The Fabulous Kate, over at Kate’s Life, is hosting Five Question Friday in Mama M‘s absence!

1. What’s the the last thing you bought for yourself?

I got a Kindle for Christmas, so the last thing I bought myself was some books for it.  It’s just too easy using the one-click payment on Amazon, straight from the Kindle!  Before Christmas I bought myself some clothes to wear over the festive period.

2. What is your favourite meal on a cold winter day?

Mmmmmm…. Something like a stew or casserole done in the slow cooker, served with buttery mashed potatoes.  You can’t beat good old mince ‘n tatties at this time of year!

3. Have you started looking at swimsuits for this year, and do you buy a new one every year?

No, I haven’t even thought about looking at new swimsuits.  I’m looking to lose some weight before the summer so I might have to invest in some new swimwear!… However, I did buy a couple of new bikinis last summer, so if they still fit me I’ll not bother looking for anything new.

4. If you could be any candy what would you be and why?

Hmmm…probably a Minstrel – a hard exterior, but soft centred.  Actually, I sometimes describe my eyes as a couple of Minstrels cos they’re dark brown and shiny!

5. What are you most passionate about?

Apart from my family, I’d say The Internet!  I love everything from blogging, blog-hopping, online shopping, social media and web design!

Since Mama M is away this week there’s a BONUS question!

** What is your favourite thing to “pin” on Pinterest?

I’ve just recently been introduced to the world of pinning and I must say I LURVE it!!  :) On looking at my boards, it seems that I mostly pin items for the home or furry friends!  :)  If you’ve not discovered Pinterest yet then please view my Pinterest boards here, and follow me!…

You can join in the 5QF fun over at Kate’s Life.

1. Do you have a go to song that always puts you in a good mood?

• B.E.P. “(I Got a Feeling) Tonight’s Gonna Be a Good Night”
• David Gray “Babylon”
• LMFAO “Party Rock”
• Shakira “Waka Waka (This Time for Africa)”

2. Are you a real Christmas tree kinda person or do you go with a real fake one?

• I like the idea of a real one, and I think they usually look better, but we have an artificial tree which we’ve been using for the past six years, and Hubby wants to make sure we get another few years use out of it!

3. What are you thankful for?

• Family
• Friends
• Health
• Home
• Job

4. Which fashion fad from the past do you wish you could wear today?

• I’d like to go waaaaaaaaaaaayy back to long before I was born and wear the fashions of the 30s & 40s when women looked VERY glamorous!!

5. Do you wait until the “low fuel” light comes on before you fill up the gas tank?

• Yes!  Much to my Hubby’s annoyance!  He keeps telling me to fill the car right up and then refill when it’s at the half-way mark, but there’s always some excuse why I can’t refuel:
  • I’m in a hurry!
  • I don’t have enough money!
  • There’s no petrol station en route.
  • The nearest petrol station is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayy too expensive!
  • I’m waiting until Pay Day!….
  • There was a queue!

1. What movie do you love to quote?

There isn’t one particular movie (or quote) that springs to mind!  Here’s a few of my faves:

Mamma always said, life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you’re gonna get. ~ Forrest Gump.

Show me the money! ~ Jerry Maguire

You had me at “Hello!” ~ Jerry Maguire

You complete me. ~ Jerry Maguire

Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn! ~ Gone With The Wind

Damn! We’re in a tight spot! ~  O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Well, I don’t want Fop, goddammit. I’m a Dapper Dan man. ~ O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Them syreens did this to Pete. They loved him up and turned him into a horny toad. # O Brother, Where Art Thou?

I’ll be back! ~ The Terminator

Hasta la vista, baby! ~ Terminator 2

Nobody puts Baby in the corner! ~ Dirty Dancing

Ditto! ~ Ghost

To be honest, I quite often quote from The Simpsons, rather than films!  The Simpsons has produced hundreds of awesome quotes of the years!  Here’s some of my faves:

1. Homer: I’m normally not a praying man, but if you’re up there, please save me, Superman.
2. Homer: Save me, Jeebus.
3. Homer: You don’t like your job, you don’t strike. You go in every day and do it really half-assed. That’s the American way.
4. Chief Wiggum: Can’t you people take the law into your own hands? I mean, we can’t be policing the entire city!
5. Homer: Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals…except the weasel.
6. Homer: Kids, you tried your best and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try.
7. Troy McClure: Hi. I’m Troy McClure. You may remember me from such self-help tapes as “Smoke Yourself Thin” and “Get Some Confidence, Stupid!”
8. Homer: Donuts. Is there anything they can’t do?
9. Homer: I’m going to the back seat of my car, with the woman I love, and I won’t be back for ten minutes!
10. Bart: I didn’t think it was physically possible, but this both sucks *and* blows.

