Mamma Kerr

1. Do you know how to play a musical instrument?

 Erm… well… Strictly speaking I can play quite a few:

1. Triangle
2. Hand chimes
3. Cymbals
4. Tambourine

Do they count?    Actually, I can knock out a couple of simple tunes on the keyboard (e.g. “Love Me Tender”).

I once got a guitar for Christmas as a teenager, along with a “Learn to Play Guitar” book.  However, after learning a few cords, I got bored and impatient and gave up!  The guitar gathered dust in my parents’ attic for years until they gave it away.  L

2. What is your pet peeve while driving?

I have several pet peeves while driving:

• Impatient drivers driving up my backside (and no, I’m not going too slow!)
• Idiot drivers not indicating (especially on roundabouts!)
• Selfish drivers not leaving a space in the queue of traffic to allow me to get out of my side street.
• Selfish drivers sitting between two lanes at a junction, which prevents other drivers from using the filter lane

This question actually reminds me of a Post It Note Tuesday post I did a while back, which you can read here.

3. Would you rather have a housekeeper or unlimited spa services? 

Much as I would enjoy unlimited spa services, I would have to opt for the housekeeper, because I hate housework more than I love spa treatments (…just!)

As a fulltime working mum, I’m often berating the fact that I simply do not have the time or energy to keep up with my housework.  I would love to be able to employ a cleaner to come to my house one or two mornings per week.  I have looked into the costs in recent months, and it definitely is something I want to do in the future.

4. Is there a song that you hear that will take you back to the moment, like a junior high or high school dance?

Yes, I’ve got lots of memory-associated songs!  Too many to mention here!!

The intro of Frankie Goes To Hollywood’s “Relax” always gives me goosebumps as it reminds me of school discos. 

Scottish band Wet Wet Wet’s “Wishing I Was Lucky” always reminds me of my happy carefree teenage years, when my BFF and I were huge fans of the Wets and used to go to all their Glasgow gigs.

“Killer” by Adamski feat. Seal is another song which gives me goosebumps as it always reminds me of going ice-skating on a Sunday afternoon as a teenager.

“Respect” by Erasure is another song that brings back happy memories of working in a newsagents as a teenager with alongside my friend, Barry (who loved that song!)

In more recent years, “Dakota” by The Stereophonics reminds me of jumping and dancing around our living room with Hubby, each of us holding one our toddler twin daughters, all of us with huge smiles on our faces.  Happy happy times! 

5. What song best represents your life right now?

Hey, this is a hard one!….

… what about “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin!?   It certainly represents my current outlook.

Join in the fun and link up on the blog hop below:

I love participating in this fun Friday meme by Mama M at My Little Life.

1. If you could, would you go back to high school?

My initial reaction to this questions was “Hell no!”  I loved my years at primary school but don’t have the same level of affection for my seconday school years.  What’s more, I don’t fancy the idea of being a teenager again – spots, hormones, boys, crushes, fashion disasters… (you get the picture!?)

However, on further reflection, I’d actually quite like to go back to my secondary school and choose different subjects:

• I’d choose History over Modern Studies
• I’d choose Biology over Physics
• I’d choose Technical Studies over Home Economics (Sorry, Sis! - My wee sis is a Home Economics Teacher and her Hubby2Be is a Technical Teacher!!  LOL)

AND:

• I’d knuckle down and study more!
• I’d try to ignore the the distractions of boys and teenybop bands!

2. If a genie appeared and granted you two wishes, what would they be? (And, no saying “more wishes”.)

1. A big new house (mortgage free of course!!)
2. Good weather in Scotland EVERY summer!!

3. What kids show do you secretly like?

The Wonder Pets!   Soooooo cute!

4. What is your beverage of choice?

Hot beverage – I used to be an absolute tea jenny and absolutely detested coffee (even the smell of it!)  However, now I’m a complete turncoat, as I much prefer coffee!  It started off with me trying lattes a couple of years ago, and then I progressed to white coffee (with one sweetener).  I still drink tea, but it has to be Red Bush tea! 

Alcoholic Beverage –  Morgan’s Spice and Diet Coke.

Soft Drink – Still water

5. What is something that you would change about yourself (or are working to change in yourself)?

Physical change – I am currently following the Slimming World Diet and have lost over 20lbs since the Autumn.  I’d like to lose another 7 – 10lbs in the next couple of months…  I’m now stepping up my exercise to to tone up.  I’m walking more, trying to get back into the Wii Fit and trying out Zumba!

Mental/ Spiritual change – I’d like tochange my job.  I’d like to be a fulltime writer, working from home.

