"meet the Real Simple mom"

As I might have mentioned before, I'm a magazine junkie. Like purses, magazines are something that, I believe, you can never have or buy too many of.

One of my favorties is Real Simple. It's written just for moms like me. Beauty tips, easy recipes, parental advice, and good finds. Along with my regular subscription, I received a Real Simple Family special issue the other day. Every few pages, there was a "meet a Real Simple mom" page with filled in questions from thirty-something moms of all shapes and sizes.

I liked reading the answers and I couldn't help but think of the answers that I would have come up with had they interview me. Maybe Real Simple should put me in their next issue.

name: Stephenie

age: 35

location: California

occupation: stay-at-home mom, newspaper columnist, author, blogger, and occasional over-achiever

family members: Husband, the Golfer; son the Cheese, 6; and the Monkey, 3

the last time my child made me laugh: when I tried to spank the Monkey and he said, "Ow! What was that?" It's hard to effectivly discipline your child when you're cracking up.

I carve out time for myself by: getting my housework and errands done in the morning so while the kids are watching their favorite after-school afternoon cartoons, I can read a book or hop on the computer.

the television mom I'm most like: Claire Huxtable. I like to flirt with my husband in front of my kids and I rarely put up with anyone's crap. I have a pretty good evil mommy stare like Claire, and even though I'm not a lawyer, I do have a job that involves something other than my children.

my favorite outdoor activity to do with my child: watching them practice sports. I get to sit, uninterrupted for at least an hour, and they get to have fun and be a part of a team.

the one thing I wish I had know about parenting before I became a parent: that losing your patience with or being frustrated with a small child does nothing but make you hate yourself later.

the most important life lesson I want my child to learn: that life is meant to be enjoyed and that each day should be spent doing something that they love.

my favorite place to take my children: camping near the beach. It's all about being outside and getting back to the roots of being a boy. Without video games, television, or Legos to distract them, it's amazing the fun that they are able to create for themselves.

the invention I wish I could create to make my life easier: it's not an invention, but I wish I could wiggle my nose like Samantha on "Bewitched" to magically do all of the stuff I hate like clean the bathrooms or fold and put away the laundry.

my most embarrassing parenting moment: any time my boys act up in public and I can feel the eyes of the adults around me judging me.

the future parenting moment I fear the most: when my boys start driving. Enough said.

the thing about my younger self that I'd like to reclaim: I wish that I had appreciated my slender body more. Even when I was a size 4 and 6, I didn't think I was skinny or that I had an attractive body. You never appreciate what you've got until it's gone.

something that no one knows about me: I have fantasy--been having it for a couple of decades now--of being interviewed by Barbara Walters on one of her television specials. I don't know specifically what I've done that has warrented the interview, but she thinks I'm fascinating and keeps commenting on how beautiful I look and wants to know how I manage to do it all and stay so young and thin. Like I said, it's a fantasy.

What to take a stab at answering the Real Simple mom questions? Copy and paste this list to your own blog, changing the answers to be your own, and then link back here with a comment. Then come back here to "tweet" to see what kinds of answers other moms came up with.