This Full House Archive

Tag: #NaBloPoMo

NaBloPoMo 2015: The Joy Of My Husband’s Cooking!

With my working full-time and commuting into "the city" (NYC, if you live in and around "the city") 3 days out of the week, my kids and my husband have taken over some of the cooking…okay, they do a lot of the cooking…fiiiiiiiiiine…I haven't cooked a solid meal since April.

Oatmeal craisin cookies

Garth(NHRN) is an especially gifted baker and I would do almost anything to bite into one of his delectable cookie creations (that's what SHE…I mean…that's right, I said it!) like those up there, they ARE my favorite! And now he's experimenting with real food.

Herbed chicken casserole

Whenever my husband is home, I start looking forward to lunchtime at 11:30 a.m. Because he'll almost always place a plate on my desk, while describing EXACTLY how he mixed this with that and threw in some more of that stuff over there and…LUNCHTIME!!!!

Oh, and my man is NOT afraid to peel a pomegranate and…NO!!!!…I am SO NOT taking ANY of this for granted. Trust me! And it's really cute how the roles have reversed and I am more than happy to give him space in the kitchen…UNTIL…he placed today's lunch plate on my desk:

Grilled chicken and mozzarella on top of a bed of salad greens, zucchini, red pepper and a ginger sesame dressing

And my first thought was…WOW!!!…I'm feeling a little insecure about my place in the kitchen…I mean, he really needs to lower the bar, a little. And then I ate it in like four bites…NEVER MIND…IGNORE ME…and carry on, Garth(NHRN)!

November 2, 2015
We make Mondays look good!
Flash-back to every Friday afternoon, 1982-1993: my co-workers and I would lock our desks, forward our phones over to the answering service, just about race each other to our cars and then peel out of the parking, because FRIDAY!

Flash-forward, today: I still pretty much get that same AWESOME feeling, peeling out of my bra and racing my husband to the couch, because freeeeeeeeee-duuuuuuuuum…THE BRA IS OFF!!!

Weekends, on the other hand, can get a little dicey around here, especially living in the house that #FUBAR built. Let's review, shall we?!?

Saturday morning:
- the dishwasher started making a funny noise
- so my son calls me over to "come here" and "listen"
- I bend down to "listen"
- and then it threw up on my head
- before pooping all over the kitchen floor
- the dishwasher, not my son
- but you probably already knew that
- then again, in this house, you NEVER know
Saturday afternoon:
- a blood vessel in Doofus-Dawg's ear broke
- which caused the flap to fill up with blood
- making it look sort of like an empanada (de nada!)
- which will require weekly draining
- and take about a month to heal
- which means 3 more trips back to the vet
- good thing we don't have any summer vacation plans
- the vet, on the other hand, is all like VEGAS BABY
Sunday morning:
- the washing machine broke
- actually, it WAS broken for a while
- we just got used to running it on the spin cycle, at least twice
- this time, it would not drain any water
- which called for immediate action
- because we are now WEEKS behind on our laundry
- so my husband hit up You Tube
- because we spent our allowance at the vet
- but he got the washing machine apart alright
- turns out the pump was REAL backed up
- I know how it feels
- and then ANOTHER quick trip to Home Depot
- because they make it REAL hard for you to put stuff back together
- without the "right tools" carried by a licensed repairman
- the dude at Home Depot knew EXACTLY what we needed
- apparently, we weren't the only ones with a constipated washing machine
- and empty wallets
- all it needed was an enema
- the washing machine, not our wallets
- because everytime an appliance poops
- or our Doofus-Dawg shakes his head
- we bleeeeeeeed money, dammit
- you're welcome
"What we spent at the vet, I just saved us on a repairman!"

Aaaaaand, I would have totally kissed my husband, Garth (not his real name) wet on the mouth, if it weren't for the fact that:

a) he's been sick for a week

b) most likely has Lyme's disease

c) I had a 100+ fever, at the time

d) all of the above

If you answered d)…CONGRATULATIONS!!!…yet ANOTHER reason why you should be very glad you do NOT have to live with us, you're welcome!

