The Liebster Award

This past weekend I was catching up on blog reading, both my favorite pastime and my family’s least favorite, because it means that I will be sitting with a laptop IN MY LAP for hours.  And hours.  And who can find the food around here when mom has her nose glued to a screen all afternoon?

And evening?

Sometimes, all that blog reading pays off, and by sometimes I mean every time, because bloggers are some of the best writers, and the reason why most of them are ‘just’ bloggers and not household name authors is because they are distracted by other things in their lives that demand attention nearly every hour of every day, and who has time to hammer out a tome when there are dollars to be made, noses to be wiped, and daily fistfights to break up? (Oh, wait.  That last one’s just me, isn’t it?)

And sometimes all that blog reading pays off because you make actual connections with the people behind the screens, and you learn a bit about their real lives, and they learn about yours.  And you find that bloggers are pretty awesome people.

And not just because they give you awards.

Which happened to me.  Lisa of The Meaning of Me passed a Liebster Award my way about three weeks ago.  And I just read about it this weekend.  Look, I never said that I do my favorite pastime all that often. After high-fiving myself for winning an award and thanking Lisa a bit gushingly and embarrassingly, I did some light internet research and learned that The Liebster Award (liebster meaning dearest in German) is a meme that has circled the blogisphere for a while and it is designed to spread love and support between bloggers, to encourage each other and say hey, I like you, keep doing what you’re doing.  I also learned that The Liebster is a virtual award and not a diamond-encrusted tiara that would go quite beautifully with a variety of outfits anchored by yoga pants.

Like most awards, the Liebster is not without responsibility, and as I march to accept it, I must also provide something in return.  A list.  Three lists, actually.  Buckle up, kids.  Here they come.

I don't know about this 'less than 200 followers' qualification.
Surely it is true for me, but for others, I can't really say.
I chose to omit that detail when choosing future award winners.

11 Facts About Me

1. I got the tip of my thumb cut off when I was three.  It looks weird.  Stop staring.

2. If someone asked me to move to France tomorrow, I’d do it immediately without hesitation.  I have also brainwashed my children to agree with me.  I have romantic notions about owning a lavender farm in Provence.  I can’t explain it.

3. I keep a list of books and movies I want to read and see.  It is over two hundred titles long.  I read about three books a year and watch the same movies over and over again.

4. I am against having pets.  I think all animals should live outside.

5. My left leg is a quarter inch shorter than my right.  Between that and my thumb, I kind of feel like I should carry a sideshow participant card around with me.

6. I read Vogue magazine from cover to cover each month.  It has a special place on my kitchen desk, and no one else is allowed to touch it.

7. I pray for famous people who are in turmoil to get their act together.  I mean, I actually pray for them.  I’m looking at you, Lindsay Lohan.

8. I have comically high standards.  While my husband is researching cars to replace my eight-year-old Altima, I’m pricing Range Rovers.  We live a one-income, used-minivan lifestyle.

9. I remember odd things like telephone numbers, song lyrics and old friends’ birthdays, yet I can’t remember conversations that I had yesterday.

10. My husband went to college at Penn State.  He loves it with every fiber of his being.  I hate Penn State with perhaps the same fervor.

This is how my husband "decorates" our home in the name of Penn State.  Hideous.

11. I have an Elizabeth Taylor-level love of extravagant and ostentatious jewelry.

11 Questions to Answer (from Lisa)

1. If you had to choose, would you rather give up your sense of sight or your sense of hearing?  Hearing.  I like it quiet, and while I would mourn the music and the sound of my loved one’s voices, I’d rather not hear than not see.  I have trouble hearing anyway due to some overzealous headphones use back in my teens, so I’m on my way there anyway.

2. What is your favorite time of day? Why? Early morning, suckers.  It’s so quiet.

3. What is your favorite article of clothing? A pair of jeans I’ve had for a few years.  I am aware that I wear them a lot.  Like five times a week a lot, sometimes.

4. What household chore would you rather not do ever again? All of them.  I hate cleaning up after people.

5. Who is your hero? Why? This is so hard for me.  I don’t know.  I’ve never been a hero worshipper.  I always looked up to my mother, because she is confident and clear and decisive.  These are three things that I am not.

6. How do you like your steak cooked? Medium.  I like it pink.

7. Describe the worst/weirdest haircut you’ve ever had.  I’ve had a few.  The weirdest was this short layered bob with super short baby bangs.  My husband cried when I came home from the salon with that one.  The worst was the Millenial Mom cut: short and layered on top and the sides, longer in the back and a little bit spiky all over.  Oh my goodness, why didn’t anyone tell me how horrible it was? I’m holding everyone around me responsible forever.

It's so bad, I can't even show my face.

8. What would you like to be known for? Being a good person.  Having a sense of humor. Raising fabulously successful children. Writing the best novel in the history of the world.  See also #8 above.

9. Dog person or cat person? Cat.  Dogs are way too needy and annoying.  Stop slobbering on me.  Stop jumping on me.  Stop barking, for the love of everything holy and pure!! 

10. Which is better – the book or the movie? Usually the book.   Did you see the Twilight movies?  OMG so painful.  

11 Leibster Award Winners (chosen by me)

1. Jessica Clemmer at Finding My Voice

2. MJ of 154 Hidden Court

3. Erin of One-Sided Momma

4. Maureen of Scoops of Joy

5. Jeannette of Tiny Rotten Peanuts

6. Dawn of The Dawnie Project

7. Lib from Really Real Atlanta Housewife

8. Julie at By Any Other Name

9. Mama D at It Takes Wisdom to Know the Difference

10. Rebecca at Rosey Rebecca

11. Jennifer at Dancing in the Rain

Congratulations, bloggers!  You all have won this prestigious award!  I hope you’re reading, and that you do it.  If you’re not on this list, you can still pull a Liebster.  After all, the Liebster award is really just arbitrary.  There’s no real award apart from being chosen to do it.  Which might not even be a good thing in your eyes.

Either way, this Liebster business is no joke, people.  It’s a challenge.  And I don’t really know if any of these bloggers have done it before, or if they will pass it on.  I hope they will for their readers’ sakes, including me.  Here are the questions I would like answered:

11 Questions for Liebster Award Winners

1. What embarrasses you?

2. How much do you swear around your kids, if you have kids?  If you don’t have kids, how much do you swear in general?

3. Do you speak a foreign language?  Why or why not?

4. If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?  It’s okay if you say “right where I am now.”  I won’t judge you for being boring.

5. Outside of your family and yourself, what is your biggest love?

6. What is one thing you are terrible at?

7. Your dream job.

8. What is your biggest sociopolitical concern?

9.  Where and when would you go if you could travel through time?

10. Are you adventuresome?

11. Creatively, what are you best at?  What are you worst at?

Whew!  Thanks for hanging in with me, friends.  Let me know if you do a Liebster, so I know that you’ve passed the torch along! Happy Liebstering!