Memes, tags & awards » Hip to be Mom

No one says no to Hip to be Mom’s signature Shrimp Linguine in a Dreamy Sauce!
No one makes it like Mom, so say my picky eaters !
What’s your family’s all-time pasta favorite, and what makes it extra special?

Joyce of From This Side of the Pond is inspired by apples, peaches and pumpkins this week. So that’s where we’re headed with the questions.

1. What do you do at the first sign of a cold? Will you get a flu shot this year?

Lots of water and Vitamin C. I wrote a post about this recently, you can read it here.

2. What advice can you give about how to conquer fear?

Close your eyes, say a prayer and jump.

3. Share two good things about your life right now.

Watching my teens grow, and eating out.

4. A hot fall fashion trend for 2011 is a return to sixties style…tunics with pants, shift dresses, pencil skirts, cinched waists, bold prints, high necklines and short lengths to name a few. How does this fashion trend fit with your wardrobe and personal sense of style?

I’m not really sure about the 60′s but I do love pencil skirts. Most of my skirts are pencils (convenient for times when I can’t find a pencil ). I definitely love bold colors and prints especially on my nails.

5. Were you involved in scouting as a kid? How about as an adult?

Yup,� I have some great memories of cookouts on the beach (with a dash of salt and sand in our food, sure!), hiking and camping, singing and doing silly dances around campfires, washing cars for charity, jamborees, the works. Wish my kids had had a chance at scouting the good old-fashioned way, long before iPads and cell booster homes.

6. Apple, pear, plum, pumpkin…your favorite fall flavor?

Apple. I’m thinking of apple pie. Hmm, maybe I’ll bake one this weekend.

7. What characteristics do you think are essential in a good teacher?

I think being passionate about teaching and the subject matter forms the basis to being a good teacher. Sprinkle on some patience, creativity and a love for working with people, and I guess you’re set. I’m a fairly new teacher (started teaching college and working adults a few years ago) so I still have a lot to learn. But I’m loving it so far. It’s a lot of laughs and I try to make it fun for my students as well because I believe if you enjoy learning, you’ll find it easier and less of a chore.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Waiting for the weekend…

Hey, it’s hump day and I’m all excited to try my hand at the Wednesday Hodgepodge hosted by Joyce of From This Side of the Pond.

1. What is one piece of advice you would give a ‘just turning’ 21- year old adult?

Wherever you go, whatever you do, remember family comes first.

2. Besides cooler weather (or warmer weather, depending on your hemisphere), what is one thing you are looking forward to this fall?

I love the colors of fall and listening to the crisp crunch of colorful leaves.

3. What sound lulls you to sleep?

What sound? I don’t hear anything. Do you?

4. September is National Preparedness Month…does your family have an emergency ‘kit’ and/or disaster plan in place?

Okay, you caught me, off to the drawing board now and I won’t pass Go and I won’t collect $200.

5. How has your blog changed since you started blogging? Or has it?

After 6 years, my blog is still the place to feed my passion for writing and to experiment with different writing styles and topics. I’m known to tinker with the theme and header whenever I get bored with it or I have new pictures to show off.

6. What’s something you’ve recently learned to do on the computer?

Sometimes I pick up little tips and tricks here and there without even noticing. But there’s so much to learn on the internet I’d be surprised not to learn something new every day.

7. Is a picture worth a thousand words? Elaborate.

Absolutely. It takes so many adjectives to describe something but show someone a picture and it instantly becomes clear, no words required. The danger is we rely so much on pictures these days, we risk losing that power of description. Adjectives are so beautiful and powerful it would be a shame to relegate them to that rusty attic.

8. Insert your own random here.

The gym bug is biting again. Can’t wait to go tomorrow. I’ve been sweating it out on my mental elliptical in anticipation of heading there tomorrow after a 2-week break, slacker me! Am I crazy or what?

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

It’s a blazing day out and I’d rather be doing another edition of LSNT co-hosted by my bloggy friend, Jennifer of What Would Jen Do. Let me just dive in here…

1. What do you like on your pizza?

Tons of pepperoni, mushrooms and onions. Here’s my homemade vegetarian pizza with more cheese than I would like but this is more for the girls and they like to sneak in more cheese when I’m not looking.

2. Is there any show that you absolutely can�t watch, because it drives you too crazy?

Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Okay, let’s put it this way, if I made my own reality show called Keeping Up With My Cardigans (weather-permitting), would you watch it? There you go.

3. Did you do anything for Labor Day?

Nothing much.

4. What was the last cookie you ate?

My homemade chocolate chip cookie. So so good!

5. Do you think a lot of people think bad things about you?

Hmm, maybe. But most times, I really don’t care. I do my own thing and what people think is really up to them.

6. How long does it take for you to get out of bed after your alarm goes off?

I have my very own personal human alarm clock aka Skye, my 15-year-old. I’m pampered that way . After she wakes me, I laze around for like 30 seconds – 2 minutes until I hear my cell phone alarm go off.

It’s an unusually slow and lazy Wednesday around here. Five minutes feels like 5 hours. Kinda feels like Australia.

Maybe it’s because the girls and I are feeling under the weather today. It’s been rainy and hot, rainy and hot, and it’s making us feel sniffly one minute and feverish the next.

We’ve been feeding on comfort food and popping Vitamin C’s all day. Luckily for me, Alicia of It Ain’t Easy Being Cheesy, has questions that I can have some fun with before I get bored out of my wits.

1. Do you prefer to text or call?

Definitely text.

2. What is the last text message in your phone and who is it from?

“Ya” from my daughter, Raine. Short and to the point.

3. What are your favorite phone apps?

My phone doesn’t run apps. In fact, it’s got a little lever on the side that I use to crank it to life.

4. At what age do you think kids are ready for a cell phone?

I tend to think of it on the basis of necessity rather than age. And the older the better. I’ve seen how it takes over kids’ lives. The only thing they see and hear are their cell phones. My 3 kids started at round about ages 17, 15 and 14.

5. Share a current pic or video taken with your phone.

Have a fabulous Wednesday!

The saying goes, you learn something new every day and I guess Tuesday’s as good a day as any. LSNT is co-hosted by my bloggy friend, Jen of What Would Jen Do and I haven’t done one in a while, so here goes:

1. What is your favorite breakfast food?

The kind I don’t have to cook myself. Serve me bacon and eggs, dimsum (Chinese dumplings) or banana leaf breakfast and I promise to love you, muacks.

2. Do you do any fun crafts?

Love painting T-shirts and making jewelry. Wish I had the time for more.

3. Do you care if the toilet paper goes over or under?

Very much so. I must have it going over and goodness help whoever puts it the wrong way.

4. If you have to name your daughter after a state, which one would it be?

Cali, that’s how much I love thee.

5. Do you have a touch, full out keyboard, or flip phone?

Mine is a pocket PC – touch screen with full keyboard.� I’ve already reserved a spot for it at the museum. I’m kinda waiting for the iPhone 5 which I may or may not buy. Well, it depends? I’m not entirely sold on Apple products but if you can give me 3 good reasons why I need an iPhone, I’m all ears .