What’s your favorite place in the world?

Wherever my children are. If they happen to be in the Bahamas, all the better.

What are you most proud of?

My family. I never intended to be a mother to seven children. A second marriage took me from one child to five overnight, and our two youngest are foster babies who came to us through a family crisis.

What was your mother right about?

Everything. And she knows it.

If you suddenly came into $1,000 in spare cash, what would you do with it?

Shamelessly spend it on grown-up, I-am-still-a-sexy-wife shoes.

What’s the one thing you refuse to eat?

Meat-eggs-dairy. That’s one thing, right?

Bath or shower?

With seven kids? On a good day, I get a shower. On a bad day, I get a hat and an extra layer of deodorant.

What’s something that no one knows about you?

I’ve written over 500 poems that I have hidden away, to be discovered after my death, like Emily Dickinson.

The big decision I'm currently wrestling with is...

Should I pursue a degree in social work, which would give me less time for my children, or see if I can make a career out of writing, which offers a more flexible schedule?

Your Turn

To read more about Christina-Marie's big decision, offer advice and see what others have shared, or request a questionnaire so you can be considered for a future Real Life column, go to the Real Life Community Area.