Answer Me This: Moms, Morning Offerings, Mojitos

by | Jul 13, 2014 | Answer Me This | 19 comments

Howdy! And a very warm welcome to Answer Me This . . . the internet’s favorite virtual cocktail party* in which I ask six totally random questions and we all answer them and get to know each other a little better. 
Isn’t that nice?

*this statement may not be true.

So, here goes this week’s edition:

1. How did you get your name?

My first name, I believe my parents found in a baby name book. My dad was always against nicknames so they chose names for my sister, Kara, and I that would be unlikely to be shortened.

You can see my rebellious streak in the fact that six of my seven kids go by nicknames.

My middle name is Anne (with an e), for my grandmother, Anita. My daughter Anita is named for her as well, and she’s the only one without a nickname. Unless you count Nini or Neetcy. She actually gets called both of those quite a bit, but somehow it’s not the same because it’s never in writing. In fact, it took a couple tries to figure out how I’d spell them.

2. Do you have a set time for prayer in your day?

Yes and no. Mostly yes, I guess. 

Yes, because I start my day with the Morning Offering, before I even get out of bed. I usually go for a run in the morning, and say my rosary while running to Mass. So, I really start big.
Then, I mean to say the Angelus at noon, but forget about 90% of the time. I used to have a reminder on my phone, but I don’t usually have my phone with me because I don’t like talking on the phone. So, I need to work on that.
We do say grace before all meals, and we say an Our Father as a family at kid bedtime. And I usually manage a quick Examination of Conscience as I’m falling asleep.
I like the practice of thinking of short little prayers — think Irish Gramma swears, like “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph” or “For Christ’s Sake” — throughout my day as I begin tasks. But I really struggle to work in periods of more mindful prayer, like meditative gospel reading, into my day. Really struggle. As in, I occasionally think I ought to think about doing more of that, but I still don’t.
via
3. Did your mom work or stay home (or both)?

My mom worked. She was a flight attendant, and my dad was a pilot. My mom was only gone one night at a time when I was little, then home for a few days. My dad’s trips were longer, then he was home for longer.
They worked their schedules so that one or the other was almost always home, but we also had a live-in housekeeper.
My mom enjoyed the travel part of her job a lot, if not the waitress part so much. And it gave (and still does give) me the opportunity to travel. Growing up, I knew some moms stayed home but mine had a job, and I don’t remember it bothering me any. My parents were and are very involved in the lives of my sister and me.
But, there’s that rebellious streak again, I stay home with my kids.
Here are some more thoughts on mothers and vocations:

A VOCATION TO MOTHERHOOD

4. Do you vote?

I do. Every time. And California has a LOT of ridiculous tiny elections and we have to vote on all the things our congress people and senators and state legislators and other people who are getting paid to figure this stuff out should be figuring out. 

But, I want to be able to complain. So I always vote.
Buuuuut, going to voting booths hasn’t been in the cards for me the last twelve years, so I’m registered as a permanent absentee voter. The ballots come in the mail, I do my due diligence online and we figure out how we want to vote, then the husband drops the ballots off at our polling place. I haven’t, to my knowledge, missed an election since I’ve been married. Before that good citizenship was less of a priority. :0)

5. What’s your favorite drink?

My favorite drink is Dr. Pepper. I’d rather just drink that all the time and not anything else.

But I make myself drink water too. Because my husband thinks its important for staying alive.
And sometimes, I’m trying to be a grownup so I’ll drink: wine, pina coladas, mojitos (preferably the husband’s Easter Peep Mojitos), or Bailey’s and Cream. That’s pretty much it for me and alcohol.

Clarification: I didn’t have a photo of our Peep Mojitos, so that’s a photo/link to a different recipe that I can’t actually vouch for.

6. How are your photography skills?

Hmm . . . like most of my other pursuits, self-taught and rooted more in confidence than technique. But I enjoy it, even if I don’t technically know what I’m doing.

For next week I’m tagging:

Heather at Mama Knows, Honeychild. Post to check out:

And Christy at Fountains of Home. Post to check out:

Sex is Complex: Or, Why I Never Write About NFP


Next week’s questions for Heather and Christy and you are . . .
1. What’s something you’ve won and how did you win it?
2. Do you save old greeting cards and letters, or throw them all away? Why?
3. When you’re at home, do you wear shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?
4. Who’s the most famous person you have ever met? 
5. What has been your best work of art?
6.  What’s your strongest sense?

Next week’s installment will go live at 10pm Pacific Saturday night, and will be open until 10pm Wednesday night.

