I was stealing Pinterest pins tonight and I saw a pin titled "30 Things My Children Should Know About Me." Naturally curious, I opened what was a blog page by someone who calls herself, "Baby-maker." This would normally scare me or at least cause me to click out off the page, especially when I saw a picture of a very earthy looking young woman, but the macabre is always intriguing and I decided to read her blog page. She was not as granola as I anticipated, and her list was intended for young women with young children, which ruled me out on both counts. As most of you know, my kids are grownish being that Meg is 29 (which she had declared to stay for sometime) and Jordan is 24. Baby-maker's list made me wonder if my kids could pass a factoid test about me without a cheat sheet so I took her list and decided to adapt her list to suit my own time table and needs.
BABY-MAKER'S LIST:
1. List 20 random facts about yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears (graphic version)
3. Describe your relationship with your spouse. (graphic version)
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?
15. Describe when you knew your spouse was the one or how I fell in love.
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What do you think your spouse loves most about you?
19. How did you feel the moment you became a parent?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. Describe your relationship with your parents.
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. What’s your favorite holiday and why?
24. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about parenthood?
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28. What’s your favorite quality in your spouse?
29. What are your hopes and dreams for your prosperity?
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.
JANA'S LIST
1. List 5 random facts about yourself. (Who has time to list 20 things?)
My hair color is a mystery. The colorist does have it written a a secret notebook in the closet of her salon. It could be a national secret.
There are Haribo Gummy Bears hidden in my bedroom. I started hiding them from both kids and now it's just a habit.
I watch trash tv late at night after Bosco has gone to bed. The Housewives of New Jersey scare me, but as I mentioned, the macabre is always intriguing.
I haven't cleaned out the warranty file in our filing cabinet and there is paperwork for our 1987 Honda Accord in there as well.
There is a voo-doo doll named Guadalupe in the back of the top left drawer of my sewing cabinet. Don't ask questions and don't remove the black pin from her belt.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have.
Large spiders and cockroaches
Public restrooms that are not regularly cleaned.
Losing a family member to death, anger, or amnesia.
3. Describe your relationship with your spouse.
Bosco is patient, kind, caring, and loses his temper with me quite often. He loves me in spite of my faults!
4. List 3 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
Study and show yourself how smart you really are.
Stand-up straight. If tall is their problem, then they are losers.
Savor every memory of Little Rock, because in a short few years your parents will move to Houston and you will move to Arizona.
5. What are the 3 things that make you most happy right now?
Being retired and deciding to do things in my own time.
An icecream bar from the Michocana on a hot summer afternoon.
Seeing how my kids are turning out.
6. If you could have three wishes, what would you wish for?
Health, happiness and security for all my family and friends.
7. What is your dream job, and why?
Singing back-up for someone like Aretha Franklin or James Taylor. Duh, that would be pretty amazing!
8. What are 3 passions you have?
Civil Rights, dancing, and having fun.
9. List 5 people who have influenced you.
My parents (2)
My brother
My 11th grade English teacher, Mrs. Davies
My sweet friend, Judy Herbert
10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
There are too many to count, but I am certain it had to do with being outspoken.
11. Describe 5 pet peeves you have.
Mean people
Liars
Bad hair days
Finding my shirts too tight
Indiscriminate farters
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
Staying up late, sleeping until 8:00, hanging out with Bosco, or just doing regular summer stuff.
13. What’s the hardest part of growing up?
Responsibility, taxes, not regretting decisions, and knowing there are no do-overs.
14. Describe 5 and weaknesses strengths you have.
I am outspoken, trusting, creative, sensitive, and strong-willed. On a good day, they are all strengths, on a bad day they can be heck to live with!
15. Describe when you knew your spouse was the one or how I fell in love.
There wasn't a magic moment when "zing" I was hit with the love bomb, it just grew. He made me laugh, he made me smile, and he still does. I love how he loves me and I love how he loves our kids. He is even nice to my cat.
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
My kids (2)
My friends
My career
My life
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
Cooking. Those shows on the Food Channel really make me feel inadequate. I feel like I could shoot an alligator on Swamp People before I could make paella.
18. What do you think your spouse loves most about you?
Are you kidding? The list is endless! LOL
19. How did you feel the moment you became a parent?
A little overwhelmed and terrified at the same time.
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
My time on my grandparent's farm
Moving and the trauma that goes with it all
Math terrors
21. Describe your relationship with your parents.
They are two of my very best friends and I will probably lose one or both before long. I try not to think about that happening.
22. Where do you see yourself in 15 years?
Hopefully still alive, enjoying a healthy and active life with Bosco, and being a grandparent to some wild and crazy little rugrats.
23. What’s your favorite holiday and why?
Everyone who knows me well knows that I love Halloween. What's not to love about costumes, parties, and candy??
24. What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about parenthood?
Letting your kids go. It's the happiest and saddest part of your life.
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
I would have dinner with Mr. Rogers. We would eat pasta.
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
Judging a person is ever right.
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
My green eyes.
28. What’s your favorite quality in your spouse?
He reassures me and encourages me to do my own thing.
29. What are your hopes and dreams for your prosperity?
To do no harm, to make the world a better place for having lived, to make a positive difference in the lives of everyone I encounter, and to be remembered fondly.
30. List 2 things you would hope to be remembered for.
Teaching someone something they could use to make their lives better
Making others smile or laugh
After reading my answers, my kids would probably score a 75% on the quiz!
