My 100th post (and an announcement)

i made it, and in record time no doubt! I started my blog on feb 5^th and was instantly hooked. I’ve even flown to asia and met a blog friend! I really didn’t have a clue what i was doing when i started though. My profile name, blog title and URL are ALL DIFFERENT! I really didn’t think it through. i wondered if i would float around in cyberspace talking to myself forever, but i instantly inherited some very cool friends from kristi who took me to their bosom, and i’ve also managed to collect a fabulous assortment of like-minded bloggers i’m honoured to call friends.

So without further ado, on with the questions...

The mom bomb wants to know my most embarrassing moment:

I’m sure i’ve had plenty, however the one that springs to mind happened when i had just started my first full-time job. I was 17 (i know, young right?) and working as a secretary at an agricultural college, ie LOTS of hot guys wandering around in dirty boots and flannel plaid shirts, but still HOT. I was walking up to the main admin block carrying a stack of cardboard file boxes and i tripped on a lip in the concrete and fell FLAT on my face, boxes flying in all directions – their contents spilling out all over the place. I always remember it was the first time since i was a child that i had grazed my knee, and that was the thing that stuck with me. I remember feeling so foolish that i had a skinned knee, like some little kid!

Melinda wants to know when i lived in the States? Was it for work? Did I enjoy it? How long did I stay? What is my favorite colour? Music? food?

We lived in Atlanta, Georgia from feb 1^st 1994 until july 1995. It was a management exchange through DH’s work. DH went to Georgia Power (as it was called back then) and one of theirs came here. I absolutely loved it (once i could make the phones work and get people to understand a single word i was saying!) the girls were a great age (4 and 2). Miss 18 actually had her kindergarten year in Atlanta. We were also able to travel heaps. We visited 31 states (and have clocked up another 10 since).

My favourite colour is purple, closely followed by lime.
My favourite music is anything that isn’t too hip hoppy, too heavy metal or grungy, or jazzy or bluesy. I pretty much like anything, especially soppy boppy stuff.
My favourite food is chocolate.

Amanda (who called Melinda a question stealer!) also wants to know why we lived in the states. How did you and DH meet? Did he sweep you off your feet? How did you meet Tara? Have y'all been friends forever?

Our fathers actually worked in the same place for many years and we kind of knew their family, but i really got to know him through st john’s ambulance, which is like girls and boys brigade but with a first aid angle. I wouldn’t say he swept me off my feet, although i did feel quite a draft when we first started going out. He was waiting in the wings for me to ditch the boyfriend i had at the time and i do remember being rather taken with his maturity.

Tara and i met when she moved into the house across the street in january 1997. She was 7 months pregnant with her first daughter, and to say welcome i made her a batch of chocolate chip muffins. I can still remember what she was wearing and how she wore her hair. Her husband ate ALL the muffins and tara and i have been pretty tight ever since. She is probably the greatest friend i have ever had. She’s gorgeous (on the inside AND out), fiercely loyal, strong, kind, forgiving and has a huge heart. On top of that, she’s an awesome dancer and we have so much fun together!

Dusty Spider wants to know what a sticky post is!

A sticky post is one that stays at the very top of your blog, ie the most current. The easy way to make that happen is to make sure the date and time is more current than any other post on your blog. (i probably did a really CRAP job of explaining that).

Sass-e mum wants to know when i decided to have FOUR children? When i was younger i had a vision of having 4 children. DH is one of 7, so he was happy to have as many as i was. We actually made a conscious decision to stop at 3, but the universe had other ideas...
What's better, avocado or mango? Avocado. No contest.
What couldn't you live without? COFFEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
What do you want to live without? I would like to live without a car. We have established a lifestyle such that we totally rely on a motor vehicle to get us from A to B, but living without one would make so life much less complicated. We’d get more exercise and see so much more of the landscape. We would also spend more quality time with our families.

I don’t say that because petrol just hit $2 a litre, which is a BLOODY OUTRAGE. It’s gone up 43 cents in the past year and the CEO of shell was on the radio saying that the rises aren’t due to the cost of oil; it’s because of ‘market sentiment’. WTF??? Unless we stop driving altogether, we are totally at their mercy. It’s incredibly frustrating.