"Dammit, NOW what's wrong with the dishwasher?!?"

[one beat, two beats]

Okay, so I didn't tell my husband about the dishwasher, because:
- he would have figured it out, sooner or later
- because the poor guy actually HAS to live here
- and I really needed him to focus on the washing machine
But…shhhhhhhh!!!…don't tell him, okay?!?

what?!? i make tiger stripes look good!!!

Stupid weekends, dumbass constipated household appliances.

©2003 -2014 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook, a way for you to subscribe to receive This Full House blog post by Email and everything!

I'm NaBloPoMo-ing it this month, feel free to check out what I've NaBloPoMo-ed, so far. Oh and just so you know, I'm unplugging on weekends and going blog free, because family time is also very…SQUIRREL!!!
August 4, 2014
Social media is keeping me unproductive, sort of.

It's here, it's here! Time to turn those calendars (HARD!) and kick-off a fresh, new month with a blogging challenge, yes?!? Then again, maybe you should NOT be listening to me.

You see, I sort of triple-dog dared my friend Patti at Easton Place Designs to join me in April…then she went and ACTUALLY blogged…every…damn…day…in April…and I sort of fizzled out…around the 8th or 9th, I think…because, I'm more of a DON'T DO WHAT I DID sort of bloggity-mentor, like that…YO!!!

Sooooo, if you're like me (figuratively speaking, because not many people can handle THAT much dork) and are frequented by bouts of writer's block (because, TEENS!), there are daily prompts to help us blog along with this month's theme: MNEMONIC.

Today's writing prompt: What tools do you use to keep organized so things on your to-do list don't slip through the cracks?

Oh, I got this!!! One of the BEST tools I use to keep myself on point with my work to-do-list: logging out of my personal social media accounts.

I've got a major problem with…SQUIRRELS!!!

So, yah. That's right. I blame YOU GUYS for my being totally unproductive — soooo, quit being so gosh-darned interesting, already.

On the other hand: if it weren't for Facebook being down and my IMMEDIATELY heading over to Twitter to find out why and verify…AYUP!…the #FacebookDown hashtag was already trending…I wouldn't have seen my friend Lizz's tweet:

@thisfullhouse @lifewithRoozle I'm doing a daily writing challenge this month, so #facebookdown forced me to get it done early! LOL

— Lizz Porter (@Lizz_Porter) August 1, 2014

Aaaaaaand, then I was all like…OH YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT… it's August 1st…oh and hey…maybe I'll try NaBloPoMo-ing it, again…so, here we are.

Long story, short: welcome to my brain! And this is the part where you should begin to feel really, really lucky that you don't HAVE to live with me, or my brain.

[sound of crickets, running for the backdoor]

On the OTHER other hand: can we all just agree that being "organized" is totally a subjective term and…SQUIRREL?!?!?!

©2003 -2014 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook, a way for you to subscribe to receive This Full House blog post by Email and everything!

I'm NaBloPoMo-ing it this month, feel free to check out what I've NaBloPoMo-ed, so far. Oh and just so you know, I'm unplugging on weekends and going blog free, because family time is also very…SQUIRREL!!!

August 1, 2014
That one time I propositioned a total stranger, right in front of my husband, while 8 months pregnant.

It's here, it's here! It's April 1st, time to turn those calendars (HARD!) and kick-off a fresh, new month with a blogging challenge, yes?!? Especially, since I sort of triple-dog dared my friend Patti at Easton Place Designs to join me in posting…every day…for the next 30 days…and Patti has already published her first #NaBloPoMo post, early this morning.

Gosh, but I love it when my friends get all bloggity and stuff!

However, if you're like me (figuratively speaking, because not many people can handle THAT much dork) and are frequented by bouts of writer's block (because, TEENS!), my friends at BlogHer have published daily writing prompts to help us blog along with this month's theme: SCANDAL.

Today's prompt: what's the most scandalous thing you've ever done?

Well, there was that one time I propositioned a total stranger, right in front of my husband, while we were waiting to take a PATH train into the World Trade Center for work. I happened to be nearly 8 months pregnant, at the time.

