Whole Parenting Family

Answer Me THIS: linking up with Catholic All Year

Do you know Kendra from Catholic All Year? She’s so electronically lovely (I can only say this because I’m still just an electronic friend). Her blog is inspirational, funny, and great. Her weekly link up of “Answer Me This” is a great virtual cocktail party Sunday nights. Or mornings. Depending on how badly the children were at church. SuperBoy (4) has morphed from perfect altar boy wannabe to monster and SweetPea (2) has always been devilish.

Without further ado / / / / / /

1. How did you get your name?

names
I love my name story because it’s a little wild. Wild for me, that is. I was baptized Ellen O’Leary, but as things would flesh out, my parents named me Ellen to call me Nell. Because Nell isn’t a real Catholic name. It’s a nick name. But Ellen O’Leary was a great aunt on my dad’s side, I think. And my folks loved the name. Because we’re 75% Irish but look all of our 10% Dutch.
It took years for me to figure out my name was really Ellen. Probably until I was in kindergarden and then had to correct teachers the first day of school for the next 13 years, oh, yes, and substitute teachers all the time.
After consulting with my parents’ feelings, I legally changed my name to Nell upon high school graduation. To forgo the awkwardness in college and future life.

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

Oh my goodness I wish I did. I wish I could lie and say I did. But then God would know, wouldn’t He, if He were fielding regular calls from me. We pray as spouses right before bed (a Glory Be), and with the kiddos at bedtime and meals. But personal prayer? Not like I want to.
BIS
But I’m part of an exciting new project called Blessed Is She. Web. Facebook. Twitter. Pinterest. Insta. Follow us. NOW. It’s daily devotionals written by normal sinners of the female variety (like me!) based on the scripture for the day. This should jump start my set prayer time!

3. Did your mom work or stay home (or both)?

nunu
My mom stayed home with us five kids, but she was a student for much of my younger years. She has a PhD in Psychology (you guessed it; we could never pull a fast one on her). She volunteered a lot before her PhD, but was always home when we were from school or whatnot. Though she worked with her degree in her 40’s and 50’s, now that she’s cruising her golden years, she’s a stay-at-home grandmother/granny nanny for her demanding children, for their demanding children.
I loved that she was home when I was. Loved that as a little kid!

4. Do you vote?

Always. I strongly feel that since women have barely had the right for a century or so, we’d better exercise that right in an educated fashion!

5. What’s your favorite drink?

Liquid chocolate, hot or cold, in any form. Preferably hot with whole milk!

6. How are your photography skills?

whole parenting goods

one of my newest knits available in my etsy shop, Whole Parenting Goods

I really thought I was the you-know-what in high school and college when I took film photography. The dark room. The chemical smell on your hands from the acid bath. The aperture and shutter speed. And now that I use a DSLR, and have for a few years, I feel like an idiot. I lost my touch. I use auto focus and rely on editing too heavily. I don’t know how to make those fancy typefaces on top of my photos with a watermarky thing.

Short answer: you tell me!

 

2 Comments

  1. Kendra Tierney on July 14, 2014 at 9:39 pm

    Thanks for playing along! Oh my goodness, yes to all that on the photography. I loved the darkroom and my grandfather’s old clicky SLR camera. And now . . . I just have a glorified point and shoot that I can change the lenses on. But, it’s getting the job done.



    • Natural Mama Nell on July 16, 2014 at 1:17 pm

      I know–it’s such a different world. Sigh. And our children will take photos with their contact lenses with two winks!

      Such fun! Thanks for including me!