BulgingButtons

Not bad for a fat girl

Category Archives: Food


by 9 Comments

Ten Random Things About Me

Ok, I’ll play. I’m stealing from Danielle at Motherhood and Beyond because I think it’s a fun idea. She took it from Facebook, so if you’re sick to death of this game, sorry. Just click on through and stop by again tomorrow for something brand new. In the meantime, ten random things you probably didn’t know about me:

1. I turned down a chance to visit South Africa when I was in my twenties. I still regret that decision.2013-07-19-sleepyhollow_sdcc

2. When I was ten years old I was in Bethlehem, Israel with my father, on Christmas.

3. I love the smell of coconut shampoo. It reminds me of summer.

4. Nightmare on Elm Street was the scariest movie I have ever seen. I hated it.

5. I got a stuffed pound puppy in college from my mom and still have it.

6. I make a delicious roast turkey.

7. I’m currently hooked on the tv show Sleepy Hollow on Fox. So not my usual thing, but I’m enjoying it. That Ichabod Crane is quite a guy.

8. I used to spend lots of time sitting under a maple tree in the front yard of my house, watching people go by.

9. I have never successfully done a cartwheel.

10. I don’t believe I will ever learn how to drive a standard transmission car. I just don’t have that particular gene.

If you decide to do yours, please link back here. I would love to read them. Or, if you’d rather, just post in the comments.

Related articles


by 7 Comments

To Follow Stats or To Ignore Them?

In education there is a huge trend toward examining data. Test scores are valued so highly that we have meetings to discuss them virtually every week. At times it’s overwhelming, and frankly, something of the spirit of the child gets a bit lost in these discussions.

I won’t get all soap box on you, but my point is, the data isn’t the whole picture. That being said, it does have value. I just think a balanced approach is probably best.

The balanced approach is usually best, in my opinion. All or nothing rarely works out well, in my experience, especially when it comes to diet and exercise (this is where I get into trouble, but this isn’t THAT kind of post). Moderation is key. You know, balance?

That’s why I more or less ignore the debate amongst bloggers about statistics. Some live and breathe them, others say ignore them completely. I’m in the middle camp (is there a camp in the middle?). I enjoy taking a peek at them, and I get a not so secret thrill when I see lots of activity on the blog. followed-blog-200-1xBut do I obsessively examine them for trends? Do I throw in random asides to generate more traffic? Do I cross post all over the internet? No. I do not. I don’t have the time or the desire to do those things. If you do, I have no problem with you, it’s just not my thing.

Still, I was thrilled to see this number. Two hundred. It stands for two hundred follows. I feel like I’ve been waiting for a while to see it. I set a goal, visualized it, and it happened. How cool is that? So even though I know some of those follows are from people trying to pad their own numbers, I’m okay with it, because I know there are loyal readers, and many of you slog through each post and take the time to offer feedback. That’s what I find so rewarding about blogging, and for that, I thank you.


by 14 Comments

The Gradual Slide Into Decline

A longtime friend is in town for a conference. I have plans to see her today and I’m excited about that. I would like to bring her by my home to meet my sweetheart and my puppy. Except then I look around. Dammit. SEP020660The dishes from last night (and pots, pans, knives, cutting board, wine glasses…etc.) did not somehow magically wash themselves. No worries, I will empty the dishwasher and load it up again and we’ll be good to go.

Except that we’re not. Good to go, that is. My lunchbox from Friday is on the counter. It’s Monday. I have three purses on the floor behind the couch, a week’s worth of mail is on the kitchen table, and that basket of clean laundry is still standing in my bedroom, unfolded. In all fairness, it’s only underwear. I fished out everything else and folded and put it away. I was in a hurry.

Still, if I did those small things, the house would still not be what I want it to be. The office, where I sit and write, and also sew from time to time, is far too cluttered, with no place for all of the things it currently houses. The little bookshelf in the dining room was only supposed to be there over the summer while I was changing classrooms, and my dining room table has held a computer monitor since March. With no computer attached, I might add.

Each of these things is small, but the cumulative effect is overwhelming chaos. At least in my eyes. I think that’s why I don’t deal with each of those small things. I feel like they won’t make a difference to the overall appearance and atmosphere of the home.  You can see it coming, can’t you? The aha moment? Well, it hit me like a ton of bricks.

This is just like what I do to my body. A little slip here, a misstep there, I tell myself these are small things. No big deal. But over time look at what all of those small, easily reversible things have accumulated into. I can fix my house in a day. It may not be perfect but it will be a lot better, and the results will be instantly recognizable. Not so with my body. I can’t fix it in a day, or a week, or a month. What I can do, and must do, is stop treating it so haphazardly.

Like my home, when I maintain my body a certain way it is a joy. It is comfortable, functional, and just feels good. I need to keep that in mind. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a little more housekeeping to attend to.