Liebster 1
So, there’s this thing in the blogging world called The Liebster Award.  If I’m totally honest, I’ve been nominated before and chose to ignore it because I didn’t really… you know… get it.
Now that I’ve been at this for a while – it seems funny to me that 7 months is considered “a while” – I see the way this award is really a way to bring a community of people who all work at a distance from each other, a little closer together.
First, I owe a thank you to Nikki over at A Mama Happily Interrupted for nominating me!  Take a peek around her new site – you’ll love the simple recipes and adorable crafts for kids!

Here are the questions Nikki gave to me:

What is one item of clothing you could not live without?  Yoga pants.  Do I do yoga?  Ummm… no.  But those suckers are seriously the most comfortable things (outside of maternity wear) ever.
What is your favorite holiday memory?  I think it was Thanksgiving when my sister and I invited our boyfriends over for dinner.  That was a big deal in our family.  As we were sitting around the table, enjoying our feast, my sister’s boyfriend said he’d never heard of James Taylor.  As my sister and I tried to explain who he was, one of us (probably her) started singing “You’ve Got a Friend” and, one by one, everyone else joined in.  It was a moment I will never forget.
What is your favorite kind of music?  I like pretty much everything – it’s kind of part of my job as a music teacher – but I have a soft spot for 1990s classics.  Pearl Jam, Counting Crows, Arrested Development, Barenaked Ladies, Alanis Morissette, even Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch!  They take me back to my high school years.
Toes painted or not?  Yeah… no.  Ain’t nobody got time for that!
What is your least favorite food?  Seafood.  If it once lived in water, I’m not eating it.  I also hate all leafy veggies (it’s a texture thing), and onions and peppers (they squeak on my teeth).  In all honesty, I’m a ridiculously picky eater.
What was your first thought when you got up this morning?  This requires a little back story.  We have my daughter’s door locked at night because we don’t want her to have unsupervised time with the dog (you can read all about why here), so we taught Miss O to knock on the door when she has to go potty.  That’s what I woke up to this morning.  It wasn’t really knocking, more like pounding.  So… after all that, my first thought this morning was, “What the hell is that?  Oh, shit.”
What is your worst habit?  I’m a horrible housekeeper.  While I need everything to have a place, things very rarely make it to their place until my space is so cluttered I just can’t stand it and go on a cleaning spree.  I also forget about laundry at any stage of doing it.  And I leave dishes in the sink.  And I avoid vacuuming at all costs.
If you could be anyone for a day who would you be?  My daughter.  Not for nothing, but her life is pretty fantastic.  Plus, I think it would be really cool to see the world through her eyes.
When it comes to sweets what is your guilty pleasure?  Chocolate.  It used to be any chocolate, but I’ve gotten a bit more picky.  If I can get it, what I really love is British Cadbury chocolate.  It’s just so creamy… and now I want chocolate.  Thanks a lot Nikki!
Have you ever danced in the rain?  Hasn’t everyone?  Yes!  I have danced, walked, jumped, and sung in the rain.
When your favorite song comes on do you belt it out or groove inside?  Well, it depends.  If I’m alone, I totally belt it out.  Same if it’s just Miss O in the car.  But if anyone else is around, I keep it low-key.  It might sound strange considering I was a voice major in college, but I don’t like people listening to me sing.

My nominees.

Cents and Order. I love Kristina’s easy, realistic manner of approaching money, and I know you will, too!

Creative Bugger.  Sarah is a former teacher and comes up with the most awesome things to do with her kids.  Check her out!

Juicy Green Mom.  Judith shares so many terrific tips for living a greener life, and dealing with a child with sensitivities.  You don’t want to miss what she has to say.

Humble in a Heartbeat.  If I could describe Charlee in one word, it would be engaging.  Once you start reading her blog, you won’t want to stop!

Overdue Organizing.  Reading Brittany’s blog makes me wish she would come to my house and get everything organized for me.  Give her a glance if you need any tips about organizing your home (and who doesn’t?).

Simply Scaled Down. Elise calls herself a personal finance blogger, but she’s really so much more than that.  I highly recommend you check out her blog about real life, simplicity, and being the best you you can be.

Here are the rules for those who decide to participate:

1.  Acknowledge, link back and thank the person that nominated you.
2.  Use the Liebster Award image to add to the post.
3.  Answer 11 questions given to you
4.  Nominate up to 11 bloggers with up to 2,000 followers.
5.  Don’t forget to let these bloggers know!
6.  Give them 11 questions to answer.

Now for the 11 questions I challenge you all with.

  1. Are you happiest in a crowd, or on your own?
  2. If money were no object when planning a trip, where would you go?
  3. What is your favorite way to spend a (rare) free day?
  4. Would you rather be too hot or too cold?
  5. What’s your favorite TV show?
  6. If you could invite 3 famous people to a dinner party, who would you invite?
  7. What is your least favorite household chore?
  8. What’s something that people who only know you through your blog would be surprised to learn about you?
  9. Name a person, a place, and a thing you couldn’t live without.
  10. Are you a morning person or night owl?
  11. What’s for dinner tonight?