It’s January Seventh, Twenty-Thirteen! Happy new year (more or less), Di-hards. It’s the first day back to school, the 13th day after Christmas. As good a day as any for a new year post in which I lighten up a little bit… with a silly celebratory questionnaire meme. Woo hoo!
{Disclaimer: Dilovely wrote these responses, with minimal actual consultation… but Sean gave the go-ahead.}
1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before?
Me: Taught kindergarten; took up the ukulele; tried Aztec soup; and, um… oh, gave birth to a daughter.
Sean: Quit retail; learned machining; measured lots of stuff to within a tolerance of like two thousandths of an inch.
E: Turned three; began learning to read; ate (and liked) cornbread, macaroni, zucchini; swam with only pool noodles; started drawing people, cars, horses, etc. with gusto.
A: Existed, had cells, moved limbs, got born – yahoo!
2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Me: Ummm… Did practice my uke, but not as much as I meant to. Didn’t become paragon of fitness – became pregnant instead.
Sean: Yes! Kept them perfectly preserved for this year.
E: I can totally say the word “resolution.”
A: Yes, I was born alive and healthy. Wait – that was Mommy’s resolution, but I pulled it off.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Me: Me. I’m pretty close to me. Oh, AND at least six other friends with awesome babies. Yay! Love you and your babies!
Sean: See above.
E: Mommy. And Skye. I even drew a picture.
A: Mommy. I was right there. It was intense, dude.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Me: Gramma Sue.
Sean: Nana and Grandad.
E: Grammie and Papa’s cats.
A: My placenta.
5. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012?
Me: My waistline would be nice.
Sean: Freedom from acquisitiveness. In fact, I have made my wife a deal to this effect. There will be no talk of or wheedling for or purchase of gadgetry of any kind in 2013. Now it’s public.
E: Rollerblades! And of course, MY OWN iPAD. (Not gonna happen.)
A: How ’bout teeth? And perhaps independent mobility.
6. What countries did you visit?
Me: None.
Sean: None.
E: Remember that time we went to England? And I know we went to North Carolina, too. Mommy, yes we did!
A: Is Uterus a country?
7. What date from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why:
Me, Sean: A’s birthday, September 30th. Also, I’m pretty sure December 14th is etched upon the collective memory of all of us. Fortunately for us, there’s a happy reason to remember that date too – the Birth Day of Skye’s son!
E: My birthday! And Christmas! Because obviously.
A: September 30th was exhausting, but October 1st was pretty cool.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Please see #1.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Me: Failure to get dressed properly – or get my children dressed properly – more days than I care to count.
Sean: That time I got only 92% on my shop project… brutal.
E: That 2 I drew doesn’t look like a 2!!! No, it’s NOT GOOD!!! (Inherited Daddy’s perfectionism.)
A: Are you kidding? I’m a baby. I’m always awesome.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Me: Two stitches to my girl parts, if you really want to know.
Sean: I was constantly afflicted by tiny, razor-sharp, burning-hot pieces of metal hitting my skin during my machining course… But it’s okay. It just increases my manliness.
E: Innumerable runny noses.
A: I’m pretty sure my brother gave me that nose problem… but I eventually kicked it.
11. What was the best thing you bought?
Me: A deal with the dev– with my husband. (See #5 – bought with a certain Apple gadget.)
Sean: Ha ha hahaha! Let’s not go there.
E: With these coins, I can get some rollerblades! Right?
A: Lots of adults doing goofy things. Bought with pure cuteness.
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Me: Baby A’s, when she slept 7 hours in a row that one time.
Sean: Mine, whenever I clean the kitchen. Because when I clean the kitchen, it’s like nothing you’ve ever seen.
E: My parents celebrate whenever I have a whine-free day.
A: Those adults doing goofy things, especially dancing. I like to celebrate them with enormous grins.
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Me: Harper Harper Harper. And McGuinty and Broten.
Sean: Cyber bullies and gun nuts.
E: Mommy and Daddy, when they won’t give me back the Os I drop on the floor.
A: Mommy and Daddy, when they strap me into that car seat. It’s an outrage.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Me: What money?
Sean: To Apple… and back.
E: I have a piggy bank now!
A: What’s money?
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Me, Sean: Baby!
E: Sister!
A: Glahkkhhaa!
16. What song will always remind you of 2012?
Me:
Sean:
E: Auntie Em discovered this song at the Jazz Festival and I became obsessed with it. (She is mostly responsible for my musical education.) I even have special moves I do with it.