2. Have you ever ridden a motorcycle?

Ha!  I can’t even ride an ordinary pushbike!!

3. What’s your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?

I love to snuggle up on the sofa with Hubby and the girls in our jammies (PJs) and watch films!

4. Do you prefer a bunch of small gifts, or one really big, (expensive) gift?

Oh!  Can I not pick a bunch of really big expensive ones?!  No?  Oh okay!  I’d say one really big expensive gift!  Anything from the following list will suffice:

• A new laptop
• An DSLR camera
• The new Kindle Fire (once it comes out!)
• An iPod Nano

5. Do you ever lose track of days and show up somewhere wrong?

Yep!  I’ve turned up for dental appointments, hairdresser appointments and beauty salon appointments on the wrong day!  I’ve also turned up for a meeting at work on the wrong day!!  :O

Fresh crisp Egyptian cotton sheets are my preference.

I am from Scotland, UK, and so therefore my time zone is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

3. What is your favourite part of the holiday season?

I love seeing the magic of Christmas in my daughters’ wee faces, when they have Christmas parties, when they visit Santa in the shopping mall, when they take part in their school nativity service and when they see their presents on Christmas morning!

4. What is your favourite “wintry” drink? (It doesn’t have to be an “alcoholic” drink!)

When I was younger, my Grandpa used to make ginger wine at Christmastime.  It was non-alcoholic, sweet and very nippy, but I LOVED it!  Nowadays, I enjoy a glass or two of mulled wine during the Christmas season.  It is alcoholic and quite potent!  It’s best enjoyed with a hot mince pie!  Yummmmm!!! J

Well, there’s a few candidates that spring to mind:

• Chiropodist / Podiatrist – I HATE feet!!!  The only feet I can tolerate are children’s feet, particularly tiny soft little baby feet!!  Adult feet are disgusting!!  Hard skin, bunions, corns, fungal infections, calluses, etc!!  Need I say more?… *Yuck* :S
• Dentist / Hygienist – Looking in peoples mouths would not be much more fun than looking at and touching their feet!!  *Bleugh*
• Plumber – Smelly blocked drains and toilets?  No thanks!  Getting stuck into someone’s U-bend?  No thanks!!
• Beauty Therapist – Think this is a glamorous job?  Think again!  You’d have to wax people’s ‘bits’!  *shudders* You’d have to do pedicures on above-mentioned yucky feet!  *boak*  You’d have to massage and tan big wobbly sweaty bodies!  *cringe* Not to mention the perverted men looking for “extras”!! *gasp*  (I have heard first-hand from several beauty therapists who have been propositioned by a sick perverted client!!) *shivers* Absolutely no thank you!!

1. Where do you escape to when you’ve had enough?

Ideally, I like to go out for a brisk walk in the fresh air to clear my head.  However, if I have to stay indoors, I’ll usually retreat to the sanctuary of my bedroom!

2. What shows are you watching this fall?

I always watch The X Factor, Strictly Come Dancing and I’m a Celebrity,  Get Me Out of Here! at this time of year!

3. What was the longest roadtrip you’ve ever taken and where did you go?

The longest road trip that Hubby and I have taken with the girls was to North Wales. which was about 270 miles.

4. Do you plan on taking your kids to Disney World?

We’ve already been!!  We went in the summer of 2009, when the girls were just turning five.  We hired a villa, and went for a two-week break with my parents, and my brother-in-law & sis-in-law.  It was awesome!  The girls had a great time meeting all the characters and watching all the parades and shows!  We’re planning on going back again, but it’ll probably not be for another four years, when the girls are about 11 or 12 and my sister’s baby girl is about four or five!  We’d like to do the Disney Cruise & Stay next time!…

5. What is something people would surprised to know about you?

I cannot ride a bicycle!!  *Shock! Horror!* :O  *Hangs head in shame*

1. Do you prefer your ice cream in a bowl or in a cone?

I like ice cream cones – either vanilla or raspberry ripple 99s (i.e. with a flake) or a rum ‘n’ raisin flavour cone! Yum!!

