Yay!!! Another edition of “Owning It…Claiming Our Crazy” is finally here!! If you’re new to the blog, for this series I ask other bloggers to stop by and share some of their crazy. Today I’m sharing another real-life friend AND blogger with you. I met Olivia at our children’s preschool. Olivia is a wife, mother to two boys, blogger, and designer. She’s super sweet. Her husband is a basketball official, so I feel like we’re kindred spirits. 🙂 You guys will absolutely love her and you’re definitely going to enjoy her “crazy”. Here she is…
I’m Olivia, blogger at Snyders Tell All and designer of Joyful Art Designs. I love this series and when Erika asked me to be a part of it, my first thought was, “I don’t really think I’m that crazy. I hope I can come up with at least a few things.” So naive! Fast forward a couple of months later and I’m laughing at how “normal” I thought I was. Erika must have seen some crazy in me. Needless to say, this post will probably make you feel really good about yourself.
1. I talk in a British accent when my kids cry or throw a fit. Surprisingly, this helps me stay somewhat calm when I want to cry myself! I started this with my first son when he was a baby and would cry at night. Not only did it keep me from getting really angry (well sometimes), it surprises the child and quiets them.
I think this is hysterical and wish someone would have taught me this trick before I had a baby.
2. Elevators scare me…a big heavy box in mid-air? No thank you. When I have to get on one, I think about how I would survive a fall and locate the emergency brake as soon as I get in there.
3. I’m always sleep deprived and have now developed a “crazy” eye because of it. The fewer hours of sleep I get, the crazier my eye gets. It constantly runs water and I’m dabbing my eye with a Kleenex all day. It will develop a red, swollen sore on the outer corner from dabbing all day. One time it looked like someone punched me in the face. I even get stopped and asked if I’m okay (it looks like I’m crying). I know I need more sleep, but I feel like I’m wasting time when I stop working at night and go to sleep. It’s a problem. I’ve been trying to become a morning person for almost 3 years. I’ve failed each year. This is how I feel every morning (excuse the language).
Just for the record, I have NEVER noticed her crazy eye. But I’ll be looking for that today at drop-off. Totally kidding!!! 🙂
4. I’m so scared of bugs, but that’s not the crazy part. When I see one in my house, I’ll try and cover it up with a cup or something to contain it until someone comes over to kill it for me…or to build up enough courage (and a plan) to kill it myself. During the summer in Texas, hundreds of crickets will swarm around lights at baseball fields and in the parking lots at the grocery store. Holy cow, if a cricket flies near me or lands on me, I will FLIP OUT. I’m talking run and scream, hitting myself trying to get it off. It’s totally embarrassing! I hope I’m not the only one who reacts this way! Anyone?
Hahahaha! I would react that way if it was a mouse. #theymakemystomachhurt But…I can handle bugs. Call me the next time you need some assistance. Seriously!
5. I wash the dishes with soap before I put them in the dishwasher. I don’t really think this is a big deal until I tell people and they look at me like I’m crazy. Here’s my thinking: The dishwasher (regardless of it’s name), SANITIZES the dishes, I clean them off. I stand by my thinking whenever I unload the dishwasher and my husband has loaded it (he simply runs it under water) and I have to re-wash it because there is food on it. I’m a clean freak if you haven’t gathered that. 🙂
6. When it’s freezing cold outside, I won’t get back in my car while pumping gas because of the possibility of starting a fire. I hate the cold so it kills me to stand outside and wait for the tank to fill up, but it really can happen (read here). Even if I look like this while I’m waiting…
This one stressed me out and made me do my research!! Olivia, I’m going to start taking selfies of me outside my car in the cold and send them to you!!! hahahaha! Because of course, now I’ll be waiting outside!
7. I’m overly paranoid (I blame Criminal Minds…that show will jack you up). One night I was driving down our alley to get back home and there was a trash bin on it’s side in the middle of the alley. My first thought when seeing this was…”Someone put that bin there so I had to get out of my car to move it so they could either steal my car or take me.” So I reversed my car and went through the alley from the other entrance.
