Answers to the Interactive Survey!!

Thanks again to everyone who asked me all of these great questions...

QUESTIONS ABOUT COFFEE




1. What's your favorite kind of coffee?
That would have to be Colombian coffee, with French Roast and Kona in a tie for second place.

2. How do you take your coffee?
I tend to just drink it with some sugar and half & half or milk. I'll use the flavored creamers every once in a while just to switch things up a little.

3. If you woke up one morning and started to drink your coffee and realized you didn't really care for it anymore, would that break your heart?
OF course it would break my heart! Actually when I was pregnant with my son, during the first few months I experienced horrible morning sickness, and since drinking coffee is just a morning ritual for me, I started drinking decaf, but since I always felt nauseated, I really didn't care for the taste of coffee, and I was so depressed about it. I began to wonder if I would ever like coffee again. I'm glad that didn't last very long...

4. What's your favorite way to drink coffee? Mine is iced with cream and splenda.
Well usually I brew it and drink it with some cream/milk and sugar, but during this past summer I discovered the magic of coldbrewed coffee.


5. Who has the best plain coffee, Starbucks, Dunkin Doughnuts or Mc Donald's? (My friends and I have been debating this)
Well I don't have a Dunkin Doughnuts near me (am I missing out?), and I use to be a strictly Starbucks girl, but more and more lately, I find myself preferring Mc Donald's coffee.



QUESTIONS ABOUT TIME/LIFE MANAGEMENT
(I grouped these next few questions together because they ask almost the same thing.)
6. How do you do it (school, mom, wife, housework)?
7. Where do you find the time for it all? Family, home, and school, I can't seem to find enough hours in the day just being a sahm.
8. How do you manage your life...it seems pretty darn full!
9. I just wonder How do you find the time to do it all? I have a hard time organizing myself enough to get the extras done. I would love to start a blog, but don't know how to fit it in.
Well first of all, I have to say that I probably couldn't do half of what I do without my husband. He is very supportive of me going to school even if that means that he has to do more around here. But he never complains and that's one of the many reasons why I love him so much.

Second, I don't think I would even call my life managed or organized by any means. I'm probably the most unorganized person. I constantly have my mind on 5 things at once, but I've learned to multitask and write everything down as I think of it (appointments, grocery lists, thesis statements) so I don't forget.
But most importantly, I think we've learned to just go with the flow and to appreciate the little things in life (which is the name of my blog) and whatever each new day brings us.
That means the laundry is never completely done, but as long as everyone has some clean underwear and socks for the next day, then we're good.
And while I try to make a good dinner everyday, if I have a ton of homework to do, then everyone is fine with just having some grilled cheese sandwiches and canned soup for dinner.
Or if I have a paper that I absolutely have to work on, my husband will take care of the kids so that I can have some quiet time to work.

I will add though that the one thing I am organized with is paying the bills each month. I came up with a system that saves me a lot of time and stress and I never have to strain my brain to remember if I paid a bill or not: Since I pay most of our bills online, I made a table using MS word with all our bills for the month listed in the order we need to pay them. Throughout the month, after I pay a bill, I will put a big 'X' next to it, the amount I paid, and I will save it. If I ever can't remember if I paid a bill or not, all I have to do is open my list of bills up and it will tell me.

QUESTIONS ABOUT BLOGGING
10. What made you want to start blogging?
11. Why do you blog?
I suppose I am a writer by nature, so my brain is constantly swirling with thoughts and ideas that I like to put onto paper (or in this case, type them out.)
But I think the main reason I started blogging is because my kids amuse me to no end. Usually I am here at home with them and if they do something to make me laugh, I start to feel a teeny bit crazy laughing by myself because I have no one to share this stuff with during the day because mostly everyone I know is at work.

12. How did you get started? What was the hardest part about getting a blog started?
I set up my account months before I actually wrote my first post. I would read other people's blogs, which I enjoy doing. Then one day, I asked myself what I was waiting for, and I just decided to go for it and write my first post. So I guess just actually writing my first post (which wasn't really about anything, it was just an introduction of myself) was the hardest part, because after that, I just kept going.

13. Do you enjoy blogging, and do you find it time-consuming?
Yes, I really do enjoy blogging. At first I found it to be a little time-consuming but I think it was because I hadn't gotten the hang of it yet.


14. Who are your blogging mentors/idols?
I really admire Stephanie from A Year of Crockpotting and Erin from $5 Dinners because of their commitment to both their blogs and their readers.

