10 Trappings of Modern Life...#Monday Listicles

It has been a while since I have written a Monday Listicles post. Actually it has been a while since I have blogged much about anything except Operation IFO.

Stasha’s list had me nodding my head in agreement. Did you read the nun comment??? It gave me a good chuckle.   

10 Trappings of Modern Life…ahhh yes. A topic near and dear to my heart especially since I appear to be at the point in my life where saying “I remember when…” is happening waaaay too often these days. So let’s take a walk down my memory lane shall we.

Image from freedigitalphotos.net

1.      Cellphones. The terms “can not be reached” or “out of touch” or “unavailable” are almost obsolete. 
I remember when…once upon a time you left the house and had to hope for the best until you made it back home.

2.      Cellphones. Fewer and fewer people have landlines anymore. 
I remember when…phones were attached to walls and the handset was attached to the base with a curly cord. You could not walk more than about 10 feet from the base and if you were lucky you had a private line as opposed to a “party line”.

3.      Cellphones. Who needs a camera anymore? For non-professional photos, camera phones are pretty awesome these days. You have all seen the amazing photos that Stasha takes on her iPhone right? 
I remember when…you had to wait weeks or sometimes months to develop a roll of film only to find one useable photo in 36!  Gah!

4.      Cellphones. Texting…THE mode of communication for many parents/kids…me included. 
I remember when…the moms in the neighbourhood would yell from the back porch when it was time for dinner/bedtime. If you weren’t within earshot then you had better be home when the street lights went on or else!    

5.      Cellphones. I remember when…they were considered a luxury.

Enough about cellphones already. Let’s see what else I can rant about…

6.      Driving kids to school. Again…I get it. I did it too. 
I remember when…parents felt safe enough to let their kids walk to school on their own. Even at 6:30 in the morning…for basketball practice…in the dark…all by herself. I may be a little scarred. 

7.      Drive-thru’s. For food, banking, drugs, almost anything. While I do see the necessity for a Starbuck’s Drive-thru…after all you can not leave your #theyvefinallygonetosleep kidlets in the car by themselves. 
I remember when…there were only Drive-Ins. What are Drive-Ins??? Oh. Nevermind.

8.      Banking. Today a person rarely has to set foot in an actual bank. 
I remember when…you had to physically go to a bank, fill out a piece of paper, wait in line, and then see a real, live person before getting any money AND if you did not have cash you more than likely had to stay home.

9.      Fast food restaurants. They are everywhere! Meals on the go for families on the go. Convenience in a bag. Do I need to keep going?? 
I remember when…KFC was called Kentucky Fried Chicken and you could get a meal at McDonald’s with change back from a single dollar. Gas stations were more visible than fast food restaurants and eating out only happened on special occasions.

10.    I think I need to stop now. While some things have definitely made life easier, others...I am not so sure?!? 

What do you think???

"Impractical" Things... #Monday Listicles

Amanda who blogs at Lilahbility suggested this week’s topic “10 Things that are Completely Impractical.” I was very a little confused because I would never, EVER buy anything that was impractical!

Not one to give up I decided to scour the house to see if there was anything, anything at all that could possibly meet the criteria. Sadly…it turns out that everything in our house is useful/necessary.

For example…

1.      8 Golf Bags. 

Apparently we have 9. I missed one. R and I do not own our own bag; J2 has one; we are storing J1’s which leaves ummmmm 7 for G. I am told golf bags are like underwear…you need a different one for each day of the week.

2.      8 Guitars. 

According to J2 all were necessary. Who knew you could play more than one guitar at a time?!?

3.      Picture frames. 

I am prepared for just about any size and shape with the exception of the photos that I want framed. The coloured ones? There are 2 more in the closet. I bought them when the boys were in preschool. Yes they are still in the wrapper. I am still trying to decide on my favourite pics to put in them.

4.      Baseball hats. 

Riley and G are the only ones who always wear baseball hats. I will own up to the pink one and about 3 others in that pile. I could not be bothered to count. There were still more on the top shelf of the closet. For once I am happy I am short.

5.      Seasonal dishes. 

I bought these beauties after Christmas one year for 50% off. It was during my Martha Stewart wannabe stage. Even though they only hold 1 cracker at a time they look amazing in the drawer of the china cabinet.

6.      Candles. 

I like options. I have tealights that burn for 2 hours or 4 hours; votives; tapers; heck…I even have battery operated candles. I am earthquake prepared.

As our hostess Stasha wrote “I struggled to find one in 6 days” which made me feel a whole lot better. Wait. Maybe not. Since I am struggling I will stop at 6 as in 6 things in 1 day. It is summer after all.

Be sure to check out what Stasha’s husband came up with for her list. It is awesome and almost made me go back and start over…almost. 

Have a great week!

Our First Family Photo Session #Monday Listicles

It has been a while since I have done a Monday Listicles post or any post for that matter. Summer was suddenly here and my usual writing routine went out the window. I have a strong feeling that things will not be improving in the coming month.  :(

After reading some fellow "Listiclers", I was inspired to dig out some photos and get back into the game for this week’s topic "10 Photos of Life with Kids”. The first thing I noticed…how on earth did we ever survive before digital!!

