Liebster Award

Something a bit different today, as I was nominated for the Liebster Blog Award from a lovely blogger I've got to know via Twitter, Viva La Mommy. The Liebster Blog Award is an award given to bloggers with less than 200 (Google/Blogger) followers in order to show your appreciation for them and to help them gain more readers. Thanks to Viva La Mommy for nominating me!

As a result, I have to complete the following:

•   Link back to the blog that nominated me
•   Nominate 5-11 blogs that have less than 200 followers
•   Answer all questions posted by the nominator
•   Share 11 random facts about myself
•   Create 11 questions for my nominees
•   Contact my nominees and let them know I nominated them

If nothing else, it's a good opportunity for my regular readers to find out a little more about me so here goes....

Why did you start blogging?
I wanted to try to combine my enjoyment for mummy blogs and self-improvement blogs by merging the two. By sharing my own experiences, I thought I could offer suggestions that have worked for me, for parenting issues and other things relevant to other mums and dads.
What is your favorite thing to do in your spare time and why?
Nowadays I just love to sit quietly by myself, to take in the peace and quiet and listen to what is going on in my head without any distractions.
What has been something challenging you have had to overcome in your life?
Two consecutive miscarriages. Thankfully we got third time lucky with our daughter.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
I can't stand it when a person talks over everybody else and thinks they are the only person worth listening to: arrogance.
If you could be a famous person, who would you be and why?
Maybe Gertrude Stein, because I'd get to hang out with lots of talented writers and artists and have a fantastic art collection! I love the perhaps romanticised vision of 1920s Paris. She was a respected female who had her own career and was taken seriously, not a bad place to be.
What food do you never get tired of?
A tough one....I'm going to go for cheese.
What is your biggest accomplishment?
Getting my Masters in art history whilst working full-time and planning my wedding.
Who is the most important person in your life?
My husband, ever the voice of calm and reason, always there for me and without him I wouldn't have my adorable two children.
If you could live in another country for one year, where would it be?
Sweden.
What is a product that you can't live without?
Lip balm. I like the Hurraw brand.
If you could go back to school for something, what would it be?
I've become more and more interested in nutrition, so something along those lines.

And now for my 11 random facts about myself:

1. I've always loved art, going to museums, exhibitions and reading artist biographys and books about art theft.
2. I speak fluent French and Italian and can get by in German.
3. I've lived in four different countries.
4. I met my American husband in Nice, France.
5. I have been a vegetarian since the age of 3.
6. My hair used to be naturally curly, until I had my first child and it lost its curl. I miss my curls!
7. I am quiet and softly spoken, people often interpret this as me being shy or lacking in confidence but I'm just quietly confident ;-).
8. I love cooking, everything from trying out new recipes for dinner to baking cakes.
9. I'm always thinking about our next holiday.
10. I'm scared of spiders and most creepy-crawlies in general.
11. I'm running my first 5k on Saturday!

Finally, here are the blogs I am choosing to nominate with the Liebster award, followed by my 11 questions for them. 

Beadzoid
KTBTW
Mummy Shambles
Premmeditations
White feathers and so much more

1. Why did you start blogging?
2. What are one or two of your favourite blogs to read?
3. Who or what inspires you, in life generally?
4. What's your life philosophy?
5. What's your favourite book/movie/song?
6. How do you like to spend any time you might get to yourself?
7. What's your favourite way to spend quality time together as a family?
8. What's your favourite cuisine?
9. What were you doing pre-children?
10. What do you find most challenging about being a parent?
11. If money and time were no issue, where would you go on your next holiday?

I look forward to reading the answers from those I have nominated!