An introvert I am not

I'm in the Bahamas with DC and his family. This is my first Christmas away from my parents and sisters which I thought would make me sad but seeing as it's 80 degrees outside and I haven't seen a single holiday decoration to remind me, I'm doing just fine.

In a conversation I had with my sister-in-law's husband I found myself having to defend my personality a little bit. For some reason, they all think I'm an introvert. Ha! Isn't that hilarious? An introvert I am not. I just don't feel it's appropriate to be the center of attention all the time. Also, I can't reveal too much of hilarious personality with people who may not completely understand my humor.

In an effort to prove that I'm not introvert, while at a restaurant last night I went up to the band and took the mic from the lead singer and started to sing "Isn't She Lovely" by my boy Stevie Wonder. I definitely made an ass of myself but I got the point across.

I can't decide what I was more upset about, being called an introvert or feeling that despite a few years of knowing each other, they didn't really know me yet. I'm a very transparent person - confident - comfortable - why do they think I'm an introvert? Anyway - I'll let you know if I do anything stupid tonight to further prove my point.

How will I find the time?!

I often ask myself this question a lot about a number of different things. A few examples:

1. Workout more than twice a week

2. Cook dinner more than twice a week

3. BLOG more than once a week

4. Catch up and visit with friends


Part of me blames the stresses and nuances of everyday life and the other part me says I need to do a better job with time management. I already multi-task relatively well so I'm on a mission to find my daily time-sucking activities and modify accordingly. (I already know I read too much perezhilton and beauty blogs but the latter is for work :))


My usual go to for life advice (Real Simple) doesn't have much to offer which worries me because I'm wondering if it's even possible to find ways to add in a few hours a day. Some of their ideas included putting the kids to work -

I do make it a point to read every night and actually I read a million and one blogs/news sites so at least I'm getting that in but I just wish I could do a little more. I think I'll just have to quit my job and just start doing a better job at life in general.....I can dream can't I?

Family Holidays: Awesome or Awful?

The Holiday season is definitely upon us. Last week I spent eight days with my husband, sisters, parents, nieces and brother-in-law. Usually with a group this large there is bound to be tears and fights and a few unintended words exchanged but for the first time in our family's recent history, there were very few arguments and disagreements. How did we make it through you ask? Well, there were many factors working with us, here are a few:

1. Make one person in charge of planning. All you need is one cook in the kitchen.

2. Cruises are the bomb. With a group of ten, it's extremely easy to plan for meals, play time, nap time, snack time, etc. Renting a house can be fun but without the wonderful amenities like housekeeping, a chef and predetermined activities you might be adding more stress than is absolutely necessary.

3. Avoid controversial topics. Try not to discuss hot-button topics like why sister #3 is single or why sister #2 often makes an ass of herself after only 2 glasses of wine.

My peeps at Real Simple do a great job of spelling out a few ways to keep the peace. See my interpretation in italics :)

1. “Thank you for your opinion. I’ll think about it.” Instead of "Are you kidding me, that's a terrible idea"

2. “Is this a good time for you?” Instead of "You never make time for me and my needs"

3. “Would you like my thoughts?” Instead of "I think my insight would be extremely valuable since you obviously have none"

4. “Why don’t we get the facts?” Instead of "Obviously, you don't know what the hell you are talking about"

5. “I need your help. Can you please…?” Instead of "Get off your fat ass and help me"

6. “Let’s wait on this until we have more information.” Instead of "Again, you have no idea what you're talking about"

7. “I don’t like that, so why don’t we do this instead?” Instead of "Seriously, I'm right, you're wrong and I am always right"

8. “I’m sorry you’re upset.” Instead of "I told you so. You should have listened to me."

9. “Let me get back to you.” Instead of "I don't have time for this bull sh*t. I'll call you when I have more than 2 hours of free time."