An interview with me...

Molly had this up on her blog and I thought it was quite fun. So here is me as a mother. Join in if you'd like, and let me know.

name: Georgia age: 36 occupation: General dog's body
family members: husband: Matt, sons: Oscar, 13; Remi, 11; Kit, 8 and daughter: Ella, 6 3/4.
I realized I had turned into my mother when...: I started getting into all the same things she did-papermaking, dyeing etc...The kids also tell me I sound like her sometimes.
the last time my children made me laugh: Ella is always making all of us laugh with the things she says...like the time we were talking about maths and how it's everywhere and Remi said "it's not in food" and Ella said "yes it is, it's in takeaway"-of course she meant when you take away something from something, but typically for her it had a double meaning. Oscar makes me laugh a lot too...he has the same sense of humour as my brother. Sometimes though they all make me laugh and I can't stop. Then they flock to me then like little moths to a flame.
the last time I made my children laugh: They're always laughing at me. But a good tickle helps.
when i need to get dinner on the table in a hurry: cheese on toast...sometime with tomatoes and basil...depends what I have. In Australia it was baked beans, but the baked beans in the US are too sweet and smokey.
i carve out time for myself by: sending all the kids off to school in the morning. When they were littler I encouraged them to nap...most of them were still napping when they were 4.
the last book i read to my child: Some library books that my sister in law had...and I started reading the Penderwicks to Ella. I love kids books, so I'm quite happy to read them. I don't like non fiction kids books to read though, and I'm quite happy now that they can read those themselves...I remember when Oscar was going through the dinosaur phase and I got so sick of trying to pronounce all those names!! I learnt a lot though.
the gadget that saves me the most time: taperecorder/CD player. When Oscar was a baby he never slept so we started playing tapes to him...started with baby music but quickly moved on to audio tapes. Now all of them listen to audio recordings when they go to bed...they have a vast knowledge of literary works that I would never have had time to read to them all.
when I was a kid, I said, "When I'm a parent, I will never...": probably shout at my kids, but of course I do. It was more that I thought "when I'm a parent I'll let them..." lick the bowl out, eat the cake warm, jump on the bed (which I don't), play in mud...that kind of thing.
the invention i would create to make my life easier: I have invented it in my own head actually: it's a dumb waiter for carrying dirty washing down to the basement for washing and back up again in neat little baskets that the kids would carry to their rooms and magically put away.
favorite outdoor activity to do with my children: Silly games like kicking a ball around, chasings, playing dodgeball. These games we play as a family are lots of fun. The only thing is that Ella's not too keen on them and tends to wander off. Other than that, swimming, exploring cool places like beaches on cold and windy days.
how i get my children to eat vegetables when they refuse: I still don't know how I managed to have 2 children who are quite happy eating nearly every vegetable (when Oscar was 3 and up he would order salad sandwhiches) and 2 who are so incredibly fussy and will only eat broccoli and carrots. Ella is getting better, but it is still a huge struggle every night with her and Kit.
i hope my kids inherit: my husband's intellegence and drive, his cooking skills, his musical tallent, and my creativity and love of life.
before I turn off the lights at bedtime, I say to my children: I love you.
the most noticeable way parenting has changed me: I used to be very slack and disorganised, now I have to force myself to be organised and remember everything for 6 people (yes Matt too)
favorite tradition I share with my children: I love Xmas because of the traditions. We always have fruit and chocolate for breakfast on Xmas day...the one day to be really decadent.
three things my children have taught me are: My failings, my strengths and that love just keeps on multiplying the more kids you have.
the hardest thing about being a mom: Having to think about everyone else first.
when I have 30 minutes to myself I: check my email and my favourite blogs...if I have longer I knit, craft, dye whatever!!!
the television mom I'm most like: The mum in Malcolm in the Middle. I had never seen that show, but one Xmas I'd been so sick of the arguing and fighting that I took away all the Xmas presents from under the tree and hid them saying that they could only get them back if they started to behave. That night I watched TV to relax and saw Malcolm in the Middle and the mum did EXACTLY the same thing!!! Scary.
one thing I wish I had known about parenting before I became a parent: That the terrible 2's are just a tiny taste of what is to come once they turn 11...