Tag! You're It!!!

I didn't know anything about "blog tagging" until the beginning of this month. I'm still a bit new to "blogworld" and continue to learn the ropes. But, thankfully, this tag comes with rules and seems harmless enough, so, in response to La Mama Loca's request, here goes ...

First, the rules!
Rule #1: The tagged person must write their answers on their blog and replace any question they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.


Rule #2: Tag 4 people to do this quiz; they cannot refuse (OK, so nothing bad will happen if you don’t participate but I would love to see your answers). The tagee must state who tagged them.

Now, for the questions...
1. If you have pets, do you see them as merely animals or are they members of your family?
Ummm, they are family to a point. Our kids definitely come first, but we are very attached to our animals too. However, we will not be purchasing health insurance for them any time soon!

2. If you could have a dream come true, what would it be?
For pain, suffering, fear, and death to go away. In other words, I want Jesus to come and Heaven to be here ... now! I would also like a bit of uninterrupted time and that probably won't happen until Heaven either.

3. What would you do with a billion dollars?
I would probably give most of it away. I mean, how much does one family really need?! But, the amount I would keep for us would be enough to purchase a large house on a very large piece of land (so we could adopt more kids and have room for them to run), put enough in savings to cover all our kids' college expenses, buy a motor home for traveling, and surprise my hubbie with the grand piano he's been dreaming about.

4. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?
I find that I'm usually in a bad mood when I'm tired -- which makes me feel overwhelmed, which makes me grumpy. So, when I'm down in the dumps, I usually try not to think too much about what's overwhelming me. I try to pray more and think less. Then, I make sure I get to bed early, as my outlook on life always improves after a good night's sleep!

5. What is your bedtime routine?
Routine? Ha! I wish I was so lucky! Each night is a completely new adventure! However, the underlying routine, which begins as soon as the kids are in bed, is for me to put all the things I need to take to school the next day by the front door, read blogs and/or an inspirational book, then to talk and/or pray with my husband before finally collapsing in bed.

Some variations on this routine might be, Shawn and me watching a DVD together in bed, or, now that the weather is warming up, taking a walk together.

6. Name something that has surprised you this week about motherhood.
I often forget how small an understanding children have about life. This morning, Maya greeted me with the following...

Maya: "Mommy, I had a bad dream last night."
Me: "I'm sorry, what was it about?"
Maya: "You already know, cuz you were in it."

7. What kind of books do you read?
This is an easy one. True, true, true, all true, or at least have truth woven through it! If I'm going to invest my precious time on a book it had better have some redeeming value to it - as in making me a better person, improving my walk with God, or teaching me something I didn't know before. And if I'm going to shed some tears over the book, as I am liable to do on a good story, those tears had better not be wasted on something made up.

8. How do you see yourself in 10 years?
Aaaaah! I just got used to being 40! Do we have to jump to another decade so fast?! Seriously, though, I really hope Jesus comes by then. If He's not here yet, I hope to have adopted more kids, and be working again in foster care. At that time, I hope to work from the bio parent's side to help them learn the parenting skills they need in order to keep their kids. Bottom line, I hope to still be busy and useful!

9. What’s your fear?
My greatest fear is having one of my kids kidnapped. I think that has to be a pain worse than losing your child to death. The constant uncertainty is unimaginable. I don't even want to think about it long. Let's move on...

10. Would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to see outer space?
I hardly ever eat junk food. When I do, I usually feel so gross I regret it enough to keep me away from it for a very long time after that. However, space travel has not proved to be the safest method of transportation either. As long as I can get a guarantee that I would survive the trip, I would happily give up all junk food for the rest of my life for the opportunity to visit outer space!

11. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
Fold laundry. I know. I'm weird. But I have a good reason for doing it. I don't drink anything caffeinated, so I have to get my blood pumping the old-fashioned way, by actually doing something! With four kids, I always have a surplus of laundry to do. Folding it first thing in the morning allows me to accomplish something practical, really wake up, have some quiet prayer time alone (yes, I pray when I fold laundry), and think about/plan for the activities of that particular day.

After folding laundry, I am alert enough to do my morning devotions and actually learn something from them. I check over my to-do list for the day, lay out the girls' uniforms, and shower and dress myself. Usually, Maya can't find at least one of her shoes, so, on most mornings, I am "blessed" with a morning treasure hunt as well. (I swear I'm going to glue those shoes to her feet someday.) Then we're off, usually later than I want to be, but I am always relieved when we are finally all out the door and on our way.

12. If you could change one thing about your significant other, what would it be? Or, if you’re single - if you could choose a significant other who looked like anyone in the world, who would it be?
Hair?

13. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?
My dad named me and as I now face the risk of losing him to cancer, I wouldn't change anything about my name. It's a reminder of the relationship I am privileged to still have with him.

14. If you had to choose between six months of sun or six months of rain, what would you choose?
I'm a native Californian! I am not giving up the sun!!!

15. If you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?
Sandwiches. If I didn't have kids to cook for, I'd probably live off of sandwiches anyway.

16. What is the thing you enjoy about blogging the most?
Being the only adoptive mom in my circle of friends, I love getting to know other adoptive moms. I love not having to answer questions about my family, and whether or not I miss having biological children, but being completely understood.

17. Do you prefer salty or sweet foods?
Salty. Even if I enjoy dessert after a meal, I'll usually go back for something salty to get rid of the sweet aftertaste.

18. What items are in your purse right now?
Wallet, phone, receipts, pens, flash drive, hair brush, lip balm, tissue, lotion, nail clippers, calculator, some personal items, and camera (carry that with me everywhere!). Yup, I think that's it.

19. If you had to choose between vacationing at the beach or in the mountains where would you go?
Hmmm... I'm not sure. There is such beauty in both places. I love each one. I know my husband would choose the beach, so that's probably where we'd end up.

20. What do you watch on television?
We don't have a TV, but we do have Netflix, which we watch on the computer sometimes. The large majority of my queue is biographical, historical, and nature documentaries (yeah, I'm a nerd). I've also enjoyed the TV shows Super Nanny and Undercover Boss. Once a week we have a video night for the kids and my standards for what they watch closely follow my reading standards.

Now, it's my turn to tag someone else. The following is a list of fascinating people who inspire me and whom I wouldn't mind getting to know better. :)

Grace Kay at Life Happens

Rebekah at This Grace Filled Life

Esther at Colors & Spices

Della at Footprints of Peace

I know I'm only supposed to tag four, but there is one more blogger I would like to tag. I don't know if she would participate, as her blog is set up a bit differently, but I love her blog and her talent for capturing life as it happens. So, I will give her an "honorary tag." (Maybe she can work it into Taylor's blog somehow. Smile.) Anyway, her blog is The Adventures of Taylor Tot. Check it out.

That's all for me today! Have a great one!