2. What three things do you love the smell of?

• Fish ‘n Chips – There’s no food smell that can make your stomach rumble quite like the aroma of fish ‘n chips! When you are hungry, it is simply irresistible, but even when you are not hungry, the smell of vinegary chips is divine!
• Freshly cut grass / summer rain / fresh air – These summery outdoor smells are very refreshing! I love these smells on my freshly laundered clothes and sheets. I also love this smell on my girls’ hair when I hug them after they’ve been playing outside!
• New leather – I find the smell of a new leather jacket, handbag or sofa quite intoxicating!!

3. Giftcards or no? (In regards to gift giving…)

I prefer NOT to give giftcards. However, as a busy working mum, I simply do NOT have the time, sometimes, to look out the perfect gift for someone. I would far rather give them a giftcard so that they could pick something they’d like, than settle for buying an inferior product that they’ll neither like nor use. Besides, in regards to gift RECEIVING, I rather like getting giftcards myself (and so do my girls, in fact!) It’s nice to be able to go on a shopping spree courtesy of someone else! In recent years, Hubby and I have opted to purchase gift vouchers for local restaurants to give to our siblings for Christmas, and these have proved very popular!

4. What sports did you play in high school if any and do you still play them?

I have never been a sporty person, but I do enjoy working out at the gym and doing exercise classes, such as Zumba. However, in first and second year I was in the Hockey Team. (That’s field hockey NOT ice hockey, BTW!) I hated it! I didn’t like having to get up early on a Saturday and go out to play hockey in the pouring rain. (I can only ever remember it raining at the matches!) Needless to say, I have NEVER played hockey since school! *shudders* I was also in the Hiking Club. I enjoyed this a lot more. We would go hiking in the countryside once a month on a Sunday. It was quite good fun, apart from being bursting for the loo by the end of the hike and racing each other to the public toilets!! I still enjoy walking today!

5. Were you in band in high school? What instrument did you play?

No, I wasn’t in a band, but I was in the choir. I didn’t play any instruments. I had wanted to play the guitar. My parents got me one for Christmas one year, along with a “Learn to Play in 30 Days” book. However, I got very frustrated with it all! I found learning the chords very dull, and yearned to be able to play a proper tune, but I never stuck with it! Thirty days after Christmas, the guitar was abandoned and ended up sitting in my parent’s attic, gathering dust! *sighs*

1. What is your go to comfort food or sweet?

Oh that’s a tough one, cos I have such a lot of fave comfort foods, such as:

• Chicken pakora – This was definitely my go to comfort food, during my part-time studies last year! I was always ravenous after my evening lectures, and looking for something quick and tasty to eat when I got home. I often stopped by my local kebab shop for my pakora fix on the way home.
• Sour Cream & Onion Pringles – I love crisps of most any brand and flavour, but these are perhaps my favourite ones of all!
• Dairy Milk or Galaxy chocolate – Sometimes you just simply NEED a good bar of chocolate to enjoy! Sometimes a choccie biscuit will suffice, but at other times the situation calls for a big chunky bar of the real deal – Cadbury’s Dairy Milk or Galaxy – I’m not fussed!!
• Cheesecake – I never used to like cheesecake, and always preferred a slice of gateau. However, my taste has changed in recent years, and I am now a big fan of cheesecake! It’s hard to resist it!
• Olives – Again, I was never a fan of olives and used to pick and flick them off my pizza or salad. In recent years, however, I have become somewhat of an olive addict!! I LOVE them!! I especially love the Kalamata & Halkidiki olives from my Graze Box!
• Graze Box – I have recently started getting a Graze Box delivered twice a week, so that I now have healthy delicious and nutritious snacks to graze on at work, reducing the urge to scoff crisps or chocolate to keep me going when I’m stressed or bored!

2. What is the most romantic place you’ve ever been to?

• Paris – Hubby (to be!) surprised me with a trip to this romantic city many years ago, before we were even engaged.  In fact, many people were expecting us to actually get engaged over there!  As lovely as it is, Paris is a very expensive city, and is incredibly cold during February!  Furthermore, the food isn’t all it’s made out to be!  I found that most of our meals still had a pulse, TBH! :S  Anyway, enjoyable though the trip was, we did not get engaged in Paris! 
  
