Wednesday 31 May 2023

"Fun Facts" List

 I know, this is a stretch, using a fun facts list as a blog post, but it's hot, so here you go...


The best advice I was ever given... was by my friend's mother, a no nonsense type of woman, who said, "Put the baby down awake" or in other words, allow your baby to learn how to fall asleep themselves. Otherwise you will be tasked with walking that baby up and down the hall, or rocking him or her in your arms until the baby falls asleep. Some people love to do this, but both of ours were excellent sleepers, sleeping through the night fairly early on. 

The hobby I could never give up is... gardening. Winter is LONG here, and when true Spring and Summer arrive, I cannot help but go out and putter around or even full-on dig, create, relocate, weed... Even though it just about puts me in traction sometimes, I just have to garden.

My biggest role model is... nobody. I'm one of those people who never had a particular celebrity or famous person or elder family member who I was somewhat "obsessed" (an over used word) with. I see certain traits and qualities in people that impress me or inspire me, but I do not have a role model.

One of my favourite books is... probably something from my childhood. I adored "The Magic Faraway Tree" and  "The Children of Willow Farm" by Enid Blyton, reading them over and over. I also loved "My Side of the Mountain" and read it to many of my grade three or four classes over the years. 

I would love to learn how to... sing well. My father sang, in many choirs, entering competitions when he was a younger man, even sang at my wedding. I can absolutely tell when someone is sharp or flat. I can "carry a tune" but I'm not great. I don't have a decent range. I wished that I had a wonderful voice. However, I am not going to sign up for lessons or anything. It's just something I would love to be able to do.

If I won the lottery, I would instantly... pay off my debts. I despise debt, but it is a fact of life for us. I know many people out there do not hold a mortgage anymore, but we do. Canada is a country of taxation and high heating bills, we helped our kids through post secondary education, and even though we live what I would deem frugally, we still carry a mortgage and a couple of other small debts. Now that we are "pensioners" is it even more important that we live frugally. Money is a touchy subject for me.

If I could have any superpower it would be... teleportation. Just let me do that Star Trek thing with the shimmery lights and electronic sounds and beam me somewhere. Or better yet, cross my arms and blink my eyes ala I Dream of Jeanie and let me go somewhere instantly. I DESPISE the travel part of getting to a destination. I cannot sleep on a plane or in a car (oh how I envy those who do). So yes, teleportation please. 

I first traveled solo when I was... Twenty-three?? I think that's how old I was when I loaded up my tiny little three cylinder Chevy Sprint and drove from Ontario across Quebec and New Brunswick to get to Nova Scotia to attend teacher's college at a wonderful university there called St. Francis Xavier. I am certain my mother thought I was going to be killed by a maniac on the way (she thought I should dress up a "dummy" and put it in the seat beside me so it didn't look like I was travelling alone). Before I left, it was one of the few times my father ever said, "I love you", thereby leading me to believe that he also thought he'd never see me again. This was in 1990, way before GPS and cell phones. I had written down the directions and the highways I was going to take and taped the paper to my dashboard. I also had a map. I made collect calls from the motels I stayed at on the way there back home to let my parents know I was indeed still alive. (I had already been living away from home for the most part since I was nineteen, so this wasn't like the first time the baby bird had flown the nest). I've always been pretty proud of myself for doing that, as I'm not a particularly adventurous or brave person. If you aren't familiar with the geography of Canada, it was a LONG way! (Southern Ontario, tucked in amongst the Great Lakes to slightly north-east Nova Scotia).

I have two kids. My proudest moment as a parent was... still is, happening. We are blessed with two really great young adult kids. They have never truly disappointed us, consistently make us proud, and are just really decent human beings!!

I hope you enjoyed this and please feel free to chime in on some of your answers, or use some of these questions for your own blog if you wish.

30 comments:

  1. That was a very interesting post. I'll add my two cents worth about traveling solo. I was 17, pregnant and traveled by train from Alabama to San Diego, Ca. to spend 3 weeks with my husband before he left for Korea. It was worth it!

