What I've Learned About "Healthy Living"

There are a lot of myths out there in the fitness world. 

Trust me, I've done extensive research, and not everything I've found has proven to be true.

That being said, I should probably note that I am not a health and fitness expert, nor am I a trained professional. You should always, always, always consult your doctor before changing up your diet - don't ever consult the Internet. It doesn't have your medical records.

TOL #17 ~ Beethoven and Ballet

Once again, after a long break, I am linking up for Thinking Out Loud Thursday with Amanda! 

[get more info here!]

How It Feels to Gain Life Back

I have experienced somewhat of an epiphany. And I'm going to share it with you. 

I've only spoken very lightly on my past struggle with an eating disorder and related anxiety. I spent a solid four and a half years constantly struggling with negative body image and dysmorphia, thoughts of purging and self-harming, restriction, obsession with losing weight and exercising; the list goes on. 

I went through therapy for four months - something I never thought I would do. I lost so much weight, including muscle mass, it was hard for me to do anything for long periods of time. I was constantly freezing. My lips were blue, even in the summertime. I wore a sweatshirt everywhere I went, and I had trouble getting to sleep at night. 

Living every day of my life that way, constantly tormented by an inner voice that nagged at me, telling me lies about myself and urging me to continue down the path I was going. The path that could very well have brought me to my death. The path I have no intention of ever looking back on again.

Mini-Vacation Recap

My grandma came to stay for nine days last week. Her sister lives in Archibold, Ohio, home of the Sauder Village (more info on that here, if you're interested). Since my dad had that week off from work, we decided to take advantage of driving two-and-a-half hours to drop my grandma off at her sister's, and we went on a two-day "vacation" that went something like this:

Tuesday

I had originally planned on getting up at 6:15 to work on some schoolwork so that I wouldn't fall behind while we were away. Instead, I slept an extra 30 minutes because I just couldn't bring myself to so much as sit up at such an ungodly hour.
I did get a bit of schoolwork done, regardless, and even got a half-hour walk in on the beast of death treadmill. I finished packing, took the fastest shower in history (my history, at least) and ate some breakfast before starting the journey to Archibold.

Food Anxiety + My Struggle

I'm going to jump right to the point. No fancy intro, no pretty pictures, no fantastic words or elaborately thought-out scripting. Just me and my thoughts (and a few of my opinions)...

I have had serious problems with food - rather, my relationship with food - for a long time. To give you a little background; I grew faster in height and width than anyone else I knew. Being home-schooled and going to a really small church, I had two best friends who, coming from a different family with different genetics than mine, were significantly smaller than I was. I compared myself to them more often the older I got, until I was full-on bashing myself every time I saw them. I took a ballet class, and I wore a leotard, tights, and ballet skirt like all the other girls, but I felt like a whale in comparison to everyone else. I compared myself to other girls, not noting how skilled I was or how hard I worked. All that mattered to me at that age was all that mattered to me say, six months ago - and still does sometimes.

Thinking Out Loud #16

Happy Thursday! :D

[more info here]

I'm getting less and less creative with my introductions...Ain't nobody got time fo dat.  ;)

New Discoveries ~ Thinking Out Loud #12

First and foremost, Amanda, I am so sorry for not linking up yet again. I promise I still love you. <3 ? 

I have a reason for going MIA! I was actually lying in bed at 11 o'clock last Thursday night, when I remembered "I never published my TOL post! Dang it dang it dang it dang it dang it dang it dang. it."
And that was that. I didn't get around to posting anything, and aside from sharing some of my favorites, I didn't post at all between then and now.
The Worst Ever Blogger Award goes to yours truly! :'''''D (*sobbing*)

[more info here!]

 Fun fact: it has taken me 3+ months to memorize the URL for the ToL page...I'm not quite sure why I have it memorized, but now I do. Hooray for me...?

On to the good stuff:

Favorites!

There is a bandwagon which has been going on for ages that I am just now jumping onto.
Time for a "favorites" post. Because it's a Monday evening and what else do you do on a Monday evening?
;)

Epic Food Survey Part II

I forgot to write up a Thinking out Loud post this week... Sad day. 

Buuuuut thanks to Amanda's food survey, I don't have to miss out on all the fun! This will be a little 'replacement' in the meantime. Next week I'll be back on my regular schedule for sure.

Maybe. o.O

EPIC FOOD SURVEY

{PART 2}

[part 1 here]

Dairy

I.  Do you prefer white or chocolate milk? 

I'm not much of a milk fan, but I can tolerate it if it's in cocoa form. Chocolate, all the way.

II.  What's your favorite brand of yogurt?

I don't eat yogurt all that often either, but my mom buys the huge containers of low-fat vanilla Yoplait, and if I'm feelin' it, that's what I go for.

III.  Do you think you get enough calcium?

Probably not. Which is bad because I have low tolerance for pain so if my bones decide to break on me, I will probably die shortly after from shock alone. O.O

IV.  Where do you get most of your calcium from?

Cottage cheese.

V.  What's your favorite type of cheese?

Cottage.

VI.  What's your favorite way to eat cheese?

Low-fat, small curd, cottage form.

VII.  What's your favorite flavor of ice cream?

Vanilla with peanut butter stirred in, and chocolate chip cookie dough.

VIII.  When you make oatmeal, do you make it with milk or water?

Water.

