Reader of the Month

I first got to know this month’s Reader of the Month because for some reason every single one of her comments on my blog gets filtered to my spam folder.  I have no idea why.  And she comments A LOT.  So every day I cruise through my spam folder and save Megan’s comments from the pits of pornography and diet pill advertisements.  She just doesn’t belong in there.

Then, Megan got on Twitter and I started to get to know her a little better through her Tweets.  And it was through her tweeting that I found her sweet blog, Red Dirt and Crazy.  The first thing that I noticed was that Megan had been through a moving funk very similar to mine when she and her family moved and I loved how determined she was to pull herself out of it with her 52 Week Happiness Project.  And the next thing I noticed was her adorable daughter that she calls Q-Tip.

I hope you’ll have fun getting to know Megan and her family, just like I have…

Blog:  Red Dirt and Crazy

Twitter:  RedDirtandCrazy

What is your name?

My name is Megan Elizabeth.  Most of my friends and family call me Meg.
Who lives in your house? (Names and ages, please!)

Me – I’m 25 + 5 (I don’t say the 3-0 word yet in regards to me. It sounds so grown up and responsible and I try not to be as often as possible.)

Farm Boy – He’s 30 (apparently he’s at peace with grown up and responsible)

Q-Tip – 21 months.  Yes the month thing.  Weird I know.  Do you say 1?  Cause she seems so much older than she did when she was 1.  But she’s not 2so I can’t say she’s 2 making her older than she is.  I’m tired of the month thing and people look at me funny like they are doing math in their head when I say21 months. But what do you say?

Dolly €“ She is 4, she is a dog.  We have to remind her of that often.
How long have you been married?

Farm Boy and I have been married for 5 years.  We just celebrated our anniversary on June 25^th.  There are moments when I am absolutely stunned that it has been that long.  The time has flown.  But on the other handit seems like there was nothing before I knew him.
How did your husband propose?

Being the Farmer Boy that he ishe took me out into an alfalfa field on a cold and rainy day in November.  He was home visiting from North Carolina.  I missed him so badly that I would have gone to hell with him to stay by his side while he was home so a muddy alfalfa field was nothing.  He said he just wanted to check out the fieldnothing unusual for him.  Once we got out there he sort of hem hawed around a littleand then saidMegan, I need to ask you a questionwill you marry me?  He pulled a little tiny gold (I wear silver) ring out of his pocket.  It had two small red stones and one small blue one in a straight line.  It sort of resembled something that would come out of a cracker jack box.  But heyI would have worn a band-aid at that point.  We had been apart for 6 months at the time.  He kept asking if I liked itof course I was cryingI kept saying yes, yes, yes.  He said greatso I can take this one back then?  And then he pulled the real thing out which was much more my style.  And then the flood gates really opened.  It was amazing, very surprising andso us.
What is your favorite part about being married to your husband?

I could go on and on and on with this subject.  But if I have to pick oneit is probably knowing that no matter what, he is here for me and wants to be with me.  No matter how scary I look in the morning or how much bigger my hiney ishe loves me unconditionally.  We are a team in everything that we do and there is nothing in the world like being able to depend on someone like that.

What is the hardest part about being married?

I would have to say the hardest part of being married to me is the responsibility of it.  Sometimes the pressure of having a marriage, a child, and a home to take care of is insurmountable for me.  Every now and then I have to step back and sayI am not alonewe’re a team and we can do this together.  It’s tough sometimes though.

What do you think is the “key” to your success in marriage?

I think there are three keys to the success in our marriage.  Well there are probably several but I think the three most important things to us is our faith, steady communication and lost of.hmmm mmm€action€ in the bedroom.

It’s sometimes hard for me to feel like my former non-mom, more sexy self but I try to remind myself of his unconditional love and get over my insecurities.  I feel it gives us a connection we can’t get any other way.

We also realize that neither of us can read the other’s mind.  As much as I would like for him to sometimesit ain’t gonna happen and I know this.  I have to tell him how I feel and what I need.  By not telling him and trying to make him guess I am doing nothing but setting him up for failure and vice versa.  Although it’s not always easywe talk everything out.  We know have to.
Did having children change your marriage?  If yes, then how?

