By any other name?

“What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet.”
- SHAKESPEARE, Romeo and Juliet

My friend Angella writes a (fantastic!) marriage column at Work it, Mom! called Committed: Ties That Bond. Her latest post, entitled Would Your Husband Take Your Name? really caught my attention.

I decided to share My Story with her (and everyone who reads her column). She emailed me, saying: That is SUCH a cool story, Hannah! … I think that story will have me smiling the rest of the day.

I bet you are intrigued. You want to know more. Well, okay.

To be honest, I never thought I’d share this story on my blog. It took place so long ago, and often I forget that it even happened! Anyway, I’m sharing now.

~~~~~

I’ll cut to the chase, shall I?
Rob’s last name used to be Hannah. Yep, that’s right. The same as my FIRST name.

Rob & I were friends for a looong time before we started dating. People in our circle of friends used to tease us All. The. Time.
“What if Rob married Hannah?!”
“That would be SO funny!”
“She would be called Hannah Hannah!!”
Bwahahahahahahaha!

You get the picture.

[Apparently Rob's Dad was teased in a similar way during primary school, as there was a girl called Hannah in his class. What was "funny" in the 50's was still funny in the 90's].

While we were dating, we discussed the name thing a few times. But it never went very far. It wasn’t something we focused on. We were too much in love to worry about such trivial matters.

Once we got engaged, we realised it was time to discuss it properly. I told Rob I was absolutely willing to become “Hannah Hannah”. I loved him, I wanted to take his surname, I would graciously put up with any hassling.

However, Rob decided that HE would change his name.
I was a little surprised at first, but he wanted to do it. He wasn’t worried about not “carrying on the family name”. He has 2 brothers who can do that job.

There were a few options:

1. Change to my surname. He was happy to do that. I was happy for him to do that. My parents were happy for him to do that.

2. Change to his mother’s maiden name (his parents are divorced). However, his mother’s maiden name is not the “prettiest” name around, so he opted out of that one.

3. My Mum actually came up with the third option.
Why not take his middle name (Blair) as his surname?
It was given to him by his parents, so had significance, and it would work well as a last name.

So that’s what he ended up doing. He changed his name by deed poll before we got married.

I LOVE the fact that Rob was willing to change his name to mine. In fact, I love that he was willing to change his name, period! It shows just how much he loves me. He didn’t want me to live with a surname the same as my first, as he knew the confusion and embarrassment it could have caused me. Not to mention the constant explaining and telling-of-the-story.

Speaking of explaining, we had to do a lot of that at first; we had to let everybody know about the change. It took some time for our family & friends to get used to it. Rob was often mistakenly called by his old name, but surprisingly, I was never referred to as “Hannah Hannah”. People caught on quickly, and soon it was the new normal.

Now when we meet new people, they don’t need to know the whole back story. We just introduce ourselves, and that’s it. Simple! It can be funny sometimes, though. For example, we are often asked if we are related to “So-and-so Blair” and we can always reply with a confident “No”, LOL.

Sometimes the Name Change story comes up naturally in conversation, and we’ve found that people really enjoy hearing it.
I like to think that’s because of the whole “I would do anything for love” theme.

Well, that’s why I like it.

Weekend reflections

The long weekend started with a (rainy) BBQ at our friends’ place on Friday night. Blair & Shelley are a bit younger than us (mid-20’s) with no kids (yet). Rob & Blair go skateboarding together regularly, and although there is a 10-year age gap between them, they get along really well.

And Blair is heaps of fun. He’s pretty much a big kid. He laughs a lot, goofs around, tells jokes, and gets our kids totally hyper! The boys are beyond impressed that his DVD collection includes Shrek, Shrek 2, Ice Age, Ice Age 2 and Cars. They also think it’s the funniest thing ever that Blair owns a stuffed toy Mater (from the Cars movie) that he “cuddles up to in bed instead of his wife” – Ethan’s words.

Oh, and Tyler came out with this totally classic line: “I can’t believe that Blair is just like a human kid, but he looks like a Dad.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself.

~~~~~

On Saturday, we visited our good friends Jo & Trevor, whose middle child is our god-daughter. The kids had an absolute blast playing together, and Jo & I had a nice chat while the guys fixed one of their sliding doors.

