For the love of Asparagus

I love asparagus. It may be one of my favorite parts of Spring. Weird, right? When I was pregnant with Behr I hated the smell. Recently I told Mark that eating asparagus was one of the best parts of not being pregnant. Forget 18 weeks of morning sickness, the constant trips to the bathroom, sleepless nights, and general discomfort...hating asparagus was one of the worst parts of pregnancy. Therefore my logic makes sense. Asparagus is a perk of not being knocked up. Yup, I said it.

But I've got another random bit about asparagus. I think it completely gets the shaft in the veggie tales theme song. The asparagus family are key characters in most veggie tale shows. So why don't they get a mention? Just because their name is awkward doesn't mean they should be excluded. The song writers should have gotten a bit more creative.

Phew, glad I got that off my chest.

I was going to share a delicious brunch meal (including asparagus!) with you, but instead I am going to ask you questions a la Bridget. She had so much fun asking her readers questions, she encouraged me to do the same. So I am blatantly copying Bridget, at her request, with slightly different questions. I'd really love to learn more about you! Here is goes:

where did you grow up? where do you live now? what do you call home?

I grew up outside of philadelphia, what some may call the "main line" but I like to say I am a philly girl. I live in DC now, and am starting to really call this home.

male/female? age(range)?

I'm a 28 year old lady. But recently I forgot that I was only 28 and called myself 29 for about two months straight. #excitedabout30?

how'd you discover my blog? long-time reader? new? family? lurking co-worker?

I read about 6-8 blogs regularly plus a handful of close RL/BB (real life before blogging) friends. I like finding new blogs, but feel pressure to keep up with them, so I slink back to my long time faves. If you have a great blog recommendation, throw it at me!

 what do you do? for work? for fun? 

I work to pay the bills, but I blog and run my etsy shop for fun, and in an effort to change my lifestyle. I would love if this online community that I love so much supported me enough to spend my days home with Behr. I also really like to take pictures, be with family, cook seasonally, and travel.

 are you religious? atheist? something in between? 

I love that Bridget boldly asks this. I struggle with how to ask this/express this on my blog. So here I go, throwing it out there. I am a Christian, a woman of God, who believes that Jesus is my Saviour. We call myself Presbyterian, more specifically PCA, but I don't always pay close attention to the details that make that distinction between traditionally Protestant churches.

what's your family like? big, small, all living in the same small town, spread out across the globe?

I come from a big family, a big greek family, and I wouldn't have it any other way. A few folks are scattershot, but we all tend to gravitate back to the Philadelphia area, which makes for huge family gatherings. I love it! In our immediate family, it is just Mark, Behr and me right now...but I hope someday we have a full house, equal parts love, laughter, and chaos, for sure!

what's your favorite food? are you a foodie? what is your food type?

While I am a plant lover, I could never give up meat, or dairy, or wheat. {gasp!} Sometimes I wonder how I can be a blogger and not be on a vegan, gluten-free, raw diet, and give up all cane sugar and only eat one square of dark chocolate per day. I like to think I am a budding foodie, but I focus more on eating seasonally and locally with a healthy dose of moderation. That being said, my favorite food (as mentioned before too many times to count) is hands down a philly cheesesteak. But when it comes to vegetables, I will choose asparagus over brussels sprouts {another audible gasp from bloggers everywhere}

what's your favorite vacation spot? 

The beach, the beach, the beach. I really love going Amelia Island, Florida with my in-laws every year. But I miss spending two weeks at the beach every summer like I did growing up. I hope our family is able to restart that tradition some day. 

what's on your summer reading list? 
(or link up your list if you already blogged that!)

If I can get through one book in a normal time span this summer, I will call it victory! I am planning to read Bloom with this lovely lady during the month of July. Fingers crossed.

what would you like to see more of on the blog? 

or maybe you would rather see less of something...

alrighty, comments are anonymous, but feel free to reveal yourself! :)

Your Questions, Answered {part two}

What is your favorite part of blogging?

I love that I am creating a record for my family. That is hands down, my favorite part of blogging. I also really enjoy sharing experiences with friends, family, and other bloggers. It is a fun outlet for me. I can't imagine ever giving it up.

What do you dislike most about blogging?

