18....18?? Really, Karen?! Phew. Okay here goes: 1) I was - TopicsExpress

18....18?? Really, Karen?! Phew. Okay here goes: 1) I was born on August 25, 1973, eldest of 6 kids, to Edward Ramon Mansoor and Salma Essa Barhoum at 6:15am, weighing 7 lbs, 5 oz. When my dad called his parents to tell them excitedly that I was a girl, my grandmother silently and deliberately hung up on him...old-school Arabs tended to want boys ;) 2) I have 7 best friends, whom I cannot do without. My 2 sisters, 3 brothers and my hubby. And, as far as my 4 children, well they simply are my life and soul. 3) My first born, Paul, was born after only 6 hours of active labor. My second, Nawelle, was born in 3 hours active labor. My third, Simon, was born after 1.5 hours active labor. My fourth, Nadine, was born a bit over 1 hour of active labor. All of them were labored and birthed without medication of any kind. I thought that I was going to die with the first two....no no no, thats no joke. 4) I am so lucky enough to have had the best childhood. My parents were/are, what I consider to be, the most dedicated, loving, involved and unconditional parents. True servants to their children in every way. I love them forever. 5) I am an immigrant. I was naturalized as an American citizen 1 month before my 18 birthday because my parents didnt want me to have to take the test, which I would have had to after 18. 6) I have a splash of generalized anxiety with a touch of hypochondria and just enough dysfunction to make me charismatic. 7) The qualities I admire the most in a person are authenticity and sincerity. I can see through pretense and superficiality almost immediately. 8 ) I played collegiate basketball on a partial scholarship; starting point guard for Warner Pacific College my freshman year. 9) My dad was like the Michael Jordan of the West Indies in the late 60s/early 70s. He was the captain of the Trinidad Woodbrook Limers and helped Trinidad win many medals at the Pan Am games. He was the first man ever in Trinidad to demonstrate the behind the back pass. He retired from his love of professional basketball in 1975 after realizing traveling was too hard on him with 2 kids and a wife at home. 10) None of my kids have ever slept alone. In our room, we have a king size bed, a queen size bed and a twin size bed all pushed next to each other like one big, long bed! My children love it and as long as they are happy, so are we. 11) I love sewing and crafting. Im in the middle of a still incomplete project that I started about 8 months ago. Im sewing panels and swags for my family room. My earnest hope is that I actually complete them before my kids are teens. 12) I love listening to all kinds of music except for...and I cannot stand it...country music. If I hear country music, I will undoubtedly leave the premise at the speed of light until I am out of earshot. Sorry my dear friend, Taj!! 13) I have 53 first cousins. Four of them are my first cousins on both maternal and paternal sides. They have a total of 62 kids between all of them. I cant even begin to count the number of second cousins (my parents 1st cousins kids)...probably over 200. 14) My favorite coffee beverage is a double 8oz Americano with steamed cream. Ahh, coffee! My goal is to eliminate coffee by the year 2020. 15) I tried to eat vegetarian for about a year. I find I am cognitively clearer, physically stronger and generally feel much healthier with a bit of meat in my diet. 16) We have 7 chickens and 1 duck, all egg layers. We go through lots of eggs, cooked and raw. My sister, Lori, told me she was in the co-op earlier today and saw duck eggs selling for....$1 a piece! 17) I have been either pregnant and/or nursing for the past 7 years. Im currently tandem nursing my almost 3 year old and my 1 year old. Was that last part TMI?? 18) I love changing my kids diapers and helping wipe them after using the toilet. Unless I am not home, I wont even let Peter change the kids....its my total joy and honor to clean my beautiful children. I also playfully kiss my kids teezes (butts) and genital regions. Relax people, its an Arab thing.... 19) Bonus: True story. When I was about 8 years old, the neighbor kid was relentlessly teasing my little brother Steve, who was 6 at the time. We were right in front of our house and there was the kid, about 7 years old, who kept taunting my brother. After repeated warnings, which I gave him to stop, I decided that intervention was necessary. I then punched him squarely in the face. He ran home and evidently I broke his nose. He never bothered us again.