True story! It's okay, my kids know about it. It also happens to be one of their favorite stories, in a long line of dorky escapades, that have helped me to earn my rightful place, as Queen of the Dorks.

Long story, short: I was standing on the platform next to my husband, who walked away while I wasn't looking, and then I turned to whisper in his ear, "I cannot WAIT to get you home, tonight!"

Except, it wasn't my husband who answered.

"Really?!?"

I turned, stared into the stranger's eyes and almost gave birth…right then and there…in the middle of Newark Penn Station and everything.

"OMG!!! I'm sorry, I thought you were my husband, I SWEAR!!!"

The guy did seem rather amused, although not ROFLHAO like Garth (not his real name), at the time and ohhhhhh how the kids laugh…and laugh…at that story, still.

"Seriously, you thought he was Dad?!? Bwahahahahahahahaha!!!"

Although it isn't the most scandalous thing I have ever done, because my teens sometimes read my blog…my dad, too…it IS one of the dorkiest moments in my life and, well, don't be too jealous, okay?!?

[sound of crickets, chirping]

Hey, LOOK OVER THERE, isn't that Kerry Washington?!?

[SLAM!]

Stupid near-sightedness, dumbass dork-worthy moments.

©2003 -2014 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook, a way for you to subscribe to receive This Full House blog post by Email and everything!

I'm NaBloPoMo-ing it, feel free to check out what I've NaBloPoMo-ed, thus far (PHEW!) and let me know how I'm doing (I mean, 30 posts, in 30 days, really?!?) when you have time, of course!

April 1, 2014
Stupid migraines, dumbass’ologists.

I blogged about helping my in-laws with a few chores around the house and shared this picture on Facebook, of my kids helping their grandparents put up their Christmas tree, when I noticed that one of my kids was missing…just like last time.

It's funny to see how each of them have grown and changed in such a short time — seriously, Glen is nearly 6' 2" tall — realizing that our middle girl was once again sidelined by a migraine…not so much.

Heather has missed a lot of school days over the years, but her migraines have become debilitating and I once again received the dreaded "I've got Heather here in my office, ready to puke her brains out, again" phone call from the school nurse, last week.

Long story, short: her migraines are becoming more frequent and she has a headache almost every single day, so we've made an appointment with a neurologist at the end of December.

I really hate it whenever my kids are hurting, but it seems Heather has drawn the short straw, especially when it comes to dealing with physical ailments that require visiting doctors specializing in anything ending in "ologist".

She is also smack-dab in the middle of the college applications rush, so it's NOT like the girl needs ONE MORE THING to worry about.

Having to wait an entire month to see the neurologist doesn't help, but we're hoping for some positive news and…more importantly…much needed relief from her migraines.

Aaaaaand, then she sends me this text, her first day back at school.

I mean, the poor kid's got enough on her plate, as it is…especially with me being her mother and our having to share a brain and everything…right?!?

[blank stare]

Stupid migraines, dumbass 'ologists.

©2003 -2013 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook and everything!

I'm NaBloPoMo-ing it, feel free to check out what I've NaBloPoMo-ed, so far (PHEW!) and let me know how I'm doing (I mean, 30 posts, in 30 days, really?!?) when you have time, of course!

November 25, 2013
Maybe I should just quit reading my own blog, right?!?

I was cleaning out my blog's archives, the other day (which, admittedly, I don't do very often, because, it's REALLY scary in there) when I came across this picture AND I had a major heart squeeze, right there, in the middle of 2008.

Hope and Doofus-dawg, waiting for the first BIG snowfall of 2008.

So, I did what any OTHER self-respecting seasoned blogger would do: posted this warm and fuzzy picture of my youngest kid to Facebook and spread the heart-squeeze, all cyber-like, because…daaaaaaaaangit…they really DO grow up so fast and, well, it's really nice to have something tangible to reflect upon, when I sort of forget how cute my kids used to be.

Especially now that they're older (me too, daaaaaaaaangit!) it sort of helps us ALL recognize and appreciate little heart-squeezing moments, like this, even more.