I came across some old proofs (circa 1997 - Riley was 3) when we first started having family photos taken. Long story short it was a fundraiser in preschool/elementary school where you got a professional sitting and one 8x10 for $10. Of course they knew you would not be able to refrain from buying at least 1 print of every photo right?? Even still…how could I say no?!?!

Weeeell…at the time of our first ever family photo we were at the very beginning stages of Riley World. It was a time when the word autism was only a word. It was a time though when most everything was SOOOO-O-M-G exhausting!

Out of the 20+ photos that were taken our choices were narrowed down ummm naturally for us. Seeing these pictures was another reminder to me of how far Riley has come in the past 15+ years.

We had tears almost before we got started. *sigh*

Ahhh yes...the ol' arch the back pose.

Looks can be deceiving...R was NOT happy...

He had progressed to the maniacal screaming at this point...

YES...I remember.

Let's move to the floor shall we?

At this point I remember telling G & J2 to just keep smiling,

smiling, smiling...just keep smiling (use your Dory voice here)

as I broke out into a sweat trying to keep R seated.

A:  R was active so I had to make an adjustment to a vice new grip.

B:  Shirt fully untucked but we would persevere. 

Thankfully we got one photo where 

the beads of sweat were not visible 

everyone was "smiling".

As luck would have it the photographer was the same year after year. We chose to believe he remembered Riley's name because of his charming qualities.  :)  He did figure out how to get the best shots and 5 years later Riley had it down pat.  

  J1, J2 & Riley (circa 2002)

Be sure to head over to Stasha's to see her amazing Instagram photos (she is a professional if that makes you feel any better) and if you like photos (like me) check out some of the others. Have yourself a great week!

10 Things I First Notice About Someone #Monday Listicles

The things I first notice about someone have definitely changed over the years.  When I was a teenager I will admit that physical looks (be it a male or female) were at the top of the list. 

1.      Hair 

Oh how I would have died for my hair to have some body. With poker straight, wiry hair…I was never going to have hair like Farrah Fawcett and the long shag that guys were sporting back then...*sigh*

2.      A Colgate Smile

Or……maybe not.

3.      Eyes 

Guess who???

Once out in the working world, reality set in and life was nothing like an episode of the Love Boat or Fantasy Island. Physical looks moved down the list and were replaced with things like:  

4.      Personal Hygiene 

A crisp and clean smell would make me weak at the knees. 

5.      Sense of humour

6.      Personality:  Yes mom…your words did not fall on deaf ears after all. 

Marriage, motherhood and menopause were the next stages and with them came deep thoughts:

7.      

Pretty much says it all doesn't it...

8.      Will their vehicle accommodate a baby seat?

9.      Do they need a nose and ear trimmer?

10.   And most important these days…do they still buy green bananas? 

What things do you first notice about someone? 

Thanks to Donetta over at My Constant Thoughts for coming up with this week's topic.  Don't forget to pop over to Stasha's and see what everybody notices.

Happy 100th!!!

Hard to believe Stasha’s third baby will be turning 100 today! Yup…Monday Listicles will post its 100^th Listicles link-up today. Do you have any idea how many list items that is? Do you??? Well let me know because I have only done about 39 and I was never very good at history or math. Thanks.

I made the mistake of reading Stasha’s list before writing up my own. Pretty hard to top her 10 Reasons Listicles Rock so rather than duplicate all her answers I am going to follow her suggestion and go freestyle.

So for this monumental Listicles week I am linking back in time to 10 Golden Oldies:

1.     The sentimental favourite -  My 10 Superpowers. It was my first Listicles.

2.      A look back on what it took to get Riley through school.

3.      I was grooving in my chair as I searched YouTube for 10 of my favourite songs. 

4.      I was pretty sure the producers of Hoarders would have been knocking down my door after reading this post.

5.      So you think you know me? Can you pick out which one is true???

6.      I have never been a fan of New Year’s resolutions so I was all over this topic because some things are not meant to be changed.

7.      It’s always fun to daydream. Have you ever thought who you would invite to your ultimate dinner party?

8.      What I Won’t Miss and What I Will Miss:  A Tribute to Nora Ephron

9.      Have you ever been kept awake at night wondering why some things are the way they are? Me too. Here are just a few of my deep thoughts.

10.   Thankful for…family, friends and Monday Listicles! 

Congratulations to Stasha and have a great week!!!

Things I CAN Do in 30 Minutes or Less...

This week Stasha picked "Top 10 Ways to Spend 30 Minutes" for this week’s Monday Listicles. Thirty minutes is not long enough for me to accomplish anything these days. So instead…here is my list of “10 things I CAN do in 30 minutes or less”

Image courtesy of digitalart/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

1.      I can do a quick vacuum and convince myself that it is good enough for the next 30 days.  ;)

2.      What once used to take me over an hour (shower, shampoo, make-up and getting dressed), I can now do and be out the door in less than 30 minutes. So what if make-up means lipstick and getting dressed means yoga pants.  