How often do you and DH go out for dinner together? Not often enough! We had a date night recently and it was lovely. We used to go out once a month, but like anything, it’s something you really have to make a priority.

Have you ever paid your older daughters to look after the younger ones? Yes. I always wanted to pay them for their time, because looking after children, albeit siblings, IS a big responsibility and miss 18 (14 she was at the time – the legal b/s age) certainly had her work cut out for her with 3 sisters to look after. I had also set very high standards that she knew she had to stick to, ie tidy the family room, kitchen etc so we didn’t come home from a night out to find a tip!

She always did a fabulous job and i enjoyed paying her for that. Once she started earning her own money, i kinda fazed out paying her and now only occasionally buy a top-up card for her mobile or something like that.

What last made you cross? I was umpiring miss 11’s netball game on Saturday morning and i got a dressing down at half-time by the duty umpire who told me (and the other umpire) “yous (sic) guys are missing heaps”. What i really wanted to hear was “we really appreciate the willingness of parents like yourself to step up and umpire, however i noticed that you were missing (infringements) “A & B”. The best way to spot these is “C & D”. Thanks again”. But no. Thankfully the netball association ask for feedback at the end of the season; and they’ll be getting it!

Are you scary when cross? uhuh
You are very organised - but who's more organised than you? My mum. She wrote the book.

Where are you going on holiday this year? every january we go camping to a place called tirohanga (in the north eastern bay of plenty) with 3 other families (8 adults, 11 kids), although technically missuz 16 and 18 count as adults! It’s incredibly relaxing and the weather is fantastic, esp. the ocean water temp.

We are what you would call “GLAMPERS”, ie glamorous campers. We take the waffle maker, bread maker, laptops, DH (being a registered engineer) has power in every room of our tent. Missuz 18 and 16 share a tent and missuz 11 and 10 share another. DH and i have a large 3-room tent all to ourselves! (Well, we share it with the fridge). Gotta keep the gin cool! we set up camp and stay for 2 weeks. It’s a really quiet time at the campground and we love it that way.

Where do you really want to go on holiday? CAMPING. We love camping! (truly!)

Tell me what you think each of your children will be doing when they are 25. Gosh. I really haven’t thought that far ahead. I can see miss 16 being the next peter Jackson or andrew adamson, but beyond that i really don’t have a clue. I hope they will have all left home!!! I know they will each have a solid education and a good set of values. hopefully they will have steady jobs or be travelling, with or without significant others. Maybe one or two of them will still be living in wellington, maybe overseas.

What are your curfew rules for the oldest two? None to speak of. Miss 18 showed ABSOLUTELY NO INTEREST in parties, boys, alcohol or anything like that up until VERY recently. (the drinking age was lowered to 18 a year or two ago; dumbest thing our government ever did), so when she turned 18 she had the odd drink (probably, just because she could!) The very few parties she DOES go to, or nights out with her girlfriends, she doesn’t have a curfew because i believe she will come home when she’s ready – which she does! She always travels with friends and has on occasion, been out to 3 in the morning and not had a single drink. She’s to the point of being pious about it. She actually looks down her nose at people who feel they need to drink to have a good time. (that’s my girl!)

Miss 16 is a little different, in that she HAS shown interest in parties and drinking, so we negotiate curfew on an event-by-event basis. It was quite a shock to our systems after our experience with miss 18. I would say miss 18’s attitude would be the exception rather than the norm, however most of her closest friends feel the same way (stands to reason!) birds of a feather’n’all that.

Kimberly wanted to know our favourite vacay spot and why.

Susan wants to know if you won the lottery for one million dollars, what would you do with the money? When i finished screaming and calmed down, i would probably throw a big party or take my nearest and dearest out for a big expensive dinner, THEN i would:

- Give a large sum to charity, and when i say charity i mean invest in a local school or community programme.

- Give lump sums to my parents and parents-in-law

- Pay off the girls’ student loans

- Take the family on a big trip

- Buy a bad-arse RV for our imminent retirement

- Invest the rest

What kind of volunteer work do you do? I am the book club organiser at school. Families order books and stationery items through scholastic nz and in turn the school gets heaps of freebies (bonus point system). I hand out all the brochures, process the orders, do the banking, make delivery of the books etc. I handle 14 of the 18 classes and do that 4 times a year.

