Friend Makin' Mondays

So I'm hopping on the wagon and joining Friend Makin' Mondays, which is hosted by Amber. It is 20 questions, for the nosiness in us all. So here are the questions...

1. DO YOU COOK EVERY NIGHT?

Unfortunately, yes. I really don't like to, but if I must.

2. WHAT KIND OF LAUNDRY DETERGENT DO YOU USE & WHY?

I seriously had to go to my laundry room to find out the answer to this question..I use ALL. I don't really have a specific reason...maybe the packaging was pretty!

3. DO YOU DO LAUNDRY EVERYDAY OR LOADS AT A TIME?

I do laundry as needed. When I have enough for a load of colors, then I do them, etc.

4. HOW OFTEN DO YOU EAT OUT PER WEEK?

Well that varies, depends on what I'm out doing and if I'm out long enough. I'd say it's approximately 2x per week.

5. WHERE DO YOU USUALLY EAT OUT?

If it's fast food, then we do Taco Bell, Mcdonald's, KFC. If it's a restaurant, The Olive Garden, a really yummy mexican food restaurant called Valle Luna.

6. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE RETAIL STORE?

I guess that would be Target.

7. WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE THING TO DRINK?

That would be some tea with my sugar please. Reeeeaally sweet tea.

8. DO YOU TAKE VITAMINS? WHAT KIND?

I really don't like to take much of anything, but sometimes I take the sublingual (under the tongue) vitamin B-12 for energy metabolism....I'm tired an awful lot of the time.

9. WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE HOUSEHOLD CHORES DO YOU DO?

I'd say about 70% or so of the inside chores...and my husband does about 50% of the outside chores...I don't know who's responsible for the other 50%.

10. DO YOUR CHILDREN DO CHORES?

Umm, yep. I'm not doing it for them. They make the mess, they clean it up. They are each responsible for their own rooms. Alyssa does the dishwasher and washes what can't go into the dish washer and she does the dusting part time....we both have bad allergies, so we split this task. And she also takes the garbage out. Taylor is responsible for cleaning the sink in the kids bathroom and for keeping the table in the kitchen washed. And Jayce washes the kitchen chairs and helps put away the cans and boxed goods after grocery shopping.

11. DO YOU GO TO CHURCH?
No.

12. DO YOU HAVE A HOUSEWORK SCHEDULE?

No. I clean it as it gets dirty. The only spot in my house that has stuff piled/not taken care of, would be my computer desk usually has a small stack of papers/books/whatever piled on it, and my scrapbook desk is kinda in a disarray also. Other than that, I don't like messes, so I keep it clean as we go.

13. DO YOU KEEP A WORKING BUDGET?

No. I don't have anything that keeps track of the budget. Most of the time try to spend as little as possible. Try to always "pay ourselves first" by putting into savings. We spend a little, save a little and pay the bills on time, so it works for me.

14. WHAT DO YOU DO AT NIGHT AS A FAMILY?
I guess we don't specify night at family time. By the time my husband gets home from work, it is time for the two youngest to get to bed and the oldest stays up for 1 hour more. Each night they say their goodnights' and then they take their books to their room and read (in Jayce's case, look at the pictures) until they feel they've done that enough, and then lights out. So it's pretty much, homework, eat dinner, baths, goodnight and reading. When it's not so hot we go for walks.

15. HOW DO YOU PREPARE YOURSELF FOR A NEW WEEK?
I celebrate! While some people dread mondays..I celebrate them. That's when everyone goes back to school/work, and I get some me time. LOVE IT!

16. WHAT DO YOUR MORNINGS LOOK LIKE?
They look early to me. You see, I am NOT a morning person, so I like to be able to sleep in, atleast until 8 a.m., that would be good enough for me. But..here's the reality of it. I get up at 6:50 a.m. to get my oldest off and going. She has to leave the house at 7:20 to catch the bus. So I make sure she's done everything she needs to do. When she leaves I get the youngest two up and going to get them off to the bus at 8 a.m. Once they leave, there's always something different that I'm doing...either off to run errands, or relaxing at home and blogging, or cleaning house, or visiting shortmama, or cursing at my exercise video while working out...the list goes on.

17. WHAT TIME DO GET UP IN THE MORNING?
I get up at 6:50 on weekdays/school days. And I can only hope to sleep in until 8 a.m. on the weekends. You see, my husband is an EARLY morning person. I. Hate. It...but atleast he's nice enough to try to go back to sleep so I can sleep in.

18. WHAT TIME DO YOU GO TO BED AT NIGHT?
Anywhere between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. And then I lie there and read for a while before lights out.

19. HOW DO YOU MANAGE ALL OF THE PAPERWORK THAT FLOODS INTO YOUR HOUSEHOLD? (Bills, School Work, Magazines, Ads, etc.)
Well I have a bill holder on my computer desk to place all of the bills that seem to keep finding their way to us. School work, I look through their stuff, throw out their days work unless it's a memorable drawing, etc. and have them get started on their homework. Any school activity letters that get sent home, I mark the dates/events on my calendar and throw the papers out. I don't like clutter. Magazines I read through as soon as possible so I can get them thrown out too. Hmm, I'm starting to sound like a clean freak here...did I mention that I don't like clutter? I do have a filing system, and while it is set up pretty good, there is definately room for improvement, I'm just waiting on myself to buy a 4-drawer filing cabinet to replace the 2-drawer that isn't enough.

20. HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR HOUSEHOLD ORGANIZED? (Calendar's, Chart's, etc.)
I mainly have everything on the calendar. My computer desk has an erasable white board attached to it...that's where my honey do list is located. And I have to say that my honey do pretty good at getting it done...well, most of the time anyways. No charts or anything like that. Just a do it and get it over with mind set. Cause' ya know if I let it go for too long, then it escapes to that far away distant place in my brain that says "what are you talking about, I don't remember that".