• Rome, Sorrento & the island of Capri – This is where we spent our Honeymoon.  All three locations are beautiful romantic places!  Rome with its ancient monuments, Sorrento with its picturesque bay and harbour, and views across to Naples and Vesuvius, and the beautiful island of Capri with its designer shops, fancy restaurants and pretty houses.  It was the perfect setting for a romantic Honeymoon!  *sighs*
  
• Venice – We visited Venice, a few years after our wedding, during our holiday to Lido di Jesilo on Italy’s Adriatic coast.  It is certainly the most beautiful place I have ever seen in my entire life!  It is simply stunning!  Traveling though the canals on a gondala, while being serenaded by the gondalier is an experience not to be missed!  The city is equally beautiful at night!  I have to say that this is THE most romantic place on Earth!! 
  

3. What is your favourite thing about fall/Halloween?

• Fall - Crisp sunny Autumnal days exactly like today.
• Halloween - My girls’ enjoyment of it all!

4. How would you spend 24 hours alone?

• Major clearout in the house without distraction
• Working on my new website
• Wii Fit and/or Zumba Wii
• Watching my faves on TV
• Bliss!! 

5. Does you husband bring you flowers? Are you the bring-me-flowers type of girl?

I love fresh flowers, but they’re sooooo expensive, and don’t last very long in my warm centrally-heated house. Hubby does buy me flowers, but only on special occasions, such as birthdays, anniversaries, Mothers’ Day and Valentines.

1. Do you apologize to your kids if you’re wrong?

Yes! Absolutely! I practice what I preach, just as I’d expect them to apologise to me or each other.

2. Do you have a class ring, letterman’s jacket, or similar obscenely priced high school “must have”?

Ha! It’s questions like this that make me wish I’d gone to High School in the States, as it always seems much more interesting! Sadly, no, I do not have any such thing, and barely know what they are, TBH! I’m hoping some of the other 5QF participants will enlighten me with interesting High School memories and photos!… (PLEASE!)…

3. If you could be one age for the rest of your life, what age would you choose?

Hmmm… it would definitely have to be just before I turned 33! I was on maternity leave with my twin girls, and we had just moved to our new house, where we met some of our bestest friends (who had just moved next door!) It was a great summer that year, and I enjoyed spending time with my babies, going for long walks in my new neighbourhood. Good times! *sighs* Now I’m rapidly approaching my fortieth birthday, and definitely don’t relish the thought of getting  looking older!!…

4. What is your favorite (unused) baby name?

Well, I’m afraid I just can’t whittle it down to one name! Here’s a few of my current (unused) faves:

• Boys: Aarron, Arran, Ethan, Glen, Nathan, Rhys & Ross.
• Girls: Alyssa, Amelie, Leonie, Morven, Shannon & Sylvie.

5. If you could make your child like something what would it be?

Well, that’s easy!! FOOD!! My girls are such fussy, picky eaters and it drives me insane!! I am such a foodie myself!! I love my grub and I’ll eat try most things! I detest going out for a meal with fussy eaters, and don’t want my girls to miss out in the joys of eating out and dining with friends!…

1. If you had a weekly newspaper column, what would you name it?

Hmmm…. I’d LOVE to have a newspaper column!! I don’t know what I’d call it though!… Perhaps something along the lines of “Opinionated Mamma”!…?…

2. Who is your mentor/inspiration?

Well, I have a few mentors in my life and many more people who inspire me.
Mentors:
>My friend, Elizabeth – I have turned to Liz for advice on both career and relationships over the years. She is a dear friend who I trust.
>My friends / colleagues, James & Colin – These guys are my go to for advice on my websites, home business ideas, creative endeavours and other technical / gadget advice. I love to bounce ideas off them, and to hear of their own exciting projects.
>My Mum – If I have a problem or a big decision to make, I tend to want to talk things over with my Mum.
>My best friend, Audrey – She is one of the few people that I can tell just about anything to. We have been best friends since we were teenagers and she really understands me!

>My sister, Elaine – She may be my younger sister, but she is the more sensible of the two of us, and I value her opinions and advice. 
>My Hubby – Sometimes just talking things over with Hubby and getting a hug is all that is required to make me feel better.
Inspiration:
>My friend, Susan, is inspirational.  She has an awesome job as a paramedic, and balances this challenging and demanding job with bringing up her two children as a single mum.