Or, on the other hand, prove to be just another…AHA!!!!…moment, when I sorta finally figure it out…and am all…YEP!!!…I shoulda known this one would be trouble, one day:

Ms. Independent of 2003.

On the OTHER other hand (because, we could all use a third hand, especially at this time of year, right?!?) Hope is the youngest of four and was pretty much ready to spread her wings and fly…at two years old…and will most likely be the one to get married, while jumping out of an airplane, too.

Don't have a pair of pink cowgirl boots, GET ONE!!!

Wearing a suh-weet pair of pink cowgirl boots…no doubt…because, really, even Jersey girls love us some pink cowgirl boots…YO!

She wore her sunglasses at night, or whenever the heck she wanted to.

Aaaaaand, last but not least, she would NEVER get caught eating yogurt…without wearing her sunglasses…seriously, who would want to mess wit-dat?!?

*heart, still squeezing*

I'm so glad NaBloPoMo is almost over, because it's really, really hard to blog with teens and my heart can't take much more squishing, you know?!?

©2003 -2013 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook and everything!

I'm NaBloPoMo-ing it, feel free to check out what I've NaBloPoMo-ed, so far (PHEW!) and let me know how I'm doing (I mean, 30 posts, in 30 days, really?!?) when you have time, of course!

November 23, 2013
I don’t remember ordering coffee light, sweet or upside down.

I am SO NOT a morning person, however, as long as there's a cup of coffee handed to me within the first few minutes of opening my eyes, along with a clear path to a vacant bathroom, I'm good. Once I regain the power of speech, typically soon after taking a very hot shower and inhaling another cup of coffee, I'm better.

Which makes entertaining overnight guests a bit problematic.

Unless you happen to live with a morning person, like Garth (not his real name), who also happens to be an early-riser. He is the ying to my….daaaaaaaaang, it's early….wait, I'll help you with the kids, just give me a min….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Melisa stayed over for a few nights last week, she is also a morning person, which means she and Garth (not his real name) spent most mornings….without me….getting in the way of their cheerfulness and everything.

[hurl]

I felt really bad about my non-morningness, so I got up Friday at the same time they did (or maybe it was Thursday, I forget) and tried to be as sociable as, well, one can be; while not being able to speak or see straight, I mean.

Melisa and Garth (not his real name) were in the middle of a conversation — although I'm not sure what they were talking about, I'm pretty sure they were speaking English — so, I grabbed my coffee cup, fired up the Keurig and made my way to the bathroom.

Then all hell broke loose in the kitchen and, well, here's how Melisa told it on her blog:

Having a sitcom moment early one morning when Garth (NHRN) went to pull Liz’s coffee cup out from under the Keurig for her and subsequently getting coffee all over the place because she had put it in there upside-down. After he jumped back a couple of feet as graceful as a gazelle (a really manly one, of course), we both laughed together and shook our heads because “That’s just Liz before her coffee!”

Melisa MADE me take a picture, insisting it as a totally blog-worthy moment, for those of us who need visual aid (raises hand) it sort of went like this:

It's SO NICE to be surrounded by people who really get me AND know how to jump out of the way, real fast.

©2003 -2013 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook and everything!

I'm NaBloPoMo-ing it, feel free to check out what I've NaBloPoMo-ed, so far (PHEW!) and let me know how I'm doing (I mean, 30 posts, in 30 days, really?!?) when you have time, of course!

November 18, 2013
It’s not creeping, I’m just appreciating good curb appeal.

Oh, but if these houses could only talk…

Our friends at GM were kind enough to send us a loaner, this week. They knew Melisa was visiting with us from Chicago and thought I would probably appreciate playing tour guide in a vehicle that…you know…actually works…because they are awesome, like that.

It was so nice to be able to show Melisa all our favorite places here in Jersey and NOT have to worry about breaking down on an off ramp or, even worse, a jug handle (i.e. traffic circle or rotary).

But that is a different post, for another day.

Here's the really awesome part: they let me borrow the car through tomorrow, because they are TOTALLY AWESOME like that, so my husband and I took our middle daughter to visit colleges in Boston.