8. I keep scissors in my car in case we get in an accident (or fall in water) and my kids’ seat belts won’t unbuckle (or mine). When Erika asked me to do this, I started a Notes page on my phone to jot down ideas. I had the “scissors idea” in my Notes and then read Narci’s post (Erika’s last Owning It blogger) where she mentioned something similar (I laughed so hard)…so happy I’m not alone. I was more worried about the seat belts until she mentioned the windows (now I worry about both). Unknowingly, my brother-in-law got me this amazing product for Christmas this year. It breaks your windows and cuts seat belts (I’m not sure how well it cuts belts, so I still keep my scissors there too). And did you know you should keep it in the middle console (vs. glove box) in case the air bags deploy? Plus it’s easier to get to from your seat. Sorry, that turned into a little PSA.
Olivia, I feel so unprepared!!
9. My hair is out of control…like I put my finger in a wall socket! You know how stylists will say you need to embrace the hair you have…”your natural hair looks best on you.” Well, not for people like me! Some people should not embrace the “natural look.” Even if I go natural (curly), I still have to really work at it and tame the frizz. This is before and after the intervention of a blow dryer and a straightening iron (I had even brushed my hair in the before picture)…
10. I started a cleaning club when I was little. #nerdalert I’m not really sure I should elaborate on that. Anyone else remember clubs?
11. Sometimes I eat a taco in the car when my kids are asleep because it assures me that I’ll get to 1). eat dinner, 2). eat dinner sitting down, 3). not have to share my dinner. I know some moms can relate to this one.
It sounds like we need to have a date at Taco Bell, Taco Cabana, or Taco Bueno. 🙂
12. I eat like a man and have taste buds of a 13 year old (hence the taco above). I love food, especially pizza. When I hear people say they had a slice of pizza, I’m thinking, “you mean before your dinner?” I could eat fast food every day if it wasn’t so bad for you (and the fact that it costs money). Luckily I was involved in sports which allowed me to consume a lot of food and not gain weight, but that time has come to an end. Not gonna lie…50% of the reason I continue to breast feed (I exclusively pump so it’s a pain) is so that I don’t have to burn some of those calories at the gym (sad I know). I’m continually trying to eat like a lady…you know, ordering a salad and all. I AM getting better. And just to be clear, I’m not knocking those who eat salads and one slice of pizza. Shoot, I envy their will power.
13. And if I haven’t lost you by now, I saved the best worst for last. I left my baby in a stroller in the hallway of my son’s pre-school. Probably the most embarrassing moment for me as a mom and the biggest mom fail! To my defense (if I have any), I had just had baby #2 (extremely sleep deprived) and this was only my second time to drop my oldest off at his preschool class (I was so used to just dropping him off with no baby from the previous year). The doorway was crazy busy, so I placed the stroller on the left side of the hallway (where all the other strollers with babies were) and dropped my son off in his room on the right side. I signed my name and started walking down the hallway…turned the corner to go into the main entrance and was about to get to the exit doors when I felt like I was forgetting “something.” I stopped dead in my tracks and realized is was my baby. My baby! I quickly turned around and dashed back to get him, all while rubbing my watery eyes (remember my crazy eyes from above?) and being asked if I was okay. I had to tell the teacher who was checking badges that I had to go back down the hallway because I left my baby in the stroller. I’m pretty sure I mumbled the part about it being my baby under my breath because she said “It happens all the time” and smiled. I didn’t even look up at her when I had to walk back past her with my STROLLER as I’m sure she was mortified for me. He was asleep the whole time..thank goodness he wasn’t crying. Whew…can’t believe I just shared that, but I told y’all you would probably feel better about yourself after reading this.
LOL!!! I could not stop laughing at this one. Things like this happen to us all!
Thanks for having me, Erika. Please still be my friend!
Olivia, thank you SO much for Owning It!!! And…thank you for sharing your crazy. You were fabulous! Maybe now we can skip the ab workout today? hahaha! To check out more about Olivia and her family see her blog HERE.
If you’ve missed any of the other Owning It posts…
you can read Narci’s HERE.
you can read Fancy Ashley’s HERE.
