I found this meme really tough but I have been tagged by four people for it now so I will persevere! I am sure you are not supposed to be filled with dread when completing a meme, I can just hear Nickie and Paula telling me to leave it and not bother and Rosie and Anna would probably care that they have caused me angst by tagging me but maybe it is a good thing (a therapeutic thing for me) that I am here revealing even more about myself.
I tag myself as an honest person and I tend to have a no secrets approach to posting on my blog, so what am I scared of I hear you ask. Shall I tell you? I am afraid that you will find out the truth about me. That really I am pretty shallow, I have no substance, I don’t do politics, I know hardly anything about the heavy stuff, I rarely ever partake in hard-going conversations. Don’t get me wrong I am intelligent enough, I have a masters with distinction, I know my stuff in specifics fields but my general knowledge and world knowledge particularly is just rubbish.
This meme originated from Kerry Jean Lister who I believe took the Q & A from the Guardian weekend supplement. See, that just feels scary in itself, I have never once even looked at the Guardian. I have not read the FT, The Times, The Telegraph or any of the other broadsheets and I have hardly read any of the middle of the road papers like the Daily Mail either. I grew up in a working class family and my Dad read the Sun, he still does. He is a sporting man and from what I understand it covers sport (football in particular well). So that is about my only exposure to newspapers. We do not buy any in our house; I rarely watch the news or read it on the web and thus there are hundreds of subjects that I just do not really have an opinion on as I do not know anything about them really and therefore do not feel best placed to comment.
So when I am asked to complete a quiz which is supposed to be a bit of fun and I think the idea was to see if I was the kind of girl that people might want to go to the pub with, I actually feel very exposed and quite out of my depth. I imagine by now you have made the decision that you might not bother with the pub with me!
Anyway on with the questions….
Which living person do you most admire and why?
I had teal trouble with this. I have a massive admiration for so many people but most of them are unsung heroes and if I told you their names they would not mean anything. Any person who overcomes adversity and goes on to use it for the greater good has my respect. During my stay at Spring Harvest I met a lady called Debra Green from a charity called Redeeming our Communities and she was very admirable in her endeavours to work with public sector agencies to change local communities for the better, reducing gun crime, drug problems, unruly teenagers, graffiti, road traffic accidents and any other problem that is effecting a local community. I am feeling very compelled to see if there is anything I can do to help this charity.
When were you happiest?
I know it is cliché but I was ecstatic on my honeymoon in Barbados, 2002. I had such an amazing time and felt so close to dh. It was where we made the decision to start our family and we just had a wonderful time together, everything you would expect of a honeymoon.
What was your most embarrassing moment?
A recent embarrassment I can think of was about 5 weeks ago. First day in my new job and I am on a training session with all the project team that I work with. I had bronchitis and my wheeze and cough is very bad so I am constantly drinking water, then all of a sudden one of them makes us all laugh and then they decide to say something even funnier just at the point I had taken a large mouthful of water. The poor woman who I was taking over from was sat in front of me and got a right shower. I learnt that day that my character has grown a lot in recent years. On one hand I wanted to leave the room and die alone. On the other I knew I just had to apologise, offer tissues and face up to it and take the ribbing. Even now, numerous weeks later at least once a day when I am at work I get stick for this incident. They constantly watch me when I am drinking and if I cough there are comments such as ‘umbrella’s at the ready!’.
Aside from property, what’s the most expensive thing you have bought?
Nothing exciting I’m afraid. Very predictable, our Toyota Corolla Verso cost about £13,000. We had to buy it when I had the twins and we tried the car seats in my Fiesta and realised we could not fit the 5 of us in there!
What is your most treasured possession?
If you can call your children your possessions, then it would be them. My 3 unique and special little beings are my world. They infuriate and astound me in equal measure. Every day is a delight and I love to watch their growth. I find myself constantly tapping my hubbie and saying ‘ahh look, did you see?’as they do something new and show their developing character a little more. Each one is a rose that is budding and blooming and as the new petals open I get to see more and more of their traits and quirks which make them who they are.
Failing that it would either have to be a ring I wear which belonged to my Dad’s grandmother who he grew up with, totally irreplaceable. Or my photo albums, filled with memories from my toddler years to now. Yes I still print and place in albums all my favourite photos. I am an old fashioned kind of girl at heart!
Where would you like to live?
I would love to live by the sea and to have enough time in the day to appreciate the seaside with my family. I love the clean and fresh air of the seaside. I have lived by the sea (including on the promenade) a couple of times in my life and they have both been exceptionally happy times. One day I know that dh and I will move to the seaside with our family.
What is your favourite smell?