My sister came round for dinner on Saturday night (meatballs! spaghetti! apple pie!) and then we watched a DVD. Rendition (with Jake & Reese).

~~~~~

Sunday was our big “date”. After church, we packed the boys off to Mum & Dad’s, and headed into town. We enjoyed a nice cafe lunch, then hit the shops. Rob found the jean shorts he was looking for (a true miracle!) and as a bonus, a new pair of jandals. I picked up, oh, a few things. Like … 2 pairs of black 3/4 pants (one “smart”, one “casual”), a pair of cargo shorts, a dress, a sleeveless top, and a new swimsuit (well, a halterneck tankini and a pair of boardshorts). Pretty good haul, eh? And everything (everything!) was in my new fan-dangled size 12 (US size 8). Yay! Oh, but I also bought a new skirt last week, and that was a size 10!

After a couple of hours of shopping, we decided to catch a movie. Body of Lies. We enjoyed it, but if you see it you’ll need to be prepared for graphic war scenes and violence (read: torture). Also, the fact that Leonardo DeCaprio looks weird with facial hair.

We ate dinner at R’Toto’s and enjoyed some live music before heading home.

The rest of the evening was very nice. And that’s all I have to say about that.

~~~~~

Monday morning dawned with promises of a peaceful sleep-in, time to read my book, a cooked breakfast (thanks, Rob!), and a walk along the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day. Bliss! I was starting to feel like we’d gone back in time. Say, 8 years. Back then, many of our weekends consisted of shopping, dining out, movies, reading, sleep-ins and long walks along the beach … mind you, we took it all forgranted then, and got bored with having so much spare time!

After our walk, it was time to return to reality and pick up our children. They had enjoyed themselves, and even better, behaved themselves for Nana & Grandad.

We stayed for lunch at Mum & Dad’s, and then Rob took the boys for a swim at the pools while I did some work read my book. Well, I read my book for awhile, until I felt guilty. Then I did some work. I know, I know, it was *supposed* to be a public holiday. But I wanted to get a head start so I will have some time on Thursday & Friday to bake & pack for the scrapbooking retreat this weekend. Can’t wait!

Random thoughts

* I am looking forward to the upcoming long weekend. I get a day off work (Rob does too, but that’s nothing special – he never works Mondays; he works a 4-day week). The kids get a day off school and Kindy. But best of all, the boys are having a sleepover at Mum & Dad’s on Sunday.
On Sunday afternoon, Rob and I plan to see a movie (or 2), go shopping (I pretty much need a whole new wardrobe, so I’m gradually buying new items when I get the chance to shop), go out for dinner, come home for dessert, and SLEEP IN on Monday morning. Bliss!

* Tyler started gymnastics a couple of weeks ago. He really loves it. I took Ethan when he was about Tyler’s age, but we had to give it up when he started morning Kindy. Tyler won’t be moving to mornings until next year, so we can get at least one term of gymnastics in.

* Ethan has started learning the drums! He had his first lesson on Tuesday. He was SO excited about it, both leading up to and after the lesson. I “borrowed” some drumsticks from church, and he’s been practising on an upside-down washing basket. A drum kit has been ordered and should arrive in 2-3 weeks.

* Athletics season has started again, and Ethan is proving that he’s still a little speed-demon! He’s had a 1st, 2nd or 3rd placing in all of his sprint races so far (they do 50, 60 and 100 metres), coming first in quite a few of them. I definitely think this is his “thing”; something he can really sink his teeth into and excel in. I’m proud of him!
Each week, Tyler races against the other 3- and 4-year-olds. He actually came 4th on Wednesday! He hasn’t shown signs of being a really fast runner like Ethan, so he was pretty chuffed to do so well.

* When I was taking Ethan to school on Wednesday, one of the boys (S) who lives in the adjoining street, and also happens to be in Ethan’s class, came up to us. He said, “Ethan, we were thinking of inviting you to our [adjoining street name] Halloween party, but C [another neighbourhood boy's mum] said you would probably be too shy, so we decided not to. And it’s really only for kids who live in [adjoining street name] anyway.”
WTH?!
Luckily Ethan doesn’t even play with S, and hasn’t shown any signs of wanting to, so he wasn’t upset about not being invited to the party. I don’t particularly like S, anyway. He can be quite loud and obnoxious. The boys Ethan DOES play with (some who live on our street or the adjoining one, some who don’t) are much nicer and I’d rather he spent time with them anyway. But seriously, I was pretty shocked to hear what came out of that kid’s mouth! And shocked that another mum (who I do know) would say that Ethan might be too shy. Yeah, he can be shy sometimes … but what better way to help him NOT be shy than to invite him to a neighbourhood party? And if it really IS just for kids who live on the adjoining street, and not ours, then why even suggest asking Ethan? Grrr!! I’m just glad Ethan wasn’t fazed by it.

