Question time - who is Sexy Mom GP?

Today's Question Time guest is Corenne Tavares, the author of SexyMomGP.

Corenne and I "met" over a game of Scrabble which one of us started randomly on Facebook. We were a pretty good match on the Scrabble board and chatted occasionally.  One day I told her about my new project, a blog called divacultura.  Corenne read it and liked it and after a little while confided her own writing ambitions.  Corenne asked my advice about a few things when she started writing SexyMomGP and I was very pleased to encourage her.

Corenne has also encouraged me to explore new things.  She threw down the original photo a day challenge to me, something I'm very pleased about.

I've never visited South Africa and I enjoy the opportunity to read about Corenne's life there.  It's interesting to discover the differences and the similarities.

I hope you enjoy discovering her blog.

1. Who is SexyMomGP?


I'm a South African woman. I love this country and it's home but sometimes I'm embarrassed by society and the stupid things we do to each other. I can get quite worked up about things (hmmm where is my wooden baseball bat that's supposed to be in my car so I can beat stupid people over the head?).

I'm married and I have been to the same man since 1995. We haven't killed each other (regardless of how tempting it’s been) so instead we reproduced. Twice. Our daughters are now 16 and 10 and I'm nice (enough) to them now so they'll let me move in with them when I'm old. And then I'll let the crazy woman loose and get them back for all the naughty things they did as kids. (Cue evil laugh.)

I'm a Jill of all trades, master of some. I've worked in just about every industry in just about every job. From the bottom all the way to the top. And until now, I've never had to sleep with the boss. Husband and I own a glass and aluminium business. He's the muscles and I'm the brain. (Cue the "don't you dare argue" stare.)

I'm a professional procrastinator. Ask the filing. And the windows. And the ironing. I do have a few hobbies though. I love reading. Eating. Dancing. I crochet. Lots. I've started a side line business through which I sell my wares.

I collect dust bunnies too. When I have too many of the same kind I haul out the broom and the mop and all sorts of other tools that make me look really busy for a while. The next day I start my collection again.

I used to be deeply involved with gym. But we broke up when I started my affair with the couch. The chocolates are helping me through this - one slab at a time. I can (not so) proudly say that I am now twice the woman I used to be.

I'm probably forgetting a few (personalities) but these are the main roles of my life. Oh and I should mention that I'm an aspiring writer. When I was little this skill was unrestricted and I expressed it on everything. The walls, the furniture, in my sister's books ... I'm hoping to get some of that freedom back - although I'll probably leave my sister's books alone this time.


2.              Where do you get your inspiration for your blog?

My own life is chaos (sometimes organised, mostly not) so naturally things happen that are blog-worthy. Other times a memory is triggered and I share that. People-watching is a sure fire way of finding inspiration. Generally I go with whatever is happening at that particular moment; what’s made me happy, or mad, or just whatever’s given me that “aha” moment. I try not to overthink a topic and rather just let it flow naturally.


3.              What's your writing routine?

I’m a rebel against anything routine so right now I write when inspiration strikes. I try to write everyday but I find that as soon as I get going with work or the kids or the house or one of the many other things I have to do I don’t always get back to writing. Lately though I’m much more creative at night, just before bed, so that’s when I get my ideas on paper. I have a lot of “stories” running around my head all day, especially when I’m driving. I wish that one of the voices in my head could keep quiet long enough to get a computer and start typing. I think it’ll take some practice for me to set aside specific writing time, and I have to master my “don’t disturb me” threatening stare so I don’t get distracted.


4.            What's your favourite word?

AWESOME. It’s a fabulous word that can apply to people, places, experiences, the weather – anything. Today is awesome. She is awesome. What an awesome waterfall. It just works. AWESOME can be said just like any other word in the sentence, or all breathlessly or add a “dude” and it becomes surfer-like. 'just an AWESOME word.


5.              If you could script your dying words, what would they be?

Dying words? Can it be phrases or sentences or even paragraphs? I don’t think my dying moment could be summarised in “words”. Since I’m Catholic its quite ironic but I’d definitely pull the Jewish-mother routine and be telling everyone to do everything they’re supposed to do. I swear they’ll all starve and die without me around. They wont wash the dishes properly. The milk goes in before the hot water when making coffee. The toilet roll has to roll over the top not from the bottom. Wash the jeans separately from the other washing. I forgot to label the light switches, and the cupboards for where everything goes. I swear I’m the only one who lives in this house to know where things go.

They’re not ready. Come back in a few years and we’ll talk again. Next time bring chocolate when you visit. Didn’t your mother teach you anything? You don’t show up empty handed. (Cue that sucking teeth sound that I have no idea how to spell)


6.              What gets your hanky in a twist?

I could write a book about this, never mind just a blog post. My worst has got to be idiotic parents. You know the kind that just keep reproducing without any consideration for the children. Parents who don’t teach their kids any manners so the kids get called brats but it’s the parents that should have been suffocated at birth. Parents who either neglect or abuse their children. Parents who are selfish and although they keep having children, still put their own needs before those of their children. Parents who let their children jump and stand in the car instead of buckling them up. Parents who get their hair and nails done but let the kids run around looking like street urchins.

I’m going to stop now. I think I need my baseball bat. And some chocolate.


7.              What's your ambition for SexyMomGP?

I’m new to the blogger community but I hope to stay for quite some time. I’m searching for my Voice, I hear it faintly in the distance and every so often I know I’m close. I want to establish this Voice into a rhythm that flows from one topic to another. I insist that my writing has to be authentically me. Written as I would talk. Honest, straightforward and hopefully entertaining enough to keep reading.

I love to write and while I’m pursuing this through creative writing courses, I definitely want to be published one day. What genre exactly I don’t know yet. But I’ve got plenty of time and will share my trials and tribulations with my readers.


8.              What blogs do you read?

The first one of course is divacultura – your blog. I wouldn’t have a blog if it wasn’t for you inspiring me in the first place. 


I also read:


Memoirs with a glass of champagne 
Piles of Washing
Edenland
Random Ramblings of a Stay at Home Mum

to name but a few!


9.              Finish this sentence, "If I wasn't blogging I'd be...."

Eating. No watching TV. No crocheting. Ok I’ve got it.

If I wasn’t blogging I’d be eating my chocolate while watching TV and crocheting.

;-)