Time for some FUN!

Anna, who blogs over at Homeschool Guru nominated me for an award – Thank you, Anna!  If you haven’t checked out Anna’s site, I promise you’ll like her stuff.  Anna has a lot of energy and humor that comes through in her posts, making her posts very enjoyable to read.  Check her out! Now, onto the questions:

1.Do you have a book out or in the pipeline?

Me? No.  But Anna, yes!  Anna is writing the book ‘Homeschooling for Rookies’ which is set to be out later this year.  Anna was also kind enough to ask me to contribute a chapter to her book, which I graciously accepted.  I am also thankful Anna and her publisher continued to take me seriously as they may know me as “dec and cate sonic plush love” at this point. 😊

2. How long have you been blogging, and what is your favorite subject to write about?

The people at WordPress sent me a message the other day to let me know I have been blogging for four years.  Four years!  I set out to write about autism in our family.  I will also write about my running, reading or my thoughts on world events.

3. If you could move to a different town, state or country… where would you be?

Bob and I just had this talk when we started talking about retirement.  Coastal Maine. A place neither of us has ever been to but for some reason see it in our future.  This future move has devastated Declan, who has already decided he will spend the rest of his life with us.  Declan (currently) has no intention to go to college (He can’t seem to fathom why anyone would WILLINGLY go to school for another four years?!?!). So, wherever we go, he goes.  Leaving his childhood home – the thought alone – has brought many tears.  I guess it is good we gave him a lot of time to prepare.

4. What is your favorite quality about yourself?

In the middle of a crisis, I am the calmest person in the room who can still think rationally.  Now, granted, I have never seen my kids in a serious accident (not a sports accident, I mean serious accident), so I have never faced the ultimate test.  But to date, calm is my superpower.  I’m the guy you want with you when you need a functioning brain in a nonfunctioning scenario.

5. Are you an Introvert or an Extrovert or even both?

In-tro-vert! In-tro-vert!  I am a socially anxious mess that gets red blotches everywhere when I am around two or more people. I have found I prefer the comfort and quiet of my own home to any social situation.

6. What is THE JOB of your dreams?

Well, there’s the million dollar question.  I am forty whatever and still trying to figure that one out.

7. Other than blogging/writing, what is the one favorite thing you LOVE to do?

I look to Forrest Gump for this response: “I was run-ning….”

8. Where is one of the first places you plan on going after quarantine is over?

Maybe a running trail?  But right now, I am fine without it.  Gotta say I kind of like quarantine.

9. Speaking of Covid-19, is there anything that you learned about yourself or will be changing about yourself when ‘life moves on?’

I’ll be changing my diet back, that’s for sure.  I think, as a family, we have already decided we will be sure to institute at least one family meal around the table per week.  I am going to miss those.

10. Is there anything as far as food that you will absolutely NOT eat?

Unfortunately, I have human garbage disposal tendencies.  But after watching my share of YouTube, any kind of bug or spider will never find it’s way to my plate. 

11. Do you own a website for your writing?

Yes – Autism In Our Nest

..and now for the ‘Facts About Myself’ bit.

Whenever a family member falls or trips, I seem to always ask about the mess or newly broken item before I ask, “Are you okay?”  My faux pas has been pointed out to me, and I’m working on it.

I don’t sit well.  I prefer to be moving around and doing things.  Sitting for a movie in the theater makes my legs ache, and there is no way I could sit and binge-watch anything.

I’m a neat freak, which works with my “always moving, always doing” way of life.

I’ve never had a manicure or a pedicure.

The same idea, if I need a haircut, I ask Catelyn to do it.

I gave up sugar almost nine full years ago.  It wasn’t that hard for me.  I like cake as much as I like a James Taylor song.  Which is to say, I don’t care for either.

I hate syrup.  When I was a teenage babysitter I learned that once an ounce of syrup touched me I was destined to smell that awful smell the rest of the day even after I left my babysitting job.  I hate syrup so much I never told my kids it existed.  It wasn’t until Catelyn was about three years old and had breakfast with the grandparents that this awful liquid came back into my life.  That was five glorious “syrup free” parenting years.

I also never told my kids about the ice cream truck.  It was again, three year old Catelyn, who figured out that the van that played music with a giant ice cream on top had many goodies inside of it.  I still love to tease Bobby about this.  He can be clueless at times.

This was a lot of fun and if anyone feels up to it, consider that my nomination for you!  Hope you have as much fun with it as I did!