11 x 3 = 33

With gratefulness I accept the responsibilities bestowed upon me by the amazing women at The Mommy Padawan, Chosen Chaos, and The Momalog in this week’s feisty and friendly blogging bustle, 11 Questions.    

Here are the rules:

• You must post these rules.
• Each per­son must post 11 things about them­selves on their blog.
• Answer the ques­tions the “tag­ger” listed for you in her post, and cre­ate 11 new ques­tions for the peo­ple you tag to answer.
• Choose 11 peo­ple to tag and link to them in the post.
• Let each blog­ger know that you have tagged them.

The observant reader will be able to figure out that because I have been tagged three times, I have 33 questions to answer.  However, knowing that our time on Earth is brief, I am breaking the rules and choosing to answer 11.  This will help to reduce my contemplation and composing time (I am very slow at both) and cut down your reading time (you can thank me now).  Also, instead of choosing 11 more people to tag and creating 11 questions, I am asking you, the one reading this right now, to answer one question in the comment section below this entry.  Here's the question:

 What would you do if you won the lottery?

Here are my questions complete with answers:

1. What’s the best concert you’ve seen?

I tend to favor shows in small venues for their intimacy and energy.  Yet, I have been to 25 Dave Matthews Band concerts which have all been memorable, and three Pearl Jam concerts that left me feeling more alive than I ever thought possible.  However, the best concert I have seen is, by far, U2 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA, July 2011.  Powerful and epic.

2. What are the must have pizza toppings?

Fresh anchovies are delightful and make me very unpopular at pizza parties.

3. What makes you feel pretty?

Make-up and a good haircut. But, above all, hearing my girls say, “Mom, you are pretty,” makes me feel the fairest of all.

4. Which goal for yourself are you most proud of accomplishing?

Completing my degree.  I took my last class in November. 

5. What do you hope your child or children remember from their childhood?

Love and laughter.

6. What’s your best kid’s riddle or joke?

What do you call a boy with a dictionary in his pocket?  Smarty Pants.

7. What’s your favorite book?  Why?

The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera.  Is lightness splendid and weight a burden?  Or does meaning only come from weight?  Philosophy.  Art. Love. Life.  It’s all in there.  And my ancestors are Czechoslovakian, like Kundera. Also, the book was given to me when I was a freshman in college.  It reminds me of a time when I became awake and aware of the amazement that exists in the world.

8. and 9. Do you make your bed every day?  Do your kids make theirs? Why or why not?

I do not make my bed.  My kids make theirs after they come home from school before they do their homework so that they have a neat environment in which to do their studying.  They do not enjoy making their beds and always ask for help.  They do not need help and I do not give it to them.  But they do enjoy the feeling of having a tidy room.  My room, on the other hand, is a disaster.  I only frequent it for sleeping.  As far as why I make them make their beds and the hypocrisy of me not making mine. . .that’s something they will work out in therapy.

 

10. If you lived just by yourself, with no one else to care for, what would you have for dinner?

Salt and Vinegar chips.

11. What’s your favorite quote?

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action,and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open. --Martha Graham

photo credit: opensourceway via photopin cc
photo credit: jilliancyork via photopin cc

Top 10 Passions

There is a great community of writers who link up every week with Stasha of The Good Life fame for  Monday Listicles.  This week’s list is one that I need to reflect upon regularly in order to stay focused on the important stuff.  It’s all about passion.

My Top 10 Passions in Life.

1. Parenting.  I have devoted my life to parenting and it can sometimes take over and overshadow all of what I do.  So it’s vital for me to remember entries two through 10.

2. Love.  The significant other kind of love, the kind I have for my three Chihuahuas, and the world peace compassion kind of love.

3. Getting lost in or being awakened by the artistic expression of others: reading a great novel, seeing a great film, viewing an amazing photograph. . .

“You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book(Lady Chatterley, for instance), or you take a trip, or you talk with Richard, and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness. The second symptom(when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death): absence of pleasure. That is all. It appears like an innocuous illness. Monotony, boredom, death. Millions live like this(or die like this) without knowing it. They work in offices. They drive a car. They picnic with their families. They raise children. And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death." Anais Nin

4. Writing Sperk*. Getting it out.  Challenging myself to express it in a way that is meaningful, authentic, relatable, and concise.  Getting to know my blogging community.  Every week, I am astounded by the great writing I come across—writing that is powerful, funny, truthful, empowering, and inspiring.  I wish I had more time to devote to it, but . . . see number one.

5. Music.  It’s been my most favorite and constant companion since I was a little one.  My significant other plays the bass, my older daughter sings, and my younger daughter plays the clarinet.  I absolutely love when any one of them practices.  iPods being docked and turned up loud is encouraged.  Sharing playlists on Spotify is a must.  And live music?  There is nothing that compares to being in the moment and part of the energy of a live concert.

6. Education, especially early ed.  Quality early learning can change the world.  We need to focus on it and pay early ed professionals salaries that are comparable to teachers of elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools.

7. Children’s Advocacy.  Children are miniature people.  They are not second class citizens.  We need to honor their expression, keep them safe, and support them in creating their voice.  If we do so, when they grow up, the world will be a better place.

8. The Pittsburgh Steelers.

9. Sharing information..  The world has become smaller due to technology.  I am always blown away by the current ability to find and share information.

10. Peanut Butter.  I eat it right from the jar.

photo credit: morganthemoth via photopin cc
photo credit: Vince Alongi via photopin cc
photo credit: sam_churchill via photopin cc