Tagged - I am "it"

Thanks to my friend Shannon, I've been tagged - which means I have to answer some of her questions on my blog. It's a little like a chain letter but without any promises for riches and none of the stamps.

8 Things I Love/Am Passionate about:

Toby
Robbie
Travel
Reading
Photography
Design
Gardening & Chickens (back yard farming)
Baking

8 Things I want to do before I die:

Get old - with style.
See Robbie a happy healthy well adjusted adult.
Go back to Europe for a very extended vacation.
Go back to Jamaica and exactly duplicate the perfect 2007 trip.
Go back to Hawaii - with my family this time. (Are you seeing a trend with the travel thing?)
Have one more child, if possible.
Become fluent in Spanish or any other language besides English.
Successfully grow a garden without the plagues of Egypt befalling it.

8 Phrases or Words I say often:

I don't have a lot of "catch phrases" but I do have a lot of nic-names for the boys in my life.

Butthead! (Toby)
Robbie-obbie (Robbie, of course)
Stinker (Robbie)
Buster Brown (Robbie)
Babe (Toby)

and a few things I seem to say over and over all day:

How do we play nice? (to Robbie)
Let's change your bum! (To Toby - no just kidding!)
Yes, Daddy was naughty (To Robbie - this requires a separate post to explain)

8 Books I have read and enjoyed:
The Time Traveler's Wife (reading this now and highly enjoying it.)
The Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan
In Defense of Food, Michael Pollan
Stones From the River (excellent!) by Ursula Hegi. I just finished this one last week and am looking forward to reading the sequel.
John Adams, David McCullough (also reading this currently)
Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer (Hey I'm a girl, what can I say?)
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides

I could actually go on and on listing books I have read and enjoyed. These are just from the last six months or so. I love to read.

8 Things I have Learned or Remembered this Past year:

Babies are cute but Toddlers are hilarious.

Simple words from a toddler can bring my adult-self to a screeching halt when I suddenly see something from his perspective. Like when Toby and I are "discussing" something intensely and he says "Mommy and Daddy - play nice!".

The Europeans have no bragging rights when it comes to hygiene. However, in spite of having less space, higher prices and huge taxes - they have figured out how to enjoy life more than we do. They spend far less on toys and far more on vacations and education. They also watch a lot less TV but spend a lot more time in cafes with friends. Meanwhile, we're all whining about our taxes and inflation and that there is nothing good on TV.

Squash bugs are the devil!

Chickens are hypnotic to watch.

Chickens won't eat squash bugs (drat!)

It is difficult, but oh-so-important not to project my tastes/fears/judgments/expectations onto Robbie about things that aren't dangerous, illegal or immoral. I may hate something that he turns out to love. If I had not kept my mouth shut he might never have discovered a passion for dirt, bugs and broccoli. I will just have to keep telling myself this when he's 14 and wants to dye his hair black and wear Geisha makeup. He'll have plenty of time to adopt his own fears, prejudices and anxieties without carrying mine along too.

8 People I want to tag.
I don't even know 8 people. In case all the books I've read haven't clued you in - I'm no social butterfly. So I'll tag the few friends (besides Shannon) I know with blogs: Marisa, Kim, Sharon and Amber