is time for hanging out with friends. She hasn't been home since Friday afternoon. Soon, it will be time for coming home.

Please Don't Stop The Music

22. This Week's Playlist

I don't really have a playlist, per se. So here are the songs I currently like:

Dark Horse - Katy Perry Burn - Ellie Goulding Say Something - A Great Big World & Christina Aguilera Best Day of My Life - American Authors Applause - Lady Gaga Brave - Sara Bareilles

I love music so it's kinda hard for me to just pick a handful that I love but this is a good place to start.

Perfection!

21. The Perfect [Blank] Involves [Blank]

The perfect day involves lots of naps The perfect home involves lots of love The perfect vacation involves a stroll on the beach The perfect day trip involves roller coasters The perfect sandwich involves cheese

I don't really have a lot of standards for "perfection." A nice, relaxing day on the beach with some naps and grilled cheese sandwiches thrown in. That would be nice.

Get Off My Lawn!

20. When I Was Your Age

I'm not sure who "Your" is supposed to refer to so I'm going to make it refer to my daughter. She just turned 12 about two weeks ago and she is in 6th grade.

I was still in elementary school because our schools went K-6, 7-9, 10-12. (Apparently that is no longer the case at the schools I attended. It looks like it now matches my daughter's school: K-5, 6-8, 9-12.) It was around this time (5th-6th grade) that I stopped getting so terribly sick on a regular basis.

Sixth grade was also when I got to be on the Safety Patrol at school. That doesn't exist at my daughter's school. The Safetys wore belts (ours were bright orange) and were basically crossing guards and hallway monitors for the younger students. We would be stationed at major intersections inside the school and crosswalks for a few blocks around the school. Our jobs were to make sure the kids weren't running in the halls, crossing the road safely, and just basically making sure the kids got home OK.

This was the year I got glasses.

I think this may have been the first year we had official computer classes in school.

I was a junior in Girl Scouts and I helped my mother with her Brownie troop.

Hm, everything else is a bit of a blur. There isn't anything big that jumps out. I was a normal kid living a normal suburban life. Nothing spectacular.

Just Pin It!

19. "Pins" To Try

I did sorta did this awhile ago. Let's see if I can find some new stuff to try.

I'm not usually a big fan of painting my nails but this is really cool:

Ooh. I love blueberries. A lot. Like, a LOT a lot.

And I really do need to organize my kitchen pantry.....

This just might be absolutely delicious. My daughter wouldn't eat it but I could eat her share!

Playing Host

18. Where I Take Out of Town Guests

We don't get a whole lot of out of town guests. I can only remember having one in the past 12 years. So I guess I'll have to talk about where I would take someone if they came to visit.

I guess the Philadelphia Zoo is a given. And the Adventure Aquarium is a pretty fun trip too. The Franklin Institute can be a good time for geeks like us but the exhibits are frequently broken. Or at least that has been our experience in the past decade or so. The Pagoda in Reading was cool when we took our daughter a couple of years ago. I'm not sure how interesting that would be though. It's basically just a mountain-side view of the city of Reading.

Anything beyond those few would depend on the interests of the guests. I wouldn't take someone who hates art to the Art Museum, for example. Besides, sometimes just cruising around the countryside is a better trip than checking out the tourist spots.

My inspirations

Today was a little bit ridiculous. Let's just get to the list:

17. People I want to be like when I grow up

I feel like this list grows every day. In no particular order (because there is no way I could put them in an order):

Aisha Tyler (@aishatyler) - She is smart and funny and geeky and you should read Self Inflicted Wounds because then you'll want to be like her too.

Misha Collins (@mishacollins) - He is witty and thoughtful and has a kickass charity Random Acts and he's just such an inspiration to be a better person.

John Green (@realjohngreen) - DFTBA! (Don't Forget To Be Awesome!) Do I need to say more? Oh, and um, The Fault in Our Stars.

My mom is also pretty cool. I wouldn't mind being a bit like her.

Hmm...there's a couple of cosplayers that I admire.

Overall, I'd like to be just like me....but cooler :)

My To-Do List

16. This week's to-do list

My schedule is always crazy. This week starts off with my husband's birthday. (Happy Birthday, Hon!) Besides that, my daughter had a World Thinking Day event to attend with her Girl Scout troop. After the event, we took my husband out to dinner at Applebee's for dinner.

Monday - Work from 7:00AM to 5:30PM (including the commute) with the evening spent doing whatever chores I couldn't finish over the weekend Tuesday - Work from 7:00AM to 5:30PM, take daughter to dance classes from 6:00PM to 7:15PM. Wednesday - Work from 7:00AM to 5:30PM, start the week's chores Thursday - Work from 7:00AM to 5:30PM, try to finish the week's chores Friday - Work from 7:00AM to 5:30PM, take daughter to dance rehearsal from 5:30PM to 7:00PM, take daughter to Girl Scout sleepover event immediately after dance, go to Brandon Sanderson book signing with husband Saturday - Get a much-needed massage with the husband, pick daughter up from Girl Scout sleepover, take daughter to birthday party sleepover, try to clean the house Sunday - Laundry, pick daughter up from birthday party sleepover

Yes, most of my schedule involves taking my daughter to various events. I'm a mom. It's what we do. At least I get a massage this weekend :)