Yes it did.  In many ways it made us a stronger team.  But it also made things a little more challenging for us.  We never really had to work much at our relationship until we had Q-Tip.  It came very natural for us.  But after we each had more responsibility and less time with just the two of us.  And having some issues with PPD and quite a lot of anxiety didn’t help matters.  But, we work through it because she has made us threeand we feel forever blessed that we have her.
When did you start your blog?

I started my blog, Red Dirt & Crazy, in January of this year.  It seems like it was a long time ago in a far away land.
How often do you blog and how do you make time for it?

My goal is to blog Monday through Friday.  I take off on the weekends so that it doesn’t interfere with family time.  I wish I could be better and write posts during the week for Saturday and Sunday but I tend to do better when I write spur of the moment.  For some reason I have more of a block if I try to plan ahead.

My blogging time is during Q-Tip’s nap time in the afternoon.  I’m not sure what in the world I’m going to do when she quits napping.  I pray to the good Lord she continues on until Kindergarten!  Because most generally if I don’t get to blog during naptimeI don’t get to blog at all.  And if I don’t get to blogI start twitching nervously.
Why do you blog?

InitiallyI started blogging as a way to hold myself accountable to my friends.  I was deep in the throws of a Moving Funk and I knew I had to get out of it.  I wasn’t sure how I was going to be able to when all my friends were so far away from me.  And I have learned that asking Farm Boy to hold me accountable for some things doesn’t work out so well.  I thought if I started blogging about what I was doing to get myself out of it I would be more motivated to do it.  The more I thought about blogging though my motives started changing.  I started feeling like I could use it to channel my creativity as well.  And then I started thinking that maybe I could help other people that were in some kind of funk.  Help them by making them laugh.  Help them by letting them know they weren’t the only one in a funk.  Help them to know by reminding myself that perfection in motherhood, in marriage, and life in general isn’t possible.  This really is a loaded question for me.  I could probably go on and on with reason after reason.  It’s simply amazing though how putting feelings or situations you’re in into words can help ease your mind.  It’s been very liberating for me and I hope it has helped someone else along the way.
What are your top three favorite blogs?

Now KatieI’m gonna have to get a little unruly on ya for this one.  There is no way on this green earth I can pick just 3.  I hope you don’t fail me on my questionnaire but it is what it is.  And it’s probably a good thing that my computer time is limited or there would be no way I could narrow it down to the 8 that I did!  And honestlyI’m scared to death that narrowing down to the 8 that I did is going to hurt someone’s feelings.  Butfor time purposes and because I’m already breaking rules and praying not to get an FI’ll spare you the 20 or so that I think are great!

So here we goin no certain order

Confessions of a Young Married Coupleof course!

The Pioneer Woman – www.thepioneerwoman.com

I’m Gonna Kill Him – http://imgonnakillhim.com/

Best of Fates – http://bestoffates.com/

Big Mama – http://thebigmamablog.com/

Redneck Mommy – http://www.theredneckmommy.com/

Mama’s Losin It – http://www.mamakatslosinit.com/

Mommy Wants Vodka – http://www.mommywantsvodka.com/
What’s in your purse right now?

I have a purse that I rarely use.  It’s too much for me to carry a diaper bag and a purse.  I have a flap on the front of the diaper bag thoughit’s my little pocket of stuff I probably don’t need.  But I like to be prepared see.  Prepared for such things as dry lips and germy hands.  Soin my effort to be prepared the contents of my pocket are as follows

1 coin purse

1 tube of Burt’s Bees chapstick

1 package of Orbit gum

1 roll of dental floss €“ dental hygiene is of the utmost importance

1 Washington DC pop out map

2 pair of sunglasses for Q-Tip €“ I have no idea how 2 pair ended up in there

1 ink pen

2 double A batteries €“ for the camera I always forget

2 outdated coupons for Victoria’s Secret

1 old grocery list

1 small bottle of germ x

1 small bottle of lotion €“ to battle the dry skin from the repeated use of the germ x

3 crayons

1 pony tail holder

1 bobby pin

1 toothpick holder

Ohand a couple of unmentionable girly things.