The weather was beautiful and it actually hit 60 degrees on Saturday, which is EVEN MORE AWESOME, considering we're talking about New England, in mid-November.

I was swiping through the pictures on my cell phone and was once again reminded of my slight addiction to creeping on other people's houses.

Especially at sunset: when the houses take on a warm and inviting glow and each entryway becomes a prelude to a much deeper story that lies within.

We decided to go exploring around Bunker Hill and, well, here are just a few (seriously, I've got a BIG problem) of my favorite captures:

I don't know about my husband, Garth (not his real name), but I'm pretty much ready to move in…as soon as we hit the lottery…HARD!!!…I could totally see myself living here.

In and around Commonwealth Avenue, not so much. Even a car THIS awesome can't avoid the efficiency of the Boston traffic police.

P.S. The check is in the mail…damnit.

©2003 -2013 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook and everything!

I'm NaBloPoMo-ing it, feel free to check out what I've NaBloPoMo-ed, so far (PHEW!) and let me know how I'm doing (I mean, 30 posts, in 30 days, really?!?) when you have time, of course!

November 17, 2013
Sharing in a little bit of November magic.

When my husband, Garth (not his real name) heard that Melisa was going to visit with us, his initial reaction was, "Uhhhhhh, okay then, where are you going to take her?"

Considering it is November and summertime is pretty much over on the Jersey shore, after traveling all the way from Chicago, he was afraid the weather would not cooperate and that she would be bored.

On the contrary, Melisa and I have been going non-stop since she got here: we dropped her bag at the front door and headed back out to explore the hiking paths that run through Longstreet Farm in Holmdel Park. My kids have been going "to the farm" since they were babies and it is still one of our favorite places to go to walk, talk or just air out our brains, a little.

We hit the beach on Tuesday: visiting the world's tallest sandcastle (seriously, it was AWESOME!) in Point Pleasant Beach. It was built to help raise money for Restore the Shore and we're hoping that it will stay intact long enough for Melisa to come back and see it in the springtime…when our faces won't freeze off…hopefully!

We rode the train into Manhattan on Wednesday to meet up with our dear, sweet friend Patty (she blogs at Enjoying This Life). I adore Patty and absolutely love the pic we took after our lunch date. It took us a couple of tries: it was a very windy day, which is conducive to taking ridiculously unflattering selfies.

Melisa and I then decided to head into Central Park and, although the weather was still on the chilly side, it really did turn out to be a perfect autumn day and we each found new and exciting things to explore.

Belvedere Castle: the official Central Park weather station .

The tree behind me cast a shadow on the stone of the Belvedere Castle that I think is both cool AND creepy.

Alice in Wonderland, in Central Park

There are many bronze statues found throughout Central Park, but Alice in Wonderland is my absolute favorite.

Bethesda Terrace Arcade in Central Park

We also found another cool staircase, followed it down and…WOW!!!…we were both blown away by the beauty of what we found. There are literally thousands of Minton tiles found in this awesome walkway in the center of Central Park that leads to the Mall and Central Park Lake.

I was also reminded of another reason why I love living in New Jersey: it's right next door to NYC, one of the most magical places in the world and I am SO glad I got the chance to share it with Melisa, in November.

©2003 -2013 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook and everything!

I'm NaBloPoMo-ing it, feel free to check out what I've NaBloPoMo-ed, so far (PHEW!) and let me know how I'm doing (I mean, 30 posts, in 30 days, really?!?) when you have time, of course!

November 14, 2013
Wordless Wednesday: Happy Birthday, Melisa!

Me, meeting Melisa (a.k.a. SuburbanScrawl.com) for the first time IRL during BlogHer ’09

More linky love bytes: Wordless Wednesday HQ, 5 Minutes for Mom

©2003 -2013 This Full House with a fan page on Facebook and everything!

I’m NaBloPoMo-ing it, feel free to check out what I’ve NaBloPoMo-ed, so far (PHEW!) and let me know how I’m doing (I mean, 30 posts, in 30 days, really?!?) when you have time, of course!

November 6, 2013