WAHOO!! We’re trucking along and it’s already THURSDAY! We’re still knee deep in potty training-I’m 99% sure you totally forget all the horrific things about potty training right after it’s over. Kind of like child birth? Because I don’t remember this stage with any of my older kids when it comes to potty training and I know one day they didn’t wake up and have no more accidents?! Do you guys remember?
I shared a little about everyone in my family yesterday in my Let’s Look post. I touched on a couple things about myself but thought today I’d share a few things you probably don’t know. This internet space is so fun but can be a little quirky too because often times I’m only sharing the good and put together sides of myself. Today, I thought I’d share some of the quirky, irritating and self-deprecating things that make me-ME!
If you’ve missed any of these Erika posts in the past, feel free to catch up…
*Until I was in my late 20’s, I recorded Young and the Restless daily. I’m gonna say that again. DAILY! I remember coming home from teaching all day and needing something to VEG out to for a bit to decompress. Young and the Restless to the rescue! The Newman family did not let me down.
*I can’t French braid to save my life! I have two girls and really wish I had this skill set. No matter how many You Tube tutorials I watch I cannot get a French braid to look good. It’s like I need one more hand or at least several extra fingers to make it work. Or…you know those playing card holders that help young kiddos hold all their cards? I need something similar to that but for hair. Is that a thing?
*I’m naturally a messy person. Keeping my house tidy and all picked up doesn’t come naturally to me. You know those articles you see on social media that say “5 Things People with Really Clean Homes Do”? I always read them and always think-yep, I don’t do that! However, I try really hard to keep everything clean and tidy because I don’t want my kids to pick up this habit and with six people in your house if you “let things go” for long, well it takes a LONG time to return to tidy.
*When my kiddos were little and Tab was out of town, I used to reward myself with some kind of delicious dessert when the kids went to bed. Like “Way to go, Erika…the kids are asleep now enjoy your brownie” kind of treats. Pair it with a reality show and I basically gave myself an Oscar at the end of the night.
*EVERY SINGLE DAY my eighth grade year of school I had my mom hot roll my hair. Any guesses why I had such crazy dry hair in high school? Every Single Day…whether I wore it in a ponytail or down.
*The mere thought of public speaking makes me want to break out in hives. To be honest, I can’t even think of anything worse than public speaking. MAYBE cleaning vomit out of car seats? And that’s a big MAYBE. I remember putting off speech class in college until they finally changed the requirements and my early childhood education degree did NOT require that class anymore.
*Hives-let’s discuss that for a minute. I was at the end of my student teaching assignment and I showed up to the first grade classroom where I’d been working half of the semester. The teacher was SO excited and said that she’d gotten me an interview at a nearby school for THAT DAY. And I’m gonna tell you again-she was SO pumped. My interview skills are probably still lacking but at the time not having any time to prepare for said interview really freaked me out. I left school, drove to the interview, and broke out in hives. Like MAJOR HIVES. And since I didn’t KNOW I was even having an interview when I got dressed that day I was not wearing a turtleneck! Needless to say, I did NOT get the job. And I can’t blame them.
*Growing up my mom had ONE breakfast rule…you had to have milk with breakfast. Let me add my mom is amazing and was/is a fabulous mom and yes, we laugh about this now but that was our one breakfast rule. Oreos and milk? Yes! Little Debbie with milk? Yes! Nutter Butters and milk? Yes! Sometimes when I worry about what my own kids are having for breakfast or lunch but then I think about my own breakfasts and don’t worry so much.
*When I sit down at my office desk to really knock out a lot of work, I’ve realized after several years that I do my very best work if I have…my space heater on, my diffuser going{lavender, lemon, and thieves is my favorite combo}, a water {and often times a coffee too}, my office doors closed, and a blanket in my lap. Tab calls this high maintenance and I call it just knowing my ideal work environment.
*I’ve told you before I’m awful at laundry but I deal with it and handle it because we need clean clothes. BUT…one thing I let slide are matching socks. Very rarely are the Slaughter Six every wearing socks that match. If we are, then know we’re having a GREAT day! 🙂
I think that wraps it up for today! Hope you learned something new about me…now I’d LOVE to hear something about YOU that I don’t know! Please SHARE!
XO
*I’ve told you before I’m awful at laundry but I deal with it and handle it because we need clean clothes. BUT…one thing I let slide are matching socks. Very rarely are the Slaughter Six every wearing socks that match. If we are, then know we’re having a GREAT day! 🙂
I think that wraps it up for today! Hope you learned something new about me…now I’d LOVE to hear something about YOU that I don’t know! Please SHARE!
XO
I record General Hospital every day…its my chance to decompress after crazy work days
I am also a recorded of GH. Forever love it! I'm naturally messy and cannot braid to save my life.
I think The Real Housewives have taken the place for soaps. Instead of watching the pretend drama play out, we get to watch real life drama play out. Right? I used to watch Victor Newman and fam too, now I watch Andy Cohen and fam. Hahaha!
Oh my gosh, we could totally be friends Erika!!!! I record Days of Our Lives everyday & have since jr high; I can't french braid to save my life; I am NOT a neat & tidy person altho I REALLY wish I was and I am awful at keeping up with laundry. See, we would make great friends if we lived closer 🙂 HAHAHA!!!!!
AMY! I record GH everyday too! It's soooooooooooooooo good right now! And Erika, I laughed out loud at "MAYBE cleaning vomit out of car seats". SO FUNNY!
I loved reading these. Girl, you know I feel the same about public speaking. Haha!
My husband only buys two kinds of socks. White ones and black ones that are the same brand. After laundry, he stacks them by color and doesn’t spend time matching them.
