Stuff About Me - A Meme

I've been tagged by fellow Blogger Cat, who blogs "Letters to Georgia"... I don't usually fall for these, BUT I find this intriguing.

It's not just a matter of answering 25 pre-set questions that started x amount of years ago in a land far, far away.

Here are the rules:

You must post the rules
Answer the 11 questions that the tagger posted for you
Create 11 questions to ask the people you’ve tagged
Tag 11 people and link them in your post
Let them know you have tagged them

So here are the questions that were asked of me:

1. What is your strongest belief - something you are so passionate about you can argue your point with anyone?

Over time, I have become such a lover of life, such an optimist and positive person. I don't know why, I don't know how, but I so believe that we are capable and responsible for our own lives. To see people waste opportunities, or live a negative life that affects others is something I just refuse to surround myself with.
I will argue with anyone, that life is far too short to dwell on things, or stress over things we simply have no control of.

2. What qualities do you hold that makes you a good friend?

I find this question so hard, because sometimes I sit there and think to myself that if I wasn't me, I probably wouldn't be friends with me. I am a little complex, but I think I am a good, loyal person with integrity and generosity. I often tell things how it is, yet say it in a way where people can appreciate the honesty. People in my life know that if they ask me a question, I will answer it with my answer, not with what I think they want to hear.

3. If you could live in a television show, which show & which character would you play?

Bewitched - who wouldn't want to be Samantha and have the ability to have everything done with the twitch of her nose?!

4. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be? (doesn't have to be physically)

My ability to allow myself to get so emotionally involved in everything. I wish I didn't care so much ALL THE TIME.

5. What is your current personal life goal?

I am in the midst of starting a business, my goal is to see that blossom into something that will allow me to start a new career.

6. Where would you like to go on your next holiday?

I would LOVE to go to Hawaii, but realistically I think our next holiday (if we get one!) will be to Thailand. And I love it there so I am not complaining whatsoever.

7. The old faithful - dead or alive - 4 people that you will invite to your fantasy dinner party?

- My Nanna
- My Poppa (both passed when I saw quite young)

- Dr. Karl (my husband is obsessed with him and the stories I hear are pretty cool... I could spend all night asking him random stupid things that I've left stored in my head for years)
- Ryan Gosling. He wouldn't even need to speak. He could just sit there with his arms crossed and I'd be just as happy.

8. A song that always reminds you of something, and what or who and why?

Cyndi Lauper (Time After Time): This song for some reason feels like the soundtrack to my childhood. Everytime I hear it I remember these little shoes with cutouts and playing on the playground. I often hear it and will just lay there and the smells come back to me... music really can be a beautiful thing.

9. Tell me your typical Sunday

Sunday is usually the only day that my husband is home, so it's usually spent catching up on things like gardening/cleaning, catching up with family, etc. There really is no 'typical' Sunday in our house, but we really try to stay together as a family that day as we really don't get a lot of time to spend together.

10. Post the 11th photo on your phone and tell me about it

It's a photo of a block of chocolate I spotted whilst out with a girlfriend last night for dinner. It's called a 'Marital Bliss Bar' LOL!!

11. What was the last movie you watched?

Yesterday I saw "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close". It's a great movie about Sept. 11 and the impact from a child's perspective when he loses his dad. If you're going to see it, it's fantastic, but take tissues.

12. What is your idea of a dream date?

Anything with my husband, where cost wasn't a factor.
Then again, even a kid-free night at home seems pretty awesome too (but cut off the internet)

Cat, you broke the rules and asked 12 questions! But I forgive you xx

And in return, and for my tagged friends, here are my questions:

1. If you could go back to ANY year of your life to relive (and not change), which year would that be and why?
2. What characteristics do you look for in potential friends?
3. What do you wear when you're at home, slumbering on the couch?
4. What was your last blog entry? What was it about?
5. Did you grow up KNOWING what you were going to name your children? Did you end up naming your children something different?
6. Tell us something about you, something we wouldn't necessarily know about you if you didn't come right out and say so.
7. What do you believe to be your greatest strength?
8. Are you a morning person, or a night owl?
9. What/Who are your inspirations in life?
10. What is the best piece of advice you've been given?
11. What's your favourite ice-cream flavour?

And those that I tag:

Cherie @ AbabycalledMax
Jess @ CoCoandArchie
Liza @ Lifewith3under3
Nicole @ TheMillionRambles
Jodie @ PaleTooth

Happy Half-Birthday

Ryder, my baby boy, turned 6-months old yesterday.

