Q & A with a 5 year old

Thanks to Kate for posting this on Facebook. We asked 5 year old Freddy the following questions all about me: his mummy!


WITHOUT any prompting, ask your child these questions and write down EXACTLY what they say. It is a great way to find out what they really think. 

1. What is something mum always says to you? 

I love you.

2. What makes mum happy? 

Me!

3. What makes mum sad? 

Not a thing...unless you ever got punched in the face.

4. How does your mum make you laugh? 

When I do funny things.

5. What was your mum like as a child? 

Kind, nice and loving.

6. How old is your mum? 

45

7. How tall is your mum? 

Bigger than a metre.

8. What is her favorite thing to do? 

Hug me, kiss me and love me.

9. What does your mum do when you're not around? 

Work.

10. If your mum becomes famous, what will it be for? 

Pole diving - when you climb up a pole and jump (??)

11. What is your mum really good at? 

Loving me.

12. What is your mum not very good at? 

Games.

13. What does your mum do for a job? 

Love me.

14.What is your mum's favourite food? 

Cake.

15.What makes you proud of your mum? 

Looking after me in the best way or maybe winning a race.

16. If your mum were a character, who would she be? 

She'd be just herself.

17. What do you and your mum do together? 

Hug and watch Netflix.

18. How are you and your mum the same? 

Because we always like each other and never stop and hug each other at the same time.

19. How are you and your mum different? 

Mum is big and I'm small.

20. How do you know your mum loves you? 

Because she likes me, she always does stuff and means it like hugging me and kissing me.

21. What does your mum like most about your dad? 

Everything.

22. Where is your mum's favourite place to go? 

Trentham Gardens.

23. How old was your mum when you were born? 

40

More Than Just A Mum

I've been a mum since I was nineteen which has meant that I haven't spent much of my life being anything other than a mum...no high flying job, no travelling the world, no fortune or fame. I missed the university boat because I got pregnant.  I only had a few holidays pre-kids, and none of them involved anything adventurous or unusual.  I've not spent more than a few nights away from my children since having my first born in 1988.  Being a mother and doing things with kids has pretty much defined me for the last 24 years.  I've done 19 years of school runs and still have a further 15 years worth stretching out ahead of me.  Everything I've done has been with my mummy hat firmly planted on my head.  Don't get me wrong, I am very fond of my mummy hat and wear it with pride, but I haven't really got an identity beyond 'mummy'.

But Kate Takes 5 wants to know what else we are or were in her "More Than Just a Mum" meme.  And if Kate asks, I will tell her!

These days my body is no longer what it once was.  I don't have the time or inclination to bother with hairstyles, make-up or fashion.  But this wasn't always the case.  I wasn't always this slightly overweight, middle aged, scruffy woman who uses Batiste on her hair because there is precious little time for a morning shower. When I see those immaculately turned out women judging me for my unkempt appearance as I wear my ill fitting jeans adorned with sticky handprints, food spills and snot smears as I chase Freddy down the aisle of our local supermarket, I want to shout...."I wasn't always this way, I used to be young and glamorous and skinny and taut and perky and clean and made-up with shiny hair!  I used to shave my legs and do my nails and co-ordinate my outfits and know how to work it. I used to be HOT godammit!!"

So, there you are. That is what I was...this is what I had that had nothing to do with being a mum.  Ironically, it may have been this that contributed to me becoming pregnant back in the 80's which started my journey into motherhood in the first place...it made me quite a hit with the boys!

Blogging For One Mums

ONE are not a charity, all they want is your voice. 

ONE is a non-partisan advocacy organization dedicated to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Backed by more than 3 million members, they work with government leaders to support proven, cost-effective solutions to save lives and help build sustainable futures.

Michelle from Mummy From The Heart has made the trip to Ethiopia with 11 other bloggers to highlight the success of recent projects and remind us all why it's so important that the support is continued.  Pop along to her blog to find out more about her incredible journey. 

To help spread the word in the blogging community, Clare, from Seasider In The City, has devised a meme. Taking the first letters from ONEMums create an acrostic poem to explain what being a mum means to you.