1.      What was the first car you owned?

When I first passed my test, when I was twenty-one (eons ago!!), I just borrowed my then-boyfriend / now-husband’s car.  He had a Ford Escort at the time.  I only needed to use the car at weekends or in the evening, as I commuted to work by bus.

I didn’t actually get my own car until I was pregnant with the girls.  We were going to simply upgrade our little Rover 25 to a bigger family car.  However, we ended up keeping the smaller car for Hubby to use and buy a bigger car for me to use.  Therefore, we bought a Renault Scenic.  I have another Scenic now, and Hubby has another smaller car – a wee Chevvy!

2. What song are you embarrassed to know the lyrics to?

Oooooooh!!  This is a good one!  There’s a few I suppose.  I was going to say something like “The Chicken Song”, “Star Trekkin’” by the Cast of Spitting Image or “Superman” by Black Lace, as these are really cheesy annoying songs.  However, I’m sure that most people who grew up in the UK during the 80s would remember these lyrics.

Therefore, I think I’ll opt for “We Don’t Talk Anymore” by sir Cliff Richard.  *cringe*

3. Have you ever had stitches?

Yes, I split my head open when I was about eight years old.  I had just got new glasses, and so was not yet used to the prescription.  I tripped and fell when setting the table at home, and I whacked my head off the hard arm of my parents’ leather sofa.

I hadn’t realised I’d split my head open until my dad came rushing over and shouted to my mum: 

“OMG! Annette’s split her head open!  It’s like a big gaping hole!!”

I then noticed all the blood and wailed:

“Aaaaaaaaaaaargh!!! I’m gonna die!  I’m gonna die!  I’m gonna die!!”

This scared the heck out of my two-year-old sister, who was soooo relieved to see me, alive and well, but with a partially-shaved head and stitches, when I returned from casualty a couple of hours later! L

The only other time I’ve had stitches was when I had my girls by emergency caesarean section.

4. What was your first job?

I had a paper round in my teens, delivering the Glasgow Evening Times after school, Monday to Friday plus a Saturday morning.  I also delivered the Sunday morning papers, which was back-breaking due to all the Sunday supplements!

When I was sixteen I got promoted to a weekend sales assistant at the newsagents, where I served behind the counter on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings.

5. Who is your favorite Sesame Street character?

It has to be Oscar, the resident grouch!   I still love grouchy characters in TV shows!  They’re so much more interesting than goody-two-shoes!!

 Head over to Mama M’s blog to link up on the blog hop…

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Well, I reckon their college/university fees/expenses will be funded by a combination of:

• Financial support from Hubby and I – We will help the girls out as much as we can by perhaps paying for their student accomodation and course materials.
• Student loans (or whatever scheme is available for them in the future) – I would hope hope that they will have access to student loans (or similar) to pay for the course fees.  I would not want them to use this money for any other purpose.
• Money from their own part-time work – This would pay for their food, clothes and social life.

The girls will also have access to their Child Trust Fund money, which they could use towards funding their college/university years.  However, I would prefer it if they kept this money for later years, e.g. to help them get on the property ladder. 

Yes, I was involved in a minor accident almost five years ago.  My husband was driving my car.  We’d had a lovely day out at a country park with the girls, who were just 11 months old at the time.  We were on our way into Tescos, and Hubby bashed into another car when entering the suprmarket car park.  Our car had been coming round a bend, and the other car came out of a Give Way junction in front of us.  I saw it all happening in slow motion!  It was weird.  I got such a fright because the girls were in the back of the car.  However, no one was hurt as we were only going at 5 or 10 MPH.  I’m afraid my car didn’t fare very well though – it was a total right-off!!

This is a killer question because I don’t simply have ONE favourite book. 

My most treasured, irreplaceable book would have to be a collection of Burns poetry, which my Dad gave to me as a child.  It’s an old book, full of the wonderful poetry of Scottish Bard Robert Burns.

Favourite books from my childhood include:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (My Roald Dahl)

James and the Giant Peach

Stig of the Dump

Carries War

Charlottes Web

Charlotte Sometimes

Favourite books in recent years include:

Diary of An Ordinary Woman

Kathy's Story

Olive Kitteridge

5. Do you make your bed everyday?

No, I’m afraid not!  As a very busy working mum, I tend to rush out the door every morning with all the beds unmade.  However, this might actually make our beds healthier than my houseproud counterparts. (Read this interesting BBC article if you don’t believe me!)  I do love my bed when my bed is made up properly though!  It looks so gorgeous with its beautiful bedding, matching throw and scatter cushions!