Last Survey of the Week :)

Again I found this survey over at PBF, Julie really is the master of surveys.  There are plenty more as well, but I think I will save those for another day or holiday.  Saving them for another holiday means I probably won't do another survey for a few years, but after this week of surveys I am sure you are probably happy about that.

Today is my last day here........

I will be home tomorrow and back to my normal schedule.  See you then :)

Today's survey is pretty random, no specific theme.  So, without further ado, I bring you the last survey of the week - The Survey of Random things.

• Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?  Definitely closed!  It keeps the monsters out.
• Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels?  I don't cause there is never enough for my hair anyway, but baldy hubby does cause he likes to shine wash his head. 
• Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?  Both, they start off in, but because of all my tossing and turning they end up all over the place.
• Would you rather be attacked by a bear or a swarm of bees?  I think I may go with the bear on this one.  As long as I play dead after the initial attack I can sneak away when the bear isn't looking.  If you keep moving the bear keeps going until you stop, which means you are probably dead, well, that's what I learned from "I Shouldn't be Alive".
• Do you have freckles?  Yes I do, but you can't see them because my skin is so iridescent white.  Only when I have been in the sun for a few days, like on a beach holiday, can you see them. 
• What is your biggest pet peeve?  Putting petrol in the car.  I don't know why, but I hate doing it.
• Have you ever peed in the woods?  No, but I have peed other places that no toilets were available.  Luckily I carried a roll of toilet paper for such an occasion.
• Do you ever dance if there's no music playing?  Some would call it dancing, but I call it losing my balance.
• Do you chew your pens and pencils?  No.
• Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Yes.  I do however, think that white pants should be banned. 
• What do you dip a chicken nugget in?  Nothing.  I have never eaten a chicken nugget.
• What is your favourite food?  This is a tough one.  I'd say an even tie between Mexican and Italian.
• What movies could you watcher over and over and still love?  The Princess Bride, National Lampoons Christmas Vacation, Pretty Woman, A Room with a View and any Kath & Kim.  There are so many more (Elf, Housesitter, Trading Places, Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, The Wizard of Oz, the Toy Story movies, Hear No Evil See No Evil)  that I could name, but I would probably run out of room.
• Were you ever a boy / girl scout? No
• Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?  If I was going to, I think I would have done it by now, so, no.
• Can you change the oil on a car?  I've seen it done.
• Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Yes
• Ever run out of petrol? Yes, but in my defense, the petrol gauge wasn't working.
• Are you lazy? I wasn't, then I was and now I'm starting not to be.  My laziness didn't kick in till I had kids and I was too tired to get up and do stuff.  I guess having twins taking turns being awake till 6am will do that to you.
• When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?  Nothing, we didn't celebrate it.
• How many languages can you speak? Just the one - English, but I do know the rude Greek words (hubster is Greek)
• Who is better....Leno or Letterman?  I have to say Letterman because I have never seen Leno.
• Do you sing in the car? Of course I do.  I sing like I am a contestant on Idol, don't you?
• Ever eat a pierogi? What is that?
• First concert? I am pretty sure it was the Hoodoo Gurus.

Now it’s your turn…You have to choose a minimum of 3 questions to answer and share with me.

See you tomorrow :)

Another Survey

You know I like a survey and what better time to post some than when I am away.  I think they make a great fill in post cause they add a light and fun touch.  This survey has a night / bedtime theme.

As usual I found the Bed Time Survey over at PBF.  Julie is also a lover of surveys, which I suppose is a good thing otherwise I would have to make some up and you really, really don't want that!

Bed Time Survey

• How many hours of sleep do you get each night? 4 - 7 hours.
• What time do you usually go to bed? Anywhere between 10 p.m and 1 a.m.
• What time do you get up during the workweek? Between 5.30 and 7 a.m.  This depends greatly on what workout I have planned and what time the kids wake up as well.
• What do you wear to bed? Flannel PJ's in the winter and cotton boxers and T-shirt or tank in the summer.

mine have cows on them

• What is the last thing you do before bed? Brush my teeth.
• Does coffee wake you up? No, I can drink a cup at midnight and still fall asleep 2 seconds later.
• Does vodka put you to sleep? No, but I can always rely on a good sleep with Jack Daniels though and a good vomit with gin - I only need 1 glass of gin to be really sick, there is something in there that does not agree with me.