One thing in my life that makes me feel like I have achieved something amazing
Nothing will ever be as important, as fulfilling or as validating
Everything that defines me
My gift to the world, my blessing, my joy
Undeniably challenging but totally fulfilling
More wonderful than I could have ever imagined
Seeing my children become the best version of themselves that they can be


The follow the work of ONE using the hashtags #ONEMums #ONEMoms on Twitter.

If you only do one thing today then make sure you add your voice to the ONE Campaign by signing up below.

A Shrine To The Boy I Fancied In My English Class

Mellow Mummy is asking us to post about those things in our lives that fill us with pride and give us that "I made this" feeling!

I am not the best at making things.  I can't sew or knit.  I am a rubbish gardener.  I am not someone who excels at crafts.  I'm not arty.  My cooking is competent but not really worthy of bragging about.  My decorating and home making leave a lot to be desired.  The only amazing things I've ever 'made' are my five wonderful children!

So, for my 'I Made This' post I am choosing something that I made that has a bit of a story behind it, which makes me smile whenever I look at it!

When I was 15 and at secondary school I signed up for the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme.  (I only did this to get out of the Friday afternoon Games lessons!)  One of the activities that I did was pottery.  As I previously mentioned, I am not one of those naturally artistic types.  I was not blessed with any natural flair when it comes to being creative.  So when we had to decide what we were going to make, all I could think of was making a shrine to the boy that I fancied in my English class!  It certainly was a more elaborate way of externalising my affections than by writing his initials on my rough book!

So I made a slab pot which had his initials (I.M.D.) cut into the design.  A snake was wrapped around the outside of the structure which added an air of danger and mystery to my creation and paid homage to the rock/punk music scene that I favoured at the time. It was glazed and fired.  My creation became a "shrine to the boy I fancied in my English class".

28 years later, the "shrine to the boy I fancied in my English class" sits on the windowsill of the bedroom that I share with that very same boy that I fancied in my English class.  You see, that boy grew up into the man I married.  Five kids and 15 years of marriage later we are still blissfully happy that my first love turned out to be my Mr.Right!  My clay slab pot is a reminder of our history, our shared past and our time as teenagers at school.

I have kept this pot for years, moving it from house to house.  I even kept it during the years immediately after school when our paths diverged and we lost touch.  It's like I always knew that Ian was the man for me!  It makes me smile when I look at it, knowing that I made it so long ago.  That girl who made this shrine was at the beginning of her journey and her life took lots of twists and turns along the way.  But in the end, she ended up exactly where she was meant to be with the man she always loved!

To know I made this, proves to me that my life is exactly how it was intended to be!

I'm tagging Bloggomy and Emma and 3 , No Discernible Talent and The Crazy Kitchen (because I'm hoping she posts more pictures of the amazing cakes she has made).

Why? Why? Why?

Why??  It is the word guaranteed to drive you mad when asked a dozen consecutive times by a small child eager for unanswerable answers.  It is a classic Eurythmics song.  It is the mantra of an inquisitive mind thirsty for knowledge.  It is also the theme of a meme that I have been tagged in by Cheryl from Madhouse Family Reviews

These are the eternal 'why' questions that plague my thoughts on a regular basis.  (Any answers will be gratefully received!)

• Why does my mind still think I'm 18 while my body thinks I'm 50+?

• Why, when I brush my hair, do my brown hairs fall out while the white ones stay firmly put?

• Why does it take me a month to lose half a stone, but 3 days to put it back on?

• Why can I remember in intricate detail the script of Dirty Dancing but I can't remember where I put my car keys this morning?

• Why is there always a wizened lemon lurking in the back of my fridge...even if I haven't bought any for months? 

• Why does hot chocolate not actually taste like chocolate?

• Why do people always think that vegetarians must miss bacon?

• Why does treading on a discarded piece of Lego hurt so damn much?

• Why, however diligent I am with my laundry, do I always end up with odd socks in the airing?

