I felt very honoured this week, because for the first time ever, I was tagged in a meme by Single Married Mum. The challenge was to answer her 11 thought-provoking questions, and then think up 11 of my own for 11 more bloggers. It’s an interesting one for me, because although I blog a lot about what’s going on with my children, I don’t think I give much away about myself. So, here I am, in 11 random facts…
What word or phrase would you ban?
It has to be, ‘What can I do now?’ as uttered a squillion times a day by The Boy. You have not just a roomful of toys and books, but also an imagination. Why don’t *you* decide? Once upon a time, driven to the brink of insanity, I wrote up a list of 50 ‘things he could do now,’ including tidying his bedroom, dusting the lounge and doing his homework. Strangely, he found something to do then…
Ultimate comfort food?
Veggie chilli and rice with a big dollop of mayonnaise on top (sorry, is that gross?). I can shovel it down in a matter of seconds, and the best thing is that because I always make it out of spag bol leftovers, it’s a virtually cook-free meal.
Whose life would you like for a day?
I’m not sure I would *like* her life, but I would love a day in The Boy’s teacher’s shoes, just to see what he gets up to when he’s at school. The fact that he came home last week with the Star of the Day award for *almost* being quiet all day speaks volumes…
Best-ever bargain?
Ooh, hard to choose; I do love a bargain. It’s a tie between my new lasagne dish (blue spotty, very Emma Bridgwater, £3 in the Sainsbury’s sale) and a Toast top I bought five years ago in a charity shop for £2.50. I wore it loads, and then when I tired of it, sold it on eBay – for £35.
Worst ever holiday?
Club 18-30 in Ibiza when I was 20. The price should have alerted us to the fact that there would be fleas in the apartment, the bedroom would stink of drains, and the nearest ‘beach’ would be a rocky outcrop that massacred the soles of our feet. We had a few nice moments, notably drinking sangria at sunset at the Cafe del Mar with Noel Gallagher at the next table, but other than that, it was a disaster, topped off by some pilled-up 16-year-old thinking he could fly off his balcony on our last night there. He couldn’t. He died. Just awful.
Lark or owl?
I am an owl. My children are larks. This displeases me immensely.
Most loved item in your wardrobe?
Does the shoe rack count as part of the wardrobe? Yes? In that case, my purple leather Fat Face boots. I adore them. They go with pretty much everything, are a little bit different, and are the most comfortable boots I’ve ever owned. They’ve also sprung a leak. I am gutted.
Beach or mountain?
Beach, without a doubt. I was born in Cornwall and although our family moved away when I was just a toddler, I swear the sea is in my bones. I crave it, and love the beach as much on wild wintry days as I do in the summer. Unfortunately, we live in one of the most land-locked areas of the UK, but I’m determined that one day, I’ll live at the coast again, even if it’s not until we retire.
Most annoying habit?
Having consulted DH, it’s being unable to open a bottle of wine properly (I shove the corkscrew through the foil rather than taking it off, and always leave the discarded cork in the drawer, apparently. This is somewhat hypocritical, coming from the man who always leaves his discarded socks on the lounge floor).
Favourite subject at school?
English, always English. I recently looked back at some of my first-year undergrad English lit essays and was bowled over by how clever I was once, before changing nappies and cooking fish fingers fried my brain.
Top blogging tip?
I still consider myself a newbie in the blogging world, and as such, don’t feel qualified to share tips. So I will go with the one and only thing I can say with conviction: write from the heart, and write well. That’s what draws me to a blog, and I hope it’s what draws people to mine. Oh, and being able to spell and punctuate goes a long way, too…
So, now to throw down the gauntlet to 11 more unsuspecting victims (don’t feel obliged, people; it’s just a bit of fun). These are the bloggers I’d love to interrogate:
And my questions for you…
1. What’s the best £1000 you’ve ever spent?
2. If you could do any other job, what would it be?
3. Post your favourite photo (of yourself, your family, a holiday – anything).
4. What makes you lose your temper?
5. Most cherished household appliance?
6. Ever won an award?
7. The song that sums up your life?
8. Favourite sandwich filling?
9. What was your first car (non-drivers need not answer) and did it have a name?
10. Which holiday destination would you most like to go back to?
11. What would you do with your time if the internet ceased to exist tomorrow?
Have fun!
mymummylife 
Ha ha! I had to ask my DH for my most annoying habit as well. I just wish the question had asked about his…
I’d be there all day, Jacq! And I’m currently in the process of following your blogging tip… mymummylife.com coming soon…
Thanks so much for doing the meme! Such a good read, though your Ibiza holiday sounds horrendous. I get ‘I’m bored..’ rather than ‘What can I do now?’, so pretty much the same thing. I also find my suggestions make them scoot off in the opposite direction.
Love your Toast top bargain story – very satisfying! And I have the same owl/lark problem 🙂