IX.  What kind of milk do you drink?

Vanilla soy, and vanilla almond if I'm lucky enough to find it on sale!

X.  What's your favorite thing to do with cottage cheese?

Eat it; literally, I don't need to put anything in it. Alternatively, I can put it on top of or in anything - my list is long.

Meat

I.  Are you vegetarian or vegan?

In this stage of life, I am neither.

II.  If you aren't vegetarian or vegan, could you ever be?

Absolutely. I wrote up a long post ages ago about veganism and how I support it but I'm not about the animal rights movement. 

[if you decide to follow the link, be forewarned there is one photo near the end that is extremely graphic and cannot be unseen].

III.  What's your favorite type of meat?

I'm not a fan of red meat, and I've eaten enough chicken and turkey to last three lifetimes, but I suppose, depending on its form, if chicken is the only option I will take it.

IV.  What's your favorite type of fish or seafood?

I haven't had a lot of experience with sushi (read: one experience) but the one time I tried it, I was hooked. If it's good, quality sushi, it holds the key to my heart taste pallet. 

Tuna is another good one.

V.  Hamburgers or hotdogs?

Hamburgers. As I said before, I'm not a huge fan, but I cannot eat hotdogs. They make me feel icky. 

VI.  If you have a barbecue [grill] is it propane-powered or charcoal?

I don't have one, but my dad is on his second propane after the charcoal and the first propane stopped working. Funny story: dad doesn't get ties and shoes for Father's Day, he gets tool chests and recliners and grills. We spoil him well. ;)

VII.  What is your least favorite type of meat?

Pig meat; ham, bacon [so sorry, America!], pork, etc. I can't take it. I can't.

VIII.  Is there a type of meat you haven't tried yet but would like to?

I would really like to try lobster, crab, and more exotic meats like alligator and *I'm drawing a blank here*...think of the craziest animal on the planet...platypus! I wonder if anyone's ever tried that. 

IX.  What's the most exotic meat you've ever eaten?

I had calamari at Olive Garden once... 

X.  When you eat meat, is the portion bigger than a deck of cards?

Not usually, no. 

Drinks

I.  What do you put in your coffee?

Jeeze, I put a lot of different things in. Sometimes, if I'm feeling basic, I'll put a little creamer and some sweetener in, but if I'm feeling more "adventurous" I'll put in some cocoa mix, some cappuccino (go figure), or maybe some protein powder. I like to experiment sometimes. Don't knock it til you've tried it.

II.  What do you put in your tea?

If I have to drink tea: lots of sweetener. I used to be obsessed with tea, but now I can hardly stand it, in any form. 

III.  Do you like the taste of water? 

Yes yes yes. Water is my favorite (besides coffee, obviously).

IV.  Do you drink water every day?

Probably way more than I should. I carry around a 24 oz. water bottle and refill it 3-4 times a day; and that's not counting the sparkling water I drink on occasion!

V.  What's your favorite flavor of diet soda?

The kind I don't drink

VI.  Do you think you drink too much diet soda?

If never is too much, then yeah. 

VII.  Do you prefer to eat or drink your calories?

I dunno, cappuccino is really good...but so is peanut butter so you've kind of caught me in a tough spot here. I like both a lot!

VIII.  Do you drink energy drinks?

Not unless coffee counts. ;)

IX.  What's your favorite smoothie recipe?

I'm not very adventurous with smoothies (partly because my little single-serving blender broke *sad face*), but I like peanut butter, banana, almond milk, and chocolate smoothies a lot. I think that might actually count as a milkshake w/o ice cream, actually.

X.  Do you flavor your water?

Sometimes, if I have flavoring packets on hand. I've tried infusing it but my favorite is the ready-flavored Sparkling Ice bottles. Lemonade is my fave. <3

Treats

I.  How often do you eat something unhealthy?

If by "unhealthy" you mean "gloriously balanced between sweet and somewhat healthy, because food is food and as long as you don't go overboard it's all good" the answer is: every day, sometimes more than once! 

II.  Do you prefer a sweet or salty treat?

Sweet. Unless of course I'm craving something salty; in which case, chocolate does not do.

III.  What's your favorite salty treat?

It honestly depends on what I'm craving. Sometimes pretzels, sometimes peanuts, sometimes popcorn.

IV.  What's your favorite sweet treat?

See above answer.^^

V.  What's your favorite brand of chocolate bar?

I don't usually buy chocolate in bar form, so I'm gonna go with what I know from experience and say Hershey's.

VI.  When was the last time you went out to eat?

Tuesday, but...

VII.  What did you order?

...I didn't order anything because I wasn't feeling 100% so I had a bottle of water and a Larabar I had stashed in my bad for who knows how long.

VIII.  Do you tend to binge on unhealthy foods around your house?

Again with the "unhealthy" wording...

Yes. I do. When I say binge I mean eat without really thinking about it because the food is tasty. I'm getting better though! 

IX.  Chips or popcorn?

Popcorn, always popcorn!

X.  What's your favorite flavor/brand of chips?

I don't hardly ever eat chips, so I really don't have a favorite. I used to love sour cream & onion and barbecue Pringles.

There you have it: the second and final part of the food survey!

Thanks to Amanda for writing it up. Join in if you're feelin' it! :)

~JK

Back Into the Swing of Things + Epic Food Survey Part I

Ahoy! I have returned fer me...er...me booty?