1. Post your whys – as few or as many as you like. 
2. Link up your post to Mummy Central, and it would be great if you could leave a comment too. 
3. Tag 5 bloggers to keep this going. 
4. If you’re not a blogger, leave your whys as a comment below. I'd love to read them. 
5. Show your support by reading a few others and commenting on them.

An Olympic Meme

Louise, mother of a future swimming Olympic hopeful and  lovely lady has been tagging in her Olympic Meme!  Although I am not a huge fan of sports, I am very fond of memes!  So...on my marks, get so, GO!!

The Rules

"Here's how to join in... simply write your own blog post answering the Olympic questions below and then  tag other bloggers to join in and share their answers.  Don't forget to share the love with links to the lovely bloggers you are tagging and back to me if you are feeling generous!"

So here goes...

1)   If every day tasks were Olympic events what would you get a gold medal in?
Procrastination....ooh what's that on Twitter??

2)   As a child (or now even) did you excel at a particular sport and if so which one?
I am the antithesis of someone who excels at sport.  I was constantly stuck in goal on account of being the tallest girl in class.  So whether it was netball or hockey I was the one responsible for allowing in all the goals as I stood there trying to look cool in my hideous green PE knickers.  This was social suicide among the popular sporty girls.  No wonder I never made the secondary school A List! (Well that and the fact I wore black lipstick and nail varnish and a punked up holey jumper!)

3)   Michael Phelps (swimmer) or Michael Johnson (runner) - which sport appeals to you more?
I  like Usain Bolt for his total fun loving attitude.  I also love Oscar Pistorius who is the fastest man with no legs and who runs on blades....and I like the Paralympic swimming for amazing and inspiring me.  It is just awe inspiring that people with no arms or no legs can swim!  Neither Phelps or Johnson do much for me but I'd pick track over pool.  (Unless Miss 'Pre-Teen' Bloggomy is competing of course!!)


4)   How fast can you get out of bed and ready to go out the door if miss the alarm and sleep in?
I get up at 8am every school day giving me 25 minutes to get up and out.  This is normal for me and just enough time to get me and Freddy up, washed and dressed and ready for the school run.  Thankfully I have very independent girls and a helpful husband or I'd be stuck and have to get up earlier!

5)   What fantasy sport would you like to see made into an Olympic event?
I would love to see the Bedroom Olympics (forgive me but this would make very interesting telly!)

6)   Claim to fame time - Have you ever met an Olympian and who was it?
I once met Linford Christie at a nightclub opening.  I had on very painful stilettos.  I was unimpressed.

7)   What event in past Olympics can you remember most vividly?
I remember the Seb Coe and Steve Ovett era with the Golden Mile and 1500m races.  I also remember the Ben Johnson steroid fuelled disqualification which was the year that my first son was born. 

8)   Tuning in at home, not for me or tickets clamped ready in sweaty palms?
I will watch some of the highlights and the opening ceremony on TV .  I do love watching exciting things like Usain Bolt's races and the men's 4 X 100m relay and I do enjoy the inspirational Paralympics...but as for the volleyball, equestrian, cycling, diving, sychronized swimming, long distance races, soccer, hockey and basically any women's sports etc. I can totally leave it!  But I might get sucked into the Olympic mania and end up glued to the screen waving my Team GB flag!

9)   Who do you think most deserves a gold medal (any walk of life not just Olympians)
I would get a giant gold medal to go around my entire family.  They keep me sane, grounded, happy and provide me with endless pride, love and joy.  Team McDonald for the win!!


Tag away and carry the meme on like an Olympic torch!!

Our Song

I love a good romantic story and think that the power of a song to bring back wonderful memories is simply magical. Just listening to the opening notes of a special song evokes those feelings and emotions that have shaped our lives.

Ian and I have been married for fifteen years this May.  I have written about our love story and even now, all these years and five children later, I still adore the man who is my best friend and soul mate.  I am so blessed.

The song that we call Our Song is the song that was played as our first wedding dance, Alanis Morissette's "Head Over Feet."  