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  2. Oh that was a long trip too, and at a young age!

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  3. Too late on the baby advice as my baby turned 34 this year! I had 5 children and spent many hours of my life trying to get a baby to sleep!! :)
    I love your wish for teleportation and agree that would be a wonderful gift to have!
    This was such a fun post! Thank you!

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    1. Five children! Whew! Thanks, I’m glad you enjoyed the post.

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  4. That was fun to read and made me think about some aspects of my life. I wasn't as adventurous as you (stayed at home until I was 24) but then emigrated with a new husband to start our great adventure in Canada. Never regretted that decision!

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  5. Nice to learn a few new things about you. My first time traveling alone was at 17. I flew back from Regina to Toronto to be Maid of Honour at a good friends wedding.

    God bless.

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    1. I had an aunt and uncle from Regina. Another young 17 year old travelling.

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  6. I loved this post, Jenn! Always enjoy reading things about people whose blogs I enjoy. I was thrilled when my cousin's wife was saying how they'd be dealing with their newborn and they are definitely Jenn! I think that's huge and have heard horror stories about those who did it differently!

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    1. Well it worked for us. Every baby is different and thankfully we didn’t have any colic to deal with.

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  7. Fun post. Nice to look back from 80 years.

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  8. Great post, Jenn. Methinks I will take your fun facts list and use it for a post on my blog!

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  9. Interesting post! I feel like I know you a little better now!

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    1. After I posted it, I wondered if I'd shared too much.

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  10. I really enjoyed getting to know you better. We have some similarities. I am also touchy about money (I liked that term). I don't have an overarching role model and would really like to sing or dance better. Most of all I wish Scotty could just beam me around. How come everything else from that dang show came to fruition? I appreciated the post.

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    1. My husband is huge Star Trek fan (to the point of being a bit much) and he's shown me shows where they give many examples of things that were on the original show which are now commonplace today.

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  11. Like Ellen, your friend is just 50 years too late re my son to recommend "putting the baby down awake", to allow babies to learn how to fall asleep themselves.

    Do you know anyone who tested this theory out? Did it work within a relatively decent time?

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    1. We had some friends who had babies the same time as us, but everyone was a little different. My best friend had a baby with colic. Others, I wouldn't have felt that I should tell them how to do things... But I've known other people for whom getting their children to sleep at night was an ongoing problem. I've also never done the 'have your children sleep in the same bed as you' route, unless they were sick or had a nightmare, but then I would go to their room usually.

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  12. I really enjoyed your list. I was so impressed by your solo driving trip to NS to attend teacher's college. I couldn't have done it! I would have been lost within an hour of leaving my home. I also would have had full body shakes while trying to sleep in motels along the way. The shower scene from 'Psycho' would be playing in my head before I'd turned the key in the lock.

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    1. Haha, sometimes you surprise yourself at what you are capable of. No Psycho shower scenes!

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  13. Fun post Jenn. I also wish I could sing; I cannot carry a tune & I think I have been lip syncing since I was 8 years old. Oh the joy to be part of a choir. I'll be right behind you on the teleporting. ... Mary-Lou =^..^=

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    1. I actually did join a community choir for a season or two. There's strength in numbers.

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  14. I agree with most of your answers... also would love to be able to sing (can't even carry a tune), and think teleportation would be great! Took my first trip alone my junior year in college flying to Colorado from Louisiana for summer classes at Colorado State.

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  15. First solo flights seem to be popular shared experiences here.

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  16. This was fun reading. I especially like to know about other's favorite children's books.

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  17. Indeed I am using it for tomorrow's post. hugs.

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  18. Hmm. I may use these prompts on my blog too! Such an interesting read, Jenn!

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  19. Thank you for this. I love this idea for a blog post. I will be adding it to mine.....as soon as I've thought about the answers :0)

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