The Things That Make Me Strange

The the older I get, and the more people that I meet, the more I am coming to the realization that I am not a normal person. For better or for worse, I am an odd ball. And as I got thinking about all the aspects that go together to make me such, I thought it might make an interesting blog post. We'll start with the biggest, most obvious one first, and then it'll go in whatever order I feel like after that.

-I do not own, nor do I care to own, a television. When I first tell people this, they automatically assume that I think television is evil. I don't. I think there are evil things on television, but there are also good things. I think people can become addicted to it, but I also think people do a good job of only watching in moderation. So if it's not evil, why don't I like it? The honest truth? TV bores me to tears. It's that simple. It does not entertain me, it does not help me relax, or give me a break after a long day. When I sit in front of a TV it makes me feel anxious and antsy. In other words it stresses me out. I will watch movies, but it's more for the social aspect. You would ever in a million years catch me watching a movie by myself. Also, I hate the idea that if I want to know what's going on in a particular show, I have to commit myself to an entire season. Gross. And commercials, don't get me started. It already irritates me that I'm subjected to so much stupid advertisement just because I choose to drive on the freeway, why I would sit down and watch it voluntarily, is beyond me.

-I dislike scrapbooking *gasp!* Yup, you read that right. I have zero talent in the cutesy department for one, so I have a lot of trouble picking out paper and decor that go well together on a page. And I hate all the gluing and cutting and stickering and cricketing (how do you even spell that?) and glittering, etc. that costs me $400 dollars per every two pictures I put down. Plus, there is never enough space for the words that I need to explain my pictures. I'll stick to blog books, thanks. They might not be as cute, but they are so much nicer for my little mind to manage.

-I do not own a bathroom scale. Never have, never will. I have no desire to be able to constantly track how much I weigh. I don't think it's important. Do I think being healthy is important? Yes. Do I believe in exercising? Yes. Do I try my best to eat healthy food? You bet. But I like to gage my health based on how I feel overall. I don't think it is healthy for people to be obsessed with the numbers on a scale.

-Aaron asked me what I wanted to do during the daytime on our overnighter in Salt Lake without the kids  that's coming up next week. I told him I wanted to go to the genealogy library. I was dead serious. I think I could spend a good chunk of my existence doing family history...if I had a chunk to spare. (I keep reminding myself all in good time, it's just not that season of my life right now.)

-Speaking of overnighters...I have no qualms about leaving my kids to go on vacation. I read other people's blogs sometimes about how they are going on a cruise for 10 days and the hardest part is going to be leaving the kids for so long, and I just stare at it blankly. I love my children dearly, but I also know that occasionally I need a break from them. If I had the opportunity to go on a ten day cruise with Aaron, the only thing I'd feel bad about is knowing that my kids would probably be hellions for whoever was watching them. I would miss them, and I would definitely think about them while I was gone, and bring them back souvenirs, but you'd better believe that I wouldn't think twice about getting on that cruise ship.

-Sometimes, I let my kids fight without stepping in, just to see if they can think of a way to resolve the situation by themselves. I feel like it's a skill they need to develop. Obviously if they are hurting each other or doing something unsafe, I'll stop it. But if they are arguing over whose turn it is, or which book they want to look at, or what game they want to play, or any other myriad of things that they argue over every single day, I watch them for awhile before stepping in, just to see what they can do. And often times, they surprise me, and resolve the issue without my help.

-I can't stand to have long finger nails. It drives me up the wall. As soon as any white is showing I clip it off.

-Someday I want to own land and have a huge garden, an orchard, chickens, and maybe a cow or two to raise for beef, and I've even thought about trying my hand at raising bees...Aaron thinks I'm nuts.

-I have never read Harry Potter, and probably never will. In my mind it seems like it would be a waste of time for me because I have soooooo many other things I want to read and learn about.

-I plan on homeschooling my kids. "But don't you want them to grow up and be normal and socialized?" Well, I guess that depends on your definition of normal and socialized. :) I feel like homeschooling offers my kids an educational lifestyle and environment where they can thrive and love learning. But when I tell this to most people look at me with blank faces and say things like, "but what about Prom?"  Like Prom should be a huge milestone of some sort. And I want to shout back, what about education, knowledge, values, learning at your own pace, not being herded like sheep, learning to get along well in society with people of all age groups, etc. etc. I often think they can't relate to me and I can't relate to them, and so people think I'm weird. The other funny thing I get from people is this. When I tell them Aaron was homeschooled, they say, "Oh, I never would have suspected him, he's so normal. When I think of homeschoolers I always think of like a geeky sci-fi person who plays virtual-reality computer games all day." Wow.

-I hate pop-culture. Despise it really.

-We don't buy freezer meals. This is one I have just barely started to notice. I guess I never realized that other people do buy freezer meals, the concept seems so foreign to me. We do noy buy Egos, Stouffers, Hot Pockets, french fries, chicken nuggets, TV dinners, or even frozen pizza. So what's in our freezer then? Meat (several pounds of hamburger, chicken breasts, and a pork loin we've cut into pork chops, are the usuals), homemade bread, frozen veggies, frozen fruit, cans of juice, ice, containers of yeast, and sometimes Dreyers all fruit popcicles, and ice cream. We buy very little out of the frozen food section. Even the meat we buy doesn't come out of the frozen section. If we do have a frozen pizza, it's because I made it and then froze it for later.

-I hate toys with batteries. If I am going to buy toys for my kids, the kind I look for are usually some sort of educational something. (And by educational I don't mean a toy that has a button for every letter of the alphabet.) My kids are the most into construction toys. So, blocks, trios, magneatos, mega bloks, wedgits, etc. I'm sure we'll eventually get to the legos and K'nex when they are a little older. If the toy is made out of wood, I'm even more happy with it. I like things that make my kids think about and come up with a way to play with that toy, as opposed to the ones that just tell you "push this button".

-I hate "dressing up". My idea of the perfect outfit is a T-shirt and jeans and some tennis shoes to go with. In this category, I might add that I hate skirts and dresses as well. I wouldn't be caught dead in a dress outside of church or a church function, wedding, or funeral. My abhorrence for skirts and dresses extends onto my daughter as well. I never dress her in a skirt or dress unless we're going to church.

-I love socks! I sleep in my socks.

-I suck at using the telephone to call people. I don't know why I am uncomfortable making phone calls, but I am. I always have been. I feel like when I talk on the phone the conversation is happening too fast for me to process it and to choose how to respond, so I feel like I always sound jumpy and rushed. Also, I am always worried I will be bothering someone when I call them. An email, no problem, they can respond when they have a second. But a phone call, you have no idea what the person you're calling is right in the middle of. And I always have this fear that I'll be bothering someone. So I never call just to chat. I make sure I always have a reason to call, a question, or something. I don't know. I know I'm totally ridiculous, but that's how I am anyway.

So there you have it. I am one weird egg. But somehow, I still manage to function in society, so I guess it's all good.