The lyrics of 'Head Over Feet' are just perfect and describe our relationship perfectly.  Ian waited for years for the time to be right for our friendship to turn to romance.  He never lost faith in the fact that we would  eventually be together forever:  He waited for me...for us.

"You are the bearer of unconditional things

You held your breath and the door for me

Thanks for your patience.

You're the best listener that I've ever met

You're my best friend

Best friend with benefits

What took me so long?"

Our First Dance

I still love this song and I love that I did eventually fall 'Head Over Feet' for my childhood sweetheart Ian.

A Blogger's Dozen

I've been tagged by Mummy Alarm in another Q & A meme, so without further ado here are my answers to this Blogger's Dozen!




1. If you had to listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I'd have to pick Stairway to Heaven...it's got it all.  The slow bit, the rocky bit, the guitar solo and the anthemic finish.  It ticks all the boxes for me!

2. What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done/said in public?
I've got out of my parked car, after feeding my baby with my boob fully out.  It took me a while to realise why the two male car park attendants were sniggering and pointing.

3. Do you play a musical instrument and if so what?
I've tried the guitar but apart from a poor version of Space Oddity I've never managed to get a tune out of it.  This is particularly upsetting as my husband and my 15 year old daughter are both great musicians.  But I do however kick ass at the recorder!!

4. If you could book your dream-holiday, where would you go?


I'd love to do the whole Florida thing: Disney, Epcot, Universal. Seaworld, Busch Gardens and the rest of the attractions.  I've almost booked so many times, but as we are not a standard 2 adult /2 children family it has just seemed so difficult to find a hotel room that would suit.  We looked at villas but the hire car complications with 5 kids in tow was just too much for me to cope with!  


I won a holiday to L.A. when my eldest son was 5 and Ian and I took him and our 5 year old niece.  I love theme parks and glamour and glitz, and I've always wanted to go back and do it all again with the rest of my kids.  LA is a bit too far though, the flight was torturous!  Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to bite the bullet and splash the cash and 'do' Florida!

5. What’s your most hated household chore?


Any household chore I hate...Ian does!  I am so lucky that I have a husband who happily launders, cleans floors, empties bins, scrubs toilets and washes up!  We take the teamwork approach to chores...and I get to delegate the jobs I don't like to him :)

6. What is the one thing you make sure your child/children learn/s from you?


I hope my children will learn to love themselves.  I feel that is the most important thing at the heart of their wellbeing.  Through loving themselves they will be open to loving others on an equal footing.  They will be respectful of their health and their bodies.  They will make good decisions or have the courage to admit to themselves that they have made wrong ones.  They will be happy in themselves, which is ultimately what I want for them.  It has taken me a long, long time to love myself.  I hope my children will learn by my mistakes and be the best version of themselves that they can be.

7. If you could jump into a children’s book, which one would it be?


Ooh great question.  I could go for the Narnia route or maybe Hogwarts...but no, I'm picking Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  I'd love to be a golden ticket winner and enter the amazing factory with Willy Wonka and see the Oompa Lumpas.  Plus all you can you eat choccie....bliss!!!

8. What’s your most annoying habit?


I talk too much.  I can chat on about nothing .  Then I start to worry that I don't let anyone else get a word in.  I'm pretty sure it annoys people!

9. What new skill would you like to learn and why?


I'd love to be able to take amazing photos.  I have a fancy Lumix Digital SLR camera but the settings just confuse me.  If I take a good picture it's generally a fluke!  I'd love to learn how to use my camera to its full capacity and capture beautiful photos on a regular basis.

10. Who would play you in a movie?


Angelina Jolie would play me.  Her angsty 'Girl Interrupted' performance would be perfect for my teenage years, and her experience of being a mum to many may help her get into the role of me latterly!  Plus we both share a love of Brad Pitt!

11. What would you like to be famous for?


I always dreamt of becoming an author whose best selling book became a Hollywood movie,  until I realised that I have no original ideas in my head!  So I'd settle for being famous as the person who had the biggest ever win on the lottery :)

12. What is the one meal that you always pull off?


My vegetarian Quorn Enchiladas or my Mushroom Pie are my two signature dishes!!


