Friend Makin' Monday - Bedroom Habits

It is Monday again, well for me it is now actually Tuesday but it is still Monday somewhere in the world so it still counts.

Anyhow, that means it is Friend Making Monday over at All the Weigh.

If you've taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: All the Weigh so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome blogger's so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!

FMM: Bedroom Habits

1. Do you set an alarm clock? If so, for what time? My alarm is set for 6am on weekdays but this may vary on a Saturday and gets switched off on a Sunday unless we have an activity

2. How many hours of sleep do you get on an average night?  On average, I get about 7 hours sleep, I would love more but seem to find I can't sleep before about 10pm

3. Do you bring your laptop to bed? I don't tend to but have been known to in the past but only maybe 5 times in a year!

4. How many pillows do you require to sleep? I have 2 but find I only sleep with 1 of them

5. Do you sleep with socks on? I don't but when winter is here and it is freezing cold I have been known to sleep with socks on, but guaranteed they get kicked off during the night

6. How often do you change the sheets?  I would love to say more often than I do but I know they don't and that bugs me!

7. Do you remember your dreams? Sometimes, definitely if I have woken at 5am and then fallen back to sleep as I have entered that light REM sleep so have really vivid dreams

8. Which side of the bed do you sleep on?  When standing at the end of the bed looking towards the head then I sleep on the right.

9. How often do you take naps? Nap what is a nap? Only when I am really sick!

10. Do you sleep soundly?  I use to sleep through the night but now I have kids I can wake to most noises. I hear them move in their room, my husband snoring, the neighbour leaving in his very large truck, the road sweeper cleaning up. Sometimes I would love to sleep through with no disturbances! May have to get ear plugs!

Friend Making Monday

Over at All The Weigh, she does a Friend Makin' Monday. You answer some questions, and then you link so others can come and visit and maybe follow you and become your friend.

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section here at: All The Weigh so we can all see your FMM questions and answers. Please invite your blog readers to add their links here too so everyone has to opportunity to be seen. The idea is to connect with other awesome bloggers so take a moment to post your own FMM post and comment on a couple of other posts. Now it’s time for this week’s topic!


FMM: One or the Other

1. Shower or Bubble Bath? Bubble bath (just wish we had a bath tub in the house!)

2. Money or Power? Money

3. Country Music or Rap? Country
4. Sunshine or Thunderstorms? Both
5. Uniform or Suit? Suit

6. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate
7. Beauty or Brains? Brains

8. Newspaper or Online News? Still love reading the old fashion newspaper
9. Marinara or Alfredo? Alfredo

10. Lip Gloss or Lip Stick? Lip stick
11. Beach or Mountains? Beach

12. Talk or Text? Talk

13. CNN or Fox News? CNN
14. Cake or Potato Chips? Both, sometimes I want sweet and sometimes I want savory!

15. Movies at home or at the theater? Theatre
16. Bar or Bookstore? Bookstore
17. Rock or Pop? Rock

18. Manicure or Facial? Manicure

19. Book or e-reader? Recently converted to a Kindle, although occasionally I like reading a good old fashion book!

20. Planes or Trains? Planes

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions.
Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments! Happy Monday!

M is for a 'Me' Meme

Meme's were once really popular in the blogging world.
You found blogs that posted questions every Monday or the 1st of the month.
People were always interested in what answers others would be putting up about themselves.

These seem to have quietened down now but occasionally I come across a blog where people have been asked some questions and they have been quite interesting.

So this meme on me will be questions that I have found whilst blog surfing over the last month or so:

What is your favourite thing to eat when alone?
Eating alone to me, means not having to worry about the rest of the family, so usually when they go away and leave me at home on mine own. Then I love cooking steak and jacket potato with mayonnaise. Reason behind that is because until now the boys have not been that into steak and no one else in the family likes to eat jacket poatoes and I love them!

What are 5 things you love about your spouse/children?

1. That Steve runs with my crazy ideas
2. That Ben is so caring
3. That Alex is the rascal that he is
4. That Steve is like a walking encyclopedia and has such a wealth of knowledge that he is more than happy to share with the boys.
5. Watching Steve play with the boys and realise that I gave him that

What do you like to do on a rainy day?
If it is a warm summers day with rain then I love to go puddle splashing but if it is a cold and wintery day then I love snuggling up and watching a good movie.

Name 5 things in your freezer?

