How could I pass up answering these questions when Heidi over at Mommy Monsters Inc. said I was the last person to make her cry?!!? (Ironically, she was also the last person to leave me weeping…out of thanksgiving for beautiful words of encouragement when I really needed them).
It’s true I have a hard time saying no to any kind of “writing assignment”, but I also did get a luxurious nap today. Dave (my hubby) was working all day, but I somehow managed to get both kids down for naps at the same time (God performs miracles every day!) and was able to drift off to sleep myself and ignore all the things I should have been doing.
Now, amazingly, both kids are asleep again, or at least Madeline is quiet in her room and not calling out for me or running up and down the hall like the Energizer Bunny on crack. I’m feeling quite zippy, really. I should be vacuuming the downstairs, but who wants to do that when you could be answering some thought-provoking questions about yourself? Without further ado…
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? I share my mom’s middle name. I’ve passed Marie along to our daughter Rachel as well.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? After reading an email from Heidi that was beautiful and uplifting and encouraged me in my mom/wife vocation while giving me permission to not be perfect.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes. I write my lower case “a” just like it appears as type. Most people think that’s neat, but my preschooler thinks it’s weird.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? I’m not too in to lunch meat as a former vegetarian.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Two as of right now – Madeline ( a new 3) and Rachel Marie (7 months)
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? I’d hope so. I always remember friends’ birthdays. I hope that counts for something. I’ve been known to suffer bad bouts of logorrhea, however, and I’m sure that would get pretty annoying listening to me ramble on and on and on…
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Not really. I’m one of those people who always thinks of witty, sarcastic things to say as comebacks about 24 hours after I needed them in my verbal arsenal.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yup.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? It’s never really appealed to me, not because I’m scared of it, but it’s always seemed kind of silly to me. You throw yourself off a cliff, only to be snapped back. Talk about whiplash. I think if I want to simulate flying, I’d rather give skydiving a shot.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Lately I’ve been eating a lot of Wheat Chex sprinkled with flaxmeal and doused in honey.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No. I’m impetuous.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes. I carry 13 extra pounds (the baby) around for most of the day and I occasionally add another extra 30 pounds to the mix (the preschooler).
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter. Why did these questions have to involve ice cream? I’m stranded in my home without any of the sweet stuff and boy does it sound good right about now.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Wish I could say something profound, but I usually notice a person’s eye color and hair color. I’m pretty observant when it comes to a person’s appearance.
15. RED OR PINK? No preference, really. I’d rather choose blue, my favorite color.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF? My impatience. I used to be a really patient mom – the one who always said (and did) the right thing to her child, even when the kid was making her want to jump off a cliff without bungee cord. Not so much anymore.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Sleep. Oh, wait…WHO do I miss the most? That would be Dave right now. He’s been working way too much. I also miss my papa who passed away in May.
18. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Dark blue jeans and socks.
19. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? A bowl of Cheerios and some cottage cheese (hence, the need for ice cream).
20. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? The white noise of a baby monitor and the rhythmic clicking of the keyboard as I type.
21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Yellow, bright and cheery like I want to be to my children (and everyone else).
22. FAVORITE SMELLS? Lavender, Rachel Marie’s baby skin, dark chocolate, fresh coffee grounds, the perfume Beautiful (it’s what my mom wears and whenever I smell it, I think of her and how, well, beautiful she is inside and out.)
23. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Josh, my younger brother. I’m dying to meet his new girlfriend who shares my first and middle name, had the same major at the University of Georgia, loves the write, and apparently has a very similar personality to me, according to my dad.
24. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Hmmmm…Basketball used to be my favorite sport to watch, but I haven’t sat down to watch sports for as long as I can remember. I also used to love to watch any equestrian sports, being a horse crazy kid.
25. HAIR COLOR? Dark blond. It used to be a lot lighter, but winter and pregnancy always darken it. I’m looking forward to a beach vacation in March, compliments of my extremely generous parents to help lighten my hair and my workload. (The grandparents and both my brothers are all coming along! Lots of extra eager arms to help out with the kiddos!)
26. EYE COLOR? Depends on what I’m wearing. They’re either green or blue.
27. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No.
28. FAVORITE FOOD? Hmmmmm… I always have a tough time answering this question. I like tapas-like meals that combine lots of different flavors. As for dessert, anything with chocolate. When I’m pregnant, I devour big salads.
29. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? I used to be a big fan of scary flicks, but ever since I became a mom I much prefer happy endings. I don’t like to think about all the scary things that could happen to my children.
30. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Little Mermaid in celebration of Madeline pooping on the potty for five days straight – hooray!
31. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Emerald green
32. SUMMER OR WINTER? I can’t pick a favorite season because I like them all for different reasons. I love winter because it includes the Christmas season. Summer is wonderful because we spend time at my parents’ lake house and we usually see lots of extended family.
33. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs.
34. FAVORITE DESSERT? Per answer above, anything with chocolate.
35. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? I’m juggling several books right now – The Christ Commission by OG Mandino, Natural Structure: A Montessori Approach to Classical Education at Home by Edward and Nancy Walsh, and The Child Under Six by James L. Hymes.
36. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Nothing.
37. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Nothing. We don’t even have basic television. We can only watch DVDs. Last night my husband and I spent time surfing the Internet and picking out dream vacation destinations for when he’s finally finished with residency.
38. FAVORITE SOUNDS? Madeline singing (her fave songs right now include songs from Annie, especially “Tomorrow” and “It’s a Hard Knock Life” and “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid), silence, laughter, thunderstorms…
39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles. Would you believe I was briefly a singer in a Beatles cover band in college?
40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Europe.
41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Special as in simultaneously cooking dinner, filing a broken nail, singing “Tomorrow” with a preschooler while nursing a baby in a sling…
42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? McHenry, Illinois
The vacuuming can wait no more…
I’m so happy to hear you’re feeling better, dear Kate. Still praying…