I haven't really returned for anything in particular. Except maybe a 'where have you been, ya slacker?!'

Actually I wasn't expecting any of that. I haven't been gone that long. Have I?

I was MIA for a time (12 days, to be precise) because - in short - I've had a lot going on. 

In a bit more detail: I had summer camp from the 7th to the 12th, and not long after I had a funeral to attend for my great-aunt. In all the hubbub, blogging wasn't the first thing on my list of priorities. 

In addition, I had some schoolwork to catch up on; and my mom had knee surgery so I've been spending a lot of my time planning meals and searching for more exciting lunches and dinners (toasted cheese gets boring real fast). When I haven't been doing school or playing chef for my family, I've been watching Regular Show and Pokemon - both of which are on Netflix. Praaaaaise. 

In other news, Amanda has put together a food survey that I am more than happy to join in on. I think it's about time I got back into the swing of things here...

EPIC FOOD SURVEY

{pt. I}

Grains

I.  Flavor-wise, do you prefer white or whole wheat breads?
Wheat, if it's in loaf form. White, if it's in biscuit form.

II.  What's your favorite type of grain to eat (oatmeal, bread, wraps, etc.)?
Oatmeal; although I ate waaaay too much over the last few years, so I only have it about once a month now. Dry cereal has kind of become my thing nowadays.

III.  What's your favorite sandwich filling?
Peanut butter, banana, cinnamon, and honey. <3 <3 <3

IV.  What's your favorite type of bread?
Banana. No question about it!

V.  How many servings of grain do you consume daily?
Probably way too many. Grains make up most of my diet, along with nut butters and cottage cheese.

VI.  What's your favorite cracker topping?
Hummus. Usually I eat hummus with carrots and broccoli, but it's delicious with crackers as well.

VII.  What's your favorite thing to do with rice?
Put it into a stir-fry. Then eat it. 

VIII.  What brand of bread do you usually buy?
My mom buys grain from an Amish bulk store, grinds it with her Nutrimill beast contraption, and bakes most of our bread. So much better than store-bought.

IX.  What's your favorite type of cereal?
Ack. Can I only choose one?... Mother's Peanut Butter Bumpers. My brothers ate the last of it the last time I bought some!  >.<

X.  What was your favorite type of breakfast cereal as a child?
REESE'S PUFFS. There was a time when Cocoa Pebbles were really high on my favorites list as well.
Ahh, I miss those carefree days sometimes. 

Fruits

I.  Favorite fruit?
Despite the fact that the above photo is of an apple, my favorite fruits are bananas and blueberries. Blueberries are just so dang expensive, I can't buy pounds and pounds of them like I can with bananas...

II.  Least favorite fruit?
Dragon fruit. It has no taste - or at least, the one I tried didn't. It just tasted like water!
They look really cool though...

[source]

III.  Do you drink fruit juice often?
No. I used to on occasion as a kid, but I guess it always gave me 'the runs' so I steer clear of it to this day.

IV.  Do you consider tomatoes a fruit or a vegetable?
Vegetable. They will never be a fruit in my eyes.

V.  Do you think you eat enough fruit daily?
Oh yeah, for sure! I basically live off fruit. And nut butter. And cottage cheese...

VI.  Do you consider fruit more important than vegetables?
No, but I do consider them tastier.

VII.  What's your favorite citrus fruit?
Grapefruit.

VIII.  Do you like pastries with fruit in them?
I'm not a huge fan of pastries in general (they don't fill me up; and even the little ones have so much sugar stuffed into them!) but I used to be a major fan of apple turnovers. Sheesh those are good.

IX.  What's your favorite flavor of jam?
Blueberry; especially when we pick 23194 blueberries and Mom makes the jam herself.

X.  When do you usually eat the most fruit?
When I'm awake. ;)

Veg

I.  When you were a kid, did you like vegetables?
Not hardly. Unless they were canned or cooked to mush; I was very persnickety about them. Funny story: I loved Ranch dressing, and I remember one day I put together a big salad with oodles of Ranch slathered on top. I couldn't eat the lettuce, but I licked off the dressing.
I was a strange one, I admit.

II.  do you think you eat enough vegetables now?
It really depends on the day. Sometimes, no - other times, no question about it. If I have hummus on hand, I definitely eat enough carrots.

III.  What's your favorite raw vegetable?
Have I mentioned carrots yet?

IV.  What's your favorite cooked vegetable?
I really liked steamed-anything. Broccoli, green beans, corn, peas, etc. They're all good - except peppers. 

V.  What's your least favorite raw vegetable? 
Tomatoes (although science calls them a fruit, they are a veggie to me!) 

VI.  What's your least favorite cooked vegetable?
Peppers. I don't like them raw either, unless they're blended into salsa. 

VII.  What's your favorite kind of salad?
The kind with so many toppings you can't taste the greens.
But really, strawberry salad is pretty good, I think. Who knew strawberries + spinach went so well together??

VIII.  Do you buy spaghetti sauce, or do you make your own?
Buy it. It takes far, far too long to make it and it's almost not worth the effort. 

IX.  When you order a sub at Subway, what vegetables do you get on it?
Spinach, lettuce, & pickles. Done.

X.  Do you like vegetables more than fruit?
No. In no way will veg ever surpass fruit in my book.

Nuts

I.  What's your favorite type of nut?
Pureed and plopped into a jar.

Also, I really like oven-roasted almonds. Cashews are pretty good, too.