mmmmmm, the good old days

• How do you sleep: On your side, stomach or back? All 3, I toss and turn a lot.
• Do you dream about real-life things or complete fantasies? Both, but more real-life stuff I think.  Is leaving my husband for an extremely handsome American soldier named Sam considered fantasy?? 
• Ever had a reoccurring dream? Yes, when I was younger.  It was awful.  I was at a crematorium high up on a mountain.  My job there was to mow the lawn and the devil would show up and push me off the cliff.  I would always wake up with a big jolt mid-fall.  I haven't had this dream for years so hopefully thinking about it won't trigger the dream again.
• Which is worse: Being too hot or too cold in bed? Too hot. Thank goodness we have air conditioning or as the kids say "the hair conditioner machine". 
• What size is your bed? Queen.

I am revealing lots of useless information about myself this week and I think it's only fair that you share with me!  So, what's your bedtime routine?

If I Were.....................

I love doing surveys and when I found this old one over at PBF I thought it would be good to use it this week considering I am here.......

and here

and here

OK, lets get started!

If I Were…

If I were a month, I’d be August
If I were a day of the week, I’d be Wednesday
If I were a time of day, I’d be sunrise

If I were a sea animal, I’d be a seahorse
If I were a direction, I’d be South
If I were a piece of furniture, I’d be a chair swing on the porch
If I were a liquid, I’d be water

If I were a flower, I’d be a daisy
If I were a kind of weather, I’d be snow

If I were a musical instrument, I’d be a piano
If I were a color, I’d be blue
If I were an emotion, I’d be happy
If I were a fruit, I’d be a cherry

If I were a car, I’d be a beetle
If I were a food, I’d be pasta

If I were a place, I’d be Ireland
If I were a material, I’d be cotton
If I were a scent, I’d be vanilla
If I were an animal, I’d be a Samoyed

If I were a facial expression, I’d be a smile

If I were a song, I’d be something by Barlow Girl - Never Alone, Beautiful Ending, Mirror

If I were a pair of shoes, I’d be a Jimmy Choo

So many to Choo Choo choose from.  Sorry, I just couldn't help it, corny? yes! sad? yes! That's me - corny and sad :)

What would you be If You Were........?

Birthday Fun

While reading a post called Awesome Month over at Peanut Butter Fingers I got the idea to look up some information about the year I was born.  I did a quick google search and ended up using a Birthday Calendar on the Paul Sadowski website.

I am not quite sure who Paul Sadowski is, but he does work in IT and his birthday calendar is really informative.

According to the calender, my Life path number is 9.  I also entered my husband into it and his Life path number is 1 which means that we "should get along well".  Unfortunately we aren't "most compatible", but hey, it's a lot better than "may or may not get along well" and "least compatible"

Other bits of very unnecessary, but sort of interesting information were :

• I was conceived on a Sunday (or thereabouts)
• I was born on a Sunday as well
• I was born in the Chinese year of the Pig (now it all makes sense)
• I am the Native American Zodiac sign of the Otter and my plant is the fern
• I was born in the Egyptian month of Parmuthy, the 4th month of the season of Poret which means - Emergence - Fertile soil (maybe this explains the 4 kids - 4th month and fertile)
• My lucky day is Saturday
• My lucky numbers are 4 and 8
• My lucky planets are Saturn and Uranus (this explains a lot - I am very childish)
• My birth flower is the Iris
• My birth tree is Poplar, The Uncertainty
• The moon's phase was the waxing gibbous
• In my year of birth the US population was approx. 203,302,031 compared to Australia with an approximate population of 13,198,380
• I also share my birthday with :
• Garth Brooks
• Ashton Kutcher
• James Spader
• Charles Dickens (nice)
• Chris Rock

There were some other famous people who I share a birthday with, but I didn't know who they were so I just left them out.

Well, I hope you enjoyed learning all this useless stuff about me.  What does the calendar say about you?
 

1 Million Kilo Challenge

Don't be fooled by my title, I don't really have 1 million kilos to lose, it's just a new healthy living / healthy Australia initiative being brought out by channel 10.  I actually signed myself and my sister up today and it looks pretty good.

The challenge officially starts on the 31st of January and runs for 10 weeks.  You can join individually or as teams.  I put my sister and I in a team called Fat Sisters and have 2 cute little pigs swimming as our profile picture, look, here we come now.......

