Jennifer-isms

It was a slow laundry-doin', grocery-shoppin' kind of day, so I thought I'd take Elena's "kind of" tag and list six Jennifer-isms. Stuff like this always helps me sort out personal thoughts in my head anyway!

1. I am a very opinionated kind of person. Most of the time I keep them to myself (o.k.--some of the time!). It could be a curse except that I'm always careful not to let my opinions turn into judgements, and I always give someone or something the benefit of the doubt. Most of the time I'm right though and get to say "I told you so!"

2. I wear a pedometer every day and have for the past 3 1/2 years. I feel naked without it! I have a top of the line one, and though not as efficient as a body bugg--I can wear it inconspicuously under my clothes. There is just something so soothing about having a digital number tell me I did enough for the day. I think there have only been a handful of sick days I haven't done my 10,000 steps; 12,000 is my average, and once I pushed it up to 25,000.

3. It is very hard for me to sit still. I am a serious multi-tasker with a ton of nervous energy, and so I am always doing something--biting my nails while watching a movie, doodling while I talk on the phone, listening to the radio while I clean, etc.. I think my most effective "thingie" I do is watch my favorite TV show while marching in place and doing squats, and folding laundry.

4. I must have a very old soul, because I seem to do a lot of things that "older folks" enjoy (much to my husband's delight in teasing me!). I watch Judge Judy and Lawrence Welk. Some of my favorite singers are Mel Torme', Rosemary Clooney, and Frank Sinatra. When I think about handsome Hollywood actors, I think about Kenneth Branaugh and Alan Rickman. And when I go to the Wal Mart, I always glance longingly at the row of electric scooters.

5. I am a passionate homeschooler. I know it is not a choice for everyone and I feel no superiority to moms who have public schooled children, but it has been such a great choice for our family. I love having my kids around me, teaching them at their own pace, and at the time of day they perform best, and (mostly) only things that interest them. We have so much fun acting out parts of books we're reading together, or building forts for geometry, or going on great field trips where they can linger as long as they want. If there's snow, we stop what we're doing and go play in it. If we want to go on a vacation--we go. If I want to add a spiritual element to what we're learning, I can without fear. We test only on what the state tells us we have to test on. My goal is to teach my children how to learn and where to find answers to questions they may have, and to make education fit in to their real, every day life as much as possible. We follow a learning style called "Thomas Jefferson Education" where classic literature is stressed over textbooks. If you look at my 'books we're reading' in the side bar, you can always see what classic we're working on currently. We then use the book as a jump off point for all kinds of experiments and projects. I can't believe how many gaps that I had in my own education are being filled in by teaching my kids! While I like to think of myself as kind of a hip, modern homeschooling mom--I have totally learned to love the stereotypical 19th century-looking homeschool mom. Most of them I have met are incredibly intelligent and just the salt of the earth. (I know this was a long one--but like I said I'm PASSIONATE :)!).

6. In 1993, as an exchange student, I attended the royal wedding of Lichenstein's crown prince to Dutchess Sophie of Bavaria. Lichenstein is this tiny country famous for it's postage stamps and small size. All the British royals and the royals from Monacco were there as well. After the grand procession came down the main street, I watched the ceremony on a big screen TV in a tent the city had set up. I ate bratwurst and spoke with the locals. It was so cool! ( As a side note: my first degree is in German and I'd always intended to teach it until Interior Design called my name a little more loudly!).

SOOOOOO.......here is the next tag I declare. I want Elena and Karli to dump out their purses and take a photo of what's in there, providing any necessary explainations----make it fun by not cleaning it out before hand :)! TAG!

*Today I am thankful for the smell still lingering on my hands after pruning all my many lavendar plants this morning. What a gorgeous, detailed world we have to live in!