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.

The Me I'll Never Be

When I was little, I thought of the 16-year-old Janessa as someone extravagant; some flawless, cover model quality Barbie with long, thick hair, a slim waist, incredibly long legs, and a perfect smile. I imagined myself confident, popular, and burdened with having far too many boys my age practically drooling over me.

Now I'm at that age, and I can attest to the unrealistic fantasy that was my under-ten-year-old mind. I have neither a mob of guys falling at my feet, nor incredibly long legs. If anything, I am average-sized and totally single. Both of which I have learned to accept.

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

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

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