BYOC - On a Monday

I was having a really hard time coming up with something to write about this morning - but I wanted to write something. I'm sitting out on the porch, enjoying the rain, cooler air, and time with Peanut....so it's a perfect blogging scenario. The little kids are watching cartoons, and I haven't been bothered by "Momma can I have" or "Jo-Jo [whoever] is looking at me" once. That was until I wrote that sentence.. but it's all good.

So, I realized that I didn't do Draz's BYOC on Friday. I love Bring Your Own Crazy cause it works wonders for situations like right now - I can't think of anything to write about, so I want to write.

And that's what I'm going to do. So, it's BYOC - Monday Edition!

1. Are you a daily purse switcher, an often purse buyer or a one purse kind of woman? What factors influence your purse buying?

Purses are my "thing". The one thing I love to collect. Apart from shoes. I have laundry baskets and trash bags full of purses. Some I own that I've never used, others I've bought and used them until I wear a hole in them.

I am not a daily purse switcher. I buy a new purse and will use it for a while, until I get bored with it - or realize that it doesn't really fit my needs. I often prefer bigger purses, but then I get mad that the purse is too big that I can't ever find anything and then switch to a smaller purse. Then I hate the fact that the purse doesn't hold everything I need to take with me - and I get sucked in to a vicious cycle.

The only factor that influences my purse buying is the price. I don't ever buy a purse at full price. I'm a cheap-o and figure if I'm going to buy purses in the volume I buy them in, they need to be on clearance or discounted somehow. I won't buy a $20 purse at full price, but I'll buy a $40 purse if it's on sale for $20. It's stupid logic, but I always feel better knowing I got a bargain.

Right now, I'm hooked on my messenger bag type purse. I love it's size, and the fact that it fits nicely over my neck - so I don't have to really hold it on. It's the first purse that I put up a few months ago, and then dug it back out because the purse I switched to wasn't cutting it for me. The only downfall to this purse is the fact that I can't ever find my black phone in the purse - so that needs to be fixed by buying a hot pink cover for my phone.

2. What’s your favorite board game?

Even though I haven't gotten to play in years - my favorite board game is Trivial Pursuit. I remember playing it when I was younger, and we would play for hours because I, and the people I played with, never knew any of the answers. Now that I'm a little wiser - in my own head - I enjoy a good game. I really like the Pop Culture version...that one I do really know a lot about.

3. Are you a sore loser who throws fits or a gracious winner? Are you competitive?

I am VERY competitive. If I play, I play to win. I refuse to let anyone win or go easy on someone. That even includes kids. If I'm playing some form of game with a child, I don't believe in just letting them win. They need to learn the value of competition - and that you can't win everything. I know that may sound bad, but it's true. It may explain why I was not asked to return for a second season as a softball coach. I expected those kids to play to win - and wouldn't listen to "they are just playing for fun". What's the point in that? If you play a competitive sport, it should be to win.

I also believe, however, in being a good winner and a good loser. That's how I teach my kids to be - both biological and students. They should play to win, but losing isn't the end of the world, either. If they do win, they should accept it gracefully - and thank the other people for a good game. If they lose, they should do it gracefully - and thank the other people for a good game.

That's what I teach my kids - but I don't teach by example. It's horrible for me to admit, but I can sometimes be a bad loser - and a bad winner. I'm usually only ever bad at it when I'm playing Hubby. We like to play Risk and Scrabble on the iPad. I usually do really well in Scrabble - and will mock and jeer him. He's really good at Risk, and I'll get ticked off when he starts invading all of my countries - and kicking my behind. I get all moody and act like a little kid and tell him I don't want to play anymore. He doesn't like playing games with me much - and I don't pretend not to know why.

Peanut also just informed me that I do have the same tendancies when I'm playing with family members too. Her words were "you're not the best loser, but you don't lose very often". That about sums it up pretty fairly, I guess.

4. Tell us something you are afraid of that is a physical item…like spiders, deep water, heights, snakes, thunderstorms, first dates, childbirth, etc.

SPIDERS!! OMG....That's the one thing that I have always had the worst phobia of. As I read the question to Peanut, she yelled out spiders before I even read any of the options. She knows. It doesn't matter the size of the spider - if I see one, I freak out.

Living in the woods has helped me a little. Now, I keep a can of spider killer around me at all times..and as long as I can get a good shot in with the spray can, I can kill the spider. But if not? I'm screaming like a child and yelling for Hubby to come take care of it. I won't/can't sleep if there is a spider in the house that has gotten away without being killed.

I also don't like grasshoppers. Something about them jumping as high and as far as they do creeps me out. I can walk through a yard among jumping grasshoppers, but if one jumps on me - I freak the F out. I start jumping around, clawing at my clothes, and screaming at the top of my lungs.

Also on my list of fears/don't likes are heights, wasps, bees...bugs in general, and rodents.

Snakes are not on that list - being that I own a 4' ball python. He lives in a 100 gallon tank that sits right next to my bed. The only time I tolerate a rodent in my house is when it's being fed to my snake. Yeah, he eats rats. I can only imagine what Draz will say to me after reading this. Sorry, Draz.

5. Repeat question: Summarize your week.

I've spent another week at my parent's house - and I won't lie. It sucks big grasshopper balls. Although, it's not as bad as it was the first two weeks. I only have four kids right now. Butter is spending the week with P-Momma, and one of the foster kids went to stay with a family member until my parents come home. Only having four kids makes life much more tolerable.

I got to go to a wedding on Saturday. Hubby and I went without any kids - and it was so nice to have an evening out. I also started getting some wedding fuzzies. I want to get married, now, but I refuse to spend a whole bunch of money on a wedding. I want something simple, small, but nice. All I can think about is rather spending money on a new house than on a wedding - so I'm not sure what kind of wedding I'll end up with.

I got all of the paperwork mailed in for my MO teaching license, so that's another thing that has been taken care of. In a few weeks, I'll be good to go at my new job - and that's a WONDERFUL feeling.

There has been no effort on my part to do anything about my weight situation. I'm still eating all wrong, and haven't done any form of exercise... despite all the claims that I would. I could blame the hot weather, I could blame the stress... but I have no time for excuses. It's all on me.

I will admit, though, I felt very fat and frumpy at the wedding. I didn't like feeling like that. I was surrounded by beautiful people - and that made me very self aware of how I fit in to that picture. Thank goodness I was the one taking all of the photos - cause I don't want my friends to have pictures of me to look back on years from now.

All in all, though, it wasn't a bad week.

OK, that's it for me today. Thank goodness for Draz and BYOC. It's so nice to have a blogging break and write about something fun.