II.  What's your least favorite type of nut?
I'm not a fan of Brazil nuts. I used to love them, but they taste too buttery to me for some reason.

III.  What's your favorite type of nut butter?
Either Earth Balance Coconut Peanut Spread, or Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams.

IV.  Are you good with portion control when it comes to nuts or nut-butters?
Not with nut butters. Ooooooh no.

V.  What's your favorite recipe that involves nuts or nut butters?
Banana bread, topped with peanut butter. :D

VI.  Have you ever tried pea-butter or soynut butter?
Pea-butter sounds horrendous, and soynut butter sounds pretty good, but I can't say I ever have tried it.

VII.  When was the last time you ate nuts?
This morning, whilst licking the spatula I used to transfer homemade peanut butter from the food processor to the peanut butter jar.

VIII.  Is anybody close to you allergic to nuts?
If they are, I am unaware.

IX.  What's your favorite way to use nut butters? 
Top it on something, or eat it straight from the jar. 

X.  Do you think nuts are worth the calories?
Heck yes! Forever and always! Unless you have an allergy, in which case; no, don't risk your life.

~JK

Spill it, Sundays #4 {Flashback Edition #1}

Congrats, Janessa, on managing to post twice in a row for once! Let's make it a streak this time...

[info here!]

Let us begin with the selfie:

Because I apparently wear flower crowns now...

This week's 'theme' is highlighting 3 previous posts in the archives that are my personal favorites.

My blog hasn't been going on for too long, but I think I might have some good old ideas under my sleeve...

1.  [My first "recipe"] - I was so proud of myself for stepping out of my comfort zone and posting something I wasn't sure was even good enough to share. It may not be up to par in comparison to the real bakers out there, but I was proud of it then, and I still like it now!

2.  [When Kennedi turned 17] - that was the highlight of spring for me. Although the weather kind of skipped the spring-y stage then and jumped from winter to summer and back again multiple times... still, it was spring. And it was the greatest to-date. 

3.  [That time I said I wanted to go everywhere] - I really enjoyed the entirety of the 10 Day You Challenge; despite the fact that I did it all backwards...

FYI, I really do want to go everywhere. Except for the terrorist countries where it's far too dangerous. I'll steer clear of those. 

Join in on the fun!

~JK

Like a Home-Schooler

If you've lived longer than half a year, you may have heard some stereotypes about the "average home-schooled kid." I am one of these, and I am going to enlighten you on what things we (I) do and don't do...

[source: Tumblr]

To be like a home-schooler, you must...

Wear hand-me-downs...

Look, the only reason I buy from Goodwill is because it takes me ten minutes to get to the thrift store, as opposed to an hour and a half to get to a Forever 21. If you search long and hard enough, you'll find some decent stuff. 

I did wear hand-me-downs when I was younger, but I even knew public-schoolers who did that.

Speak intelligibly...

I would be lying terribly if I said I never used text-talk. Unfortunately, Facebook allows you to read over your old messages...dear lord, I was a cripplingly embarrassing child.

Also, I do not sit and read Shakespeare in my free time. I use an online thesaurus to find large words for essays and research reports; I have no idea what the meanings of most words in the dictionary are.

Be fully devoted to your schoolwork...

This one in partially true. I spend a lot of time doing my schoolwork, but that isn't because my parents glare ominously at me until I'm finished. I spend more time reading Tweets and watching YouTube vlogs throughout the day than I spend on school.

Have an unrealistic curfew...

I don't even have a curfew.

Honestly, my parents haven't ever given me a set time that I need to be home from a friend's house or from going out to dinner. I'm not exactly known for being rebellious, which plays a part in the looseness of the rules.

Play vintage board games...

I admit, growing up, we had a lot of board games. Now we have about four and we never play them. The closest we get to a 'family game night' is playing a round of Go Fish before forfeiting because we bore each other to death.

Go to church every day...

I go to church once a week; twice a week, maximum. I'm not uber-religious. I won't condemn you for being homosexual or pregnant before marriage. I love God, and I recognize that loving Him means loving others, not just spending hours upon hours in a building listening to a bald guy preach. 

(side note: our pastor is actually bald, I wasn't just saying that...)

Eat 100% healthy...

Please. If this was an actual 'rule,' I would never have been 150 pounds at 12 years old. Lots of home-schooled families eat healthily and hardly ever get fast food or frozen pizzas, but I cannot go a day without treating myself to something sweet. I eat bread like nothing else. I live on cappuccinos and sweet tea. I am not, nor will I ever be, a health freak.

Live at your grandma's house...

I have only spent a maximum of two days at my grandma's house. That's due to a mild case of separation anxiety that I have had since forever; and we live four hours away, so there's that road block...

Have no social life...

The thing is: home-schoolers have to actively seek out social opportunities. Public-schoolers are immediately thrust into social opportunities multiple times a day; there's very little effort there. If you see a home-schooler engaging in comfortable conversation with at least one other person, you can accurately assume that they were making an effort. That says more than two public-schoolers chatting over pot.  

Have designated TV/computer time...

When I was younger, this was a thing. Now, I spend so much time on the Internet it's literally like a second home. 

Which is not good for anyone; do not follow my example!

Get no less than a B+...