I'm not going to tag anyone else as I've recently done a similar post...but anyone who wants to roll with this, please do...consider yourself tagged!!!!

Bloggers' Q & A

The lovely Heather from SAHM Loving It has tagged me in a Q & A meme.  The idea is that the person who tags you makes their own set of questions that they want answered.  Then once you've answered them, you get to make up your own questions and tag your own favourite bloggers to answer them!  That way...it never gets stale! 

So, here are the questions Heather wants me and her other taggees to answer:

1. What's the worst present you've ever been given?  Oh dear, this is a tricky one as I always try to be very diplomatic about the receipt of gifts.  It's the thought that counts after all!  However, my lovely old Nan was the sweetest lady, but her present buying was always a bit awry.  Age inappropriate pressies for the kids, more than one of the same gift in a year or secondhand items were the norm.  But the very worst gift was a second hand vanity set, brought from a Bring & Buy Sale, that included a hair brush full of old lady, white hairs.  EW!!
2. If you could go on holiday anywhere in the world where would it be and why?  I am a rubbish traveller which has meant that holidaying tends not to extend beyond France.  If a teleport machine was invented I would love to 'do Florida' with the whole family as I am embarrassingly excited by theme parks and attractions.  I'd also love to see turtles swimming around in the sea in Bora Bora and pet an Orang-Utan in Borneo.
3. What's your most embarrassing moment?  I haven't embarrassed myself easily for a while thank goodness. Apart from occasionally flashing the postman when I've answered the door to him with a boob out, which is an occupational hazard of breastfeeding, I can't think of much else.  I've probably blocked all the other mortifying moments from my mind in an attempt to retain what little dignity I have left.
4. If you won £45m on the Euro Lottery (like that young couple did the other week), what would you do with the money?  The amount of times that I have fantasized about winning a vast fortune on the lottery means that I can answer this without having to even think about it!  I would do all the practical things first, like make my older children millionaires and buy an amazing house for the family.  Then I'd hire out the top floor of the Disneyland Hotel and invite everyone that I love to the ultimate Disney party.  I'd donate some money to hand picked charities and individuals.  I'd bank a load (because I'm very sensible like that).  I'd see that my parents and my in-laws never wanted for anything in their old age.  I'd pay off the mortgages on my sister and sister-in-law's houses.  I'd see that my nephews and nieces had a nice nest egg.  Then I'd host a competition on my blog with a £10,000 prize and sell all my old things at a car boot sale with everything costing 1p regardless of what it was...how cool would that be!  One thing for sure though...I wouldn't want a yacht, or a flash car or ridiculously priced designer clothes and jewellery...I'm just not that fancy!  
5. If you weren't with your partner/boyfriend/husband/significant other (or, if you aren't with anyone right now - bonus!) and you could have one date night with someone else, who would it be and what would you do?  I'd go to the Oscars as Brad Pitt's date. (Angelina can stay at home and babysit!)
6. Football or rugby?  I get equally into football and rugby when a big match or a World Cup is on.  All other times I am equally not arsed about either.  With a husband who does not follow or play sport, this is easy to do.
7. If there was a film made about your life, which actor/actress would play you?  That'd be the aforementioned Angelina Jolie.  She could go a bit 'Girl Interrupted' for the teenage years and then she can harness the harassed mother inside her to portray my present day vibe.
8. Do you prefer a wild night out or a quiet night in?  I've not done a night out for years!  But then again, nights in aren't exactly quiet with my family around.  So I'll go for a wild night in!!
9. Is there one television programme that you couldn't live without in your life? Oh dear, I feel a confession coming on!  For me I couldn't do without Playing It Straight, True Blood, Glee, American Horror Story, How I Met Your Mother, One Tree Hill, Desperate Housewives or Weeds.  Me and my big girls love our Mummy/Daughter TV shows!!
10. If you could turn back time, what would you do differently? I can't answer this, because I am a firm believer that every action that I've ever taken has directed me down the path to where I am now with the five most amazing children and the most wonderful husband I could wish for.  I wouldn't change a thing....but if I could guarantee that it wouldn't alter the space/ time continuum in anyway I would most definitely love to go back in time with the knowledge, confidence and wherewithal that I have now and handle some of the situations that I got myself into differently.  All those abusive blokes would not know what hit them!
11. What's your guilty pleasure?  Apart from the huge list of TV programmes above, my guilty pleasure has to be toilet humour.  A good diarrhoea, skid mark or sharting story has me in hysterics.  I'm sorry :(