* Have just started reading a really good book – “The Broken Window” by Jeffrey Deaver. I’ve read all his Lincoln Rhyme crime novels, and this is the latest one. It’s one of those books you don’t want to put down; my favourite kind.

* I won a Fiskars Stamp Press from Up2Scrap yesterday. Apparently it was the “club prize”, but I didn’t even know it was up for grabs. I didn’t enter anything, I think it was just a random draw of all subscribers. Anyway, it was a pretty nice surprise.

Enjoy your weekend, everyone!

Heart.blog

Just look at what my sweeter-than-sweet friend Kami has awarded me with:

Thanks Kami, I love your blog too!

There is a meme attached to this award, so here goes:

Where is your cell phone? In my handbag.

Where is your significant other? At work.

Your hair color? My hair is a pretty boring shade of “just brown”. Every now and then, when I can afford it, I get it coloured with hints of red or burgandy. Next time I am going DARK brown. Like, almost black. I’ve discussed it with my hair stylist, and she agrees that it will totally suit me.

Your mother? My ultimate role model.

Your father? The kindest and most sensitive man I know.

Your favorite thing? Um, chocolate?? Yikes, that sounds really sad. I think I should have said something more grown-up.

Your dream last night? I was somewhere with Wentworth Miller … actually, I don’t remember dreaming about anything last night. That’s the boring answer, but it’s the truth!

Your dream/goal? I can’t share my dream. It’s hard to explain, and it’s still a work in progress.
But my current *goal* is to lose another 3.5kg.

The room you’re in? Our multipurpose playroom/office/scrapbook studio.

Your hobby? Scrapbooking.

Your fear? Something happening to one of my (3) boys.

Where do you want to be in 6 years? I’m really happy with my life right now, so in 6 years I’d like to be where I am now – only older, wiser and doing better at the stuff I want to improve on.

Where were you last night? Music practice.

What you’re not? Messy, patient, green-fingered.

One of your wish-list items? A new camera. A digital SLR, to be precise.

Where you grew up? Here, on the Hibiscus Coast (Auckland, New Zealand). I’ve only lived in TWO HOUSES my whole life.

The last thing you did? Checked my work emails.

What are you wearing? Black long-sleeved top, jeans.

Your TV? Works fine, thanks.

Your pet? No pets. Not ready for that kind of responsibility just yet. Taking care of 2 kids is enough work, thankyouverymuch. When the kids are older, they can get a pet and look after it themselves!

Your computer? Is a very old dinosaur. When it dies, I am getting a laptop.

Your mood? Fairly chipper

Missing someone? My boys.

Your car? An 18-year-old Nissan Primera.

Something you’re not wearing? Socks.

Favorite store? Depends what kind of store. For clothes, I really like Shanton. Affordable, but stylish. I don’t like to spend heaps of money on clothes.

Your summer? Imminent. Yay!

Love someone? My family, friends, God.

Your favorite color? Blue.

When is the last time you laughed? A few minutes ago, while reading someone’s blog (can’t remember who’s).

Last time you cried? Sunday.

Passing this on:

To ALL the blogs I read – I wouldn’t read them if I didn’t love them!

Reborn

Wow. Thank you all for taking the time to comment on my last post. I tried to reply to each comment via email, but in case I missed a few, I wanted to say thanks here.

I feel a million times better about everything now, and there are a few reasons for that.
Firstly, I really was having a bad day, and bad days don’t last forever.
Secondly, it helped immensely to know that others feel the same way sometimes. So thank you for your honesty, I really appreciate it.
Thirdly, I know in my heart that I AM a good mum. My best is totally good enough. It’s just a matter of accepting that I’m not perfect, and neither is anybody else! My best is all God asks me to give.

We had our church camp over the weekend, which Rob and I organised (with help from our fantastic planning committee). We put in a lot of hard work – over the weekend and during the months/weeks/days leading up to camp. Organising a camp for 80+ people is hard work! I was in charge of all the administration stuff, and it was a job and a half. Rob was in charge of the “fun stuff”, which he does so well. I love how we complement each other and work so well as a team. What one of us struggles with, the other person excels in. Neat.

