our first mama of the week, 9 june -- 15 june is..

[brooklyn_warbler]

BOOGIEMONSTER

yay!

hmmmm questions...i'm going to go with a most favourite/least favourite theme for you this week. :

* which of your husband's traits (personality-wise) is your most favourite? least favourite?
* what is the best pregnancy advice you've ever gotten? worst?
* what is your favourite part of your physical appearance? least favourite?

[Momma Aimee]

BOOGIEMONSTER

• if you had more money each month what THING that you now consider an unneed luxuery would you have (like CSA memebership, weekly spa appt, house cleaner, yard boy, gym membership).......

[crystalalene]

Are you excited about this baby? What worries do you have?

Do you prefer water or dry land?
Do you prefer tea or coffee?

[De-lovely]

If you could one day as a famous person who would it be?

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by robina_josephine

BOOGIEMONSTER

yay!

hmmmm questions...i'm going to go with a most favourite/least favourite theme for you this week. :

* which of your husband's traits (personality-wise) is your most favourite? least favourite?
* what is the best pregnancy advice you've ever gotten? worst?
* what is your favourite part of your physical appearance? least favourite?

Wow! I'm so excited! Sidebar: I had my ultrasound today! Yippee! (We're not finding out baby's gender so we just looked for little toes and other precious tidbits.)

My husband is such a smiley, fun-loving, sweet person. I like a lot of things about him, but I think my favourite (Canadian spelling ) is that he is adventuresome and just plain fun to hang out with. He's also a wonderful father, and there's nothing sexier than watching your man kiss and cuddle your baby.

Physical appearance? My adorable bumpy belly? I have lots of dark, long hair that gets pretty thick and fabulous when I'm pregnant. I've been accused of hair vanity in the past. As far as least favourite goes, I'd like to be in better shape; more muscle tone and flexibility. I'm not in terrible shape, but I haven't been in really good shape since I finished university.

Originally Posted by Aimee21972

BOOGIEMONSTER

• if you had more money each month what THING that you now consider an unneed luxuery would you have (like CSA memebership, weekly spa appt, house cleaner, yard boy, gym membership).......

We just cancelled our housekeepers. *sigh* That was a sad day. I would love to have them in at least once a week. It's such a luxury to have the WHOLE house clean at the same time. DD and I can disappear down to the basement for an hour and *poof* the lovely housekeeping fairies make the house a sparkly wonder!

We paid for this with the extra money I brought in from working at home, and I'm cutting back on my hours in the fall, so it had to go.

You got me thinking about a yard boy, though...hmmm... We don't have much of a yard so it would be mostly for entertainment value.

Originally Posted by crystalalene

Are you excited about this baby? What worries do you have?

Do you prefer water or dry land?
Do you prefer tea or coffee?

I'm very excited. I grew up with four siblings, and loved it, so I'm thrilled that Anna will get to be a big sister. I hope my kids have lots of fun together.

I'm worried about the health of the baby. I'm sure that's totally normal. I feel blessed that my daughter is so healthy and active, and I fear that this one might not be so lucky. I also worry about my ability to juggle two young children with working from home and maintaining the house. That one is more in my control, though, so I'm taking steps to help maintain my tenuous grip on sanity and making peace with the possibility that I will have to let my job go if it isn't healthy for my family.

Water. I love being on the coast. I grew up here in the prairies, and fell in love with Vancouver Island. My husband and I love it so much we honeymooned there, rather than going further away to the Caribbean or something. We keep threatening to move there some day, but DH has a great job here, so we'll stay put for a while. I love the island lifestyle: the laid-back nature, the support of small business, the general crunchiness.

Tea AND coffee...NOT DECAF!!! This kills me when I'm pregnant. I like coffee in the morning and tea in the afternoon and evening.

Originally Posted by De-lovely

If you could one day as a famous person who would it be?

Good question! Hmmm...I'd have to make the most of it by really making a difference in that day. I think I'd be the Dalai Lama or David Suzuki (do Americans know who he is?), and spend the whole day working for the good of humanity or the earth.

Or else I'd be completely selfish and star in a Broadway show for a day.

[*Lindsey*]

What is your greatest joy(s) as a mama?

What is your biggest struggle/challenge(s) as a mama?

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by *Lindsey*

What is your greatest joy(s) as a mama?

What is your biggest struggle/challenge(s) as a mama?

Joy:
I love the sweet toddler kisses and hugs, hearing her call "Mummy, Mummy" when she wakes up from her naps, watching her explore our world, and constantly being fascinated by how quickly she learns. The biggest surprise for me was just how much she makes me laugh. I told my mother, "She makes me laugh every day." She replied, "Well, Monica, that's why we have them!" I can't wait to have another little person in my life that I love SO MUCH and who makes me laugh so hard.

Challenge:
MAMA GUILT!!! I belly-ache a lot about this, but I work from home, and I do most of the cooking/shopping/housework. I constantly have to check myself when I'm feeling guilty for working at the kitchen table or scrambling to cook and clean while DD plays in the front room. I know that some independent play is a good thing, she sometimes gets frustrated if I invade her space TOO much, but I put pressure on myself to engage her and teach her and interact with her. I have from the beginning. I need to relax. When she needs me, she's pretty quick to let me know! And the reason I work from home instead of outside the home is so that I can get lots of face-to-face time with her. I know that little person better than anyone, and I think that's great!

[Googy]

How old is Anna? Can you tell us about some funny/silly/amazing things that she does?

[LittleBrownDog]

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by Googy

How old is Anna? Can you tell us about some funny/silly/amazing things that she does?