I have a C average in Algebra, and all of my other subjects are a B or higher; again, my success is not because of my parents' pressure, it's because of my own effort. I take notes, I [try to] focus and concentrate on each lesson; not because my parents have threatened to kick me out of the house, but because I genuinely want to succeed academically. 

Go to a Christian college...

This is a possibility, but it isn't a requirement. If I was accepted into a non-Christian college, my parents would still support me. Other families have other expectations, but for me it isn't even mandatory that I go to college in the first place. 

Ride a bike instead of a car...

Lols. 

I have previously considered riding my bike everywhere, but let's be honest: me + a bike on the freeway = certain and undeniable disaster. 

Also me + a car on the freeway = equally certain disaster, but I'm working on it.

Have an immediate family consisting of no less than six children...

I suffer with three siblings. I could never in my life ever handle more. Two of my best friends come from a family of ten kids, and I know another family with eleven, but just because they are (read: were) home-schooled isn't the sole reason for a large family. At least, I'm fairly certain it's not...

Join 12 different 4-H clubs...

I barely survived two.

Actually participate in 4-H...

One year was one too many for me. I sucked, end of story.
Most of my home-schooled friends participate in 4-H, but the amount of public-schoolers who do as well significantly outweighs the others. 

Memorize the anthem of all seven continents...

I barely have the national anthem memorized, let alone any others! I don't know anyone who knows the anthem of another country, public- or home-schooled!

Participate in a Bible study led by your parents...

Bible study, yes. Parents...no. We used to have home groups for church, and whenever my parents led, it was arguably the most awkward situation of my life.

Never wear pants shorter than above the knee...

Remember when I said I bought high-waisted shorts? Those aren't called shorts for nothing...

Never wear a bikini...

Personally, I'm not comfortable in a bikini; I do, however, wear one for tanning in the comforts of my own backyard where no one can see me. I won't lay out if the neighbors are out, but that's only because of my low self-esteem. If I was more comfortable in my own skin, I would most probably be one of those girls flaunting themselves wherever they go. 

Maybe not that severely, but...still.

Sew your name into your underwear...

I saw that on an iCarly episode when I was 12-ish. Before then, I had never heard of such a thing. 

Learn how to shoot a rifle (in case the dinosaurs make a grand reappearance)...

My dad would vouch for this (except the dinosaurs part). He could tell you anything and everything about handguns and rifles and such machinery, and the only reason I have agreed to learn is because I have been scared into paranoia of someone, someday breaking into my home. I would rather use bear spray, but should the situation arise, I do have knowledge enough to defend myself.

Be incredibly organized...

I am an organized person, but I don't credit that to the home-schooling. I have met so many incredibly unorganized home-schoolers, you can't really believe we're all spic and span.

Be disciplined until your butt is calloused...
This is true for many people. Especially my brothers. I, on the other hand, was one of those little girls that every parent would kill for (not to brag or anything); I always wanted to please my parents and would openly weep if I knew I had made them upset with me. I could never tell a lie and I pretty much never got spanked. 

Be a perfect poster child in every way...
Now c'mon, despite what I said just now, there is no way that anyone on this earth could ever be a perfect poster child. You have no idea how needy (read: 'wanty') I am! I could give you a nice long, detailed list of all the reasons why I am not a perfect daughter. I'm more like Ariel, the independent rebel. More or less.

Only host a birthday party for your first, tenth, and sixteenth birthday...
This rule only came about when my younger siblings came around. After they were adopted, my parents realized that they would never be able to cope with four birthday parties every year until their children reached adulthood, so they formulated the "rule," which has since been broken, that my brothers and sister and I are only allowed four birthday parties a year. I'm certain this rule wouldn't change even if we were public-schooled.

(Girls) never cut your hair...
The sole reason I won't cut mine is because of terrible haircuts past...

The horror...

(Boys) always choose the bowl-cut...
No. Really. The most common haircut I've seen among home-schooled boys are au natural. Be it curly or straight or slightly wavy, the only haircut I've seen on a home-schooled boy is the one his mom makes him get; unless she's a maniac, there are no bowls involved. 

Never leave home, save for the occasional trip to the farmer's market...
My family hardly ever goes to the farmer's market. The more common shoppers there are most likely public-schoolers. And old ladies. Actually, they're all adults, so this one doesn't really count.

Listen only to Christian contemporary and country music...
I know more public-schoolers who listen to country than home-schoolers. Most of my friends don't even like country in the first place. Except Taylor Swift...but let's not go there.
As far as Christian contemporary, that is a popular thing, but it's not 'required' in the home. I listen to Bastille more than Hillsong; I don't prefer most mainstream artists (Miley Cyrus, for one) but if I did it wouldn't make a difference because home-schoolers listen to what they want, same as everyone else.

Live on a farm...
I lived in town next to a gas station for the first three years of my life before we were forced to move into a bigger house due to my mom and dad becoming foster parents - which, by the way, parents of public-schoolers do as well. We now have less than 2 acres and our garden is this piddly little thing that only grows beans and tomatoes. We're really farm-savvy here...

Go hunting when acceptable (to sustain the family for the winter)...
I have said it before, and I'll say it again. My dad is a nutcase when it comes to guns (the machines, not the body parts). And not in the sense that he goes around shooting things, but in the sense he can sit down and talk about guns for aaaaagesssss. He knows his stuff.
Growing up with him, I know a thing or two about hunting, but I haven't ever been on a hunting trip with him. One home-school family I know is crazy about hunting, but as far as all the others I've met, no one really uses hunting as the sole source of sustenance. There is such a thing as a grocery store...and home-schoolers do use it.

