Things I Keep to Myself

This is amazing. I’m a 3rd grade teacher (and mom of a Kinder) and it would make my YEAR if one of my boys said this to me.

Sometimes when I walk out of my kids’ school, I hold my phone to my ear so no one will greet me to chat. Sometime I even talk (‘yes, uh-huh”), but no one is on the line.

Haha! I totally listened to parenting podcasts too before I was a parent (and kept it a secret). Now that I am a parent, I think all that listening paid off. :)

I’m American/Cuban but you would never know because i’m super pale and have somewhat light features. It’s funny being around strangers who speak Spanish and assume no one else can understand them. Once I was in a thrift shop holding a pair of boots and waiting in line to pay. A woman behind me turned to her friend and said in Spanish, “omg those boots are hideous!” It was a funny moment! I still bought the boots.

No one knows that I cry at LEAST once a day… Stupid pop songs, news stories, the book I’m reading, a story someone told me in passing- they all set me off with happy and/or sad tears. I feel equal parts embarrassed and proud of this. Hey, I just have a lot of feelings!

I like to let the sweat drip off my face when I run; it feels like a small victory.
I’ve had about 4 periods total in my life and can’t figure out what’s wrong.
Sometimes I drive slow so I can finish listening to the segment on NPR before I arrive home.
I always worry that my breath smells (I eat a lot of garlic).

I greet my house and my plants when I walk in the door.
I’m suffering from shingles right now.
When I’m in your home, I immediately think about how I would decorate it differently.

My choice of accessories depends on what I’m doing. I always wear my diamond anniversary band (my engagement ring and wedding band need resizing). If I’m just around the house and not going anywhere, I’ll wear some simple earrings. When I go to work, it’s a necklace, bracelet(s), earrings, my college ring and usually my signet ring. When it’s hot, I skip the necklace. I take my jewelry, except for my anniversary band, off at night.

When I am driving, I quietly thank traffic lights when they turn green for me. If I accidently forget they will, without fail, all start turning red. Loopy, I know!

The New Yorker comment killed me. Everyone has one of those tote bags now!

I’ve been dying my hair its natural color for a year now. I have jet black hair but the grays are really starting to come in (I’m 29 and given my genes, it’s shocking it’s waited this long) and really stand out against my dark color. I don’t tell anyone and still take all of the compliments on how striking the color is ;)

I’m a volunteer at the JCC in SF and signed up to work Mari’s event there soon because I secretly love her work thanks to CoJ. I have to sneak out of work a little early to be there on time but it’s worth it! Mari has also inspired me to try my hand at drawing. No one knows this about me!

I work in an elementary school and one day as I was hiding my tampon in my shirt sleeve it fell out an rolled on the floor. One of our kiddos picked it up and handed it to me. He then told me to feel better ’cause when his mom has her period she gets a little sick of all the noise in the house and it’s “way more louder” at school! Now when I have my period I just proudly walk with my tools in hand because it is loud at school and I don’t have a lot of time to find new hiding places!

No one knows that I’ve been trying to save money so I’ve started cutting my own hair and thank god for wavy hair texture, I think I’m pulling it off.

I am shaken for days if I read an article about some sort of abuse or suffering that is going on in the world, and I find it hard to focus on anything else. I feel helpless for all the change I want to see in the world to a point where it sometimes consumes me.

Also, I find it almost impossible to go #2 anywhere besides my house. (humor, in an attempt to distract my mind from the first two sentences)

I started wearing natural deodorant and I think it’s doing it’s job, but I am afraid others think I smell too…natural.

On the way home from the hospital with my brand new first baby, I dropped my bag and a tampon rolled out. My husband was like YOU HAVEN’T CLEANED OUT YOUR BAG IN NINE MONTHS?

hahahahaha! as always, right on cue, Mari! you are SO REAL! LOVE IT! (i always used to hide tampons in my sock!) LOL!!!

I once hid a tampon in my sleeve where it fell out in front of a new boyfriend and my parents. At age 20, this was completely mortifying!

Have you heard the new Nerdette interview with Audie Cornish? It’s lovely!

https://www.wbez.org/shows/nerdette/power-up-nprs-audie-cornish/2c29116f-f942-4ad8-925b-81ccc2e83779

I’m sitting at my desk reading this now with headphones on – nothing playing. I was about to play some music, but got distracted with filling out my time sheet and now this and there is no music, just headphones, and this happens frequently during the day at work.

Nailed another one, Mari!

Most people don’t know that I find dad bods super attractive!

That bangs comment resonates with me so damn much. There really are exactly two days in a trim cycle when they are perfect. WHY?!?!

I weirdly can’t think of anything that NO ONE knows about me, and it’s making me kind of sad. There are plenty of things that only one or two people know, but I can’t come up with anything that is just mine. Do I have no secrets? No inner life? There are things my husband doesn’t know about me, but my sister knows, and there are things my sister doesn’t know that my husband knows, but I guess I have a hard time keeping everything in. I’m sure there are things that I’m just not thinking of, but this is going to drive me bonkers until I figure it out! I will be sure to report back. Haha.

Could we get a round-up of awesome parenting podcasts? I would love some recommendations (in addition to what you ladies have already posted here…)!!!

I’m addicted to parenting podcasts.

I love Mom and Dad are Fighting. So smart and funny.