Answer Me This

Answer Me This is a new linkup hosted by Kendra at Catholic All Year! If this first round of questions is any indication, they'll be a fun way to get to know other bloggers. Let's see if I can remember to join up every week... I totally forgot yesterday until after my WIWS post was up, but it's open until Wednesday, so I haven't missed it yet!

1. What time do you prefer to go to Mass?

Mornings, certainly, but a specific time? I'm not sure. We have been going to 10:30 am recently, but that's later than I like; ideally I'd say 8:30 or 9, I guess, but our parish doesn't offer any Masses that early. We used to go to 9 am at the parish in the next town over, but Little Bear is not at all a fan of the half hour drive. 

I grew up waking up early and going to 7:30 am Mass, and I do like that Mass at my parents' parish, but Sunday mornings are rushed and stressful when we try to be up and dressed and out the door that early. Matt's love of quiet, slow, peaceful Sunday mornings has certainly grown on me since we've been married, but I still with we could find an earlier Mass than we currently attend, so that Little Bear wasn't in almost-naptime-meltdown-mode by the end of Mass.

2. Would you rather be too hot or too cold?

Too cold! You can always put on another layer, but it doesn't work the other way... The one summer I spent in Ohio in college (in an attic room without air conditioning) was miserable!

3. How many brothers and/or sisters do you have?

I have six: four sisters and two brothers, all younger than me. My youngest sister is only four years older than Little Bear, and he loves going over to play with his aunts and uncles!

4. If you were faced with a boggart, what would it turn into?

Probably a poisonous insect or snake... We don't have any in Alaska, and having to watch out for them (especially with kids!) has always been one of the things that terrifies me most about ever living somewhere else.

5. Barbie: thumbs up or thumbs down?

Thumbs... up, I guess? We don't have any girls yet, so I haven't given it much thought. I played with them when I was younger, and I turned out fine. They were never my favorite toy, but I do remember my sister and I coercing our brother's muscleman action figures into marrying our Barbies.

All of the tiny plastic accessories that get lost and buried in the carpet were really annoying, now that I think about it. And stepping on the tiny high heels in the middle of the night because your sister left them in the middle of the floor? That hurt almost as much as stepping on Legos. But we certainly aren't banning Legos. Tastefully-dressed Barbies with minimal accessories will probably be allowed if we ever have girls, but I think I'd likely encourage other toys instead. The movies, though; while I haven't seen them, I've heard a great deal of unpleasant things about them, and there are certainly plenty of better things I can give the kids to watch.

6. If someone asked you to give them a random piece of advice, what would you say?

Anyone anyone? That's hard! To a new mom or soon-to-be mom, I know what I'd say:

When you go to the grocery store with a baby, you think that you want the closest parking spot to the door. But unless you're only getting one bag of groceries, you actually want the parking spot closest to the cart return!