The Rules:

• You must post these rules.
• Each person must post 11 things about herself on their blog.
• Answer the questions the “tagger” listed for you in her post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
• Choose 11 people to tag and link to them in the post. 
• Let each blogger know that you have tagged them.
  
  
  So, here are the questions I would like the people I've tagged to answer:
  
  
  1:  If you could be anyone else for the day, who would you choose and why?

  2: What is your favourite ice cream flavour?

  3: If you could time travel to any period of history what era would you visit?

  4: If you had to live without either cheese or chocolate, which one would you never have again?

  5: If you were an animal....what animal would you be?
  6: What super power would you most want to have?
  7: If you had to be genetically modified, would you rather have a third arm, a third leg, a second head or some other modification???
  8:  Which song do you think you sing best? (...in my mind, when I crack out Total Eclipse of the Heart I believe I could sell out stadiums!!)
  9: On a scale of 1-10, how good a dancer do you rate yourself to be?
  10: Which film have you watched the most times?  (Do not include films played over and over to appease your kids!)
  11:  Which Disney character can you most relate to?  (I like to think I'm most like geeky, bookish, brunette Belle...which technically makes Ian a beast!  Rawr!!)
  
  
  I am tagging:
  Bloggomy
  The Crazy Kitchen
  Real Suburban Mummy
  Red Rose Mummy
  Not Met Megan
  Emma and Three
  Blog By Baby
  Kate On Thin Ice
  Mummy Loves
  
  As ever, no pressure to join in, but if you do, I'm looking forward to your answers!! xxx
  
  

The Cherry On Top Award

Lou from Bloggomy has tagged me to receive a Cherry on Top Award!    So in accordance with rule number one of thanking the blogger that tagged you...thank you Louise, a wonderful friend who spans both my real and virtual life!

Next I have to say three things that I love about myself.  Now, this is not as easy as it sounds.

1:  I don't want to cheat and say I love my children because they are not actually 'me'...but I do love how I have chosen to parent the five remarkable little people that I am proud to call my children!  I pride myself on having always put them first, taking their lead and enjoying the martyr-ish self-sacrifice which has defined me for the past 24 years!!  They are my life and they have taught me what unconditional love means.

2:  I love that I can be strong.  I have made brave decisions and done things to protect my loved ones that really defies my usual laid back attitude.  In fact, I am working on a big, brave decision that will affect me and my family right now (so watch this space!)  I have fought back against problems and adversity...and will continue to do so.  I come out fighting when the chips are down (even though it can sometimes take a while to gain momentum!)

3: I love my body. But not in that way!  I love that I could get pregnant.  I love that I could carry and nurture my five children inside my body.  I love that I was able to breastfeed them for as long as I wanted to.  My body may be carrying extra pounds, it may bear the scars and stretch marks from a life well-lived, but it has done me proud.  I won't ever be a super-model, but I'm sure that is an over-rated lifestyle anyway!

Next I have to post a picture that I love.  There are so many pictures that I could have picked but I wanted one that had all my babies in it, and Ian is there in spirit as he was the photographer.

Lastly I have to tag five bloggers that I love.  I've been a bit out of the loop for the last few weeks and it is amazing how fast you drop out of things.  But here are my five, who have all been there for me this month sharing the love :)

Susan Mann
Sarah Mum of Three
Blog By Baby
Squeaky Baby
Circus Mums