My husband when he has just had a shower and has put on his aftershave. I could sniff him for hours! He wears Armani in case you are interested.
Who would play you in the film of your life?
I have no idea! Why don’t you tell me? Who would play me in the film of my life? What I want to know is why on earth anyone would be making a film about me??
What is your favourite book?
I suppose the correct answer from a Christian would be the Bible but I cannot put my hand on my heart and say this. There are parts I love and parts I find so hard to read and have no understanding of. I don’t think I have any one favourite book. I love to read and often have 3 or 4 books on a go at the same time. I happily devour books and then pass them on to someone else to enjoy.
What is your most unappealing habit?
I have lots. The one I am very aware of right now is biting my nails and the skin around my nails. I can go months and my nails look beautiful and then I get anxious and they all get bitten away and I look like a skanky teenager! They are re-growing at the moment, I aim to look like an adult at CyberMummy.
What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?
I don’t do fancy dress! Sorry
What is your earliest memory?
I have all sorts of memories floating around in my head, most of them just seem to be fragments and I am hard pressed to recall what age I was. I can think of a beautiful red dress which had a little white apron attached to it and on there was a picture and I can recall feeling really special in that dress. I can remember a fancy dress party where I was Mary, from Mary had a little lamb and my fancy dress costume was fantastic and I can remember cracking a stone on my Nan’s fireplace when I was hovering. See, all completely random!
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Food, you will already know that if you know me or have read my blog before. Guilty pleasure and biggest vice!
What do you owe your parents?
Pretty much everything; they gave me that solid foundation on which to build my life. They modelled what a family was all about, they encouraged me to be the first in their families to go to University, they went without holidays etc to provide for my brother and I, they loaned me money when I needed it, they kissed away my tears when I was sad and they continue to be there for all my family now.
To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
The first person that came to my mind was a girl called Ceri who I was best friends with from age 15 – 18. Not that long in relation to my life but they were three intense years and I loved her. We clicked and for 2 years we did everything together and then I met a boy who I thought I loved and more and more time was spent with him. We all then had a car accident and I felt she was being unreasonable and we lost contact and I stayed with the boy, the loser boy that he was. I would love to see Ceri now and say sorry. I don’t know why we had to stop being friends.
What or who is the greatest love of your life?
I want to say God, or my husband or my children but the reality is that food is my great love first and foremost. This is the thing that I turn to when times are tough and I make a false idol of it and put it on a pedestal. I want this to stop and one day I will be able to conquer this awful addiction.
What does love feel like?
Love as in my marriage or parental love feels like I could burst, I am filled to the brim with little tiny bubbles inside me and they are all popping around excitedly.
What was the best kiss of your life?
Do I really have to tell this? It was with my husband, that’s enough!
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Stop, as a direction to the kids! As Miss M runs off, as JJ teases the girls, as Miss E whinges.
What is the worst job you’ve done?
It probably has to be doing room cleaning duties when I was a hotel manager. Sunday mornings and not enough staff turn in so I ended up cleaning rooms and dealing with the fallout from a wedding reception the night before. Vomit on floors, blocked toilets, used condoms, you name it – we used to find it!
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I am not sure if I would. There are certainly things I have done wrong and I am not proud of but if I changed then I would be different to how I am now and surely this is how God intends me to be.
What is closest you have come to death?
I have not, thank the Lord!
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
My children and dh and I staying together and being happier than ever after lots of crap over the years.
When did you last cry, and why?
I know it was recently and it was in front of people, as they were laughing at me crying from just one eye! I think it was with laughter, so that's good!
How do you relax?
Loads of ways - I blog, I meet friends for food, chats or the cinema, I read, I go on holiday, I pray.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Just a small amount more money so that I could give up paid work and do voluntary stuff and feel as if am really doing something worthwhile. Also an extra bedroom so we could foster or adopt a child who needs us.
What’s the most important lesson life has taught you?
What goes around comes around. Treat others as you wish to be treated and don’t be afraid to say sorry when it needs saying.
Wow, isn’t that long. What a meme! I am sure no one else’s seems to be as long as mine. Did I mention that I am not good with being concise? Think again ladies before you tag me for a meme like this one!
Did you manage to make it to the end? If yes, massive well done. I am sure I would have given up a while back!
Go and enjoy people, or ignore if it feels like a burden. Do what makes you happy! Mich x
At this point the bear is stuffed using a foot operated machine which the kids control but don't worry there is always actually a professional operating this machine and you are not left to your own devices. The teddies all have a clever closing mechanism on the back so they can be stitched up but without a needle! I had worried that this part might takes ages but when we visited Westfield on 28th December and it was really busy we only waited 5 mins for the stuffing as the staff are very efficient.