A: That thumping sound from the womb. It was rad.
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
Me: happier
Sean: happier
E: happier, then sadder, then happier, then sadder
A: N/A
ii. thinner or fatter? Is this really relevant? Yes, we’re avoiding the question.
iii. richer or poorer? Eight months of unpaid pre-apprenticeship + four months of mat leave… ‘Nuff said.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Me: Exercising and eating vegetables.
Sean: Eating vegetables and exercising.
E: Playing on the iPad!
A: Nudity. I love being naked… if only it weren’t winter.
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Me: Waiting in waiting rooms… but it was worth it.
Sean: Reading the news – but then, I do love knowing everything.
E: Sleeping. Sleeping is so boring.
A: THE CAR SEAT. Still trying to convince my parents.
20. How will you be spending did you spend Christmas?
All: With all three sets of grandparents (separately), and all the aunts and uncles and cousins we could muster!
21. There was no #21. I don’t know why there was no 21. Please feel free to submit one! I promise to answer.
22. Did you fall in love in 2012?
Me, Sean, E: Yes, with the baby!
A: Yes, with my own two hands! I wanna eat them up!
23. How many one-night stands?
What kind of a question is this? Do most people have that many to count up per year?
24. What was your favorite TV program?
Me: How I Met Your Mother, Community, BBC’s Sherlock miniseries.
Sean: Same… AND, they finally have Star Trek TNG on Netflix!
E: It’s between Backyardigans and Busytown Mysteries.
A: I think it’s called Adults Doing Goofy Things – and for some reason it’s on most of the time I’m awake.
25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
What is this, junior high? “Hate” seems like such an immature word.
26. What was the best book you read?
Me: Belong to Me, by Marisa de los Santos, was compulsively readable.
Sean: Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck (a re-read, of course).
E: Berenstain Bears – lots of ones, like “Get Into a Fight“?
A: I like the story called Shhhhhh.
27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Me: The excellent user experience of GarageBand for Mac.
Sean: The Lumineers.
E: Peter Gabriel has cool music videos. (Auntie Em showed me.)
A: There’s music!
28. What did you want and get?
Me: A baby.
Sean: An iPad Mini. Oh, and a baby.
E: A ramp for my cars that goes like this: {insert frenetic multi-loop-the-loop gesture}
A: My hands! To my mouth!
30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Me: The Hunger Games.
Sean: The Avengers.
E: I love Tangled.
A: The movie of life.
31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
Me: 34, and who remembers that far back? I’m sure it was awesome.
Sean: 35, and my first day of machinist training.
E: I turned 3, had about four birthdays, and I got presents! And cake!!
A: Full-body massage in the birth canal. Aw yeah.
32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Immeasurably? More satisfying? How unsatisfied are we supposed to be at this point?
33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
Me: Pajamas au lait.
Sean: Safety boots and coolant. (As if I could be any cooler.)
E: I’d be a dragon all the time if I could.
A: How should I know? I’m swaddled at least 16 hours out of 24.
34. What kept you sane?
Me: Same thing that drives me crazy: my kids. Plus: you guys.
Sean: Same thing that drives me crazy: doing everything as perfectly as possible.
E (direct quote): I’m not sane.
A: Khlaaaya!
35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Me: It’s always James. Even though he did ZERO films in 2012. I’m not bitter. Until the next one, I’ll say Rick Mercer as well.
Sean: Scarlett Johanssen was awesome before… and now she’s Black Widow. Zowie.
E: Lightning McQueen.
A: Ceiling fan.
36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Me: Probably that teacher thing.
Sean: Harper’s Omnibullsh*t bill.
E: Equal access to my parents’ gadgets.
A: Freedom from bondage (a.k.a. swaddling) and the right to smack myself in the face if I so choose.
37. Who did you miss?
Sebastian. Also, please see #4. Also, sorry to say goodbye to Maurice Sendak, Ray Bradbury, Nora Ephron, Sally Ride, Neil Armstrong, Ravi Shankar, Maeve Binchy, and Dave Brubeck, among others.
38. Who was the best new person you met?
Me: Some amazing new readers and bloggers!
Sean: My carpooling partner, Rob. We have Guy Love.
E: Daniel, at Camp. I want to live in Ottawa now.
A: Who can pick? I met EVERYBODY this year.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
Me: Time and patience will get you there eventually.