It was kind of difficult for me to fully relax over the weekend, because of the job I had to do. Strangely, I didn’t feel stressed until it was almost over. Then all of a sudden I was overwhelmed, as a huge amount of tension was released from my body.

But today? I feel reborn. I look back over the weekend and I can see how much everyone enjoyed themselves. I loved spending time with everyone, and it really was a lot of fun.

This piece sums up how I feel today, so I thought I’d share it.

Morning by D. Anthony

From my unknown slumber, I awake to find a new day
And for the split second it takes to accumulate my wits
I subconsciously pause to ponder, to reflect
On Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow … on myself
Shall I focus on …
The sorrow that found me and ruined my yesterday
Or the fact that I got through it, challenged yet okay
Shall I focus on …
The aches that more and more often come my way
Or the wisdom of years that grows stronger everyday
Shall I focus on …
Relationships lost, missed loved ones taken away
Or friends and family here now, loving me each day
Shall I focus on …
The lost manners, the lack of courtesy people display
Or the smiles derived from the Thank You’s that I say
Shall I focus on …
The stress, the difficulties that seem to come my way
Or the amazing power I possess to make an impact today
A second later a familiar realisation lights the way
Yesterday is no longer mine to contemplate
And Tomorrow never was
All I really have is Today and myself
I stretch, smile and decide to open my eyes
I will not waste another second of this gift … My New Day

Doing my best

This parenting gig can be hard work. Nobody said it would be easy, but there are days when it feels like I’m ill-equipped for the job.

Days like today.

Um, who employed ME to look after THEM? Er, um, I think you must have gotten me mixed up with that other applicant. The one with know-how, and patience, and strength. Yeah, her.

I feel like a failure today. There is no specific incident I can put my finger on. No awful behaviour from either of my offspring (quite the opposite, actually). Nothing horrible happened this morning which involved me screwing up in a major way.

But nevertheless, I feel inadequate. Actually, I feel spent.

Today is one of those days where I spend too much time looking at the other school mums, the ones who look so “together”. The ones with perfect make-up. Perfect clothes. Perfect bodies. Perfectly behaved children with perfect hair, clean shoes and a clean uniform. I look at them and I make ridiculous assumptions about their lives. They have perfect husbands. Perfect houses. Perfect jobs. Their fridge is not half-empty. They don’t have 2 baskets of laundry waiting to be folded. They don’t get desperate and raid the pantry for cooking chocolate at 10:00 in the morning because they have Zero self-control over their emotional eating. Ugh!

Always being one to wallow in a little self-pity from time-to-time, I decided to google “I am a bad parent”. Stellar idea, I know.

Along with a number of weird blog posts entitled “I’m a better parent when I’m high on crack”, and “What makes a mother on meth a bad parent?”, I found the following article:

How can I be a good parent?
There’s not just one right way to raise children. And there’s no such thing as a perfect parent or a perfect child. But here are some guidelines to help your children grow up healthy and happy:

* Show your love. Everyday, tell your children: “I love you. You’re special to me.” Give lots of hugs and kisses.
* Listen when your children talk. Listening to your children tells them that you think they’re important and that you’re interested in what they have to say.
* Make your children feel safe. Comfort them when they’re scared. Show them you’ve taken steps to protect them.
* Provide order in their lives. Keep a regular schedule of meals, naps and bedtimes. If you have to change the schedule, tell them about the changes ahead of time.
* Praise your children. When your children learn something new or behave well, tell them you’re proud of them.
* Criticise the behaviour, not the child. When your child makes a mistake, don’t say, “You were bad.” Instead, explain what the child did wrong. For example, say: “Running into the street without looking isn’t safe.” Then tell the child what to do instead: “First, look both ways for cars.”
* Be consistent. Your rules don’t have to be the same ones other parents have, but they do need to be clear and consistent.
* Spend time with your children. Do things together, such as reading, walking, playing and cleaning the house. What children want most is your attention. Bad behaviour is usually an attempt to get your attention.

Parenting 101, right?

Simple stuff, but part of me feels more despondent than ever after reading that. If I were to grade myself on those steps today? I would give myself an “F” for every. single. one.
Hmm. But maybe, just maybe, that’s more of a reflection of today’s bad attitude and less-than-sunshine-y mood than my true parenting abilities???

