Q & A

This is a meme that my buddy Not Supermum has tagged me for. Let's see what you lot can find out about me today!

Which living person do you admire the most, and why?

This is an easy one. My Granny. She was a military wife just like me, only she had to deal with not having the modern technology that I did. She successfully raised two little girls (my mom and aunt) while my PaPa was off to war (Vietnam) and is one of the strongest people I know.

When were you the happiest?

I was the happiest I will ever be on my wedding day. I was surrounded by friends and family and marrying the most perfect man for me.

What was your most embarrassing moment?

10 grade in math class. I got my period early and didn't know it. I went to the chalk board at the front of the class to work out a problem given by the teacher with a big old red mark on my butt. I wanted to die that day.

Besides property, what is the most expensive thing you have bought?

My Jeep. I love my orange jeep. I actually went and made sure they had an orange Jeep before we bought it.




What is your most treasured possession?

My engagement ring.

Where would you like to live?

If I could move my entire family to England I would live here forever.

What is your favorite smell?

Cherry blossoms. Reminds me of growing up in Washington DC in the spring.

Who would you get to play you in a film of your life?

Sandra Bullock. I love her. Plus she is my husband's "freebie". Ya know if they met in a crowded bar and she wanted to ya know with him.."freebie"

What is your favorite book?

I have to choose one? OK, well my favorite book is "The Giving Tree". It makes me weep EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I read it to my kids.

What is your most unappealing habit?

I bite my nails. I don't even realize I am doing it.

What would be your fancy dress costume of choice?

Oooo I would love to have a pirate costume.

What is your earliest memory?

I remember hiding behind the couch when I was about 2 years old because the Michael Jackson Thriller video came on and it scared me.

What is your guiltiest pleasure?

Trashy reality television. Seriously. I can sit down and watch a stupid reality show like Four Weddings and be happy as a lark. Here you thought I was all sophisticated! (ok even that made me laugh).

What do you owe your parents?

More than I could ever repay.

To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?

I can't think of anyone. Honestly. I am generally a nice person.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

My husband and daughters. They are my everything.

What does love feel like?

A warm ember of fire in the pit of your stomach.

What was the best kiss of your life?

The first kiss with my husband. I remember every detail. Of course I am not going to write about it here.

Which words or phrases do you overuse?

I knew I used the phrase "you've got to be kidding me" too much when my kids started parroting me.

What's the worst job you have done?

I did data entry at an accounting office. The actual job itself wasn't horrible, but the people I worked with were awful. Plus the office always smelled like cigarette smoke because of the chain smoking office manager. I am not a fan of indoor smoking.

If you could edit your past, what would you change?

Absolutely nothing. The whole time space continuum might be ruined and then I might not be here. Scary thought.

What is the closest you have came to death?

When I was 8 years old I was in a horrible auto accident. The van my mother was driving was hit from behind when we were going down the interstate. That made the van spin out of control and then we hit another car and the van rolled. I was not wearing my seat belt because I was trying to lay down on the middle bench seat to take a nap (we were on a long road trip). I was thrown from the car. Actually thrown is a little too dramatic. When the van was rolling the windows all broke out. When the van was on it's side I went out one of the busted windows and the van continued to roll over me. I ended up with scraped knees and scared out of my wits. My mother was frantic when the crash stopped because I wasn't in the car. I was trying to crawl back into the car.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

I finished University online. When I started I had a 2 year old and a 6 month old baby.

When did you cry last?

I honestly don't remember. I get scared and disappointed and angry, but I am not usually a crier.

How do you relax?

A glass of wine and a good book usually do the trick.

What single thing would improve the quality of your life?

This is a tossup between a dishwasher or a top loading extra capacity American style washer. I really hate dishes and laundry.

What is the most important lesson life has taught you?

Laugh. Life isn't worth living if you don't have a bit of laughter in your life.

Time to do some tagging. I am going to tag....

Mammywoo
Miss Cherry Red
Jay
Jess
Tara

I've Decided to Be Selfish...

and guess what? I don't feel a bit guilty about it. I finally decided that I am worth the extra time. My health is worth the extra time. My well being is worth the extra money. My self image is worth the effort. I am a mother, a wife, a friend, a multi-tasking expert. I put everybody's priorities ahead of mine. I took care of other people but I didn't take care of myself.

I didn't take care of myself and I started to suffer for it. My weight became out of control. I hurt my ankle and I couldn't heal it because I didn't go to the doctor. I don't have time for the doctor. My weight on that ankle was making the healing process take longer. I felt tired all the time- not tired I shouldn't have stayed up late tired, but tired I just don't want to get out of bed because that is entirely too much effort tired. I felt blah. I don't like blah. If you have ever met me or read my blog, you know that blah is not my thing at all.