3.      I can watch a one hour show in 30 minutes thanks to PVRs. What is with all the commercials!?!

4.      I can come up with 5 Listicle items…the other 5 takes me about 30 hours.  Oish.

5.      I can avoid doing a 30 minute workout without feeling guilty what-so-ever!

6.      I can sit and do nothing although 30 minutes sitting in a chair at the spa is a tease; 30 minutes sitting in a chair in a waiting room is annoying; and 30 minutes sitting in a chair at the dentist’s office is pure torture. Hmmmm…maybe this one wasn’t such a good idea. :(

7.      *WARNING: DO NOT play Candy Crush Saga if you have the least bit of an addictive personality!

I can burn through 5 lives in less than 5 minutes and yet it takes 30 minutes to get one life back!  WTH!!!

8.      I can honesty say the longest 30 minutes in a day…4:30-5 o’clock somewhere!

9.      I can plan, prep and cook a delicious gourmet dinner in 30 minutes. Of course I am referring to Riley World here.  ;P

10.   I can spend 30 minutes waking up when I am on vacation. BEST. FEELING. EVER!!!

What can you do in 30 minutes or less?

A Vacation in Riley World...#Monday Listicles

WOW…has it already been 2 weeks since I last blogged!?!? Eeep! Well I have an excuse…again. Last weekend our family took a trip to Viva Las Vegas to catch some of Country’s best artists at the ACM (Academy of Country Music) Experience, Fan Jam and Superstar Summer Night concerts. So much fun!!!

This week my good friend Terri (who happens to live in Las Vegas…coincidence…I think not) suggested this week’s Listicles topic "10 Chapters in a Book About Me."  What better topic for an author who has just finished her second soon-to-be released book “Dark Pretense”. Congratulations Terri!!!

Since my life is ummm nothing to write home about and I know you have been dying to read about our latest adventure…I decided to do a listicles on “10 Chapters about a Vacation in Riley World!”  Fasten your seat belts and away we goooo…

1.      Chapter 1:  Packing 

Any trip away from home in Riley World must include the usual cooking apparatus and depending on the destination…certain foods.

For this trip we only had to pack a small amount of food as some could be purchased.


Product “packaging” is always an obstacle so we packed soup mix and extra packets of seasoning for R’s noodles.

2.      Chapter 2:  Departure Check-in/Seat Assignment   

Note to self:  Check flight times BEFORE leaving home. We arrived an extra hour BEFORE the required 2 hr check-in and we all know how patient Riley is about waiting...NOT!  Surely things would get better once on board.

I decided to splurge the extra $5/seat and get seats closer to the front of the plane so we would not have to wait very long to deplane. Even better…the row right in front of the exit door. G & J2 boarded ahead of R & me. As we started down the aisle I noticed G & J2 looking at me wide-eyed and stone-faced. Our row? The one I paid extra for? Only had half a window! Seriously???

3.      Chapter 3:  Hotel Accommodations

See that really comfy looking bed on the far left? There were 2 of them. R preferred to sleep on the couch. The first night he used the supplied bathrobes as blankets. He looked cold in the morning. Not to worry...I got him a blanket the second night. 

4.      Chapter 4:  Live Entertainment

That's J1 and Katie Armiger playing at The ACM Experience at The Orleans on the Friday night. It was great to be able to see them play LIVE! She was GREAT!!!

5.      Chapter 5:  Bonus Activity

It doesn't get any better than this in Riley World! Thank goodness it was past most kids' bedtimes so R had this bouncy castle all to himself.  :D

6.      Chapter 6:  Relaxation

If it were up to Riley these days he would choose to spend the entire time in the hotel room so we decided to coax him out of the room with a day poolside in a cabana. Don't know about R but I sure enjoyed it.  ;P

7.      Chapter 7:  Extracurricular Activities

J2 and I took a ride on the NYNY Roller Coaster. Riley preferred the upper deck of The Deuce operated by RTC Transit. See...there is something for everyone in Vegas!

8.      Chapter 8:  Concert Highlights

Here is one of the many pics from the Tim McGraw Superstar Summer Night concert that J2 and I went to see. It will be airing on TV in May. This was the finale with Tim McGraw, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, John Fogerty and Keith Urban *sigh*.

9.      Chapter 9:  Departure Check-in for the trip home

Remember how I said I was going to check flight times BEFORE leaving home??? Wellllll...I didn't. My excuse this time is that we were not at home...we were at a hotel. Hey...details are very important in Riley World. We found out the flight was delayed by 2 hours when we got to the airport. On the upside...Riley got two windows this time!

10.  Chapter 10:  “It’s Good to be Home Again…”

LEFT PIC:  McDonald's fries in Vegas. I found these in the garbage can. They came in a small white bag. I will admit that they do taste different than the ones at home. This has never been a problem...until this trip. This decreased his menu options down to 5...that is if you consider cheerios and S&V chips as menu items.

RIGHT PIC:  McDonald's fries picked up on the way home. Notice the small brown bag. Much better.

As Riley kept saying all.the.way.home..."It's good to be home again."

And just to keep me in good spirits for my return home...

Gotta love Duty Free!

Congratulations again to our even more famous hostess Stasha! Don't forget to pop over to read the chapters of everybody else's lives.