Quirks

I stole this idea from Ari. Thanks, man.

I am a huge fan of quirks. I love it when I discover one - especially in someone I enjoy - and find them endearing and delightful. Except for the obvious distressing ones. I do not think you are cute if you pick your nose. In fact, if you pick your nose, you are dead to me. But if you - say - read your magazines back to front? I love that about you. Perhaps that is one of my quirks? 

And one of the best things about raising children is discovering - right along with them - their amazingly complex personalities - their favorites, their obsessions, and their quirks!

So here's a list of some of my favorites of me and mine:

  • I wash my face with soap. Then scrub with a washcloth. The soap and the washcloth never touch. 
  • When nature calls, Wyatt excuses himself to the bathroom, turns the light AND the fan on, then begins to dictate stories to himself in the mirror with the loudest voice possible. AWESOME.
  • If Daphne enjoys a meal particularly well, she will put it in her hair. This is how she shows you her enthusiastic appreciation. 
  • Wyatt shakes his hands up and down when he is trying to explain something to you,
  • I always go through checkstand 8 if I can help it.
  • I always park next to the cart return (since having kids).
  • I am a compulsive reader. If it has words - I'm reading them. Passing billboards on the freeway can be frustrating! I've always got a book on my nightstand that I'm in the middle of reading. 
  • I have a thing about making sure my kids have clean ears. I check them compulsively, and we go through quite a few q-tips. 
  • Bill loves ice-water. You can usually tell what room he's been in because there will be a water glass with left-over ice in the bottom. Every morning, I go through the house and collect baby bottles and water glasses for the morning load of dishes.
  • When Henry is burped, you have to wait for one burp, then lay him down flat again or he'll spit up. If he burps more than once while on your shoulder, you'll get more than you bargained for!
  • Bill hates commercials. He avoids watching them because they make him mad. Not because they are an annoying interruption from the show at hand, but because most of them are badly designed or a bold-faced lie contrived to get you to think wrong.
  • I enjoy making "Sunday Pot Roast" complete with potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms - but I never eat the roast part when serving it. However, I always serve myself a double helping of the carrots; my favorite part! 
  • I have a saliva complex. I hate spit. I have the hardest time sharing beverages - sometimes I even cringe to share with my own kids. Often if they share my water, I'll conveniently decide I'm done with it and let them have the rest. If I see someone randomly spit on the ground, I'll decide they are disgusting and will go out of my way to avoid them (and their spit pile - GROSS!).
  • Whenever we kneel for family prayer, I have the urge to pop my neck. I dunno.
  • I eat toast by nibbling off the crust around the three sides I'm not holding, eating out the delicious buttery middle, and eating the last crust side last.
  • I eat my bowl of frozen yogurt with a baby spoon so it lasts longer. I don't eat ice-cream anymore - only frozen yogurt. Ice cream tastes too thick to me, now.
  • When I clean the bathroom or put on a new roll of toilet paper, I have to fold the ends into a V - like you see in hotels. That way you know it's 'fresh'. I love it when I am the next person to use the room, and the V is still there.
I know I've got some truly weird ones - but I can't think of them right now.

What are some of yours? I'd really love to know! Remember? It's one of my quirks!

6 comments:

Kristen said...

Hey, I'm one of Ari's friends!

I like to read while I eat lunch at the table... if I am just sitting there eating, it's so boring - gotta have a book in my hand!

I let my kids share drinks like no tomorrow (with each other) but if they even TOUCH mine, it goes in the sink and I get a new one.

I love your blog, by the way.

Wendy said...

When you mentioned popping your neck I totally popped mine while reading.

I also have a thing for clean ears. It could be from working with children who didn't get a bath as often as they should have and then turning to look at their ear. Gross.

One of my quirks is I love to drive and prefer to take my own vehicle if possible. I just love to go and be the driver.

Cheryl said...

I keep the tv or stereo volume on an even number, even if 8 is too low and 10 is too loud. 9 would make too uneasy to relax and concentrate.

I insist on having my undies folded in neat little piles in my drawer. No two pairs of the same color can be touching. This annoys my husband greatly.

I park next to the cart return too.

Whenever I say my married last name, I always think "parrot." Someday I'm going to introduce myself as Mrs. Parrot.

I'm sure I'll think of more quirks as the evening goes on!

sharon. said...

Oh man, I have a ton. But I never thought of them as quirks, this makes them sound less silly.

I spell things in my head a lot. I often think of every different way to spell something and have it sound the same. Take the word "often" then my brains goes oftin, oftun, offten etc. I've done this since I was a child.

I have to make my bed as soon as I am out of it. I HATE when the toilet seat isn't down because I am convinced poo flakes fly onto my toothbrush. I brush my teeth for a ridiculously long time in a very certain way. I can't stand to be in a car without music playing. When I pump my gas it has to be an even dollar value.

Okay that is enough. Ha ha. I could go on for days. My poor husband :/

Morgan Hagey said...

I found you via That Girl and I must say that I find you to be adorable. :)

Quirks? Well. I don't actually know if I have any. I'll have to think on that.

Briana said...

This post made my day, seriously! I was laughing pretty hard. I'm sure you could name my quirks as well as I could, it's harder than most people would think to come up with them yourself!

Over the past few years I'm sure I've adopted new ones...

I always brush my teeth twice in a row. With new toothpaste each time.

I put new socks on before I climb into bed (I can't stand dirty feet, even if it's just dirty socks) and I don't like being barefoot at night. Yes, my husband hates this.

I buy milk chocolate chips just to eat them, instead of a chocolate bar. Mainly cause they're so cute and little so I feel better about eating them (and maybe because they are easier to hide from my kid's exceptionally observant eyes).

Sometimes when I pick my nose... no, I'm kidding. Just had to say it.