My lucky sister only has 10 kilos to lose so hopefully she will be at her goal by the end of it and if I can be 10 kilos lighter by the end then that is just a bonus.  You actually choose how much weight you want to lose during the 10 weeks.  

The whole thing looks really good, and everything should be released by Jan 26.  You get to choose whether you want beginner or intermediate exercise programs which are provided each week along with recipes, meal plans and shopping lists.  It can't get much easier than this, everything you could possible need is provided and best of all, it's completely free.

Here is a recipe that is already available :

Easy & Tasty Vietnamese Salad (serves 4)

Ingredients :

• 1 peeled, deseeded and "Julienned" cucumber
• 2 peeled and "Julienned" carrots
• 1 cup bean shoots
• 1 sliced spring onion
• 20 Vietnamese mint leaves
• 1/2 bunch roughly chopped Coriander
• (Optional) 2 steamed and shredded chicken breasts

Dressing :

• 1 tbs fish sauce
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp water
• 1 crushed garlic clove
• 1 thinly sliced small red chilli

Method :

1. Blend dressing ingredients and set aside whilst making salad
2. Combine all ingredients ie make salad
3. Mix through dressing
4. Top with fried shallots to serve (optional)

I am rather excited about the whole challenge and having my sister on board should make it a lot more fun as well.  It will be nice to have some company and someone to compare notes with and chat in the team forum with, but I also really enjoy my alone time :)

How do you handle your kilos.......

• Do you prefer to have someone along for the ride or fly solo?
• Are you a slow and steady person or more impatient?
• Would you like to join Fat Sisters?
• If you are interested in the challenge and would like to join in all you have to do is register at 1millionkilochallenge.com.au and towards the bottom of the registration there is a section where you can request to join a team. 

Merry Christmas

Just wishing everyone a very merry Christmas.  I hope you all have a wonderful day and enjoy all the treats, but remember "you can have Christmas day, just don't turn it into Christmas week" ~ Bob Harper.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night :)

The Great Blogger Survey

This fun idea is from Vanessa at Gourmet Runner.  I love any kind of survey, well, except for the ones where people ring you up and try to sell you stuff under the pretence of it just being a survey.  Here goes.......

How often do you update your blog?

I try to update 3 - 4 times a week, but sometimes I just don't have anything to say.  Also, I have other stuff I should be working on too which is often neglected because of my blog world.

How long do you spend writing each post?

Each post takes me around 2 hours, but that's because of the kids.  I don't think it's good parenting to completely ignore them and let them sit on the toilet for 30 mins waiting to have their bum wiped or let them roll around on the floor screaming for food while I write.  What do you think?

How long do you spend reading blogs each day?

I usually spend about an hour reading.  It really depends on what else I have on my to-do list.
 
What other social media sites do you use?
 

I have a facebook account which I visit every few months when I get abused by friends and family for not checking it more often.  I love Pinterest which is my late night addiction - I use it from my iPhone when I am supposed to be sleeping.  I also have a Tumblr account which I update every now and then and I have Twitter, which is more like my facebook, I don't use it very often.  I'm not sure if Daily Mile counts, but I have that as well, which I use whenever I workout to update my training session, but mostly because I like to see how many donuts I have burned off and not replenished at the Donut King.  Oh, I almost forgot Fat Secret.  This is where I count my calories and join in groups and challenges - love it.

 
What is the first blog you started reading?

I can not remember the first blog I started following, but the blogs I have been following for the longest are Sheryl Yvette (aka Bitch Cakes), Peanut Butter Fingers, Kazz's Journey (she has lost over 90 kilos so far - 198lbs), The Hungry Runner Girl and also Gourmet Runner, where I found this survey.

How do you read blogs? Phone/iPad, dashboard, Google Reader...?

I sometimes read from my iPhone, but mostly from the computer using my blog roll lists.

How many blogs do you follow?

I couldn't tell you how many blogs I follow, but I can tell you it needs some serious updating.

You're on a week-long vacation. Do you a) pre-set posts for the time you're away, b) blog every day on vacation, or c) organize guest posts in advance?

I haven't been on a vacation for 3 years, but next January we are going away for a week and I plan to just schedule some posts for the time I'm away.

