The Sunshine Blogger Award

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who nominated you
2. Answer the questions asked of you
3. Nominate other bloggers
4. Write the same amount of questions for other nominated blogger

This award I have neglected for so long was given to me by one of my favourite old blogging friends (3 months is pretty much when I started).  Be careful he is a poet and one of the most charming flirts I’ve met; but this is one site you don’t want to miss.  The great and powerful:

emotions of life

Thank you so much I’m sorry I’ve neglected you for so long, we always hurt the one we love.

My answers:

1. Have you been pulled over by a cop?

I can’t drive but I’ve been in cars that have been pulled over.  I’ve also talked to police on many occasions including a couple of times they were called out for mental health issues.  The police I’ve encountered (& my husband) have always been marvelous; courteous, kind & helpful.  Even when we were in the target age for troublemakers; older teens, & our friends had some trouble our courtesy would immediately get a great response.  Yah Australian police.

2. Do you know your heritage?

My mother’s side of the family & Gavin’s father’s side have had family trees done by a relative.  Mum’s is quite extensive.  So I know the place of origin for my ancestors predominantly English, Irish & Scottish (not in that order) with one mystery Christmas Islander.  But like many people in our modern world I feel a disconnection with my family’s past & traditions.  I do know there is a family history of undiagnosed emotional health problems on the paternal side.  And my name & Cat’s middle name are a family legacy passes down the matrilineal line of eldest daughters – Elisabeth (Lisa).  Gavin’s middle name is a shorter legacy eldest sons.

3. What have you always wanted? Did you ever get it?

For as long as I can remember I have wanted a baby (I have 4) and pets (I have 1 or 2, or maybe 14+ hundreds).

I wanted to be a hairdresser (I do all the family), magical (worked as a psychc & am wiccan) an animal behaviourist (I study neurotypical behaviour in their natural enviroment) and a teacher (I volunteer at schools).  I wanted to write and perform in public; I can now write and I’m working on the rest. N.B. Neurotypical refers to people with a “normal” brain.

I wanted to get married and have kids and live in a biodome without anyone else.  Agoraphobia has delivered the best part of that.

So unbelievably I have gotten everything I ever wanted.  Except I swore that I never ever wanted an autistic child.  Still I was wrong on that one.

4.Do you lie?

I try to be scrupulously honest when it comes to taking advantage but I do lie:

• Socially – “How are you?” “Fine thanks!”  or “Is that okay?” “Of course, its fine!”
• Other people’s secrets
• I have warped the truth so that the information is age appropriate where the truth would be misunderstood to the point where the child’s understanding would be closer to wrong.
• Fun – I lie a lot for fun.  It’s my hobby.  For example “People between the ages of 10 and 25 don’t celebrate their birthdays” or “You are the demonic changling that was swapped for our real child because you were too evil for your demon parents” (this is a lie because we don’t know for sure.
• Pretend and literary licence – more exaggeration or merging events.
• I have warped the truth so that the information is age appropriate where the truth would be misunderstood to the point where the child’s understanding would be closer to wrong.

I have also delayed the truth, and this is a tough moral choice.  I believe in telling the kids the truth but my kids can have such an extreme reaction; loss of consciousness, violence, vomiting, etc., to bad news.  If there is an important function coming up I may delay news of a death or other tragedy so as not to ruin their event.  When Val (my aunt) died 3 days after the life support was turned off missing 2 family birthdays I took that as a sign not to spoil Tabby’s party either, I told them the next day.

5. What was the last lie you told?

When we treated the rabbits & rats for mites we accidentally killed our worm farm which was in between the two cages.  Alex has regressed so much with the recent tragedy so when one of her carers got a new worm farm we just quietly replaced the worms.  The farm has been moved all the contents replaced and the farm itself washed thoroughly we aren’t taking chances with their little lives).

Oops, there was a more recent lie.  I told my kids it was the 17th of May (on the 23rd of September).  I was trying to tell Mum a date we’d been looking for & my kids were interupting, so it kind of went from there.  Anyway debates using logic & reason to argue the impossible are good for their tiny minds!  And its funny!

6. Have you ever danced in the rain?

Of course I love the rain.  My children however do not appreciate having their mother dance in the rain.

Sometimes I think my kids think something terrible will happen to them if rain touches them.  My husband & mother along with a lot of other people don’t help; as soon as it starts to rain people run away.  This is dangerous and insane (in Western Australia where it doesn’t get that cold).  They are more likely to slip in the wet and unlikely to melt unless there are a lot of “Oz” witches running about down here.

Anyway sometimes you just have to sing “Singing in the Rain” & have a little dance.  Rain is just too wondrous to waste.

7. Have you ever been in a car accident?

When I was a small child I was in the backseat when my mum crashed her Mini, no injuries.  The strangest thing about that is that my father crashed so many cars yet the worst I had with him was a small fender bump.  Although it was in a brand new RX7 that he hit a tree.

The worst accident I was in was when the axle of our car (a lemon that had so many defects, most expensive car we ever bought) caught fire and broke in half while we were driving  on the freeway.  Gavin managed to pull our burning car safely to the side of the road on 3 wheels.  We got the kids out and the only injury was I burnt my hands.

8. The best compliment you have received?

A school note said something about parents as role models whether modern parents lacked integrity & demonstrated positive traits.  I was reading it to my husband and my youngest (11 at the time) heard and said that her parents had great integrity and were great role models; her sisters chimed in saying that not all parents were as good as theirs.

I can not describe how good that made me feel.

9. What is your greatest strength or weakness?

Greatest strength – a drive to do good.

Greatest weakness – fear.

10. What were your first thoughts when you woke up this morning?

My first thoughts are about what I have to do that day.  It’s not good as usually this paralyzes me with trepidation.

On the 23rd when I got this award my thoughts were good though they were about the review I was going to write 44 Years of Darkness – Sylvia Shults

I have answered all the questions but as I’ve said before I am concerned these awards/challenges are getting too concentrated in my circle.  I have nominated so many people lately it will start to lose all meaning.  I’m sorry, I am no fun.

However to any one that wants to answer here are some questions:

1. Why is autistsix not nominating more people?
2. Why is autistsix being such a wet blanket?
3. Can autistsix get any more precious?
4. How do I punish autistsix for all this antisocial behaviour?
5. Why am I reading this rubbish?
6. Does she even realise how self-involved these questions are?
7. What’s your lucky number?

3 more awards to write up.  I’m sorry!  I luv you guys!