So You Think You’re Funny? Season 2, Episode 18 – Siobhan From Pass The Wine Please
Whilst looking back through some of our brilliant interviews in this here wonderful series, I happened upon the fact that one of our most regular (and indeed most nominated in our YHTL Awards 2017) contributors had not yet been lumbered graced with the opportunity to answer our tired, predictable collection of questions.
Assuming you’ve read every single one of these interviews like I have, you will probably be able to work out who is missing. To be fair, the title of this post will probably have given it away too.
Actually I should more accurately say WAS missing, because here she damn well is – it’s the very funny Siobhan from one of our favourite blogs, Pass The Wine Please! Let’s crack on…
1. Tell us about yourself in 20 words or less:
Marketing Manager by day, mum blogger/wine drinker/Lego picker-upper by night. Ginger AND left-handed, so unicorn-level rareness (if slightly less magical/perky)…
2. How would your child(ren) describe you?
I dread to think. Luckily, my daughter isn’t speaking in full sentences yet. I think she’d big-up my hugs, the fact that I always give ‘Old MacDonald had a Farm’ 110%, and my extremely well-appointed snack drawer. Given the disdainful looks that she gives me, I have to assume she’s less impressed by my cooking, crafting and soft play skills (I’m usually that sweaty, panting mum who’s managed to get herself stuck halfway down the slide).
3. When and why did you last properly laugh out loud?
When I opened Miss O’s new Paw Patrol book and noticed how excited Ryder was by the pups’ latest mission:
Also, when I caught up with the new MotherLand series this week. It’s just brilliant. Liz is my spirit animal, and I will be playing ‘Find the Pound’ at ALL future birthday parties.
4. Do you try to be funny when you are writing? Tell us a bit about your blogging ‘process’.
Trying to be funny has been my M.O. since school; when you’re the pasty ginger girl with a penchant for Shakespeare and Neil Diamond, funny is basically all you’ve got! I do try to focus on the funny side of parenting though – I get myself into so many ridiculous situations that it’s not hard to find suitable material!
Hmmm my ‘process’? It’s a bit haphazard to be honest! I write anything that strikes me as ‘blog-worthy’ in the notes on my phone as and when it happens, and once a week will have a scroll through until inspiration hits. If I can’t seem to get anywhere with a post, I’ll leave it and come back to it in a couple of days – I try not to stress too much about posting to a strict schedule.
5. What is the funniest thing you’ve read in the past few months?
Book-wise (and I can’t get over how proud I am of reading A WHOLE BOOK this year) it would have to be ‘The Break’ by Marian Keyes – her descriptions of family life had me in tears. Blogger-wise, I loved Whinge Whinge Wine’s ‘A-Z of parenting small children’ (I’ve attempted a ‘Fun at the Farm’ A-Z before and ran out of ideas somewhere around ‘H’) and was very tickled by Daddy Poppins’ ‘Ophelia vs trampolines’ – epic!
6. What are the best and worst things about becoming a parent?
The best thing is, well, them. She makes me laugh out loud on an hourly basis, and I’m ridiculously proud of her (I’m one of those really annoying mums who makes her obviously bored friends scroll through 7,000 fuzzy photos of her squinting at the camera).
The worst things?
– The sleep deprivation.
– Spending 50% of your life in Pets At Home (aka – the free zoo) and the rest watching Justin Fletcher.
– That I now have the memory of a goldfish.
– The sleep deprivation.
7. Do your friends/family find you funny in ‘real life’?
Definitely. 100%. Just take my word for it. No need to check back with them…
8. Go on, say something funny!
LeAnn Rimes. No it doesn’t!
(Credit to Joe Pasquale – I found that joke absolutely hilarious when I was younger…)
9. How did you get into writing and why?
I did an English degree at Exeter Uni, thinking I’d be the next J. K. Rowling, but did so appallingly badly in my creative writing module that it put me off for a while. I do a lot of writing in my marketing day job, which rekindled my love for it, then started writing a few parenting musings on Facebook, which a couple of people liked occasionally… and so the blog was born!
10. If you could only have one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Can I have two courses? Would have to go king prawn puri, followed by butter chicken and rice. Ooooh, I’m going to have to order a takeaway tonight now…
11. Complete the sentence; ‘Since having a child…’
…I’ve gained weight, lost sleep, and found 50 different uses for wet wipes.
12. In your opinion, what is the worst children’s TV show, and why?
Topsy and Tim – where the fun never begins
Genuinely interested to know who is actually watching this? Admittedly my toddler isn’t their target audience, but I can’t imagine any child is sitting there, mouth agape, hoping against hope that Mr Rosen’s wheelie bag arrives in time for his weekly shop, or punching the air in delight when Daddy Odell finally finishes the swing set he’s spent the entire episode screwing together.
It is however entirely possible that my dislike stems from the perfectly groomed Mrs Odell making me feel like a totally inadequate mother. The wrapping paper hasn’t arrived for Kerry’s birthday present? No problem twins, let’s head over to our designated crafting area and whip up some home-made stuff! I bet she doesn’t have ANY wine in her fridge. And not just because she drank it all the previous day…
13. Please tell us about your blog and why we should visit:
In a nutshell my blog, Pass The Wine Please, is a first-time mum’s take on the toddler years – basically me trying to survive the daily work/tiny human/soft play/CBeebies obstacle course until wine o’clock.
If you’re looking for useful advice or definitive answers, you’d be better off with Google. But, if it’s soft play horror stories and random CBeebies musings you’re after (how is Postman Pat still employed?! He has literally never delivered a letter on time…) then please pop over and have a read!
And that, dear readers, is that!
Thanks to Siobhan for taking the time to participate, even if she did slag off Topsy & Tim. I used to do the same until I discovered recently that my school friend, Matt Holt, actually directs it. Fortunately he can also take copious amounts of goo-humoured verbal abuse – quite important if you choose to spend 7 years at an all-boys grammar school…
If there is still anyone out there who feels they are amusing and write parenting stuff and, ideally, aren’t anonymous, give us a shout and we’ll hook you up. We might even write a couple of new questions and badge it up as Season 3. Wouldn’t that be simply spiffing?!
L to the Z.