Have you made money off of your blog?

No.  My blog is part of my journey, my journal so to speak.  It's for me to be able to look back and discover what works best for me.  I also use it (blog world) to find new ideas and inspiration - I have never been disappointed :)

Would you quit your job to be a full-time blogger, if it meant cutting your salary in half?

I'm currently a SAHM, but I don't think I would.  It's a hard question for me cause I'm not really in a situation where I can comment.

The FIVES Survey

I found this idea on Peanut Butter Fingers the other day and thought it was fun so I stole the idea - No shame here!  Well, I don't think there's any shame in stealing ideas as long as you admit it, is there? 

The theme of the survey is the number five ah ah ahhhhh, sorry, I couldn't help it.  I blame Sesame Street.  Anyway, I'm excited!  I don't know what it is, but I like doing surveys.  They are always fun and always remind me of my teenage days, remember Dolly magazine??  

THEN

Nicole :)

NOW 

Blake & Leighton

I still want to buy it and in about 7 years my girls will be old enough to use as excuses to buy it , but it will really be for me. 

Survey time :

Last five people I talked to on the phone:

1. Mum
2. Alan (Husband)
3. Mum
4. Ra Ra (my sister, that's her nickname)
5. Mum

Last Five Meals I Ate:

1. Bowl of cereal
2. Sunflower Seed bread with Hummus & Tzatziki dips
3. Cheese & Beetroot Sandwich
4. Coconut Water Pancakes with Vegemite
5. An apple (as a snack, not a meal)

Last five places I’ve travelled:

1. Brisbane
2. Paris
3. Ireland 
4. Turkey
5. London

Next five places I will go (outside of my hometown):

1. Werribee Open Range Zoo -for the kids
2. Torquay - take kids to the beach
3. Whittlesea - to see the retired Racing Champions
4. Tasmania - holiday
5. Brisbane - visit friends and family

Last five workouts: (it's been a while)

1. Treadmill workout #12
2. Treadmill workout #3
3. Not Over the Hill Virtual 5k
4. Not Over the Hill Virtual 5k (did it twice, forgot the hill)
5. Treadmill workout #1

Five things making me happy right now:

1. Coffee
2. My Children
3. My Husband
4. My Family
5. Blogs that I follow - I love reading them

The Alphabet of ME!

I found an ABC post on one of my favourite blogs, Peanut Butter Fingers and thought it was a fantastic idea!

A. Age: 40

B. Bed size: Queen. Still not big enough for me, hubby and the kids though!

C. Chore you hate: Cleaning the toilets - yukkkkkk!

D. Dogs: Love dogs, my favourite domestic animal.

E. Essential start to your day: Getting out of bed!

F. Favorite color: Blue

G. Gold or silver: Gold

H. Height: 171 cm

I. Instruments you play: Piano

J. Job title: Domestic Engineer - this just means I stay at home with the kids.

K. Kids: 4 - Hayden (11), Ava (4), Christian (3) & Holly (3) - I have 5 kids if I count the husband

L. Live: Melbourne, Australia

M. Mom’s name: Therese

N. Nicknames: I can't really repeat it here

O. Overnight hospital stays: 3 for Hayden, 2 for Ava, 3 for twins, 1 for allergies.

P. Pet peeve: Putting petrol in the car - I absolutely hate doing this. I don't know why, I just hate it. I don't mind going inside and paying for it, but I hate doing the actual petrol thing.

Q. Quote from a movie: "Nobody puts Baby in the corner" (Dirty Dancing) "It must have been a run by fruiting" (Mrs Doubtfire) "It's possible pig! You miserable vomitous mass" (Princess Bride)

R. Righty or Lefty: Righty.

S. Siblings: 1 older sister, 1 older brother & 1 younger sister.

T. Time you wake up: 7 am - the kids are very regular alarm clocks.

U. Underwear: yes, I do wear it!

V. Vegetables you dislike: Sprouts and any capsicum that isn't red.

W. What makes you run late: My husband.

X. X-rays you’ve had: Can't really remember.

Y. Yummy food you make: Nigella's Snowflake Brownies & my potato croquets with cheese sauce

Z. Zoo animal favorite: Giraffe.

Please tell me a little something about you!

L. Where do you live?

P. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Y. Yummy food you make?

Calories