5 Things I Learned in April

Posted on April 28, 2016April 28, 2016 Posted in family fun, things I learned this month5 Comments

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Even your lazy days self deserves to wear clothes you love. I have a tendency to save my favorite clothes for when I’m going somewhere exciting like book club or team trivia or date night. The normal days in between where I’m just doing the school drop off / pick up grocery shopping dishes washing thing get relegated to the other clothes that don’t quite fit right or I just don’t love. But I wanted to create a wardrobe with only special day shirts because I think my low key days self deserves to feel pretty, too. After picking up a few new pieces for my wardrobe, I went through my closet and got rid of all the shirts I don’t love to see what was left. I was surprised to find that I actually still had a plenty of clothes left! And my closet looks awesome!
Team Trivia nugget of the month: In addition to creating wings for his son, Icarus, so that he could fly too close to the sun, Daedalus also created the Labyrinth on Crete, in which the Minotaur (part man, part bull) was kept.
My latest reminder to trust my gut: We’ve been talking about switching vets for awhile but kept holding off until recently. We took our dog to a new vet this month and I have been really happy with how quickly they turned things around for us with the dog’s health and how attentive and thorough the new vet is. I learned what it’s like to take your pet to a vet that cares.
I learned that Animaniacs is on Netflix now and that our kids love the show as much as Dan and I did when we were kids. We’re in nostalgia heaven right now and I love watching the kids experience the show anew. I had forgotten how nerdy the show is but watching it again I’m realizing why we loved it so much. Not many kids shows make that many nerdy references or write songs like this gem:
I learned recently that my husband played a practical joke on me ten years ago but forgot to tell me it happened. We were at a mall food court and I got bubble tea for the first time because the name sounded fun. After taking a few sips and trying to figure out what the weird bubbles were made of, I asked Dan who told me – straight faced – that it was tapioca and that tapioca is made from fish eggs. I was so grossed out I couldn’t finish the drink and have avoided tapioca ever since because – eww.This weekend we were getting frozen yogurt and my daughter dumped a huge pile of strawberry bobas on hers and I asked Dan, out of curiosity, what they were made of and he said Tapioca. I made a face and said “FISH eggs?? Really?” And he burst out laughing and said “I thought you knew I was joking about that!” TEN YEARS AGO.

What things have you learned this month?

5 Things I Learned in February

Posted on February 25, 2016February 25, 2016 Posted in family fun, memes & carnivals, things I learned this month1 Comment

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February is starting to wrap up and that means it’s time to write blog posts that attempt to quantify the month in a meaningful way. Today I’m linking up with Emily Freeman to share a few things I learned this month, some more serious than others. For example…

Learned at a field trip to a planetarium: Because of the speed of light, the light from the stars we see in the sky was actually sent out thousands of years before we saw it – so it may not even be there anymore. It’s like a person singing from far away, holding a continuous note, that we don’t begin to hear until after she starts singing – and she may or may not still be singing as we are listening to it…. kind of.

Side note: After the guy at the planetarium explained that Pluto is now considered a dwarf planet and somewhat similar to asteroids, BB said, “So Pluto is an asteroid that dwarves live on?”

Learned in the kitchen: My new electric milk frother makes exactly enough warmed slightly frothed milk for two small cups of cocoa for the kids or one perfect mug of coffee for mom. And if you like your latte super frothy, it can definitely do that, too. I seem to prefer “essence of froth” personally.

Learned while listening to the morning show on the radio: I’m not sure if this is a past tense or present tense story but apparently John Mayer is or has been in the habit of gifting girlfriends with swag bag gift baskets filled with his CDs and DVDs and John Mayer baseball hats. This horrifies me and I wish that we were close enough that I could call him up or like text him and say, “WTF John, that’s horrible. It’s literally the equivalent of a parting gift. You are better than this.” I hope his goal was to imply that they were tacky groupies that were unimportant to him because I don’t really see what other message that would send. Also, can I have one of those gift baskets?