I also do the ‘absences’ on a Thursday morning. That’s a half hour job to make sure every child at school is accounted for, then i spend the rest of the morning in miss 10’s class reading, photocopying, laminating, putting resources together, supervising tests – whatever is required.

I used to do traffic safety too, but the parents got up my nose so much, it just got too stressful. I would point out to a parent that they were parked illegally or in an unsafe manner and they would get right up in my face. Of course i got right in theirs, but it just wasn’t worth it in the end.

I also go on most of the field trips too.

I volunteer for the blood service, as a donor every 12 weeks, but twice a month i volunteer in their kitchen and with the mobile unit. I make hot and cold drinks for the donors, make sure there are nibbles for the donors to eat, hand out magazines etc, making sure no-one starts bleeding after their donation (and trust me, that’s happened before!) luckily, i’m not fazed by the sight of blood.

I also street collect for various charities 3 or 4 times a year; you know, standing in one spot in a shopping centre, not door-to-door. I like to think i’m creating a lot of good karma for myself and my family.

Are you left handed or right? Total lefty; like Einstein, oprah, joan of arc, billy ray cyrus and bill Clinton. Not forgetting the obvious; that billy and bill aren’t geniuses.

Do you remember the first craft you did? My grandmother taught me to knit and crochet when i was very young. She had way more patience to teach a lefty than my mum did.

What is your favourite time of day? 8.30am - quiet house, peaceful brekky, coffee and the morning paper. Sometimes DH is there to share it with me and we can actually talk in COMPLETE SENTENCES.

What is your least favourite task in housework? Ironing. Hands down no contest. My 11 year old does it now. She hasn’t learned to hate it yet.

Kristi wants to know where i find the time to blog so much and what time of day am i on the computer?

Blogging has DEFINITELY cut into my scrapping time, but because my computer is in the family room, accessible and on all the time, i pop on and off it during the day. I rarely blog after dinner because the internet is too slow!

granny panties or thongs? thongs are what we wear on our feet in the summer. yes, yes, lynette, i know you call them flip flops...i tried butt floss once - lasted less than 2 hours. but i wouldn't call what i wear granny panties either...

Joh wants to know if you were on Mastermind, what would your chosen subject be? “mastermind: specialist subject – stating the bleeding obvious”. Name that tv series!!! It would probably be the british royal family (sad but true!)

In all the things you've had to forgive people for, what has been the toughest to forgive? That’s almost too personal to answer. The way my friend was treated (and continues to be treated) through her divorce. I know that not forgiving someone is like drinking poison every day yourself and wishing the other person would die, but some things are just too hard to let go, you know?

Most treasured possession. Why? The time i had with my grandmother. Because she was a wonderful lady who had so much to share and i really wasn’t old enough to appreciate it. She’s been gone 9 years and i still really miss her.

Britta wanted to know if i thought i was going to win the 'name that chocolate' comp? well, with 60% of the vote, i thought i had a pretty good chance, so yes!

Di has wanted to come to nz for years. Why should we go? give us one great reason that will put us over the edge!

New Zealand is the little country that could. We were the first country in the world to give women the vote. The first man in the world to climb mount everest was a kiwi, as was Ernest Rutherford. A kiwi split the atom for goodness sake! Lord of the rings, shrek, flight of the conchords. All kiwi-made! We have the greatest rugby team in the world, and we’re not afraid to stand up for what we believe in. We’re inventive, trusting and friendly. Some say it’s like America in the 50s which isn’t quite true, but that’s the feel that people get when they come here. We’re tucked away at the bottom of the world. Our entire population numbers less than the largest city in Australia and we like it that way, so come visit di, there’s a warm welcome and a spare bed waiting right here for you!

Mom of three wants to know what was the best date you ever went on? The one where DH proposed!!!

When you were growing up, how many kids did you think you would have? I always knew i would have 4. I just knew.

What did you originally want to be when you grew up? An air hostess!!!

Heather wants to know if i’m going to answer all my questions! I would love to know the answers (well, to most!). i sure am heather!

Do you have any set in stone rules that are important to you for your family? Meal times are hugely important to me. All 6 of us eat together at the dining table whenever we can. Conversation flows and there’s lots of sharing. I’m also a stickler for table manners. It’s a slippery slope to anarchy without good table manners...well, manners in general really. Please and thank you, eye contact is very important to me. No ‘technology’ at the table (cellphones). We also never answer the landline while we are eating.