15. What are you goals for your blog?
hmm..I've never really thought of what my goals for my blog are. I guess I hope that people find my writing interesting and worthy enough to read.

16. Where you inspired to blog by someone else?
I was inspired indirectly by my kids to document the funny/cute/frustrating moments I have while raising them.

17. How did you learn how to blog? I am trying to learn how to navigate. Any resources you can recommend? I am 52 yrs old and not as techno knowledgeable. Help
I think I learned slowly by visiting other blogs, and if I had a question about anything, I would google it to find the answer. (Isn't Google wonderful?) An easy-to-read resource on how to start a blog can be found here: How to start a blog
Some great websites for cute blog layouts are: Smitten Blog Designs OR The Cutest Blog on the Block

18. I've thought about starting a blog but have no clue even how to begin. What advice to you have to start off?
I think the hardest part was actually just writing my first post. So just jump on in!!


19. What's your secret for a great blog?
I don't know if I'm actually qualified to answer this. I still feel like I am a beginner since I only started my blog about 4 months ago.

HYPOTHETICAL QUESTIONS
20. If you won a large sum of money, what would you do with it? I'm thinking like $100,000
This is probably going to be a boring answer: I think I would pay off the bills we currently have, save about half of whatever was left. Then put a big down payment on a house with the rest.

21. My question is...if you could go back in time, would you do anything differently?
I tend to think that everything happens for a reason, but if I could go back I would like to spend more time with my grandfather who passed away 10 years ago. He had been sick but he didn't tell us how sick he was, because I guess he didn't want us to worry. So we didn't find out how bad it was until it was too late. = (


22. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
23. There is nothing better than a good...long vacation...so, if you could pick anywhere in the world to go...and money was no object (of course)where would you spend your vacation?
Seeing how I've never traveled out of the country, and I've never even been on a plane (!!!) I think I would be happy to just go anywhere. (lol that's sad) Really though, I'd want to visit Paris or London.


24. If you were stranded on a deserted island you'd want what? (3 things)
Can one of the things be a satellite phone so that I could get my butt off the deserted island? No? I would definitely be in need of some survival skills then, but mostly I'd just want an unlimited supply of coffee, chocolate, and sunscreen.



QUESTIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING ELSE
25. Morning or night person?
I am both and neither at the same time, depending on how much sleep I got the night before...

26. What are you studying?
When I started college (a very long time ago) I was a Liberal Studies major, but after a series of self-realizations, I changed my major to English - Literature and Language, and I've never looked back.



27. Do you craft?
Sadly, no. I barely know how to use a glue stick.

28. What was your most memorable event in grade school?
That would definitely have to be in 4th grade, when Mig (my hubby) and I were in the same class that year. Mig (who was a little on the chunky side) sat down on an overhead projector that was on the floor and he cracked the glass on top. (lol) Our teacher, Ms. Casey, who never ever got mad or raised her voice, yelled at Mig and he was so embarrassed. (Oh man, this story never gets old...lol)


29. Who do you trust to look after your kids when you study?
When I was going to community college and was able to take evening classes, my mom would come over after work to watch Elizabeth. Since I've transferred to Cal Poly Pomona, and they don't offer any evening classes (for my major anyway) Mig has worked his schedule around so that he works nights, and then he can be home to watch Michael and pick up Eliz from school when I go to school.



30. Boxers? Or briefs?
My husband actually calls them granny panties.


31. Who's your favorite Hollywood celebrity?
Jennifer Aniston

32. Favorite type of cake?
Devil's food.

33. What are some important items on your bucket list?
I've actually never thought about this... I think everyday I wake up, I still almost can't believe that I've been so lucky and blessed, so I'm just enjoying it, one day at a time. So I'll have to think about this question some more.

34. Who do you swoon over- makes you weak in the knees?
Justin Timberlake

35. What kind of music did you listen to growing up?
What didn't I listen to? The first band I remember liking was NKOTB of course, but after that: Green Day, Smashing Pumpkins, NSync, Sublime, Blink 182, and all 80's music, with The Cure being my all-time favorite.

36. What did you have on your walls growing up?
I don't think I had anything....lol


37. In highschool what did you have as your career goals?
I wanted to be an elementary school teacher, but then I later realized that I hate math and science, so I don't think I would have been very happy.


38. How did you choose your children's names?
Elizabeth Marie, was named after our grandmothers.
Michael almost wasn't named Michael. We took a very long time to agree on the name Joshua, but Michael was our 2nd choice. On the day he was born, we sent a text to everyone announcing "Baby Joshua has arrived." But the next day, right before we were supposed to fill out his birth certificate, we changed our minds, and our baby boy became Michael Li.


