Comments please...

My friend Leanne from Mrs A in the Cove has given me my first blogging award - the Super Comments Award - and I am so excited.  Excited that, of all the blogs she follows and all the followers her blog has, she chose me among a handful of others.  Me.  Little-old-me, with my own handful of followers.  No more; no less.


Anyway, I'm very honoured and have just finished cooking dinner, washing up, bathing the boys and putting them to bed one by one, all the while thinking about what I will share about myself.  So here goes.

Why do you blog?

This is a long story.  Make a cup of tea and relax before you begin.

Earlier this year my husband and I were invited to 'Welcome Drinks' at the home of another family from Big Man's preschool.  I had absolutely no idea who 'Leanne' was and my husband and I both felt awkward going to the home of somebody we didn't even know.  For a whole week he nagged and nagged for me to find out whose house we would be going to, but I simply never got around to it.  

The afternoon of the party he phoned home from work to say he was almost ready to leave work and go to the party, and to ask if I'd found out who 'Leanne' was.  I hadn't.

I quickly hopped onto the computer and, TGFF (Thank God For Facebook), there was her gorgeous face (along with her gorgeous family) smiling back at me from her profile pic.  I instantly knew who she was.  I also noticed she had a link to her blog and the sticky-beak in me couldn't help herself.  I instantly fell in love with her blog and followed, in secret, for months for fear that she would think I was prying.  Eventually, I fessed up and was so inspired I started my own blog.  

To answer the question though, I don't really know why I blog.  I like being able to document my life; I like the idea of my boys being able to read this later; I love reading other people's blogs so I guess it's only fair that I share of myself too; I like writing; I like thinking about how I'm going to put my words together; I love the sound of the keys on the keyboard as I type with purpose, a purpose I don't really have for anything else in life at the moment except raising my boys.

What are your three best memories?

- Meeting my husband for the first time.  He smiled with his eyes and I was instantly besotted -

- The birth of each of my boys -

- All those moments of Deja Vu where I will be doing the most ordinary thing, and then somehow it will remind me of a place I've visited somewhere else on this Earth.  They are the simplest things like a smell, a song, the way the sun shines onto a footpath that take me back to a place I've visited in my travels -

If you could change your name, what would it be?

Oh, this is a funny question.

As a girl I hated having an ethnic name.  Mira is in fact short for Mirjana, a name that is rarely pronounced properly and Mira is what my family have always called me.  Growing up I just wanted an English name like all the other Australian girls at school.  Melissa, Michelle, Amanda were my favourites.   Come to think of it, I think my parents may also have been slightly embarrassed about my name too because every time my mother bought a birthday cake instead of baking one it said, "Happy Birthday Mary" on it.  Mary?  What the... ?

I have two older brothers, and the eldest is named Miroslav.  There is a family story of my parents wanting to name me Miroslava but my other brother got really upset that he wouldn't have a sister named after him.  In the end he was the one who chose Mirjana and, although I don't really like my name, it sure beats Miroslava which I associate with old ladies from my parents' village.  I have always been grateful to my middle brother for that.  

Now that I'm older I like the names of 'sexy' women.  Giselle and Eva are favourites nowadays.  Actually, I watched the Miss Universe pageant a few years ago and the Slovakian entrant, Miroslava, was hot hot hot!  All of a sudden I wanted to be Miroslava.

What are five things you can't live without?


I guess friends and family are the same for everyone, so I will list five in addition to this.


1.  Facebook
2.  Internet grocery shopping
3.  My car - actually, I probably could live without it, I'd just weigh 10kg less.  That would probably be a good thing...
4.  Antibiotics - someone in our home is always sick
5.  My GHD, concealer and tweezers


Four best books?


In a former life I used to read a lot.  I still love to read, but I barely have time to straighten my hair let alone read.  Here are my favourites over the years.  I cheated: I couldn't choose only four.


- The Body Shape Bible, by Trinny & Susannah -
- Baby Love, by Robin Barker -
- Conception, Pregnancy & Birth, by Miriam Stoppard -
- The Full Montezuma, by Peter Moore -
- The Babysitters Club series, by Ann M. Martin -
- French Letters, by Bruno Bouchet -

A unique and interesting fact about yourself?


I was a child piano prodigy.  


The piano used to be my whole world.  It isn't any longer.  In fact, the only time our paths cross is for about 5 minutes every morning when I encourage the Big Man to do his daily practice.  I actually don't miss it all that much.  There's more to this story but, like a friend I've lost touch with, it's not really a part of my life anymore and my life is as full as it ever was, with or without the piano.


What do you love best about yourself?


Two things:


I'm super-organised


I forgive easily 
(after all, I have my own flaws and need forgiveness too sometimes)


The best movie ever made?


The Wizard of Oz.  Hands down.  


If it were Freaky Friday who would I change with?


Ann Boleyn
I'm fascinated with this period in the history of the British royals. 


What's the best thing about being a woman?


I know I will alienate some women in saying this, but please know that that is not my intention as I too have suffered infertility and know how devastating it is...


...but the best thing that has happened to me, simply because I am a Woman, is experiencing pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

If you're still around and reading this ridiculously long post, Thank You.

So now, drumroll please....

My award goes to:

Melissa from Miss Sew & So

Polly from A Working Mother's Chatter

Yummy Mummy from Diary of a Yummy Mummy

I love reading your blogs and/or the comments you post on mine and would love to learn more about you.