>I am inspired by celebrities such as TV presenter and super-fit mum, Davina McCall, successful children’s author, J.K. Rowling, lingerie tycoon, Michelle Mone and the amazing former model Katie Piper, who was the victim of an horrific acid attack, which left her badly disfigured.

>I am inspired by EVERYONE mentioned above as Mentors!!

3. What is your wake up beverage of choice?

I used to be a Tea Jenny, who detested even the smell of coffee, but… for the past couple of years I have become a coffee ADDICT! I now NEED a cup of coffee to set me up for the day, and I sometimes require an additional ‘hit’ to keep me going in the afternoon!

4. Would you wear your mom’s clothes?

My Mum is beautiful and fashionable and looks YEARS younger than her age!  She has some lovely clothes! I wouldn’t wear her entire wardrobe, but sometimes she does offer me some items that she bought off the peg, but didn’t quite like (or it didn’t quite fit) once she got home!  I quite often take the items and wear most of them!

5. When you were a kid, did you put posters on your wall? If so, what were they of?

Oh YES!! From age 11 or so, I drove my parents up the wall (literally!) with my obsession for covering all available wall space in my bedroom with posters. First up, I liked Michael Jackson and Wham! I then moved on to Norwegian pop group, A-Ha! Ultimately, my pin-up boys were Scottish band Wet Wet Wet, until I left school, got a job and met my future Hubby. Then the posters had to come down!

1. What ringtone do you have on your cell phone?

I currently have a ringtone called “Evolving Aspiration” on my BlackBerry. It’s quite funky!

2. What is your favourite memory from this summer?

Our first wander down to Santa Ponsa Beach in Majorca, and discovering how lovely the beach was. There were lots of trees around the beach, which were home to lots of beautiful wild parrots. I’d never seen wild parrots before! It was awesome. *sighs*

3. Paper books or eBooks?

Hmmmmmm, this is a tricky one! I love books, not just reading them, but the whole tactile experience!… the weight and feel of the book in my hand, flicking through the pages, turning the book over to read the blurb on the back, a favourite book proudly displayed on the bookcase… You get the idea, right?

Only trouble is, books take up a lot of space! We don’t have a lot of space in our home, and Hubby just isn’t impressed by the amount of books that the girls and I have. I do recycle books, passing good ones to family, friends, colleagues, and I do re-sell some on Amazon and/or eBay. However, I still have a LOT of books in our house!! It drives Hubby bonkers!!

Therefore, I find myself toying with the idea of asking Santa Claus for a Kindle this year!… Everyone I know that has one, absolutely loves it!! I like the idea of being able to carry around hundreds of books in my handbag! I like the idea of not limiting the amount of books I pack in my suitcase when I go on holiday! I’d like to not have to weigh down my pages with some random object to allow my book to stay open while I eat my lunch!

However, I do still have some serious doubts… It’s one thing to leave a dog-eared paperback on my sunlounger while I take a dip in the pool/ sea. I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving an expensive Kindle lying on my beach towel, while my back is turned!

More than anything, it makes me very sad to think that books (in their physical, tactile form) might become extinct in the not-too-distant future, making our bookcases redundant. My dreams of becoming a published author one day seem all the more urgent now! If I want to see my literary masterpiece in print, with a beautiful glossy cover and my name proudly displayed on the front, I’d better get a move on!!…

Furthermore, if there are no more (physical) books, then that means there would be no more book signings, and treasured signed originals!

Oh! I told you this question was a tricky one!

4. If you could have one home upgrade what would it be and why?

I’d really like a two-storey extension at the back of our house, which would create a larger kitchen diner plus family room and utility room on the ground floor, and would make the master bedroom and third bedroom much bigger. However, this all costs a lot of money and, in the current housing market, I’m not convinced that we would add as much value to our property as we’d spend on the work!

Therefore, it would probably be more viable to simply add a sunroom to the rear of our property which would serve as a family room, and create that much-needed extra living space!

5. When was your first serious boyfriend/girlfriend?

I had my first serious boyfriend at sixteen, and we were together for almost two years. I naively thought we’d be together forever, but it was not to be! I’ve only actually had one other serious boyfriend between my first love and my Hubby! The second serious boyfriend is now always referred to as the Stop-Gap boyfriend!! I was just filling in time until I met Hubby!

Join in the 5QF fun over at My Little Life with Mama M!…