So…what is the Monday Poll?
Excellent question! It isn’t, contrary to its name, an actual poll, like with little clicky buttons. It’s just a list of more or less random questions I’ve been posting on this blog every Monday morning for the past quadrillion years (since 2007).
1. Pen or pencil?
Pencil! I love a mechanical pencil with an eraser attached to it. Ideally with lead that’s 0.7mm 2HB. If you know, you know.
2. Your most used emojis?
Some combination of the following – 😭🤣😂!
3. Do you wear glasses?
GIRL. So many glasses. I pretty much quit wearing contacts during the pandemic, so now I have glasses for distance, reading glasses, sunglasses (prescription and non-prescription)… SO. MANY. GLASSES.
4. How easily do you fall asleep?
It depends on what’s on my mind and/or what part of my cycle I’m in. Generally, though, if I get enough exercise in that day, I can fall asleep pretty quickly.
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no?
In iced tea and fruity juices, sure, why not?
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown?
Oooh. MAC, always.
7. One of your biggest hopes?
I would love to make it to a ripe old age so that I can be around enough to help Connor get through the tough parts of her 20s and 30s. I had her later on in life (I was 40), which has pros and cons, but that’s another story for another time.
Good morning, friend! Happy Monday to you.
How are you feeling today? I hope you’re OK.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to stay grounded and present in my body lately because I’ve been feeling a little more anxious than usual, and so I’ve started doing this practice called “5, 4, 3, 2, 1” again.
I learned it years ago and find it helpful when I feel like I’m getting too much in my head. It’s a quick way to draw yourself back into the present moment and find some focus. I hope you give it a try this week.
Enjoy the rest of your Monday!
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Here are the questions to copy/paste with your answers in a comment. Talk to ya soon.
1. Pen or pencil?
2. Your most used emojis?
3. Do you wear glasses?
4. How easily do you fall asleep?
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no?
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown?
7. One of your biggest hopes?
1. Pen or pencil?
Pen. I’ve worked in labs most of my adult life and they are very strict about using “indelible ink.”
2. Your most used emojis?
I just checked and it’s a lot of smiling and laughing ones, thank goodness!
3. Do you wear glasses?
Yes – every other day I alternate between glasses and contacts.
4. How easily do you fall asleep?
Pretty easily – sometimes I like a CBD gummy to help me drift off and stay asleep.
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no?
Yes! I’m still on a cold brew kick some days.
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown?
MAC! Although I can’t believe how much MAC and most other brands have increased in price! I am definitely being more choosy with what I purchase.
7. One of your biggest hopes?
I hope my mom, the girls’ grandma, is around long enough for the girls to remember her and what a great grandma she is. She is going through cancer treatment for the second time and while the prognosis is good, you just never know. And I know it’s going to be tough on her.
I wish the best of health to your mom. I lost my father last year so I understand how much you want your kids to spend quality time with the grandparents.
Thank you, Pamela. That mean’s a lot. I am sorry for the loss of your father.
I would like to hear that story very much. The pros and cons I mean, if you ever feel like writing about it 🙂
Have a great week!
1. Pen or pencil? Pen.
2. Your most used emojis? Something laughing.
3. Do you wear glasses? Yes! I have a work pair that makes me look polished when I have to testify and a daily pair which have blue frames and are fun.
4. How easily do you fall asleep? Since menopause – not well. It generally takes me an hour to fall asleep, even if I skip caffeine.
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no? Herb ice tea, otherwise I’m OK without as long as the drink is cold.
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown? MAC!
7. One of your biggest hopes? That what I have done in my years on earth have impacted someone in a positive way.
Karen, my parents adopted me when they were 40. Mom died when I was in college but Dad lived to be 102. Even though I lost Mom too soon – I wouldn’t trade having “older” parents for anything – they really had seen a lot and used their life experience to make our childhood a wonder.
1. Pen or pencil? I ove a good gel pencil with a fairly large barrel because of the arthritis in my hands. I want something easy to grip and that glides across paper effortlessly.
2. Your most used emojis? Various smiles, laughter, hearts, and kisses.
3. Do you wear glasses? No. I did before I had cataract surgery, but that seemed to solve my vision issues.
4. How easily do you fall asleep? I fall asleep within a few minutes of turning the lights out. The problem is staying asleep. I wake up several times throughout the night.
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no? I love lots of ice.
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown? Nowadays, neither one. I do have a couple Bobby Brown things, though, so I’ll go with that one.
7. One of your biggest hopes? It’s a moving target but it always involves seeing my sons happy and settled in life. No matter how old they are, how competent, how successful, how rewarding their relationships, I always want to be there for them should they need me. BTW, I’m an older mom, too. I had my sons at 38 and 40 (I’m 80). One of my wonderful daughter-in-laws is expecting her first child and she’s 39. There’s a lot to be said for being an older, more mature person when coming a parent.
1. Pen or pencil? Pencil, I also like the 0.7mm, but they’re getting hard to find.
2. Your most used emojis? ❤️😂😍
3. Do you wear glasses? Only if I want to see! Lol! Yes, all the time, I love glasses. They’re a part of my personality I think.