Fortunately, I haven't had to deal with much of the negative side of blogging that some experience. However, I do occasionally get sucked into the numbers. It is hard to remember that blog traffic doesn't define me or my family. 

Why do you blog when you have so much else going on?

I blog first and foremost for my family. It seems counter intuitive to spend time away from my family, for my family. But at the end of the day, this blog is the best record we have. We all look back on it. Just this past weekend I searched for an old post that featured pictures of a story my family was laughing about. 

Also, I hope blogging can become something a bit more for my family, a means for keeping me home during the day with Behr. That would be the ultimate!

Do you plan on staying in DC long term?

We love DC, but know that now is the time to take an adventure. Behr isn't in school, there aren't any other babies on the way. If we want to live or work somewhere else for a while, now is the time. So as we consider next steps for our family we are keeping doors open.


Do you ever feel insecure? How do you combat those feelings?

Yes, all the time. My insecurity primarily stems from other people's opinions of me.  Naturally a people pleaser, I stress out about how I will be perceived. Blogger meet-ups are the hardest for me. I am always afraid that people will stop liking me, think I misrepresent myself on my blog, or some other crazy thing like that.

I often get nervous about letting people down, and in turn over commit. This is the most destructive form of my insecurity, something I really have to work on.

I am also insecure about my working mom status. I hate conversations about work vs. motherhood, because I feel like everyone always has an agenda, or a solution to offer me. People make assumptions, that I am putting my career before my family, that I want an extravagant life style, that money matters more than my child, that I don't enjoy motherhood. None of these assumptions are correct, but they still sting. I have to keep reminding myself that I am doing what is best for my family right now.

To combat these all of my feelings on insecurity? Oh wow, I am not sure I am very good at this. I try to pray when I am feeling insecure, I listen to positive and encouraging music, and I surround myself with encouraging friendships, I stop reading magazines, or blogs that I start comparing myself to. The whole mantra garbage in garbage out...I try to make it apply to all areas of my life.
When you daydream of the perfect life for your family in the fictitious 5 years, what does that include?

Five years from now...in my dreams: We may still live in a city, but we have a farm with a barn where everyone likes to hang out. Our house if full of children, our own and their friends, because we have created a welcoming place that is kid friendly. We enjoy summers outside on a big porch. We have a garden where we grow most of our food, but we also support local farmers. We have a full size freezer so we can buy a whole cow. If we don't live near family, we are blessed to be able to visit them often. I no longer have a traditional day job, but instead support my family through my own business (maybe my etsy shop and blog...maybe something else, who knows!) This dream could go on and on...

If/when Mark is working late or out with the guys, and Behr is happily in bed, what do you watch on TV and what do you make for dinner?

If Mark is out for the evening, I tend to keep dinner really simple but not necessarily healthy. We tend to eat healthy together, so solo style looks like prepackaged tortellini, bagel bites, or mac and cheese, something Behr and I both enjoy that is quick and easy.

Once Behr goes to bed (which is always earlier when we aren't both home for some crazy reason...) I tend to catch up on blogging or make more cards for my etsy shop. But my go to TV shows are Fairly Legal, Parenthood, NCIS, and The Good Wife, but we often watch these together even though I know they aren't Mark's favorite. He's a good sport.

What is your favorite food? The food on your blog always seems healthy, do you ever eat dessert?

I eat my fair share of dessert, but typical crave salty food, not sweets. I make a mean chocolate chip cookie and those are my favorite non-fruit dessert. I am not a huge chocolate fan.

The food on my blog looks healthy because we eat a lot of fruits and veggies from our farm share, or CSA.  I like experimenting with new recipes with CSA food, so that is why they get featured more heavily on the blog. Plus fresh produce makes for better photos.

My absolute favorite, I would eat it any time of day, food is a philly cheesesteak. Kinda gross right? But I love them. Its a good thing I haven't found a place to get an authentic cheesesteak here in DC.

Thanks so much for asking great questions! This has been really fun.

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Be sure to check out part one and my new FAQ page.

Your Questions, Answered {part one}

When I put out the call for questions, I had no idea what to expect. But the response was surprising! First, I received a lot of questions! Second, most of you asked the same general questions. At the end, it was pretty telling about what I might not be sharing enough about, namely motherhood and work life balance. So without further ado, your answers

What do you think is the hardest part about being a Mom?