Nonetheless, I know I don’t get that stuff right all the time. There’s no denying it. But honestly, I am doing the best I can.

Yes, I have a LOT to learn. Yes, there is plenty of room for improvement.

Starting with getting rid of today’s BAD attitude.

Go on, shoo! Get! Scram!

I LOVE MY KIDS. By gosh, I love my kids!
And I’m doing my best.

Hear that, Hannah? Your BEST.

Texture, revealed

A couple of weeks ago, I shared some sneak peeks of my Design Team work for Crafty Tart. I can now share the full projects with you!

I was lucky enough to work with the beautiful Ancestry range from K&Company. These papers are absolutely gorgeous and full of texture, with descriptors like “foil”, “glitter” and “frothed” in their names. Kate also threw in some funky Core’dinations cardstock, sandpaper and crackle medium, and the word “texture” really took on a new meaning for me!

All of these fabulous products can be found here, in the Crafty Tart shop.

Click on any of the images to see them a bit bigger – it’s really hard to do justice to these beautiful textured papers with photos.

SISTERS

Journalling: Once my sister gave me a fridge magnet which says:
You’re a really special sister
and it is so very true that
if we could choose our family
then I would still pick you!
And I feel exactly the same way about her. We are sisters by chance, and friends by choice. Love you heaps, Leah!

FISH & CHIPS

Journalling: It’s our Christmas Eve thing. Fish & Chips at the beach.

FAMILY

Journalling: You guys mean the world to me; I love my family!
*Christi took these family photos 2 years ago. I edited them in Picasa, making them B&W with a subtle green tint that matched the background paper. The colour actually matches better IRL than this photo shows.

I had leftover cardstock and paper scraps, so I whipped up a couple of cards:

DAD card

THANK YOU card

For more detailed instructions of the exact products used, and how I created these layouts and cards, check out the Crafty Tart gallery.

I’ve also written some product reviews on the Crackle Accents and Heidi Swapp sandpaper, so be sure to check them out if you are thinking about buying these products. I’ve given some handy tips for using them in your scrapbooking projects, and how to get the best out of them.

School hols

Well, the school holidays are nearly over! I love the holidays, even though it’s inherently harder for me to get my work done. I just enjoy not having to rush out the door every morning. But more than that, I enjoy having more time with each of the boys – particularly one-on-one time with Ethan while Tyler is at Preschool (2 mornings/week).

Needless to say, these holidays have been a LOT more fun than the July ones, where the kids were stuck at home with the chickenpox!

* During the first week of the holidays, I took the boys to see Wall-E. Very cute movie. To my surprise, I think Tyler enjoyed it more than Ethan did (although Ethan still really liked it). I thought it would be too “old” for Tyler, but he absolutely loved it.

* Nana took the boys to Kids Republic and spoiled them. As Nanas are entitled to do.

* Rob has taken the boys out in the boat. He’s just been given an outboard motor, and wanted to try it out. They didn’t catch any fish, but had lots of fun.

* The kite Tyler got for his birthday has had a bit of use. For the first week or so after his birthday, there wasn’t enough wind to try it out! Last Saturday, Rob took the boys to Orewa Beach and his brother Greg met them there with his boys. They flew kites and did “boy stuff” while I was at a baby shower.

* On Tuesday I took Ethan to a FREE craft workshop at the mall, run by the Craft Spot, our local scrapbooking store. I saw it advertised in the local paper, and all you had to do to enrol your child was phone or email the mall office. I thought I would try my luck getting a spot (classes were limited to 30 kids each) and I got one.

Here’s the card that Ethan made:

After the workshop, Ethan received a voucher for a free icecream from Wendy’s, and I got a voucher for a free coffee at BB’s! Ethan also got a free Poster Art pack from the Craft Spot. And even better, I got a $5 discount instore, and got myself some more gorgeous papers from My Minds Eye.

* Last night we to Sparx for dinner with my parents and sister, to celebrate Leah’s new job!
She has been working at the same company as me for 7 years, but in a different area. She decided to apply for a medical writing position in my department, and passed her writing tests and interview with flying colours! So now we will be doing the same job – but she’ll be working in the office and I’ll still be working from home.

