Hey guys! Today I woke up feeling like I got hit by truck. I've got a pounding headache and a really bad head cold. Not sure where this came from but since any real movement is making my head hurt worse I'm taking it easy and decided to do a fun blogger questionnaire. Why not?! Then you can get to know me better! :)
Here we go.....
1. Do you have any nicknames?
Yes! Most people I'm close to call me Kris. But my Dad's side of the family (and close family friends who are like family) calls me Krumbs. That has turned into Krumb Cakes, Krumpelstiltskin...etc etc. I was given this nickname when I was about 10 and its just stuck. My Dad never EVER calls me Kristen...unless he's talking about me to people who don't really know me well. I'm Krumbs!
2. Are you named after anyone?
My middle name is Erin after my mom. But they named me Kristen, just because they liked it.
3. Do you have any siblings?
I'm the oldest of 3. My brother Zack is 4 years younger than me and my (half) sister Alexis is 13 years younger than me. I never EVER think of Lexi as my half sister because my dad and step mom absolutely treat her like family, which we are so grateful for. We are one big giant dysfunctional family!
They are my best friends. I talk to them every single day, multiple times a day, and I cannot imagine my life without them! I always say (besides my husband and children) my siblings are my biggest blessing in life!
4. Where did you grow up?
I was born and raised in Quincy, MA...in the house where my dad still lives today. (Fun fact: its the house he grew up in too!) When I was a sophomore in high school my mom moved us to Holbrook, MA, where she grew up, and I finished out high school there.
5. What activities did you do in high school?
You mean besides hang out with my friends and talk about boys? LOL! Well, I was a cheerleader from 6th grade until 9th grade, when I left Quincy and moved to Holbrook. Honestly, the move wasn't easy. Fitting in at a new school that was really small....we're talking only 72 people in our senior class small....was difficult. So, I worked, hung out with friends and went to school. It might've been easier if I did an activity but I just didn't have the time.
6. Did you go to college?
No, I went to cosmetology school and worked as a cosmetologist at 3 different salons until I had Kamryn. Do I regret not going to college? Yes and no. I am now a stay at home mom and I have been for almost 10 years. To think if I went to college and had all the debt just to be a stay at home mom...ugh! What a waste! So, I'm thankful I didn't go. However, I do wish I had that experience. But, my friends and I sure did make sure we visited a lot of schools while all our friends were there so I like to think I sort of experienced college...at least the party aspect of it! LOL!
7. What's one hobby you'd like to take up?
Photography! I always tell myself I'm going to do it more, but I never find the time. The four (almost five) kids might have something to do with it. Oh well.....someday!
8. What did you want to be when you grew up?
This is a hard one for me to answer. One thing I always knew I wanted to do was to be a mom. I knew I wanted a lot of kids, and I wanted to be home with them. I was a day care kid and I hated it! I understood having divorced parents, that they both had to work but I missed out on a lot. So from the time I was 8 I knew when I had kids it would be very important to me to be home with my kids. (I'm so thankful my husband has made this possible for me to do this...what a privileged and a blessing!) But as time went on, I wanted to be a teacher or a hair stylist. So, two out of three isn't bad!
9. What's the biggest project on your to do list right now?
There's two! One's for us to do and one for a contractor!
1. Clean out Lexi's old room and make it into a nursery. I can't find the motivation to do this, I'm so tired all the time, and Lexi has been working like crazy so she hasn't had the time. I can't pick out furniture I like - do I want brown or white? Before we know it he will be there so I gotta get going!
2. We have a contractor coming soon to redo the front of our house, replace some windows, part of our roof and gutters. Ahhh! This has needed to be done for quite some time so I am SO excited! I'm thinking of painting the house white and I just cannot wait to see it all come together!
10. Do you have any irrational fears?
I don't really care for swimming because I'm petrified of drowning. Coming from a girl who grew up on boats this is probably surprising but I guess that's what makes it irrational. Oh, and I don't like fish! Swimming with fish - YUCK!
I'm also petrified of myself or my kids falling down the stairs. If I see a little kid walking down the stairs (my kid or someone else's) I have to look away. There was a time Logan was walking down my basement stairs and I almost went into a full blown panic attack (you can ask Lexi about this). It's so strange! I don't know where this fear came from but it stresses me out just thinking about it. I probably need therapy...and a one floor house.
11. What are your pet peeves?
I have a few. My biggest one is when people are late for no reason at all. I find it so rude. To me its saying "My time is more important than yours." And go figure, I married into a family full of people who are always late...my husband being one of them. It's been something that has tested my patience for 13 years.
