So it’s week 10 already? Wow, that went fast!! Here are my other 10*in*10 posts in this fun blog hop:

Top Ten Homeschooling Questions
Top Ten Reasons We Defy a Homeschool Label
Top Ten Reasons We Love to Homeschool (Poetry edition)
Top Ten Series for Middle School Boys
Top Ten Homeschooling Websites
Top Ten Pieces of Homeschooling Advice

If you’re here, you’re a friend.

That’s how I think of you. You read my thoughtful posts as I’m wrestling out my life and my faith. You read my silly posts when my sarcastic sense of humor pops up. You read my homeschooling posts, and hopefully learn from my many mistakes!

But what are the things I maybe haven’t told you, that you really should know? The things that you would know if you were a local friend with whom I met for regular coffee chats or play dates with the kids?

Yes, I color my hair, and yes, my kitchen is cluttered…

Here goes! The real me, unbound and unashamed:

I am a hugger. I love to squeeze those that I love, whether it’s when they are celebrating, or mourning, or simply because I’m thankful for them in that moment.
I am a lousy housekeeper. It’s only been in the last couple of years that I have accepted this fact, and stopped trying to make excuses. I’m not horrible, but I’m certainly not great. My cleaning rotations are not as neat, tidy or frequent as some of the ones I see on other blogs (even the ones that claim to be homeschool-friendly) but I’m OK with that.
I am a true book junkie. It goes along with my main learning style, which is visual, and so when I have a problem or question, the first thing I’ll do is find a book about it and read to learn. I thought, because I love the feel and smell of real books, that I would never get an e-reader, but I did cave and get a Nook to go overseas. And I love that too, although when I have a book I need to really chew on, I use multi-colored highlighters in a real book!
I think in images. This is why my recent return to art has been so profoundly satisfying for me. I’ve always been one to speak and write metaphorically about things, and come up with imagery to explain my feelings. For example, in my work as a classical voice teacher I’m more likely to describe a sound I want my student to produce with a mental image, than with physiology. Or when my husband asks how getting some art time makes me feel I tell him it’s like a “dry sponge that is immersed in a vast ocean and immediately swells with life.” This is just normal for me. My husband thinks it’s a bit weird.
I am a true introvert. If you were my neighbor, you’d know that I don’t often socialize (I feel badly about that sometimes.) I love to be around a friend or two at a time and share deeply, and I love spending time with my family.
I treasure friendship. There was a time in my life when I didn’t feel understood, had no really close friends to share with deeply. I had moved and was in the midst of creating this beautiful family I have with a husband who was trying to establish himself in his career. It was a lonely place. So therefore I do not take for granted those amazing women who give of themselves, and share their hearts and lives with me.
I sometimes don’t want to homeschool anymore. Yes, I have those bad days too, which is why it’s so important to have a back up plan. But I believe so completely that it’s right for our family, and our children are thriving in this learning environment, so I have no real intentions of quitting, it’s just important to be honest about the fact that sometimes it’s tough.
Sometimes I love homeschooling so much I want to convince everyone else to do it. Just so you know how normal it is to vacillate dramatically between feelings of drudgery and the euphoria, I had to add this one. And I can be obnoxious, on these days, in my gushing about how much I love it.
I am a woman of highs and lows. If numbers 7 and 8 didn’t give you a clue, here’s a newsflash: there is no “vanilla” with me. I run hot or cold, with rarely any in-betweens. This is also something I’ve come to accept as I’ve gotten older. I feel things deeply, for good and bad, and sometimes am so whacked out of balance I need to pull back and just be alone.
I’ll be 39 this week. Ack!! What should I do for the remainder of my waning journey to the big 4-0? I need some way to chronicle this next year and make it a good one. Any suggestions?