39. Canned or frozen veggies? :)
Frozen. Except I don't recommend frozen brussel sprouts. We tried them once, and won't ever be trying them again.


40. What is your guilty pleasure that you enjoy to do when no one else is around?
I like watching sappy movies on Lifetime.



41. Have you ever witnessed post partum? first hand or through any of your friends?
I didn't experience it myself, but one of my cousins experienced it with both her babies.


42. What book do you remember reading,or having your parents read to you, as a child?
I think one of my earliest memories ever is of my mom reading The Monster at the End of This Book to me and doing Grover's voice. I found the 25th anniversary edition of this book a couple years ago, so I just had to buy it for Eliz.


43. What's your middle name?
Jacquet (pronounced Ja-kay)

44. What do you absolutely LOVE to do? I mean other than the obvious of spending time with your family and stuff. What little thing makes you wonderfully happy just because?
It doesn't take much to make me happy...buy me some coffee, and I'll be very, very happy.
I also love reading magazines and spending time with my girlfriends.


45. What day of the year do you look forward to the most?
Thanksgiving. It officially starts off the holiday season, but there is no pressure to buy gifts. It's all about family and food.


46. What kind of books do you like reading and do you read more than one book at a time?
I mainly like fantasy (like Harry Potter or Eragon) or historical fiction. I usually only read one book at a time because I tend to get very involved in it.
But I really only get to read for leisure during my breaks from school.


47. Who was your favorite teacher in school?
I really like my Shakespeare professor. She lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps Shakespeare. She loves Shakespeare so much that its contagious.


48. I want to know if you have made your crockpot lasagna again??
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO, I'm too scared to make lasagna in the crockpot again. It was really terrible last time, so I don't want to relive that ever again.


49. What was your favorite vacation?
We used to go to Big Bear Mountains every once in a while. It's nice to just go up there and relax without all the noise, traffic, and air pollution that you get everyday here in the city.

50. How many meals a week do you cook?
Dinners, probably 5-6.

51. What kind of car do you drive?
A Chevy truck. We bought it last year because my husband really wanted a truck, but since his car is a stick shift, and I don't know how to drive a stick shift, I drive the big truck around. It's comfortable and safe for the kids though.


52. How did your husband propose?
Here goes the most unromantic story ever: 7 years ago, when we found out I was pregnant with Elizabeth, Miguel and I (we were both 19 at the time) knew that we wanted to get married and we were determined to move out on our own and make things work for us. We didn't have much money, and knew that we would have to save everything we could for our impending move and for our new baby that would be arriving later that year. So, I told Mig that I didn't want or need a ring since we should save our money.

Well, he didn't listen to me and went out and bought a ring for me anyway, but I had no idea he did.

He took some money that he had saved, and took one of his girl cousins shopping with him to help pick it out.

I suffered horrible morning sickness during my pregnancy with Eliz too, so there I was at my parent's house, watching tv in my sweats, with no makeup on, and I had been puking all day long.

Mig showed up at my parents house, very excited, with the cutest, tiniest, princess-cut solitaire diamond ring and officially asked me to marry him....and the rest, as they say, is history.





53. Milk or Dark Chocolate :)
I've never met a chocolate I didn't like.


54. What is your favorite meal?
Although it's not a whole meal, I could eat buffalo wings anytime.



55. Do you have special plans for Valentines Day?
Mig and I never go out on Valentine's Day. Instead we make dinner together, complete with chocolate strawberries.


56. Do you actively coupon? How else do you save money?
Yes, I love coupons. My grandmother taught me well. When I was little, I remember going to her house and cutting coupons with my other cousins.

I was a little sad when Vons and Ralphs modified their double coupon policy, but I still use coupons whenever I can.

Other ways that I save money: since my husband was laid off a couple months ago, we've had to cut our budget waaaaaaay down, so I've learned to make some things that we would previously only get while eating out, like pizza, french onion soup, I have even made boneless buffalo wings a few times, and they were pretty good.

Using the crockpot on the weekends actually saves me money too because if I put something for dinner in the crockpot early in the day, then later when I don't feel like cooking, we already have something to eat, rather than going out for food.

I've used Craigslist or Ebay to buy baby gear that will only be used for a limited time so it isn't worth it to buy new. (I got my son's exersaucer for $10 and it was in excellent condition.)