I won’t allow anyone in the family to talk about anyone else unless that person is there to speak for themselves.

The girls must not go into any of their sisters’ bedrooms without permission.

What is your favourite breakfast item? Toasted bagel and cream cheese with a well-made (low fat) latte.

What kinds of pets have you had? We have 3 cats. An 11 year old tabby called patsy, a crazy black and white 18 month old called Wednesday and a new black male kititen as yet unnamed! We have had 3 other cats in the past too.

What kind is your favourite? Rescue moggies are my favourite!

The reluctant housewife wants to know:

Home decor: Do you go in for a decorated look, or is your style more practical?
I don’t have a style AT ALL! If i did though, it would be called ‘my kids’ art chic’. our house is 15 years old and looks like it’s had 4 busy girls trampling around in it as they’ve grown up. My furniture is old and marked, as is the carpet. My house is the ANTI ‘house and garden’, but it’s a HOME.

Do you own a lot of books? What is the most influential book you've read?
I don’t own a lot of books compared to some of my friends. The most influential book i’ve read is probably wally lamb’s ‘i know this much is true’. I can’t believe someone could be so ill as to cut off their own hand. I was also very moved by the poisonwood bible. Losing a child – unthinkable.

What is your best and worst childhood memory?
Worst childhood memory was at age 9 when i was shamed in front of a whole bunch of kids in the playground by someone whom i thought was a friend. Hard reality to stomach at such a young age.

Best childhood memory – was our annual family trip to the Industries Fair. Best description/equivalent is like a state fair with rides and candy floss etc. mum drove my sister and i into town to collect dad from work, and i always remember she would lean back over the front seat and give us A WHOLE DOLLAR EACH! (back in the day when we had one dollar notes lol). The excitement was spending a whole dollar, AND the fact that we were going out on a week night AT NIGHT.

lynette, who is well known for her finesse in all matters of a delicate nature wants to know: do you wax, pluck or shave? All 3 baby! (i pay someone to do most of it though)

Janette - What are you wearing? Because i have just got back from a walk in the rain and my trackies got wet, i’m sitting here in my old slippers, PJ pants, polyprop and a work-out “T".

Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the LSS

Did you shave your legs today? No! Because it’s winter and my legs aren’t going to see the light of day til probably October, i can be lazy.

EVER stop to think, and forget to start again????? Hold on a minute. No, wait. what?

What's for dinner tonight? Beef meatball casserole. A new recipe from the latest healthy food guide magazine.

What has four legs and an arm? A deformed dog? Or maybe 3-legged race participants missing an arm...

If one synchronized swimmer drowns, do the rest have to drown too? Without a doubt. One less flowery swim cap topping off a bloody great peg on a nose works for me.

Have you ever been a blonde? Yep – when miss 10 was 2. Remind me and i will post a pic. It wasn’t that pretty...

Melinda asked: so i have been meaning to ask what are your girls' names, or are you emulating Pioneer woman and keeping them a secret? I’m not emulating anyone in particular; i just think it’s so easy to share too much of yourself to a computer screen, and once it’s out there you can’t take it back. My girls are of an age when it’s not my right to share all of their lives, so i’m ok with referring to them by their ages, but i will tell you their names when i see you OK!!!!

Janette asked: are you going to come to KC this fall? (Please say yes! :)

YEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

i’m coming to KC this fall!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now i have some questions for YOU bloggy scrappers. Or are you scrappy bloggers? We can discuss THAT in October too!

Is it ok for me to gate crash your party?
What do i have to do to be staying at the same place y’all on oct 17/18?
kristi – can i come stay for a day or two before that?

Amanda – this means i’m coming to NY for your 30^th BTW. (PS: that was the announcement).

Ok – that was lot of questions, and i really enjoyed answering them. So...THANK YOU for choosing to make me part of your blogesphere experience. THANK YOU for asking me so many questions. There were around 70, NOT including some too raunchy for my “G-rated blog” (that means you lynette!!!)

If you can HONESTLY say you read this entire post, leave a comment and in a week i will make a random draw. The winner will receive some kiwi chocolate love.