Own a woodstove and an icebox...
Before American Girl, I had no idea what an icebox was.
And the only people I know with a woodstove are my aunt and uncle in Ohio.
Basically, home-schoolers use furnaces and freezers - get this - just like everyone else. 

Watch VeggieTales and old Disney films (nothing over PG)...
This is true for many three year olds, but for real. I have watched X-Men, The Avengers, Lord of the Rings, snippets of 300, Mama, The Purge, clips of Silent Hill, The Village, parts of Game of Thrones...I mean those aren't all that scary so much as they are thrilling and graphic but they're definitely not PG.
Many, if not all of my home-schooled friends have watched things without their parents' consent before. ooooooooh noooooo! *gasp* such rebellion!

Never burp or toot (not 'fart') without saying "excuse me" as it is a vulgar act of sin...
In my home, bodily functions (in more appropriate settings) are humorous. Now, if you fart at the table, that's considered unacceptable, but both my dad and my brother burp (quite boisterously, might I add) when the food is exceptionally good, so as annoying as it is, the belches are compliments to the chef. 

That's all I have. If you think of any more, please let me know!
I'm happy to explain any and all misconceptions. ;)

~JK

Level 16

Friday was my level-up day!
As childish as it sounds, I still get excited for presents...many of which I received.
Also, you would think I took 3947262 pictures of the event; in reality I took about three, if even than many.
I apologize in advance.

[source]

On the 27th of June, sixteen years ago, I - Janessa - was born. Since then, I've had enough cake to last me a lifetime, torn through enough wrapping paper to make my fingers bleed, and blown out enough candles to completely rid my lungs of oxygen.

This year was uber special because, in America at least, an individual's 16th birthday is a pretty huge deal. Personally, all I wanted was a sleepover with a sizable group of my favorite girls, but Mom was set on this big party that was essentially an open house. And I haven't even graduated from my freshman year of high school yet (Mom's kinda famous for overkill. ;) ). We were [eventually] able to figure out how both of us could win: I would have two parties, back to back. Actually, three, counting the "party" I had with my family...I'm not complaining. That meant a lot of hugs, a lot of food, and a lot of cards to read. :)

On Thursday, I went went out for lunch with my parents, my brothers, and my sister.

We went to a Chinese restaurant where we got the best waiter who told us his name was Jackie Chan, and kept going on about how lucky he was to serve "such a beautiful family." I got the almond chicken with white rice, which was fantastic.

After we were finished, Jackie said to me "next time your beautiful family come here, but you bring another boy, I not serve him."
If he isn't the best waiter ever, I don't know who is.

Later, we got frozen yogurt. I went all out with the toppings, and, as always, it was delish. <3

A mess of Reese's candies, chocolate covered pretzels,
mini peanut butter cups, Oreo pieces, peanut butter sauce,
chocolate sauce, whipped cream, and chocolate sprinkles.

Afterward, I opened presents from my parents and siblings. I received a multitude of owl-themed products - including a towel, a pencil holder, and a rug - and from my parents my favorite was a little owl mug that I named Clementine.

(Don't tell the others I'm picking favorites)

On Friday, before the party, I took my permit test...
...and passed! I was sweating like a horse but I had studied the book previously and riddled my mom with questions right beforehand, so I was confident in most of my answers and I only got three incorrect.
After taking my test, I had a checkup at the doctor's office (an annual thing my mom still makes me do), then from there, we picked up my friends Kaylee and Kennedi for the "pre-party."
We picked up Subway sandwiches and stopped at a local coffee house. Then we walked around town before mom picked us up to get ready for the others to arrive.

Later on, a good amount of my friends showed up for the party. I was actually really worried because - long story short - not everyone knew I was even having a party on Friday. But it worked out just fine. :)
Mom made cookies in place of cake, and, of course, there was pizza. Lots of pizza.

On Saturday, Kaylee and  Kennedi and I went to the library with Dad to find some horror movies - preferably ones that were rated PG-13 because Kennedi had never seen a horror movie before. We found Mama and 1408, then we walked to Redbox for The Purge.
[Synopsis: Mama was hilarious, believe it or not. The storyline was so unrealistic, but Lucas and Annabel are a pretty cute couple and the acting wasn't horrendous so it was worth watching. Mama was played by a man with Marfan Syndrome and there was hardly and CG involved.
The Purge was the most disappointing horror movie I have ever seen. The only scary thing was the jumpscares, and even then it wasn't as scary as I let on. We tried watching it in the dark but we couldn't do it, so maybe it's because the lights were on...
1408 was also very disappointing because - again - it wasn't scary. I was anticipating something terrifying to happen but it never did and I just want the hours of my life back that I wasted on it.]
Halfway through Mama, guests started arriving. My uncle came from Ohio to make the food: turkey meatballs, cole slaw, dinner rolls, baked mac & cheese, roasted sweet potatoes and vegetables, raw vegetables and dip, and strawberry cupcakes with lemon icing. I got 12 pinkish-red roses to compliment the table...

I received a multitude of cards and gave out enough hugs to last me a week. It was fun getting to hang out with my closest friends; it still hasn't sunk in yet that I'm 16 and I can drive.