57. What is one unique quality that you have that you would also love for your children to have when they grow up?
I think I would like my children to have my sense of humor about life. It comes in handy when times get tough and it makes life so much easier.

58. I see that your kids are 5 years apart. Would you suggest waiting that long between kids. We only have 1 child right now (2 1/2) & trying to decide when to have the next.
This is something that I've thought a lot about. After we had Elizabeth, people started asking when we would have another baby. At that point, we were still trying to adjust to having one baby and all the pressures of being newly married, young parents. My plan was to finish school before even thinking about the possibility of a new baby. (which didn't exactly happen, because I am still in school, but I will finally be done this June, Yay)
So Eliz. turned one, then 2, then 3, and people kept telling us that we shouldn't wait too long to have another baby. (Don't you just love unsolicited advice?) I didn't exactly listen to the advice I was given, but nevertheless, it still made me worry that Elizabeth and her future sibling wouldn't be close because of the age gap.
But to make a long story short, Michael was born a couple months after Eliz turned 5 and I have no regrets whatsoever.
Sure, they probably won't be in high school at the same time later on but there are advantages to their age gap right now.
Elizabeth was older so she was very excited to have a baby brother. I think she was better able to understand that Michael would need my attention because he was a baby. She is helpful with Michael. And now that Michael is a little older, she likes to play with him and read to him (most of the time anyway.)
Most importantly, Elizabeth loves her little brother, and Michael loves his big sister, and that's all that matters.
So I would recommend just doing what feels right for you and your family, regardless of what people might say the ideal age spacing for siblings might be.

58. Since you are giving away the Dinner Doctor, what dinner have you needed to doctor?
Well there was this one time that I made a lasagna in the crockpot but it was beyond resuscitation. It must have been in there too long, because the noodles were near the point of disintegration. Mig and I ate some of it, but then we looked at each other and agreed that this was probably not the best dinner I ever made. I hated to throw it out because I don't like wasting food, but it really grossed me out.

59. Since you're giving away something kitchen related, what's your best meal tip?
I try to do things ahead of time to make meal preparation easier because I think the less effort it takes to make dinner, the more likely you are to make it, especially when you're tired.
So if I buy a large pack of chicken breasts, I will cut some of the raw chicken up into bite-size pieces, then freeze enough for one meal in a ziploc bag. Later, it will defrost quickly and can be used in a stir-fry, soup, pasta, etc...
I wish I could do more freezer cooking but I have a tiny, above-the-refrigerator freezer.



60. Do you have a dog?
No, only some neglected fish.

61. Do you like cheesecake and if so what flavor/kind?
Yes, I looove cheesecake, plain, or with cherries or strawberries. I cannot eat cheesecake if it is mixed with chocolate. Call me crazy, but I don't think the 2 things go together.

62. What food item/meal/etc. do you swear that you cook better than anyone else you know?
My hamburger helper is to-die-for..j/k
My dad always asks me to make this spicy spaghetti meat sauce, so I guess it would have to be that. (Hi dad)


63. What is your favorite place to go and read?
I'll read anywhere that's quiet. Sometimes though, I like to go out to our patio and read because the light is so much better than inside.

64. Do you like reality TV? If so, what is your favorite show?
I might be weird, but I've never watched Survivor or American Idol. I do however, like watching the cheesy, trashy shows on VH1 like 'Rock of Love,' 'I love New York,' and 'Flavor of Love.'


65. If you had to pick a favorite movie....one that you could watch over and over again without getting tired of it.....what would it be?
That would have to be The Wedding Singer. Good plot, good actors, great soundtrack, and all the 80s jokes never get old. I've watched that movie so many times....

66. Since you couldn't come up with 100 things about yourself, how about what is your favorite thing about yourself? What do you consider to really be your strength? What do others seem to think is your strength?
Certain people tend to come to me for advice when they need it. Maybe it's because I try to remain logical and look at both sides of a situation when there is a problem.
I've also been told (more than once) that I'm too forgiving. I don't think the people who told me this meant it as a compliment, but I'd like to think of it as a positive aspect of my personality. If you get me mad, I might be mad for one day, but tomorrow I'll probably forget what I was even mad about. I think it saves a lot of time that would otherwise be wasted and it makes life easier. I'd rather focus on positive things... (unless you killed my dog or something, then it would be a different story)

67. Who do you think is going to win the superbowl?
I really didn't care for either team, but it was a very exciting game.

68. What do enjoy doing in your spare time or if spare time is sparing what would you like to do if there were a few hours of ME time in a day?
During ME time, I like to read or blog of course.