1. Chicken - we eat a lot of this
2. Beef
3. Fish Bites - the boys love these
4. Ice - we had a BBQ a while ago and there are 2 large bags left over
5. Bread - the whole of the bottom is lined with bread as I was told that a full freezer runs more efficiently than an empty one!

Has listening to a song ever changed your life? If yes, which one and why?
Yes, Celine Dion - All By Myself
I used to play her CD whilst I lived alone in Wolverhampton, this was where I did my nurse training and stayed to work. One day I listened to the words and realised that I didn't want to be alone anymore. So I got a job back in Nottingham where my parents were living at the time and I moved back home. It was a colleague in Nottingham that mentioned New Zealand to me and 14 years later here I am.

If you could pick a good book you've read to make into a movie, which one would you choose?
I would choose "Family Blessings" by LaVyrle Spencer. It is the story of a lady who has 3 kids and looses her eldest. She then in turn starts dating the eldest son's best friend. It is a beautiful story and one I read on the plane home from America one time. At the time of reading it, women dating men 15-18 years younger than them was not widely discussed so I thought this could made into a movie quite nicely showing how life is moving on and how easy it is to fall in love with someone a lot older or younger than yourself.
In fact at the time of writing this, I remembered what I loved about the book and promptly got it from the bookcase and read it again, and yes I still cried in all the right places like the first time I read it!

Has your life been different than you imagined?
Yes, I always imagined that I would settle quite young, have children and stay in the same place for ever. Life hasn't been that way. I currently live in the 39th address in my 41 years, I had my children a few years before I ever got married and even then I had my first child for quite a selfish reason even though both were planned and I was almost 33 when my first son was born, quite a few years after the age I thought I would have children, but then I didn't meet Steve until I was 29. But then I am so grateful for what I have so I am not complaining.

If you could participate in any Olympic sport, what would it be? Summer or Winter?
It would be in the Winter Olympics, I absolutely love these Olympics. I would actually take 2 weeks off work and stay home to veg and watch it all if I could. maybe one day.
The sport I would love to do would be the toboganning or the ski jump. Both scare the hebbie jebbies out of me but what a thrill.

If you could live in any city, other than the one you currently live in, where would it be?
My mother could probably answer this one in her sleep for me, it would be Wapakoneta, Ohio.
A small old Indian town in Ohio, population just over 9000.

If you could pick up an instrument and immediately know how to play it, what would it be?
The flute.
I played the clarinet at school but always wanted to play the flute. Unfortunately whenever I tried I just couldn't get an note out of it.

All About Me

Over here at Fee's Place she had a little meme going which was titled "All About Me"
So I have answered all about me and look forward to finding all about you too.

A. age : 40 (well for another 4 weeks anyway!)

B. bed size : King

C. chore that you hate : Cleaning - unless I am in the mood, which lets face it...is never!

D. dogs : No dogs, but have 2 cats

F. favorite colour : I use to say pink, but this has changed as I have gotton older and now I am not so sure I can stick it down to just 1 colour!

G. gold or silver : Gold

H. height : 5 Foot 4 Inches (or 163cm if you want to get pc)

I. instruments you play : I play the clarinet, although I haven't played it since I left school in 1988

J. job title : Just changed jobs, so went from Nurse to Analyst during 8-5, othertimes then Mum

K. kids : 2 - Ben 8 & Alex 6

L. live : Hamilton in the mighty Waikato, New Zealand

M. mother’s name : Laurie

N. nicknames : Don't have one, although when I was little it was Katy Lou, but that stopped when I was about 10, my dad calls me Floss sometimes but actually don't have one unless you class "MUM" as a nickname!

O. overnight hospital stays : Wisdom Teeth @ 18, 2 births nothing else

P. pet peeves : alcohol, the fact that people abuse it so easily

Q. quote from a movie : there are so many.......

R. right or left handed : Right

S. siblings : 1 brother - I am the oldest

T. time you wake up : Don't like getting up am not a morning person!

U. underwear : Yes I wear underwear and no it does not match

V. vegetable you hate : Carrots and mushrooms

W. what makes you run late : My family......

X. x-rays you’ve had : pelvis, ankle, neck, teeth

Y. yummy food that you make : Anything sweet

Z. zoo animal : the red pandas, although we haven't been to the zoo for a long time and really should start going again now that they do a decent family pass.


Leave a comment and I will swing on by and find out more about you too.

Labour!

This weekend just gone was Labour Day in the good ol US of A.

In honor of Labour Day, Rocks in my Dryer put together a rather different meme, it's about........well, labour. And not the kind you get a day off for, either.

