Never too Old to Hodgepodge!

Hello friends!  Today our kiddos all start school again!  sigh... as much as I'll miss the lazy days of summer, I think we are all ready for a bit more routine, and to have a break from each other! :-)  So, before I have to get them all out the door, let's Hodgepodge! :-)

1. Joyce included this quote (attributed to William H. Danforth) in her blog post yesterday... "The best cure for a sluggish mind is to disturb it's routine." When was the last time you 'disturbed your routine' and how'd you do it?

I've been trying to take different routes as I drive the kids around town - mixes things up a bit, and keeps me alert!  I've also started playing this cool game App on my phone called Flow - it's a spatial puzzle that, since I'm SO non-spatial, is excellent for tuning that side of my brain!  Alzheimers runs in my family, so I'm trying to stay ahead of it as much as possible.  :-)

2. What's your favorite fried food indulgence?

Mozarella sticks.  Yum.

3. Did you have an allowance as a kid? What did you do with it? Do you give your own kids an allowance?

No, I never had a set allowance - or much allowance at all.  During the summer, my kids have a chore chart that they do each week, and if they do their chores then they get allowance.  ($10 for the teen, $7 for the middle schooler, $5 for the 2nd grader)  They are pretty good about saving their money for something special - but it's also fun (for all of us!) if they want to go to the local ice cream shop, they spend their own money!

4. What's something you wish you knew more about?

Gardening.  Not high-maintenance plants... but just how to create a cutting garden that doesn't look decimated the minute I clip a bouquet, how to layer plants so they don't look overly manicured, etc.

5. Is there anything you feel too old to do anymore? If so, what?

Get up multiple times in the night... I honestly don't know how I did it when my babies were, well, babies.  Now if one of them gets up, or if we are pet-sitting and the pet jumps on my bed and disturbs my slumber, I feel like an absolute zombie for two days straight!  Good grief I'm a wus.  

6. What's a song you think has a great first line?

Oh so many good ones... but the first one that comes to mind is this one:

7. Who are you writing to/for when you create a blog post? In other words...as you write, who is the audience in your head?

I have a few loyal friends and family members who look for my blog every Wednesday, so I'm kinda writing for them... other times I'm just venting - as Meg Ryan said in "You've Got Mail" (one of my favorite movies, no matter how much my dear hubs mocks it) - "I'm sending this out to the void... so good night, dear void..."  :-)

8. Insert your own random thought here.

If today's hodgepodge seems choppy to you, it's because, well, I was unsuccessful in getting it done completely before the kiddos went to school - you know, couldn't find the Star Wars tennis shoes, had to go put on an undershirt because the chosen shirt was a bit revealing when she bent over, eldest missed his bus because it came 5 minutes early, then middle's bus never came... typical chaos to begin the first day of school!

But look at these sweet faces... the house is quiet now... eerily so, i must admit... but I'm praying for a good day for them!