On Sunday, Mom took me driving for 55 minutes, and later Dad took me driving for 40 (30 of those were at nighttime). I almost got hit  by a semi because you are not supposed to slow to a stop when you want to turn off a road to another road or a driveway or a bridge or anything else. Just don't stop. Trust me.
Frankly, I'm doing pretty well for a first-timer, I think. I agree with everyone who has their license now...driving is not as much fun as you think it is. I was so eager to start driving because I thought it'd be a breeze and I'd get the hang of it in the blink of an eye but nooooooo. Ohhhh no. My eyes are always darting precariously from the speedometer to the road to the rearview mirror back to the speedometer to the steering wheel to the road...'tis a vicious cycle of certain death. And I tend to "hug the white line" (Dad quote) which is better than veering to the middle of the road, I suppose. And at night I forgot to turn down my brights when a semi passed in the opposite lane. Agh. >.<  There's a lot more mental action involved in driving than I anticipated. What did I get myself into?...

And no, I don't have my own car yet. That's not something that my parents buy for me like in those early-2000s movies where the rich daughter is given a car on her 16th birthday. 1) I'm not rich, and 2) my parents and I have already discussed that I am buying my own car when the time comes; or at least a huge portion of the cost. Dad insists that if I buy it with my own money I'm more likely to be careful with it. Which is true, because I realize now that cars are not cheap. At all.

Thanks for stopping by to hear [read] me ramble on recap my weekend. ;)

~JK

Spill it, Sundays #3

Did I really miss last week's linkup?

*heavy sigh* I refuse to give up. Someday I WILL remember before 10 o'clock at night.

[more info here]

This week's topic was a toughie! I'm not one for being able to spout out fact upon random fact; it was fun though, don't get me wrong!

I'm changing this up a bit and putting my selfie at the start of the post:

Now you can visualize this ever-so-gorgeous face reading this post to you. *insert cheesy grin emoji here*

Five facts about your family: 

1. I come from an all-American, mostly southern family. On my dad's side there are over 100 total children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and in-laws stemming out from those. 

2. I am the oldest in my immediate family, but I have always (I kid you not; I mean always) wanted an older brother/sister. I have no experience with either, so I don't know which would be better...I'm kinda leaning towards brother, because my sister drives me nuts and I don't know if I could handle another one.

3. I am the only child (in my immediate family) who has not been adopted. I wish I could say I have foreign brothers and sister, but they all come from America. As a matter of fact, they all come from the same state we currently reside in. I love them; but I think African brothers and an Asian sister would be pretty awesome. 

4. My parents are the shortest of all their siblings, in both families. 

Every one of my aunts and uncles are tall. Some of them have shrunk a little with age (their words, not mine!) but 5'10 for Dad and 5'5 for Mom is pretty much average. 

For the record, I am almost 5'6. I give myself some extra points for managing to grow a quarter of an inch this past year.

5. Most - if not all - of my personal talents and interests are genetically inclined. I guess coming from a family of 100+ that's kind of expected, but there is not one person in the whole Kanagy clan who has an original career/hobby. At least, not to my knowledge...Maybe there is. Don't take my word for it!

Five facts about your childhood:

1. I grew up in a little house that I'm still incredibly nostalgic about. It is located roughly two and a half minutes from my current home; I drive by it every time I go into town. All of Mom's home videos of Little Janessa are filmed at that house. Such memories. 

2. My mom babysat my best friend Emily and her brother David almost every day up until Emily (two years older than David) started Kindergarten. Ultimately, that made them my brother and sister because even after they stopped coming on a regular basis, they would randomly show up on my doorstep sometimes. Emily and I are pretty tight, even now after 16 years. :)

3. I was always a Mama's girl. Up until the age of I-can't-remember-how-old (let's just say 11), I was the clingiest, shyest child you would ever meet. I was afraid to go to my best friends' houses for more than half a day because I couldn't stand being away from my mommy. 

I'm still kind of like that. I love her a lot; but I can handle being away from home for a week (nine days, tops). I'm still working on the whole homesickness thing...

4. I used to be super girly. I wouldn't wear anything but dresses, I loved having my hair long and wavy, I had a dozen or more Barbie dolls, my bedroom was bubblegum pink, I loved everything with hearts and flowers and bug-eyed, fluffy animals. That kind of girly.

5. A lot of the foods I hated then, I love now. Salad, sweet potatoes, Cheerios, coffee, brussels sprouts...

Five facts about you + school:

1. no. 2. no. 3. no. 4. no. 5. no.

...Sorry.

Forreal:

1. I'm home-schooled.

2. I should be a junior this upcoming year.

3. I fell behind back in the sixth grade.

4. I have yet to take that darned pre-SAT.

5. I really wish I could skip high school and go straight to college with all the knowledge required. Ugh.

Five facts about you +travel:

1. I 

2. want

3. to

4. go

5. everywhere.

The farthest I've gone from home is Mississippi. That was a 14 hour drive (torture, I tell you); I've only been in a plane on one occasion (er, three separate planes, for this one occasion) and I barely remember anything. I do remember getting motion sickness medication so I wouldn't throw up everywhere...

Five facts about your eating style: 

1. I didn't know eating had a style...if you mean habits, I'm not a super picky eater, but I know what I don't like, and I won't force myself to eat it unless I'm absolutely famished (or if someone's life depends on it, but that's pretty extreme).