I also can't stand when people complain about silly things. I just feel like we live in a world where there are serious problems all around us. People are sick and dying, people are losing their homes, people cannot afford food. You won't hear me complaining about minuscule things like food taking a long time at a restaurant or traffic because of an accident. Instead I flip perspective and remind myself I'm lucky to be out to eat when some people can't afford it, and hello a night off from cooking!, and I'm lucky it wasn't me in that accident and I'm just sitting in the traffic. Is it annoying? Of course, but not worth me getting my blood pressure up over and/or letting it ruin my day. I will however, complain if my kids keep me up all night....hey! no ones perfect! :)
12. Have you ever traveled outside the country?
Yes! Only once and I want to again and again and again!
We went to Aruba when I was 21 and I'm dying to go back. I'd love to visit many more islands and lots of places in Europe. There's a big giant world out there and I'd love to see as much as I can!
13. Any vacations planned?
None planned but a lot of talking about where we should go in the next year or two. We really want to do a trip for Lexi's 21st birthday. We're thinking maybe Nashville. And Mike and I would love to go on a trip just the two of us soon. It's been SO LONG! And of course, we are trying to think of somewhere we could go with the kids that doesn't involve flying, because, I'm not ready to fly with 5 kids. (Just being honest)
14. Do you speak any other languages?
No, I took a few years of Spanish in middle and high school and I don't remember any of it beyond hello and goodbye. Whoops!
15. What is one talent you wish you had?
I wish I could sing!
16. What is one thing you wish you could do one more time?
I wish I could go back in time and start my family all over again. I wouldn't do anything differently but these past 10 years have been the best of my life and I would live them again and again and again. It is true what they say, it keeps getting better, but what I would give to go back to just me, Mike and Kamryn, and then have Logan again and Kensington and Tenley...ahh! It has truly been amazing!
Ahhh! My babies!
17. How old were you when you got, engaged and married?
Engaged at 23, Married at 25!
I met Mike when I was 19, by 22 I was holding a positive pregnancy test in my hand, I was a mom at 23, engaged a month later and married at 25. Those years were absolutely incredible! It was just blessing after blessing after blessing.
My favorite story is how Mike proposed. We were home, wearing pajamas, in our little apartment on Valentines Day and he went to change Kamryn's diaper. About 30 seconds later he said he didn't feel well and needed me to come change her. So I got up, went to the changing table and there was my sweet baby wearing a bib that said "Will you marry my Daddy?" Next thing I knew, Mike came around the corner shaking holding my beautiful ring telling me how nervous he was. We both laugh because we cannot remember if he actually said "Will you marry me?" I just remember him down on one knee, both of us crying and me saying "yes! yes! yes!" We turned around and Kamryn was out cold sleeping. Seriously. One of the best moments of my life!
18. If you could do any job in the world what would you do?
Honestly, I wouldn't change a thing. I'd still be a stay at home mom. This job isn't easy by any means. It's isolating at times and exhausting but I know without a shadow of a doubt its exactly where I'm supposed to be.
19. How did we pick our kids names?
All of our kids are named after someone in their middle name.
Kamryn Alexis - after my sister.
Logan Michael - after Mike.
Kensington Bree - after my dear friend Breda who passed away when we were only freshman in highy school.
Tenley James - after my dad (Peter James) and Mike's brother, Jim.
For the girls first names, honestly, I heard them all on tv. I'm not going to lie. They were names I heard and loved! And for Logan, we had our wedding reception at the beautiful Hyatt Harborside Hotel at Logan Airport - so Logan it is!
As for baby boy - His middle name will also be a family name (on Mike's side) and we are down to one name, the only name we agree on (seriously naming this kid has been driving me nuts), and that too is a name I heard on tv. Shocking, I know!
20. Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Well, to think by then Kamryn will be almost 20 is enough to make my head spin! I just hope Mike, myself and our kids are happy and healthy in whatever it is we are doing. I have no idea what that season of life will bring, just like if you asked me 10 years ago where I would be today, I never would've guessed I'd be about to have my 5th child. If I've learned anything it's not to try to predict anything. Right when we start to do that, God throws us a curve ball. I'm just going with the flow....
Well, that was fun! And definitely distracted me from my headache for a bit. The kids only pulled me away liiike 30 times. Not bad!
I'm going to get the kids some lunch and then put Tenley down for her nap and maybe try to close my eyes for a little bit while the other three have "quiet time". Wish me luck!
I hope you all have a great day!
No comments :
Post a Comment