Aaw, shucks!

Thanks to Denise at Light, Liberty, and Learning for giving me a Beautiful Blogger award! I'm honored! Denise has been homeschooling her nature-loving kids for many years, and she posts helpful reviews on her blog. I'll be watching carefully for advice and ideas, because she has a daughter just a little older than Super.


And thanks to Heather at This Adventure Life for the One Lovely Blog award! Like Super and Dude, Heather's kids attended school before making the switch to homeschooling. I always enjoy reading her thought-provoking posts, and it's fun to check out her latest activities since her family lives in my old stompin' grounds.

So, seven facts about myself, huh? I'm not sure I'm interesting enough to think of seven things, but I'll give it a go:

I spend the first hour of my day with a cup of coffee, my computer, and at least one dog in my lap (frequently more.) Other than the dogs snoring, this is the only quiet moment of my day.

I admire and envy people organized people. It just doesn't come naturally to me. I'm constantly working towards an organized life, and I've read all the books and tried lots of systems. I do manage to keep our homeschooling records in good order, but the other household paperwork is my downfall. How does it pile up so fast?



When I was a kid, I played the flute in band and the cello in orchestra.

I can sing. My kids can sing, too. We get it from my father, who was a wonderful singer. He could play the guitar, too. It makes me so happy that my kids are learning to play the guitar. I'd like to take lessons, too, but I would have to get the guitar strung for a lefty. I've tried holding the guitar like a righty and it feels strange, even though I played the cello as a righty. Go figure.

I kind of want a guinea pig, but Dad would freak out if I brought another animal into this house. He's right, of course. We have enough animals. He's totally correct. Guinea pigs are SO cute. I have a friend who has a surplus of guinea pigs and they are SO cute. We really don't have room for another pet, though. Did I mention that guinea pigs are SO cute?

Occasionally we take the pugs to Sonic for fries. Why? Because the pugs don't like tots! :)

Spoiled? Who, us?

A true child of the eighties, I still sigh when I think of Steve Perry, lead singer of Journey. Oh, that voice! And the long hair and tight jeans! Sigh.

I just knew he was singing straight to ME.

OK, now for the hard part. I'm supposed to pay the award forward to some recently-discovered bloggers. The only problem is, I haven't cruised the blogosphere in a quite while, so this is a mix of new (to me) blogs and some old favorites.

Liese at The Colorado Adventure is living the ideal homeschool lifestyle, in my opinion. Her kids get plenty of "book learning" but they also do TONS of great activities in their community. I'm sure I couldn't keep up with her if I tried! But it's always fun to read about what her family is up to.

Alicia at Magic and Mayhem gave me the courage to homeschool when I was still on the fence, trying to balance my fears with my son's educational needs. When I saw all the awesome stuff she was doing with her family, I realized that's exactly what I wanted for my own family.

Sara at The Curriculum of Love was homeschooled and is now a religious education director at a UU church. She does a great job of balancing a demanding job with bringing up two adorable kiddos. Somehow, she finds time to read and I always enjoy her book recommendations. She has found a fantastic school for her kids to attend, but has homeschooled them in the past, and afterschools currently.

The Adventurer is a "home-edder" who blogs about homeschooling and traveling at Life's Adventures. Her super-cute kids are getting an amazing education while exploring Germany and Great Britain. I'm jealous!

If you love nature, especially birds, you need to take a look at Classical Charlotte. I love how Kat incorporates the love of nature into her family's lifestyle. She posts lots of great animal photos, too--my favorite has got to be the leaping sheep!

I also really enjoy the nature studies at Handbook of Nature Study. Barb is an artist and photographer extraordinaire. We don't always link up with her blog carnivals (because I'm usually running late on posting) but we do a lot of her suggested activities, and we like using her notebooking pages.

Those are my "quick picks" to pass along these awards. Thanks again to Denise and Heather! You guys rock! Almost as much as Steve Perry! Sigh.