My "25 Things" List

A couple of years ago, the "25 Things" list was a big deal on Facebook. FBers would create a list of things about themselves and post for their friends to read.  Some lists I read were very insightful, others were just plain silly, however the whole process was interesting to me.  If you could only write 25 things about yourself, what would I choose to list? If you can excuse the self-absorption factor for a moment, I wrote and posted my 25 things back then and thought I would recycle them for my blog.

My 25 Things

1. I grew up and worked on my family’s produce farm, was home-schooled for a number of years, am the youngest of three, and am the only girl. I spent my summers running free and mostly barefoot. My favorite crops were (and still are) strawberries and pumpkins.

2. I love fixing gross stuff like infected splinters, pulling out teeth, peeling sun-burned skin, gunky eyes, etc.

3. Pet peeves: I hate the feeling of sand in my mouth or grit in my salad, when people grind their teeth or
crack their necks, complainers/whiners.

4. Major, major peeves: ethic slurs/racist jokes and people who hurt children.

5. I dance like there is nobody watching. 

6. If a messy house is a happy one, then the Sykes family home is deliriously happy.

7. I love quotes.

8. Something that never, ever ceases to amaze me: Man’s inhumanity to man.

9. I think cow manure smells sweet, but can gag to the point of vomiting if I step in fresh dog crap.

10. I think my husband is handsome, love the way he looks in a suit, and am totally envious of his navigational skills on and off the water. He can always make me laugh, especially when he does his fake, adult laugh.

11. I am not allergic to anything except Nicholas Sparks novels.

12. One difficult thing about being a mother: being told (with love) when you have stinky breath, your butt is getting fat, you have wrinkles and yellow “pirate” teeth.

13. One funny thing about being a mother: The questions! For example…
Ø Why does Susan’s mother have a nose like a pig?
Ø Why do these peas taste like chapstick?
Ø Why does Gus (our old dog) have freckles on his penis?

14. When I was little, I liked to pick ticks off our farm dogs and secretly put them in my brother's (Tim) hair so I could pull them out later (see #2). (Note: it is not my fault he got Lyme Disease…years later, different ticks.)

15. I wrote the words of our entire wedding ceremony.

16. The worst time in my life was when my dad died. Jeff had to leave on business for three months the same week and I was completely numb from a tsunami of grief, but I had three little children depending on me. I just told myself over and over – You will be alright, you can do this, one minute of the day at a time.

17. When I was a kid, I was a sleepwalker – most notably during a summer vacation at Bethany Beach, Delaware - my mom found me walking down the boardwalk to main street in just a t-shirt and underwear.

18. I love Stephen Colbert.

19. Sometimes when my kids won’t listen to me – I become Jo Frost, the Super Nanny, and talk with a British accent. They think it is funny and forget about being defiant or slapping/punching/kicking each other…at least for a little while.

20. I think ‘truck nuts’ are just about the silliest thing I have ever seen.

21. I squeeze the toothpaste from the top, tend to leave the bread bag open and the milk out for hours, and don't memorize phone numbers.

22. I wish it weren’t unhealthy to be tan. I love being tan darnit!

23. I would like to learn how to whistle through my teeth…one of those ear-splitting, hailing-a-taxi, calling-a-lost-dog whistles.

24. “God Bless America!” is my fake way of cussing when my children are around. But I sometimes wonder if they are going to grow up thinking you always say “God Bless America!” growling, through gritted teeth.

25. With all my heart – I believe in myself.

Boom - shaka-laka!

I did it! Boom-shaka-laka! I have created a blog - something I wanted to do for a long time now.  I have to give credit where credit is do...my sister-in-law Kim has an awesome blog that I subscribe to and she has inspired me to get with it, and START WRITING!  Thanks so much, Kim!

What is "Boom-shaka-laka" you might ask? Well, that is a recent phrase coined by Jeff that my family uses now when something good happens.  Think of Tiger's fist pump or Emeril's "BAM!". Jeff usually says it with a lot of force and passion, using his whole body. Kids made their beds without being asked...Boom-shaka-laka!  Earned 10cents off a gallon at the gas pump...Boom-shaka-laka!  Started a blog...Boom-shaka-laka! 

So I begin...I really don't know what I will write about or if will be good or interesting, for that matter. I tend to be highly critical of my own writing, so this will be an exercise to quiet my internal red pen.  Shushing the red pen...Boom-shaka-laka!