Sean: Don’t put your hand in the lathe chuck. Also, avoid letting your technology control your life.
E: Screeching and whining will not get me what I want. (Actually, we don’t know if this is fully learned yet.)
A: Crying will get me: milk, cuddles, diaper changes, and any number of cool sounds and funny faces.
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
“Baby, baby, baby, gonna love you so.”
***
[subscribe2]
…but are E’s moves rad ones?
ALWAYS.
What an awesome post, will bring back lots of great memories for years to come and I LOVE the photo of your kids, so beautiful!
Thank you, Rachel! That’s Sean’s photo, edited using an app called “Splashofcolor”, where you can put on a black-and-white filter and then “paint” it off certain spots. (Though of course, the kids are beautiful all by themselves. Don’t you just look at your kids and shake your head in amazement sometimes?)
that was fun.
A. wins
Ok, question 21 you say?
how about:
What new thing did you learn to do this year?
… and since 23 and 25 are such odious and skanky questions, how about replacing them:
23: What one moment would you do over if you could?
25: What was a favourite meal?/why?
Odious and Skanky! Great word choice, Auntie!
#21. What new thing did you learn to do this year?
Me: Learned how to play “Magic – the Gathering” for Sean’s sake.
Sean: Learned a whole new skilled trade.
E: Learned to do jigsaw puzzles.
A: Learned to latch. 🙂
#23. What moment would you do over if you could?
Me: That first moment with my daughter. A million times over.
Sean: (I think I need to consult on this one.)
E: The Ferris Wheel!
A: My peeps singing rounds to me on New Year’s Day. (Technically 2013 but she’s a baby so we’ll let her have it.)
#25. What was a favourite meal?/Why?
Me: Christmas brunch. Good food – I love breakfast foods – but also a bunch of my favourite people.
Sean: (I’ll consult on this one too.)
E: Croissants!
A: Colostrum!
Sean says: 23 – He interprets this as a “do-over”, like have another chance at. Was that what you actually meant? Anyway, Sean would do over the time one of this instructors gave him the wrong material for a project, and he went with it, despite his hunch that it was wrong. It was rather disastrous.
And 25 – Any time he had spaghetti, ‘cuz it’s his favourite. And when he says spaghetti, he means PROPERLY AL DENTE whole wheat spaghettini with Unico Original sauce and tonnes of PC parmesan cheese.
Love, love, love all your answers, but A’s were hands down the best! Although I may have laughed the loudest (yes, there were multiple LOL moments) when I read E’s direct quote about not being sane. Happy New Year to all of you! 🙂
Love and happy new year to you too, Krista!
Where did that questionnaire come from? It was pretty good, but I bet you could write a better one yourself! Next year…
I like CL’s #21 and also her replacements.
Thanks for the giggles – and thank E and A too! They’re the best!
Yep, we’re going with the new questions. And yes, my kids are best, aren’t they?
Excellent children.
Well done.
Ha ha, thank you, Jen! It’s funny though – even when you grow them yourself and spend the most time with them, it’s still hard to feel you can take credit. They’re so much their own people.
this list is AWESOME!! had to laugh out loud for some of them! happy new year mama, now let’s play!
YES, let’s!! E just saw a photo of your boys on my screen the other day, and was very interested…
Have to agree that E and A have the best answers, though all were funny and thoughtful. And what a great photo! Around here we also love the Backyardigans (M has been faithful to them as her first love for *six years*!), Community, cornbread, Pjamas au lait, the news, insanity, nudity, learning to swim, Tangled, reading and Peter Gabriel videos (Sledgehammer!). Moving dates to remember for you guys this year, too. Book-wise I am currently loving “Far from the Tree: Parents, Children and the Search for Identity” by Andrew Solomon and dug the Sword of Honour trilogy (Evelyn Waugh) and Wolf Hall (Hillary Mantel) as well as many others in 2012. My two memorable dates are June 20th, when I thought I’d lost my Dad, and July 2nd, when he opened his eyes to look at me and squeezed my hand, and I knew I hadn’t.
Oh. Beautiful moment-dates. Love to you and your family, Erin. (Backyardigans are pretty special, they’ve totally grown on me. And yes! Sledgehammer! Delightfully irrelevant! And I think I’ll need to check out Andrew Solomon…) Sean and I were just saying, we should really find a way to hang out with Erin and her tuba player sometime soon…