4. How easily do you fall asleep? So easy. Sleep has never been an issue for me, I fall asleep in two minutes, tops.
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no? Always.
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown? I don’t use either.
7. One of your biggest hopes? My family is happy right now, everyone is doing really well, I’d like that to continue.
1. Pen or pencil? Pen
2. Your most used emojis? eye roll 🙄
3. Do you wear glasses? I have worn (and hated) glasses since I was twelve years old. I am nearsighted so I must wear them for driving but as I’ve gotten older, I need reading glasses. 🙄 (this emoji works for anything)
4. How easily do you fall asleep? Usually within…Zzzz
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no? No. I feel like I’m not getting my money’s worth when a drink comes with ice. Why dilute it? 🙄
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown? MAC!
7. One of your biggest hopes? For my kids to have fun this Holiday season.
1. Pen or pencil? Pen for writing, pencil for drawing, or anything where I might need to erase.
2. Your most used emojis?🤩😥☺ I don’t use them much – only when I’m trying to emphasize something.
3. Do you wear glasses? I’m somewhat nearsighted, so I have to wear glasses to drive, and I need glasses to read really small print at normal distance. I’ve noticed that publishers are using some *really tiny type* these days, apparently so they can cut down on the number of pages that go into each book. However, I can read a computer screen without glasses and without increasing the normal font size. I think my vision is a lot better than most in my age group.
4. How easily do you fall asleep? Not easily at all. Too many things to worry about, plus I’ve always been a bit of a night owl after the age of 12. Mark Twain once said, “none of us is quite sane in the nighttime.” I think he worried a lot and ruminated about mistakes in his past at night, from what I’ve read. I also have a problem with waking up about 1 to 2 hours after falling asleep, and then being wide awake for a long time, going over my problems and regrets. Being in a state of grief doesn’t help, either. The sad thing is, that it probably doesn’t matter whether I think about these things or not – I’ll still make ill-informed or bad decisions no matter how hard I try to prevent that.
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no? Not most of the time, if the drink is chilled enough to start with. Restaurant ice is often dirty or germy, and home refrigerator ice usually imparts a weird taste to your drink.
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown? Probably MAC, but I’ve never had much Bobbi Brown. I only buy these when I can get a good deal – their prices are crazy these days, and I don’t really need anything, anyway.
7. One of your biggest hopes? To have a nice house on some land (at least a standard backyard). So many houses today have no yard! I think that’s crazy, to buy what amounts to a very expensive rowhouse (detached, though) with no space for a garden or dog outside. I’d really prefer at least one acre so I could legally keep a horse (even a mini horse legally requires an acre, from what I’ve read). Have you noticed there have been two different investment company commercials showing women realizing their “horse dream” only in retirement? It must be a common wish among women who never got to have what so many take for granted.
1. Pen or pencil? Pencil for my calendar of events. things change. Pen for other things
2. Your most used emojis? thumbs up
3. Do you wear glasses? Yes. Gave up on contacts
4. How easily do you fall asleep? easily once I discovered warm milk and nutmeg. May not be for everyone but it puts me right to sleep
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no? NO! I don’t like cold drinks. My teeth are ery sentitive.
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown? MAC! And I learned about the brand from you, Karen. Thank you!
7. One of your biggest hopes? That I’ll begin to travel for fun.
1. Pen or pencil? Either. It depends on the task at hand.
2. Your most used emojis? I don’t use them that often.
3. Do you wear glasses? In the same boat as you. Prescription and non prescription sunglasses. Regular glasses, reading glasses.
4. How easily do you fall asleep? Not very easily. I usually have to get up and make a list of all the thoughts running through my head then try again.
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no? A little. I hate when you ask for ice and you get a huge glass of ice that waters down your drink.
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown? MAC. I’ve always preferred MAC lipsticks over BB.
7. One of your biggest hopes? That Dear Daughter will get accepted to one of her preferred schools for the Econ PhD degree she’s working to get.
Just so you know, my Mom had me when she was 42. I’m the youngest. And she drank pots of coffee and smoked cigarettes to stay thin and she lived to be 87. So I think you’ve got a pretty good chance of seeing Connor grow up and maybe even get married and have kids of her own because it sounds like you try to eat right, exercise and generally take good care of yourself. And I also say a prayer and send wishes your way that your big hope manifests itself.
1. Pen or pencil? Mostly pen. I have to use a pen at work.
2. Your most used emojis? ❤️😊😜🤪🤣
3. Do you wear glasses? Yes. I have had Lasik surgery on both eyes and PRK (ouch😬) on my left eye. And I still need glasses for driving or watching TV. I had about 12 years glasses free after Lasik…and then my astigmatism came back🤪.
4. How easily do you fall asleep? I can fall asleep okay. I like to turn on the heating pad (for my back) and watch Netflix before bed. I’m usually the last one in the house still awake.
5. Ice in your drink – yes or no? Yes…but ice is my bad habit. I chomp on ice…and my dentist said I really need to stop.
6. MAC or Bobbi Brown? MAC❤️…but I agree with the ladies above that the prices are getting way too high.
7. One of your biggest hopes? Same as you. I want to be there for my kids. I want to grow old with my husband and watch my kids grow up. I want us to have happy…healthy…long lives.