I remember the fear when I had my first son, and thinking that I would never be able to love anything as much as I loved him. And the prospect of more children also scared me because I felt that I wasn't capable of loving any more... I was wrong. My cup now runneth over.
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Ryder, you're such an amazing, happy little baby.

You now love your tummy time, and you're trying as hard as you possibly can to crawl. You're so close!
You're up on all fours, you let out this happy little scream and do this little 'humping' dance, and then come back down again and scoot yourself backwards. It really is funny to watch, so much so that I have it on video to watch when you're older.

You love food. OH MY GOODNESS you love food.

Weetbix with mashed banana, you go nuts. Chocolate custard, you go nuts. Cruskits, you go nuts. It's taken a little while to get you to eat your meat, but over the last week or so you've enjoyed some chicken. I think daddy was getting nervous you were a vegetarian!

You also had your injections this week, they didn't phase you. Mummy was so proud. You didn't cry for long, and like a switch, the tears were gone and you were back to being the flirty, smiley boy that everyone loves.

Mummy can't take you anywhere without being stopped by people that just admire your curls and your big blue eyes. You really are the cutest baby I have ever laid my eyes on. You make my heart melt. You have this gorgeous smile, and such defined facial expressions... I joke at times that you have a bit of an 'old man' face like daddy. He's not impressed, but it's just a little bit true.

Your sleeping is mostly good... this week it's been a bit difficult because you've had the sniffles, but I can't complain. You're still sleeping ten times better than you did when you were a newborn. Mummy wasn't coping back then, but she certainly is now.

This month has also marked your start at day care. Mummy has gone back to work 2 days a week, but you're loving the time around other kids, even if it means bringing home the germs. The ladies at day care swoon over you, and you look happy there.

Thank you for a brilliant 6-months my precious baby boy,

Love you millions, always.

Mummy xxx

Sculptures by the Sea

Brighton Jetty Classic Sculptures

In keeping with my fitness regime, I have been completing a 5km walk a few times a week in-between gym classes. My husband has been trying to drag me along to do this walk for goodness knows how long, as it is along the beach and also within close proximity to a rather large set of stairs and a very steep ramp, for him to climb and torture himself while I happily walk and take in the beach air, pram in tow.

To my surprise the walk was fabulous, moreso on a summer night when a nice breeze is sweeping through; I've become addicted. The beach, the sunset, the cute elderly couples walking arm-in-arm, and this week the Brighton Jetty Classic Sculptures, or as I call it 'Sculptures by the Sea'.

It is an outdoor exhibit of sculptures created by local artists, which also acts as a competition to win various cash prizes.

Throughout all my walks this week, I have had the pleasure to stop and look at each sculpture, some are quite sweet and I have taken some photos of my favourites (including the above image, which is my favourite)...

Cheers to the Freaking Weekend...

Firstly I have to thank Jess over @ CocoandArchie for the heading idea which I stole (sorry hun!) I was trying to think of something that summed up how I felt about the weekend just gone, and I stumbled upon her blog today (thanks to Instagr.am for our connection!) and viola!

This weekend was supposed to be efficient. It wasn't.

After 7-months of Maternity Leave, I am returning to work part-time as of Thursday. Just 2 days a week; enough to earn me some much needed money, but it also allows me to get back out there in the adult world, away from the poo, puke and crying. I'm going to miss it though...

This last weekend was thrown out the window when Ryder (5-months old) came down with a fever on Friday night. I got about 2 hours sleep. It was his first fever so I was up, checking his temperature every 5 minutes, worrying, checking it again, trying to get some fluid into him. He was fine. His temperature was a bit high, but he was never lethargic, he just got a bit unsettled and fell asleep a bit later than usual, but I couldn't sleep.

Saturday night was my turn, but this time I didn't have a fever, I had gastro. Oh my goodness. So there goes any chance of a nice, relaxing Saturday night at home with hubby. And any chance of a catch up of missed sleep from the night before.

Sunday was spent trying to recover and regain energy. It was the eve of Logan's 6th Birthday, and also the eve of his first day at school for 2012, so I had a lot to do. Housework, cleaning, uniform sorting, not to forget my immediate family coming over for dinner to celebrate the upcoming birthday. Luckily I didn't have to cook. I had just enough energy to order the pizza, hold conversation and that's about it.

By Monday, the gastro bug hit hubby and my mother. Hubby came home from work before lunch and spent the remainder of the day in bed.

So I am sitting here, it's Tuesday morning and my house is a mess. I am procrastinating. What a crappy, crappy weekend.