How long were your labors?
Ben - 7 1/2 hours, although was having twinges all day for about 9 hours.
Alex - 7 hours

How did you know you were in labor?
Ben - I didn't! Until the contractions were about 4 minutes apart and then I believed it!
Alex - started getting niggles and knew what to look out for as this was #2

Where did you deliver?
Ben - private birthing unit, although had to transfer to hospital 30 minutes after birth due to retained placenta
Alex - hospital due to 50/50 chance of needing an op again, which I did do.

Drugs?
No, although I took 2 paracetamol about 7 hours before Ben was born. Not sure what this was going to touch!!??

With Alex I talked myself out of any drugs during the labour, as I knew the reason why I couldn't have any of them. You know like, contractions too short and fast (gas & air), too close to delivery (pethidine) and no way (epidural)

C-section?
Nope,

Who delivered?
Midwife for both, although different ones as my first one had moved city's by the time I was pregnant with Alex.
Both were delivered on the floor as I was sqwatting next to the bed. 2nd midwife didn't like this so much and kept encouraging me to get on the bed, which I didn't.

How many weeks pregnant?
Ben - 38 .2 weeks
Alex - 39.1 weeks

Would you do it all again?
Oh yes, in a heart beat.
I loved my delivery with Alex.
Just the pregnancies that don't agree with me or Steve!
Unfortunately we discovered the source of the problem to getting them and fixed the problem!

Have a great week.

Meme's and Quizes

I love doing the little quizes you find on other people's blogs.
How good are you at this?
How do you do this?
Who are you most like?

You get the idea.
My mum had this on her blog, finding out which Jane Austin character you are most like. Funny we both turned out to be the same one!

Take the Quiz here!

Meme Time

If you knew that every minute of the next 24 hours of your life would be recorded on camera is there anything you would change about your habits?
Get dress sooner in the day. Move the shoes that sit in one place for ever. Clean the bathroom. The list could go on and on....!

If you could take a one-month trip to any single destination in the world and money is not a consideration, where would you go?
Back to Canada and redo the trip I took with my parents when I was 12.
Start at Vancouver and travel across Canada to Calgary. The back across to Victoria.

What is the best example of “perfection” that you can think of?
Quilting and sewing. It always looks so perfect and amazing.

A to Z about Me

A - Attached or single: Attached - engaged getting married in September

B - Best Friend: Wendy & Kimmy

C (a)-Cake or Pie: Lemon Meringue Pie

C (b)-Coke or Pepsi: Coke but Diet Pepsi.

D - Day of Choice: Wednesday, half way after the weekend and half way to the weekend

E - Essential Item: Tissues.

F - Favorite Color: Keeps changing! Like pink, but browns and autumn colours are coming through

G - Gummy Bears or Worms: Gummy Bears, if only we could get them so freely here in NZ

H - Hometown: Southampton, UK but haven't live there since 1975 and have had 38 address's in 37 years, so not sure if I have a hometown or if my hometown is where I am at in life.

I - Indulgence(s): sugar

J - January or July: In NZ then January due to it being summer, in Northern Hemisphere then July due to it being summer!

K -Kids: 2 cheeky monkeys called Ben & Alex.

L -Life is incomplete without: Family

M - Marriage Date: Getting married on 20th September 2008

N - Number of Siblings: 1 baby Brother (Although he his actually 35yrs old)

O - Oranges or Apples: apples for sure.

P -Phobias or Fears: Drowning and anything that crawls (Insects)

Q -Quote(s): This is not something I have ever really got into. I have lots of funny little sayings that I like, but not an actual quote.

R - Reason To Smile: Life, there is always something going on that makes me smile. As my blog says, take time to find something to smile about even if you have done it before. If you enjoy it and it makes you smile then enjoy it some more.

S -Season: Summer although each season has something special about it in the way it presents itself. Check this out to understand what I mean.

T -Tag: Anybody that wants to play along.

U -Unknown Fact About Me: I have a tattoo of a rose on my right hip


V - Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: I eat meat


W - Worst Habit: Computer and getting into a good book, everything thing else stops until I have finished it.


X - X-Rays or ultrasound: Depends what you want to see tissue or bone?


Y - Your Favorite Food: A really good steak with no sauce and hot fries, salt & pepper.

Z - Zoo or museum: Zoo, because the boys love going there and we have such fun.