Ohhhh I can't wait to try lavender with lemon and on guard (doterra version of thieves!) I would have never mixed those so I'm so glad you mentioned that. I also break out in a rash on my neck and chest area when i get really nervous – it's awful. I'm almost 37, happily married and still obsessed with the Bachelor/Bachelorette. Why? I have no idea – it's just all so intriguing to me. HAHA!
https://www.walmart.com/ip/French-Plait-Hair-Braiding-Tool-Make-Professional-Looking-French-Braid-In-Notime/875225076?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=11998&adid=22222222228247674082&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=m&wl3=290801198349&wl4=pla-496631921715&wl5=9014686&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=117027596&wl11=online&wl12=875225076&wl13=&veh=sem&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIt9Po_oTw4AIVtRx9Ch1c4grxEAQYAyABEgJUBvD_BwE
Love learning things about you! I’ve read your blog for So long but I don’t know that I’ve ever commented. And I taught myself to French Braid with this little tool and a mannequin head like the cosmetology students use! You can buy one cheap on Amazon and then the girls can play with it when you’re done! I can do braids super quick now! I actually do hair for our color guard and marching band now because my daughter signed me up. It takes practice and it helped me to have a stationary head to practice on. Hope you have a great day!!! I’m off to my 5th graders now.
Love reading these things about people! Y&R – gotta love Genoa City! Some fun facts about me: I failed my eye test to get my driver's license at 16. I said all letters & the BMV lady was like, "Ummmm those are NUMBERS." haha OOPS! No license for me and contacts/glasses the next day! Sundays after church are family nap days – we eat lunch & all take a long nap. It is GLORIOUS! I taught Kdg for 9 years before resigning to stay home with Dane and my first Kdg class walked down the aisle at my wedding! They are in college now! #oldlove. When Devin asked me to marry him I had one condition: I had to see the beach every year. 13 years later – he's kept up with the deal! 🙂
I also break out in hives on my neck and chest when I get nervous!! I used to get nervous around my boss a lot and he always got so offended that I was nervous! It doesn't happen so much any more though. I would rather have 20 pap smears in a row with 20 different doctors than to speak in public!!
This just made me love you even more.
Oh my gosh, I still sometimes catch episodes of Y and R and it cracks me up that they all still look the same. Hahaha! I used to watch it everyday at lunch when I was in college.
Erika I have to share – I worked at home for 10 years and now I'm in my office continually as a 48-year-old college student. I MUST have a cup of tea, a blanket nearby that often is in my lap, a sweatshirt by my side in case I get chilly and my diffuser running. If I really want to hit things hard, these things are a must! 🙂
Could not believe when I read about your mom hot rolling your hair because mine did this too!! I had basketball practice in the morning in junior high, and I would wake up extra early so my mom could hot roll my hair before practice LOL.
This is a fun post! My mom couldn't french braid either, I taught myself on myself during middle school. When I had a daughter of my own, I had reteach myself on her hair because I was used to doing my own, it was an adjustment to see what I was doing. Sounds crazy, I know!
At the end of the day, we are all just doing our best. My house is usually clean but we have a clutter problem. Let's not speak of our garage and attic, both are disasters but the house is clean. It reminds me of that Friends episode where they discover Monica's super messy closet, that closet is our garage and attic! 🙂
I had my second baby in July and my mom got me addicted to General Hospital. It is SOOO good right now. My husband laughs at my routine. Kid in bed, lunches made, GH ON!!!!
I want to French braid SO bad; like maybe more than anything right now. My girl has the most beautiful hair and I know it would look so cute. But I legitimately have nothing. I get so stressed trying that I sweat.
No french braiding at my house either. I am horrible at it. My good friend and her husband record and watch Y&R every night together. LOL!! If you are ever going to be in a stressful situation that may cause you to break out in hives, take some Zantac(the heartburn med). It sounds crazy but my daughter's allergy doctor put her on it for her autoimmune disease. A side effect of the med is that it keeps hives at bay!!
Love these posts!! I recorded Y & R for years & I also lived across the street from my high school so I walked home for lunch every single day at 11:40 & caught the last 20 minutes while I ate! Public speaking.. just the term makes my stomach hurt. Had to give a speech a couple of years ago to a huge group & during the day I took SEVEN anxiety pills. Not sure how i’m still alive. 😜. Try diffusing cinnamon bark & orange together. ❤️
You are FUNNY!!! My favorite part is "I basically gave myself an Oscar at the end of the night".
hey girl- love the post! I also hate public speaking- oh my word crazy how I get so nervous!
Haha, speech class was one of my all-time favorites in college! And I'm a naturally neat person, married to a naturally neat person. My sister, who I shared a room with up until I left home, is a naturally messy person…caused a few fights over the years…haha!
I think we are spirit animals. I'm naturally messy and read all those articles and think I'm gonna change but I never do. I'm hoping I don't pass that along to my kiddos!. I hate confrontation and public speaking unless it's casually talking to a big group of people and I HATE LAUNDRY!! I'll wash and dry but hate to put it away. Hence the reason we have three laundry baskets of clean clothes in our room now. Have a great trip!!!!
I love your honesty! I struggle with being tidy, too! Hoping to tackle some projects around here when things slow down after spring break! And by projects, I mean cleaning our master closet so we can walk in it! (Insert big emoji eyes LOL!)
I used to record and watch General Hospital pre-kids. I think it must have been before reality tv was really a cool thing, b/c now there are way too many shows to chose from in that genre. So, I also don't really ever want to public speak and in college when it was time to present in whatever class it was, I had a few drinks before coming to class! Nothing excessive just something to take the edge off haha. I think I was of drinking age, but either way it worked! Not condoning this behavior just stating it 🙂
Interesting! I like reading things like this about other people.