Seven things you may not know about me

I have been challenged to write seven things about myself. In order to succeed I can only write information people may not know about me and information that I have not blogged about previously. It really is not as easy to do this as it might sound. If you doubt that, try jotting down 7 interesting tidbits about yourself on a piece of paper. Done? Aha, see? the cringe factor is enormous!

The taskmaster is Mommy To Two Boys . My partner in crime is Tazzy. She was tagged at the same time and has completed the challenge with grace and style. Lets get started.

1. I grew up on a farm in Tipperary. Our house was halfway up the side of a mountain, cold, damp and miserable. The year my youngest sister was born we were snowed in for almost a month. The inside walls of the house froze as we had no central heating. That entire winter the new baby slept in her crib under an infrared lamp to keep her warm. The lamp used was one borrowed from the farm as they were used to keep the calves warm after birth. We loved the farm and played in the milking parlour a lot (when it was cow free). My Dad was always very conscious of farm safety though and certain areas were off limits. To this day there are parts of the farm I do not remember as we moved when I was 11, before I was old enough to go to these areas.

2. I worked in a bank for many years. This is not a popular profession at the moment so I will assure you I am writing under an assumed name and have been undercover for almost 3 years now! While I was there I really enjoyed it. I don't miss it though (current economic climate aside) as I love being an SAHM.

3. I am highly, highly, pedantically boringly organised. I learned this extreme behaviour during my banking years, you cannot be disorganised with money belonging to other people! It is a handy trait. Where is the receipt for the xyz we purchased last year? Tax return for 1999? . That kind of organised. Paperwork is a joy for me (and I LOVE paperclips)................and I get to file it away afterwards! You should see my sons PECS and reports, but I don't think I am allowed talk about that, sorry.

4. 6 weeks after I met my husband, we decided we would get married. We didn't worry people by telling them of our decision straight away, after all it was quick. We saved our money for a few months and then dropped it on them the day we bought our house (along with that news too). To this day we are both quick decision makers (houses, cars, children) and never once have we ever regretted any of our 'quick' decisions.  

5. At age 8 I had a reading age of 12. I burned a hole in my parents pockets trying to keep myself in books. I read voraciously (remember, we lived on an isolated farm with hard winters). By 12 I had grown out of my mother screening 'grown up' books for suitability because we had moved to a town that had the most wonderful library you ever saw. I discovered history and science. These remain my favourite subjects. Unfortunately I do not read these days, I cannot allow myself the time because I become to engrossed, but the books are waiting patiently for me. Eh, no, sorry, I am not a brainbox, I just got into reading early!!

6. In the early days of marriage I took the term 'wife' seriously, oh, probably for about 2 months until the 'I am so grown up' feeling wore off. This was a period when 'time' was something to be squandered with reckless abandon, not the precious commodity it is now. Back then I spent happy weekend days cooking and freezing dinners for the weeks ahead. This is leading up to a point which definitely qualifies for 'cringe factor'. I used to make Shepherds Pies in individual containers for the freezer. I would make 8 and we would have them once a week for the next 4 weeks. The cringy bit is that I used to write little messages on the ones for my husband, on the potato topping, such as 'I ♥ U'.

7. The strangest conversation I ever had in my entire life took place on 21st January 2007 with my son, aged 4 years 10 months at the time. He asked 'Mam, when is my little brother coming?'. This took me very much by surprise, he had not mentioned before that he wanted a sibling and there wasn't one on the horizon either. I explained that Holy God would give us a baby when he was ready. We chatted about this for a short while but he became increasingly upset and agitated. I decided to end the coversation because he was so heartbroken and said 'It will happen when Holy God decides to put a baby in my tummy'. His reply 'But Mam, he's already there'. I was devastated for him, this little brother idea seemed to come out of nowhere and I was fairly sure I had not dealt with it properly if he was this upset. Later that day, I noticed the date........................recalled my sons statement.................ran to the shop. Yes, unbelievably, HRH was born a little over 8 months later (one week late, gggrrrrr).

Tazzy and I are now passing on this challenge to all who are willing to take it on. Interested?