Gettign to Know You Meme

Found this meme on one of the blogs I follow:

Four jobs I've had:
1. Party Organiser at McDonalds
2. Shelf stacker in grocery store
3. Nurse
4. I haven't had any other jobs

Four places I lived:
1. Kuwait
2. Jordan
3. Ohio, USA
4. France

Four movies I've watched over and over:
1. Steel Magnolias
2. Doc Hollywood
3. Little Mermaid
4. Sound of Music

Four shows I watch:
1. Brothers and Sisters
2. Greys Anatomy
3. CSI
4. Doc Martin (British Show)

Four places I've been:
1. Gold Coast, Australia
2. Disney World
3. Athens
4. Hong Kong

Four favorite thing to eat:
1. Steak and chips
2. Sushi (only chicken though)
3. Chocolate Mousse
4. Chinese

Four places I'd rather be:
1. At the beach
2. At Grandma and Granddad's in Dubai
3. On a cruise in the Med
4. Disney World

Four things I look forward to this new year:
1. Redoing the kitchen in our new house
2. Going to Dubai to visit Grandma and Granddad (my parents) in September
3. Spending more time with my baby brother now he lives in NZ with his family
4. Starting my new job

What are your 4 answers to all these?

Monday Meme

Check out Manic Monday Meme for more

What is your least favorite day of the week and why?
Thursday because the week seems to be taking for ever to get to the weekend. The boys are getting restless from being at home with me so much.

What's the best way to end the day?
Snuggled reading a book

Which animal would you have left out of the ark?
Can't actually remember all the animals that went onto the ark so very difficult to say who I would have left off. Did they take one of everything? If so probably spiders, only because I don't like them!

Monday Meme

The fun of getting back on line is remembering all the regular things you did on your blog before you had 2 weeks out.
So even though it is not Monday, but as I explained previously, with the time difference it can make it difficult to do this on a Monday here, here is the meme for this week from Manic Monday.

What family traditions or customs would you most like to see preserved?
Not sure we actually have any, but really want to start some with my family.
Like Choosing your favorite meal on your birthday.

What do you feel is the least sexy part of the body?
My feet

What keeps you awake at night? Why? (This could be worries, recurring thoughts, pain or any other distraction. Read into this any way you wish.)
Nothing seems to keep me awake, although I do know I wake up several times a night since having kids, but not because I am worried about them, just because they keep coming into me and waking me up!

Monday Meme

Ok, so I know I am a little late with this this week, but I did go and check out the site for the questions on Monday and then realised that of course with the time difference I would have to wait until Monday evening my time to get Monday morning USA time.
Of course then life took over and it is now Wednesday, but hey the thought was there.
Anyway here are the questions from Manic Monday for this week:

If you could have a romance with any fictional character, who would it be?
Can't think of any names, but would end up being someone from a Jane Austin novel, but not Mr Darcy!

If you could be invisible for one hour, where would you go and what would you do?
My sons daycare to see them interacting with the other people as I know they are different when we are not around.

If you could ask God any single question, what would it be?
Does he blog??

How would you answer these? Leave me a comment and let me know.

Meme

From all the blogs I have visited, one thing that is starting to show through are "Meme's" this is where someone asks a set of questions and everyone can post their answers, then you read what people have answered and this is a way of getting to know that person better, or how to get an insight into that person's life.
I have discovered a blog assigned just to this such topic, although I am sure there are several more blogs out there doing exactly the same thing.
The blog is called Manic Monday and every Monday she asks another set of questions. Very simple but thought provoking.
Now I know it is not Monday, and I will try and remember next Monday to post the answers to that days questions, but for now here are a few of the questions from the Mondays in September/October and how I have answered them.

Which month of the year do you think best describes your personality?
I would love to say a summer month, but I think I am going to have to say an autumn month like May, when the weather is stubborn and is neither fun nor boring.

If you could have had the starring role in an existing movie, which movie would you pick?
Anything with period costume in it, probably a Jane Austin

Are you attracted to people whose personalities are very similar to your personality or very different?
Both

You’ve won $100,000 – but have to give it all away. To which charity or institution would you donate it?
Breast Cancer and Diabetes.

What do you think is the most soothing sound?
Rain

Does time heal all wounds?
Yes

If you could enter a racehorse in the Kentucky Derby, what would you name your horse?
Bubbles

What famous person, whom many people find attractive, is most unappealing to you?
Angelina Jolie

Which foreign country are you least interested in visiting?
India

Hope this has made you think about how you would answer these questions. For more, then don't forget to check out Manic Monday for yourself.