I finally had enough of it 2 months ago. I finally decided that I am worth my time and my effort and I decided to be selfish. My first step in being selfish was a joined WeightWatchers- 12lbs off so far. My next step was spending time on things that made me happy. I have carved out more time for me to spend time with my friends. I have more coffee mornings and lunches with friends in the last month that I can recall ever doing. I am taking time to read more books (which I didn't think was even possible considering that I read more than most people I know). I spend time with my husband just being goofy. I am taking walks with the girls in the afternoons and spending time outdoors, even when it is a bit cold, because I love the outdoors. I am being selfish and I don't care.

CyberMummy 2011 Meet and Greet

The date has been set for CyberMummy 2011! It will be happening June 25th down in London. I am already so excited that I can barely stand it. CyberMummy, for those who do not live in the UK is the closest thing we have to BlogHer here in the UK for mummybloggers (and Tim). It is a chance for us to learn from each other, meet and have a good time around for the most part like minded people.

Last year Mummysshoes.com had the great idea to put together a little who's who on her blog. This way we kind of had an idea who each other were, since many of us had never met in person. Here is my entry for this years Meet and Greet.

Name: Kat- also answers to "hey you" "3bedroom" or "dude"

Blog: http://3bedroombungalow.blogspot.com (of course you already know that if you are reading this on my blog)

Twitter ID: @3bedroom

Height: 5'7"

Hair- Brown for now. Most often found in a ponytail or bun since I can't be bothered to pull out my hair dryer most mornings.

Eyes- Green (see, I am not full of crap like people think)( If I was my eyes would be brown)(no offense to people with brown eyes)(My husband and kids have brown eyes)(I love brown eyes).

Likes- Encased meat (sausages, hot dogs (no I don't want to know what is in them thank you very much), bratwurst...), traveling, pretty things, chatter, Macs, technology in general, Peppa Pig, Star Wars (but I don't dress up or anything), people who are just as crazy as me.

Dislikes- People who complain or create drama, housework, sprouts, Captain Mack (it's a kids show in the UK), flat tires, people who fail to use indicators when making turns or on roundabouts.

I Have Been Tagged

Miss Cherry Red has tagged me in a meme (in case you don't know how to pronounce that it rhymes with dream) in which I need to answer 10 questions about myself then tag some of you my lovely readers to answer the same questions. Here we go....

1) Are you a meticulous planner?

No. No. No. In fact I am the complete opposite which drives my mother completely bonkers. Here's an example of a conversation with my mom "So, Kat when you come to the US where are you staying?" "Well I figured we would split half our time with you and then half the time with The Man's parents and go from there" "Well make sure that you don't plan anything for the kids on the 30th, your aunt has already taken off work" "No problem. I have no plans for the kids on any of the days" "So you don't know exactly what your plans are?" "Nope," and then we go round and round and round with the same line of questioning a bit more. I would love to be a planner with meticulous lists but it just isn't in my nature.

2) Do you wear make up? If so, how much and how often?

I wear make up if I am going out on the town, which is to say I never wear make up.

3) What, if anything, do you wear to bed?

Well, it depends on the season. In the winter I wear as many clothes as I can possibly find and fit on my body at once and in the summer you're lucky if I have knickers on.

4) Look over your right shoulder what do you see?

The window that looks out of the front of my house and my husband's guitar.

5) If you had to take one random item to an interview to help describe yourself, what would it be?

A tatty well worn open book. Self explanatory.

6) What film would you have liked a staring roll in?

Pride and Prejudice. The one with Colin Firth, not the other one. Mmmmm Mr. Darcy.

7) Jimmy Stewart or Cary Grant?

Cary Grant. Pure Class. Plus I am a sucker for The Philadelphia Story

8) Do you swear in front of children?

Sometimes. I am doing a lot better though. I certainly never swear AT them.

9) Do you sew or knit or do any other "womanly" craft?

Nope. I am not crafty. In fact, I am surprised I passed Home Economics class in high school. I must have passed purely on my cooking grades alone.

10) Twitter or Facebook?

Both. I spend more time on Twitter though.

Ok, so there it is. You have now learned that I can't sew, I have a soft spot for old films, old books, and that I don't plan things out. Now, who should I tag? I am going to blame hay fever for this and say if you want to do this meme, take it forth and propagate it. (I also like big words.)