Anna is 22 months old. She is very vocal and very expressive (you can tell her mum's an actor). Last week we took her to the grocery store and stopped to pick up a cool drink. My husband got a frosty chocolate-y drink, and Anna's a total chocoholic. He gave her a sip, and she says (in a very loud voice), "MMM, DAT CHOK-LIT!" Then she follows him around the store with her head tipped back and her mouth wide open like a baby bird. I was killing myself laughing.

Originally Posted by LittleBrownDog

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

This is so funny. I did a degree in stage acting, but when I was a kid I wanted to be a paleontologist. I think I went about it the wrong way around...I should have wanted to sing and act when I was a kid and grew up to be a scientist. Ah, well. :

[*GreenMama*]

What do you envision your life like in 10 years?

Where is your favorite vacation spot?


Just for fun: What is the worst pickup line you've ever used/had used on you?

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by *HolisticMama*

What do you envision your life like in 10 years?

Where is your favorite vacation spot?


Just for fun: What is the worst pickup line you've ever used/had used on you?

In ten years:
Mama to (at least) two BIG kids; hopefully I'll go back to work again someday, maybe not full-time, but something I really enjoy away from my house; gearing up to take the kids on some exotic overseas adventure; having some time away from breastfeeding and changing diapers to do fun things like yoga and knitting and reading on a more regular basis; having at least one evening a week for mama to sing in a choir or learn to play the cello or do flamenco dancing or any crazy ol' thing I like; spending lots of time hanging out with my kids playing games or talking or reading together or watching their favourite movies.

Vacation spot:
Definitely Vancouver Island. It's pretty close to home but it's just so me there. Plus, it has sentimental value for my DH and me since we honeymooned there and, a few years prior, went on our first trip alone together there. I feel so happy sitting on the beach and watching the water.

Pick-up line:
Him: Do you have any Scots in you?
Me: No.
Him: Do you want some?
















(I married that guy, so I guess it worked. : )

[Grace24]

Do you have pets?

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by Grace24

Do you have pets?

We have two cats: Tabasco and Wasabi (or Bacco and Wabi to Anna). Tabasco was adopted from the SPCA and Wasabi was from a litter of strays that my aunt took in. My husband named them. We call them "the condiment cats".

We have a tree frog. We used to have five frogs, but the rest lived normal froggie life spans and died years ago. This one is trying to outlive us, I think. His name is Degas, after the artist.

We also have a tankful of fish. There was an eel in there but it died on Monday. It's DH's hobby...they moved in when he did. I don't have much to do with them but he really likes sitting in the dark and watching them swim. As far as husband hobbies go, it could be worse.

We used to have a hedgehog, but we gave it to one of DH's students. It came to us from another owner who didn't spend enough time with it, and it was really ornery. When it came down to cuddling with a soft, purring kitty or a prickly, jumpy hedgehog, the cat won. So we gave it to someone who would spend more time holding it than we could.

We thought about getting a bird in our childless days. Thank god we didn't. As it is, I feel like I spend entire days keeping my kid out of the cat food and water, or running interference when she gets into fisticuffs with one of them. They're really making her bonkers lately, for some reason. She's so bossy with them. It's pretty funny, actually, but I try not to let her see me laugh when she yells at them.

[Googy]

I love the names of your cats!!!
Ugh, I just looked down and mine has shed all over me and the couch.

I'm so curious about your acting career. What kind of work did you do before Anna was born?

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by Googy

I love the names of your cats!!!
Ugh, I just looked down and mine has shed all over me and the couch.

I'm so curious about your acting career. What kind of work did you do before Anna was born?

Erm...it probably sounds more exciting than it was. I freelanced for a few years doing stage acting (mostly musicals and family-friendly stuff - fluffy but high-energy and fun), and teaching. I wrote a few plays for kids that were inspired by ideas my students gave me. I also spent some time with a company that did "Artist in Residence" programs: we invaded a school for a week and worked with a number of classes each on original short plays. It was really fun because the plays were all really physical and developed using the kids' ideas. A few times a year I worked as a drama and musical theatre adjudicator for music festivals.

I loved freelancing because it gave me a lot of variety, but it was hard not knowing where my next paycheque would come from. I supplemented by doing office temp work and waitressing (which I didn't love). Right after DH and I got married, I started massage therapy training so that I would have something inspiring, interesting, and challenging to do in my off-time. I finished school when I was six months pregnant with my DD. Now I stay and work at home, which is the best place for me for the time being, but I'm looking forward to working again when the time is right.

[De-lovely]

What TV show can you not live without?


Who is your secret celebrity crush?



If you had to pick one musical artist to listen to for the rest of your life who would it be?

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by De-lovely

What TV show can you not live without?


Who is your secret celebrity crush?



If you had to pick one musical artist to listen to for the rest of your life who would it be?

TV show:
I probably watch more of the Food Network than anything else. I'm not really hooked on much TV-wise.

Celebrity Crush:
Ummm...there's a dude on CSI that's very yummy.

Musical Artist:
Ben Harper. You can add him to my crush list, too.

[Googy]

Ooh, the food network obsession sounds like fun! What are your favorite dishes/styles to cook?

[boogiemonster]

Originally Posted by Googy

Ooh, the food network obsession sounds like fun! What are your favorite dishes/styles to cook?

I love cooking!

I'm a vegetarian (you too, right, Googy? I'm sure I've seen you in that forum.), so that influences everything I make. I love Indian, Mexican, and Italian flavours. I like to make my own maki...especially in the summer when it's too hot to eat warm food. I think my favourite food is a brothy soup with fresh buttered bread for dunking. I love fresh ingredients, lots of fruit and veggies, fresh herbs. I like bread and pasta more than I should. I have a scrambled tofu obsession.