8 questions for you (about me)

It’s a game of blog tag. And I just got tagged by Andie of multiplemama. It’s my kind of game… I don’t have to clean out too many cobwebs from the creative side of my brain in order to come up with a blog post. I don’t have to leave my chair and do anything physical (because I already kicked my own butt at the gym today). And no one is going to get hurt playing this game of tag.

1. Why did you start blogging?
Three reasons, really. A friend starting blogging and I wanted to get in on the fun. Second, I felt the overwhelming desire to share my weight loss journeys with other readers just in case I am needed to be a source of inspiration or direction for someone else in my “predicament.” And finally, it’s an awesome excuse to neglect the condition of my floors, counters, sinks, and carpets.

2. If you could travel anywhere in the world with no restriction of costs, where would it be and why?
Wow… time to let the big dreams out of the box, huh? My dreams are different than my spouse’s, however since his is more cultural and personally historical in nature, I’ll take his idea, expand on it, and throw in a bit of me on top. As my friend Andie posted in her blog on this very topic, bringing my parents and one nanny per child is mandatory! Let’s see, that’s 12 people. I would fly (first class, if we could all sit together, otherwise, we’d charter a private jet) to Europe and spend several months there exploring. First on the list is The Netherlands. We would spend time with my current nanny, perhaps timing the trip to her wedding or some other future celebration. Daddy would hunt down the area where his relatives lived and immerse us into the culture. We would veer off course to visit Germany, where my family roots run deep, and I’d make sure to hit the Autobahn for some excitement. We’d drive through Belgium and France, then spend time in Italy. We’d ride bikes, little “smart cars,” scooters, pile into taxi vans, we’d walk. We’d take little excursions away from the family, just Daddy and I, for some private time in the wine country. I suppose the kids could twist my arm and go to Disneyland in Paris. And I’d like to spend some time on the French Riviera while we’re at it.

3. Did you have a teacher in school that had a great influence on your life? If so, what?
None of my teachers inspired me to greatness. Sure, I had a fondness of Mrs. N in 5th grade. But I think the biggest influence of a teacher was a negative one from an ‘honors’ teacher I got stuck with for 3 years. Mr. W. had it out for me since Day 1. Actually, it was more like Day 15 when I finally ended up in his class, since I was originally placed in the remedial English class – I had transferred into this high school from a private school, so apparently the school had no idea what level I would test at… and they guessed. After the remedial teacher noticed I was more on the gifted side, I was put into Mr. W’s AP English class. I was a good student before him. Not perfect, but a good, normal student. I behaved in class. I participated. I always achieved As or high Bs. However, Mr. W. picked on me relentlessly. My friend would be talking up a storm (and I’d be listening to her) and he’d yell MY name and tell me to shut up. Excuse me? He would also call me by my last name only, when he would call other girls in class by their first names. He would give me “Cs” on really good papers. My parents didn’t understand why my marks were so average on the papers he graded. Other teachers agreed with me, so I wasn’t being arrogant about my work. I tried… really, I tried hard for the first semester to ignore his terrible attitude towards me. I even sucked up my pride and included him in the baking I did for all my teachers that year at Christmas. I baked him a loaf of my delicious Zucchini bread, wrapped it up with a bow and gift tag, and before class the day before the holiday break, I placed it on his podium with other students’ gifts. During his monologue that morning, he walked over to his podium and inspected some of the presents. He saw mine, picked it up, turned it around to examine it, walked over to my desk, and gave it back to me. In front of everyone. All without skipping a beat in his speech. I was mortified and embarrassed.  Then, I was furious.  This teacher negligently pegged me to be a troublemaker and in doing so, he turned me into one. I figured if I was going to get in trouble for something, it might as well be for something I actually had the pleasure of doing. When I returned from the holiday break that year, I begin to act like he expected me to. I talked in class. I passed notes. I wrote on my desk. I sassed him when he spoke to me. I called him by his first name… “Wally.” That didn’t go over well, so I kept doing it. I would have put tacks on his chair if I could. I wished he would die. Daily. I made friends with all the “bad” students in class. I encouraged them to make his life miserable. One day, they turned his car sideways in his parking spot. Good times. Then suddenly, when we returned from holiday break of my senior year, he was gone. Not dead, just “suddenly retired.” I like to think I had something to do with it. Bitter much, Tam? Yeah. A smidge.

4. If you could spend the day with a famous person, who would it be, and what would you do?
My husband thinks I would pick Russell Crowe and that we’d spend the day riding horseback in the Outback or on the Aussie beaches. Well, OK… if I have permission! Maybe I’d connect with Brad and Angie and ask them if Shiloh and the twins would meet us for a play date. After all. Shiloh is the same age as my Twincesses and my #2 looks more like HER twin than the wombmate she had for 9 months! And, their twins are the same age as my Twinados. The question is, would they bring their nanny(s) or would they supervise?!

5. Toilet paper — over or under?
UNDER!!!!!!!!!!! I might be a little opinionated about this one. Either way, it ends up in the same pile after the kids are done with it.

6. Name one thing in your life that you would do over if possible.
Just one thing? Anything I choose would have a butterfly effect. My mistakes have made me who I am.

7. Tell about your pets — if any.
Four kids, one husband, one nanny, one cat, and a few ants. All but two of them are potty trained.  And, to save anyone from embarrassment, I'll just not mention which two those are.

8. Do you live in a small town or a large town. (You don’t have to name the town.)
I live in a quiet suburb of an adjoining county to a major metropolitan area (Los Angeles). Small town feel. Big town amenities.


And now for the really fun part if you are a blogger. TAG you’re it! Yep that’s right. Take the same eight questions and run with them. And if you are not published blogger, feel free to answer them here or comment on my answers, if it strikes your fancy. Good Luck!