So, please, answer this week’s questions for yourself in the comments. If you have a blog, answer the questions there, link back to this post, and link your blog post up below. You can even tag a couple other bloggers so THEY can play along too! So fun.

19 Comments

  1. Beth Anne @ Beth Anne's Best

    My parents weren't anti-nicknames but my Dad HATED the nickname Lizzie for Elizabeth so he nicknamed me Beth Anne before anyone else could give me a nickname! I'm also a middle name Anne (with an E) our feast day is coming up soon!

  2. Madeline

    Every week, answering the random questions I find something I want to improve upon. This week it's specific time for prayer! Thanks for being a self improvement as well as a fun link-up!

  3. Christine

    Whenever I hear someone complain about the government, I ask her if she voted. If the answer is no, I don't want to hear the complaining. Awesome graphic.

    I so enjoy the fact that people who have an e always say Anne with an e, but those who don't never say Ann without an e. I do the same thing with my middle name. I'm Lynne with an e.

  4. MKdubs

    I saw you said you jog to daily mass so do you Atttend mass in your running clothes?

    • Sarah

      As much as I hate to admit it, I've been wondering this same thing….

    • Holly

      Me too! We have a couple of older people who wear work out clothes to daily mass but they are very modest. My work out clothes are not so modest. So yes I am curious too!

    • Kendra

      Yes, I wear Capri length pants and a cap sleeve t-shirt. I always dress up for Sunday Mass, but for daily Mass, I cover my knees and shoulders, but wear casual clothes.

    • Anonymous

      Aren't you all sweaty then? I am wringing wet and wouldn't go anywhere, much less church, in such a state…..not just because I am casually attired but generally unpresentable for being around others.

    • Kendra

      I don't really sweat when I run. I don't run all that far or all that fast now, but even as a DI athlete in college, I never really sweat much. I suppose it wouldn't work for every one, but it works for me.

    • Karyn

      I'm more curious how you manage to get to daily Mass with being a homeschooling mother with littles. Our daily Mass is only offered at 9:00 and is 30 minutes away – so it's right during school time. But I'm impressed that you manage to do that.

    • Kendra

      Our local parish has 6:30 and 9am. While I would love to be able to bring all the kids to Mass each day, it would mean waking them up an hour and a half earlier than they get up now to go to the early Mass, or going to the later Mass and not ever finishing our school work. I'm not comfortable with either of those options.

      So, I run to 6:30 with the running stroller and my two little early risers, or the husband drives them if he's coming too.

      We do our "school Mass" every Saturday at 8:00am, which usually gets us out just in time to start our sports schedules.

  5. natalie g.

    I think it is awesome that you run to Mass saying your rosary!! Just kill lots of birds with one stone.

  6. Nanacamille

    This definitely does not apply to your home school Mom group who do family, school and activities but when I was working with your church, school and scouting events I had some great great volunteers who were working moms. They managed their time well and wete always willing to help. I had stay at home moms who were also helpful and also some moms I never saw in six years. It seems to depend more on the person than the job.

  7. Abby S.

    I missed it last week!

    1. Name is from the Bible – Abigail wife of David. My parents liked the story.
    2. Yes on prayers, but mostly with the kids. Meals & bedtime are easy. I was pretty successful last year at making morning offering and rosary part of our school day. Plan to add Angelus this year if possible.
    3. My mom did both – at home until my youngest brother was 5, then worked, but as a teacher/counselor, so she was still at home a good bit.
    4. Yes on voting, also permanent absentee. I used to feel bad about never going to the booth, but in Oregon (where my in-laws live) they don't have voting booths. Everyone gets a mail-in ballot. And everybody is cool with it.
    5. Hands down favorite drink is a latte. Followed closely by most any other coffee. Then diet coke. Then beer!
    6. I have no technical photography training, but I've got a pretty good eye for composition. I learned to develop & print in my HS darkroom, but that was 2 decades ago. I'm in the market for a new camera this summer, so maybe I'll up my skills.

  8. M.E.

    On Reasons To Drink More Water:
    Your brain is 80% water. Wanna keep your brain healthy & working its best? Water is food for your brain, my friends. Be good to your brain (& your body) – give it what it needs – drink your water!
    (This advice was given to me by, of all people, my dental hygienist)!

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Hi! I’m Kendra.

For twenty years now, I’ve been using food, prayer, and conversation based around the liturgical calendar to share the lives of the saints and the beautiful truths and traditions of our Catholic faith. My own ten children, our friends and neighbors, and people just like you have been on this journey with me.

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