* This morning I met my manager and the rest of my team for coffee, and Ethan came too. He was pretty excited to get a BIG cookie, a fluffy and 4 marshmallows (he ate mine too). Since we’d driven all that way, we decided to have a look around Westfield Albany while we were in there.
I ended up buying a pair of size 12 (US size eight) jeans (reduced from $41.99 to $1.50 … yes, that’s ONE DOLLAR FIFTY!) and a new top. Haven’t worn size 12 jeans for years! Also picked up a couple of scrapbooking magazines from Borders … should keep me busy for awhile!

Next week it will be back to school & Kindy, and back to the regular routine. But hey, there’s only a couple of months until the BIG summer break … and I can’t wait!

I’ve done it!!

I reached GOAL tonight at Weight Watchers!!

I have now lost a total of 10.6kg (23lb), and it has taken me just over 4 months to do it.

In addition to losing weight, I have also lost centimetres: 12cm (4.7″) around my tummy, 7cm (2.8″) around my hips, 7cm (2.8″) around my thighs. And thankfully, 0cm around my bust!

There are so many emotions going through my head right now.

I am happy and thrilled and excited because of my achievement. I worked hard to get to this point, and I’m proud of myself. I am grateful for the support of my family & friends. I am thankful for the encouragement of my WW leader.

But I am also apprehensive. I am nervous about the future. I hope that the changes I have made are so ingrained that they will help me keep the weight off FOREVER. But there’s still a little nagging part of me that thinks, “nup, can’t do it”. There’s still a part of me that worries about relaxing too much. You know what I mean. You just relax a little, and then relax a bit more, and eventually you’ve relaxed to the point where you’ve stopped tracking your food intake, you’ve stopped making the healthy choice 9 times out of 10, and you’ve started giving yourself “permission” to slip back into old habits. I soooo don’t want to go THERE.

This is by far the scariest (and hardest) part of the ride. I’ve been on it before, so I know. For those who haven’t followed my story from the beginning, I went to WW 8 years ago and lost 15kg (33lb). I kept that weight off for a year before I got pregnant with Ethan. Hmm, notice that? I kept the weight off for a year … who knows how much longer I would have kept it off if I hadn’t gone and put a bun in the oven? Maybe forever? I can only hope so.

People have asked how I am going to reward myself for reaching my goal weight. I’m not really sure. There will definitely be a wholelotta shopping going on, because most of my clothes are too big. But aside from that, I haven’t given it much thought.
I HAVE, however, given some thought to a reward once I get to my PERSONAL goal weight (I’d like to lose another 4kg). If and when I get there, I am thinking my reward will be a digital SLR camera. Because I have only been waiting for, oh, YEARS to own one of those babies!!

One thing I am looking forward to is heading to Fiji in May with Rob for our 10th wedding anniversary. I know I will feel comfortable walking down the beach in my swimsuit (but not a bikini … I still have stretch marks!) and I won’t spoil my entire holiday by feeling miserable, depressed or self-conscious about how I look.

That’s going to be the most awesome reward!

Four Things

I’ve been tagged by Teeni to do this meme:

4 things I did today:

1. Went to church (twice, even!)
2. Had my parents and sister round for lunch
3. Vacuumed the house
4. Did LOTS of admin stuff for our upcoming church camp that Rob and I are organising

4 things on my to do list (this week):

1. Get through my pile of work
2. Take Ethan to a FREE craft workshop at the mall
3. Order Christmas presents for the nieces/nephews from CHALK to support Tyler’s Kindergarten
4. Copy some new recipes into my recipe book

4 of my guiltiest pleasures (NONE of which I have had in AGES … stupid weight loss program …):

1. Oreo cookies with milk
2. Chocolate-coated macadamia nuts
3. Chocolate brownie with whipped cream
4. Margarita (yummmm …)

4 random facts about me:

1. I have a huge crush on Wentworth Miller. Oh wait, you already knew that?
2. My car stereo volume must ALWAYS be on an even number. Usually 18 or 20 if I’m driving without any kids in the car, or 10 if the boys are with me (otherwise I can’t hear them asking me endless questions). If the volume is on an odd number, I have to turn it either up or down 1 notch, even if the volume itself is fine.
Hello, my name is Hannah and I have OCD …
3. Rob & I have watched EVERY season of Survivor, except the first one. I may or may not be very excited about Survivor: Gabon which starts here in NZ next Thursday (please don’t spoil it if you’re already partway through …)
4. The toenails on my pinky toes are so small that I can’t put nail polish on them.

I’m not going to tag anyone this time.
But if you want to play along, feel free!