Learned in every kitchen store in town: Sometimes the answer is to use what you already have instead of trying to find something new. I had to learn this twice this month in the same dish cabinet. We finally bought more of our favorite plates so that we can have a matching set that suits our needs. Then I was going to do something similar with our coffee mugs – buy all one kind of mug and donate the rest (except my favorite coffee mug because it’s special). After looking at every store in town, I finally realized I should just buy more of my favorite mug instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. It’s kind of like when you find a shirt you love – you should buy more of the same shirt in different colors. Duh.

Learned while reading February’s book club pick, Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson: World War II navy assessors would sometimes falsify records for U-boat wrecks when evidence was unclear so that they didn’t leave any loose strings or question marks in the history books. On multiple occasions U-boats that had been originally marked as possibly damaged were changed to probably sunk.

What things did you learn this month?

9 Things I Learned in January

Posted on January 29, 2016January 26, 2016 Posted in family fun, things I learned this month4 Comments

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I started Bullet Journaling again this year after reading this post at The Lazy Genius (possibly the longest post she’s ever written) and this time around I find I’m actually picking it up almost every day to write in it – one of perks to this new trend is that I’ve written down notes on thing that I found interesting throughout the day and this means that I have actual stuff to write about for the Things I Learned link up hosted by the lovely Emily P. Freeman.

I learned that there are people out there who genuinely actually believe that the world is flat and that there is a giant clear impenetrable dome covering the world which has prevented us from actually going into space which for some reason led to us faking all accounts of space exploration.
I learned that if you show up at Olive Garden with a reservation for four and a fifth person joins your party at the last moment – that the servers won’t even bat an eyelash and will just pull up a fifth chair like it ain’t no thang. My husband says this is because – science – rectangular table = easy solution. Also more money for them.
I learned that Rutherford B. Hayes was a total hottie. Ditto to James Garfield and Richard Nixon.
I learned that a Buick Encore probably won’t be my next vehicle. Despite loving the height advantage and the satellite radio and backup camera, the SUV felt smaller and tinier in just about every way compared to my Le Sabre. I want my next vehicle to be smaller in length, but that’s about it. Taller – good leg room and shoulder room, decent trunk. These things are non-negotiable. But it sure was pretty (I had a rental car this month while the service department repaired my parking brake).
I learned that my children are competitive at least with each other and that you can use this fact to accomplish the impossible. This month my husband invented the Adventurous Eaters Club – one night a month, in theory, we’re going to go to a restaurant that is either new to the kids or serves a cuisine they aren’t typically game for. Whoever tries the most new foods without complaint gets to pick dessert. We gave this idea a trial run at PF Changs and my children (the world’s pickiest eaters) tried white rice, lo mein noodles, crispy honey chicken, mongolian beef, egg drop soup and crab rangoons – and pretty much liked everything. It’s a small victory perhaps but it feels monumental. We’ve carried the concept into more meals since then and even if they don’t love it all, they are suddenly motivated to try. Huzzah!
I learned that the state flower of Massachusetts is actually the mayflower – because that is a real plant and Massachusetts is super sentimental. Digging up a mayflower in Massachusetts is punishable with a $50 fine.
I learned that nail art pens are not as easy as they look and that my daughter is very forgiving of my sloppy attempts at painting her nails. I also learned that my husband is awesome at painting nails which should be unsurprising as he has steady hands that make him great at woodworking, knitting, working with tiny electrical device innards and anything else Dan has decided to be good at that day. My husband might be a cyborg. But I read The Lunar Chronicles, so I’m okay with that.
At Team Trivia this month I learned that on the television show, Married with Children, the Bundy family name was apparently inspired by a professional wrestler. I’m guessing it was King Kong Bundy who even had a couple guest appearances on the show, but the host at Team Trivia didn’t specify.
I also learned at Team Trivia this month that President Woodrow Wilson disliked automobiles and considered them a symbol of the arrogance of wealth. Haters gonna walk.

What did you learn this month?

What kind of car do you drive? Is there room in the front seat for you and your sig. other and maybe an elbow or two?

Which of the former presidents (or the current one if that’s your cup of tea) would you like to go back in time and grab a drink with? What are you drinking?

Where should I take my kids to eat next now that I can trick them into eating new foods?