I am not sure there is a hardest part. Motherhood offers an extra component to every single thing you do. There is always another life to consider, plan for, or accommodate. It is very rarely ever easy. That being said it is still good. Just because something isn't easy, doesn't make it bad.

For me, personally, having patience is what I struggle with most. I would say I've got it 70% of the time, but when I don't, it is really bad. No one in our house is happy. I get frazzled, I lose my temper, I forget to take a deep breath. That is hard when you are a mom. Not having patience often means Behr is paying the price. After the fact, that causes a lot of guilt.


How many kids do you hope to have?

A full quiver! I hope and pray that we are blessed with a full family. I used to say I wanted seven or nine kids, my mom is one of seven, but now I think my heart has settled around five. Five seems practical. You can still fit in a small home, drive a normal car with each family member securely buckled in, sit around a table together, play games with everyone included. Yes, five; a fun brood, but not totally overwhelming.


Why did you start potty training Behr so early? Do you think you are forcing it? 

We pulled out the potty we had received off our registry to show a friend, and Behr loved it, so we kept it out. We don't make Behr sit on the potty at specific times or even daily, instead we let him show us when he has to poop. He usually goes over towards the bathroom and starts grunting. The whole process has been totally led by him and is also quite humorous.


Since you've been a Mom for a year now, could you make a list for Mom's to be on your fav products, what Behr loved as a baby, etc?

Well, when I first saw this question, I thought I had answered it here, here, here, or most recently, here. But then I realize there isn't a good all encompassing post. I will work on that. Expect it to be coming in the next month or so.

Do you work because you "have" to, or because you "want" to?

I work because I have to.

But I have to work because of my own decisions. Although we are fairly financially responsible, I still have a pile of student loan debt from my undergrad. Until just recently I have been feeling rather entitled. My thoughts went along the lines of..."Since I work, I have a right to buy a new pair of black heels." or when getting starbucks or eating lunch out, "These are the luxuries I grant myself for being such a hard worker."  This line of thought has made me, what my husband jokes, "a money pit." Recently, as I have been struggling with leaving Behr and missing out on fun activities, I have been striving to make an effort to think about him before spending money.

That said, I like my work. And if I do reach the point where I have a choice to stay home, it will likely be a short term decision. I can see myself coming back to this sort of work again, later in my life.


Is it tough to balance working full-time and a family?

This is incredibly difficult for me. Especially because most of the moms at our church and in our community stay at home. I am still working through my own thoughts on this one, and will be writting about it more soon.

How do you balance working full time and serving your family?

Things don't always go smoothly, and I have to be okay with that. I hae learned to turn more invitations down and to volunteer for less. Everyone goes through different seasons of life, and currently I am in a season that is stretched pretty thin.

For a while we had our groceries delivered. I didn't have the bandwidth to make it to the grocery store. Now I go super late at night during the week, the store is less crowded and I get in and out faster.

I only cook 2-3 times a week, the rest of the nights are some form of leftovers from these meals.

I have embraced clutter.

I avoid clothes that need to be dry cleaned. I am loving Boden and Ann Taylor Loft for their high quality items that look dry clean only, but actually go through the laundry surprisingly well.

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Stay tuned, the second half of the questions will be answered next week.

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Don't forget to enter the giveaway for a copy of our favorite book!

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We hope you all have a lovely memorial day weekend.

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Ask Questions

There is a recent movement on the internet about the things bloggers are AFRAID to tell you. See here, here, here, and here. I've been thinking about this ever since I first saw Jess' original post. In the end, I am not sure it applies on The Scribble Pad. I do my best to keep it real. I don't hide much. In fact, the only things I am afraid to tell you are privacy details that protect my family, Candis captures the concept well. You won't find me giving you our license plate or social security numbers any time soon.

That said, I do want to share with you. I get the occasional questions on formspring, which you may or may not see. So I am working up a post to share those with you. In the mean time, feel free to ask more questions over there or right here in the comment section. I've enabled anonymous comments and moderation, so none of the questions will show below, but I will still get them. This is my first jump at a q & a, so indulge me a bit.

these text images were created by me, 

but intended to play off the image found on creature comforts.