It’s my birthday sooooo…

I thought I’d share with you 38 facts about me and my family. I had to include my family in these facts as I’m so flippin old now, I can’t possibly think of 38 interesting things about just myself!

So here goes…

1. I was named after my grandmother and as a child, hated my name as no one was called Alice in the 80s. Victorian names are back in fashion now but they definitely weren’t back then.
2. I often still pretend I don’t have a middle name because it’s AWFUL!
3. I was a young mum – Jude was born when I had just turned 25. I always remember feeling excited that even when he was 15 I’d still be relatively young!
4. As a child, I played a LOT of tennis. Competed at county level and once went to the nationals.
5. My party trick is balancing a spoon on my nose…I know, right? Talented individual.
6. My mum and I have psychic powers. There has been too many occasions where we’ve both tried to call the other at the same time, texted one another reminding about the same thing, had the same thought, etc for it to be a coincidence.
7. We have three cats at home and one stray who comes in every night for dinner and occasionally a little snooze. He’s been visiting us for about 8 years, even before he became a stray (he left home when they adopted a dog!). He’s literally our towns Six Dinner Sid.
8. Chocolate cake is my cure for most things.
9. I don’t use products that have been tested on animals and haven’t eaten an animal since I was about 9. I’ve been vegan for a while (can’t remember how long!) but it was a gradual process possibly over a few years.
10. My first car was a Peugeot 306 and it didn’t like the rain – would leak on the passenger side and often wouldn’t start if it had rained too hard.
11. I love to read. I’d happily read all day every day if I could. My favourite author is Penny Vincenzi. Sadly, she died last year however she wrote a vast collection of novels, some of which I’ve read more than once.
12. If I could invite 5 famous people, living or dead, for dinner they would be – Adam Hill from the Last Leg, Emmeline Pankhurst, Mary Pierce (my tennis playing idol), Leo di Caprio, Maria Montessori. Random bunch but all people I find really inspiring for one reason or another. Ok can I have one more person? James O’Brien. I love him.
13. I desperately, DESPERATELY want to move to France. I want a house in the countryside, near Lyon where I can grow vegetables and cycle everywhere.
14. Elsa wants a house in Ibiza and a house in New York when she grows up…let’s hope she earns a few bucks because neither of those places are exactly cheap.
15. Jude didn’t walk until he was 22 months and for several months before that would cruise around the furniture. To teach him to actually walk (motion of one foot in front of the other), I’d have to crawl around holding his ankles and moving them for him. It took ages but once he was off, he mastered it straight away.
16. Jude is all or nothing. He was still in nappies when was 5 years old but the minute he cracked going to the toilet, he was dry both day and night and has NEVER wet the bed.
17. When I was little, I wanted to work in an office. I didn’t know what that involved but I knew it meant I could wear smart clothes and high heels! Ambitious child…
18. There’s a woman I see on the train home from work most weeks that I remember from infants/junior school. She and her friend were mean to me and it was because of their meanness that I met my childhood best friend. She helped me up off the floor after they had pushed me over. I’ll never forget that, I can’t have been more than 4 or 5.
19. I can speak (albeit terribly basic) French. I listen to podcasts every week and have ambitions of bettering my language speaking but don’t even know where to start!
20. I’ve started writing a children’s book but because of time constraints (usual crap…) I’ve hit a wall.
21. I’m possibly the worst artist known to man. I didn’t progress from stick man stage.
22. Jude didn’t talk until he was about five but as a toddler he hummed nursery rhymes. His first was Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
23. Emmeline also loves music and apparently wants to learn to play the piano and drums…hmmmm
24. Jude and Elsa were born at exactly the same time of the day – 5.01am. Weird, eh?
25. Emmeline ruined the pattern by being born at 7.40am. Typical Emmeline.
26. Chubby babies run in our family – I was 8lbs 14oz at birth but Elsa was 9lbs 6oz. Jude weighed 8lbs 11oz and Emmeline…typical Emmeline had to buck the trend and arrived at a relatively small (for our family!) 7lbs 4oz. She’s still a skinny little thing now.
27. My favourite film is What’s Eating Gilbert Grape. It makes me cry. Not much makes me cry normally.
28. I dream of going back to university and studying human rights or public policy.
29. I’ve always supported Arsenal but nowadays think football is awful.
30. I prefer rugby now. Rugby is an awesome sport and last weekend/this weekend I watched/will be watching the Six Nations. I’d love to go and watch more domestic matches.
31. I’m a terrible drinker. Used to be able to drink my body weight in vodka but now have a hangover after just a couple of g&t’s. Is that age? Stress? Everything? Probably.
32. Having said that, I LOVE frozen margarita’s. The tequila is a killer but it’s such a gorgeous drink.
33. My favourite food is Mexican mmmmmmm
34. Or saying that, I could pretty much live on noodles and Thai curry.
35. I’m left handed.
36. My dream car is Land Rover Defender but they’re so damn expensive.
37. I wish I was still 37 haha
38. I’m now 38 and have ambitions to ENJOY this year and fill it with memories for the children.

I’d love to hear some interesting facts about you all too <3