What I Learned in October

Posted on October 31, 2015October 30, 2015 Posted in things I learned this month2 Comments

Happy Halloween guys! I’m linking up with Emily P. Freeman today to share a few things I learned this month – feel free to share some things you learned in the comments section below or send me a link to your own blog post if you are linking up also!

Here are a few things I learned this month:

Marie Antoinette never said “Let them eat cake!” and several other popular quotes that are often misquoted. But you should eat cake anyway.
My kids are both doing really well in school this year – MM has been blowing his teacher’s mind with his penmanship and attention to detail – and way less messy desk. And BB is blowing everyone’s mind by being good at everything (except bringing her homework home reliably, but you know, six).
Reasons to love Audrey Hepburn even more:
It takes about 364 licks to get to the center of a Tootise Pop (and more candy facts at mental floss).
Apparently undetected breast cancer can also lead to eye problems. Because you didn’t have enough on your plate.
This:
Speaking of which – Lyft will send you free zombies on Halloween. which isn’t nearly as adorable as kittens.

What did you learn this month?

6 Things I Learned In July.

Posted on July 31, 2015February 15, 2016 Posted in things I learned this month6 Comments

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Hard to believe that the end of July is upon us! It’s been a busy month – it always is when we travel. I’m linking up with Emily Freeman to share a few things I learned this month, on the road and otherwise. Silly or serious. There are no rules here really except to document what you’ve learned and share.

My in-laws taught Dan and I how to play Pitch. Apparently it’s his parent’s favorite card game and my brother in law’s as well – and now we all seem to be big fans which is bound to make family get togethers a lot more interesting! I have some very wonderful memories of playing Pitch into the wee hours this month, laughing hard and bonding big time.
I learned how to up my Ramen game – we had friends over this month and we cooked a more homemade style of Ramen complete with a soft boiled egg on top. Major game changer.
I also learned how to soft boil an egg, which might be my new favorite way to cook and consume eggs.
I learned about three different places to experience Platform 9 3/4 and now I want to visit them all.
I learned from reading her new book that Danielle Fishel worked at Macy’s during the holiday season as a gift wrapper, mostly because it sounded like fun. And that even Danielle Fishel is not immune to rude customers.
I learned how good it feels to tidy up a room according to Marie Kondo’s methods in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I still have a LONG way to go in both the book and my house (so I guess I’m not really following her advice to clean it all out now immediately) but it still felt great to see my office floor again.

I’m sure I’ll think of more things I learned later that I should have shared, but this is a pretty good representation of my month over all. Share what you learned in the comments section or link up with Emily and send me a link to your answers!

What’s your favorite card game?

Favorite way to cook eggs?

7 Things I Learned in June.

Posted on July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 Posted in things I learned this month1 Comment

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I’m linking up with the lovely Emily @ Chatting at the Sky to share some things I learned last month – it can be something silly or serious, profound or plebian. Here’s what I learned.

1. I learned how to prepare starfruit and what they actually taste like after playing a game of produce section roulette with the kids (i.e. letting them pick a random fruit we’ve never tried before just to see what it tastes like). Bottom line: It has a pretty mild taste. My husband compared it to an apple / melon hybrid. I felt the faintest hint of pineapple like flavor.

2. I learned that my kids have no idea how Truth or Dare works. This is probably a good thing.

3. I learned a LOT of good lessons while camping Father’s Day weekend. Especially: a) I actually know how to set up a tent. b) You can’t control the weather but you can make the most of it. c) When your husband doesn’t catch any fish, you get to go out for dinner.

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4. I learned that Clarkson, Hammond and May plan to do a new show together. Top Gear fans rejoice!

5. I learned that there really are “paper towns” like Agloe, New York which is a fictional place in Delaware County, New York, that became an actual landmark. In the 1930s, General Drafting Company founder Otto G. Lindberg and an assistant, Ernest Alpers, assigned an anagram of their initials to a dirt-road intersection in the Catskill Mountains: NY 206 and Morton Hill Road, north of Roscoe, New York.^[1] The town was designed as a copyright trap.

6. There are a ton of old MS DOS games that you can still play in your web browser. I continue to be terrible at Oregon Trail but love it all the same.

7. I learned how to crochet. Or at least, I started to learn after finding this fantastic tutorial:

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Category: things I learned this month