2. I eat everything. All the time. Every day. No matter what.

[source]

3. If I find a food I really like, I eat it all the time, obsessively. I kid you not, I will eat it every day until I'm sick of it and can't stand to eat it ever again. Then, after a couple of months, the cycle begins again.

4. I get strange cravings sometimes, of things that I don't usually even like (onion rings and pickles for example). If anyone can tell me why, you get virtual love for ever. 

Hormones don't count, by the way.

5. I'm one of "those people" who like to photograph their food when they go out. I mean, come on, if my food comes out looking like a masterpiece done by Michelangelo, of course I'm gonna take a picture of it!

Sometimes I take pictures of my salad too. Not because it's pretty. Just because it's tasty.

I mean it. One day I am going to link up at an appropriate time, for more than one week in w row.

~JK

Thinking Out Loud #8

Another week has come and gone...

...it's time for another ToL :D

[check out the linkup here]

I.  My birthday is steadily approaching! Today is my last day of being fifteen.

Wow. When you think of it that way, it's kinda nerve-racking. O.o  I will never in my life ever be 15 again.

II.  On Sunday, two days after my birthday, I will be joining a majority of my ballet class to perform our "America the Beautiful" dance [which we did for this year's recital] at a war memorial service. I have never performed outside of the normal performance location (including the dance studio), so this is a pretty huge deal for me! 

III.  For a couple of days, I was having trouble with my Chrome account. For whatever reason, Chrome would log me out of my account upon startup and send me a pop-up message saying 'your preferences cannot be read' and some other mumbo-jumbo about my settings not being saved and such. I logged in, logged out, restarted the computer - nothing worked until I checked my download queue (at least that's what I'm assuming it was...I'm not very tech savvy). I cleared all the downloads that were in process - most of them things that I hadn't ever seen before! Since then, everything's been fine. My biggest worry was losing all of my bookmarks. I have over a dozen recipes saved on my bookmarks page; not to mention aaaaaaall the blogs I check up on every day. 

To lose those would most probably have led me into a fit of rage. My laptop would be in pieces, to say the least.

IV.  I've been looking at smartphones that are compatible with my family's plan and as much as I would love to say that I - an unemployed 16 [almost] year old - can afford an iPhone 5c, would be a massive lie.

I've narrowed it down to the Samsung Galaxy III mini, at roughly $210 dollars. The problem is, I can't seem to find very many legit reviews on it. Consumer Reports hasn't even heard of it. All I can find are bogus websites riddled with ads and pop-ups, and no one wants to deal with that. 

There is a time in life when taking a leap of faith is the only option there is. All I've got to lose is money that would take me months to re-earn... But I'll have a phone. A real phone. I'm all in at this point.

V.  In every. single. Thinking Out Loud post, I have to mention coffee.

[source]

Given that my birthday is coming up - namely my 16th - I have chosen to have a sleepover/camp out with as many of my girlfriends as I can manage [er, as many as my mother can manage. She's the one making the food...] which means the Keurig is likely to be the star of the day. That also means that coffee creamer is needed.

I came upon this guy while in Kroger the other day...

...Samosas seem to be pretty popular. I'm not a huge fan of them, but chocolate coconut creamer sounded delightful nonetheless. I have yet to try it out.

VI.  I went to Starbucks with my cousin last week. I could give you a detailed paragraph or two on why I really don't care all that much for this place, but for now, all I want to do is rave about this baby:

[source]

There are no words. None. All I can say is: get it the next chance you have. It is heaven in a cup.

VII.  As well as cookies and overly delicious frappuccinos, I have developed another obsession: french fries. Specifically the less-oily ones from Wendy's and Dairy Queen. I can't eat McDonald's (my belly does not agree with them), but every time we made a trip to a fast-food joint last week while on "vacation" (read: visiting family in Ohio), I ate way more than my share of fries.
When at Dairy Queen, dip them in the ice cream. Pure. Bliss.

[source]

^^If this is an actual thing, take me to your leader!!

VIII.  I am now officially down to 4 subjects in school. I've mentioned time and time again how I despise schoolwork, but if I don't do it I despise myself even more. Maybe I haven't explained it in that context exactly...
Anyways. I completed New Testament Survey with a score of 93.26 - barely an A. I'm determined to finish every course (with the exception of Algebra I) with an A. In my school, 93 is the lowest score you can get for an A; in most schools it's 90. So basically....my school is harder than most. #homeschoolprobs

IX.  I went to the orthodontist this week for an annual checkup. I'm actually not afraid of the orthodontist anymore; I used to be terrified, especially after one nurse pinched a bit of my lip in between my braces and the wire that connected them. But after four years of poking and prodding and pinching, I'm pretty much accustomed to the ways of the great oral-metal wielders.
(Conclusively, I won't have to go back for another year. Also, I may have room for my wisdom teeth; if so, I won't need to have them removed!)

X.  As part of some birthday party prep, Mom took me to the Amish & scratch-and-dent store where I found some coffee...

...and some WowButter that I was so eager to try, only to find that the container was cracked and the contents were dry.

even the jar is frowning. :(

Someday, I will get some hands on a [quality] jar of Wowbutter! On the bright side, I scored two jars of natural peanut butter and a jar of Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams. :D

Join the linkup!

~JK