A wife and a mother of twins, I am currently staying home to care for my girls full-time as I also complete a Masters degree in curriculum.  In my "spare" time (ha!), I enjoy reading, music (I sing and play piano, flute and pennywhistle), traveling, spending time with family and friends, being a bit of a "tech geek," doing crafty types of things, and doing volunteer work in our church. This spring, I directed our church's children's musical

A recent addition to the above list is one I have enjoyed quite a bit! Starting last fall, I have botten to teach "Computers in the Educational Setting" to teacher education majors at Taylor University. I have had a middle school classroom and I have taught several adult teacher workshops, but being on the professor side of things has been a new experience for me. I just completed my last Master's class in the summer of 2001, so it has been nice to be on the other side of the podium for a bit. It is also nice to have regular interaction with "kids" who have developed well beyond the toddler stage.

As you likely guess, I am usually not shy about sharing my opinion, so epinions is the perfect place for me! I am an optimist by nature, so I am more likely to take the time to post about products with which I have had a positive experience than a negative one. If I have a really bad one, though, I'll likely let you know that - just not as often. If I have had an experience but do not feel strongly either way, you won't hear from me about it. That's just the way I am - if I have absolutely no passion for the topic, there is most definitely no need to bore you with it.

What will you hear about from me? Lots of kid things, I suppose, as my life revolves in large part around our two-year-old twin girls. My very first review was a relatively mediocre one about a diaper pail that I finally became utterly fed up with. I also write about web services now and then, as well as a few adult pastimes (like the favorite game of my husband and I, FLUXX).  I always have a review in progress, but I sometimes only add a few sentences a day, so I don't post too frequently. You can bet that I spent a great deal of time and thought, though, when I do post.

I've learned a lot since I first joined epinions.  Can you believe that I first logged on to get information about diaper pails?!  I was fed up with our "Safety First Odor-less" pail and decided that I should write a review detailing my frustrations.  I later came to read several good epinions about various topics, learning that I had a lot to learn about writing and organization involved in describing products.

Here are a few of my favorite reviews...

• The Jesus Record: Rich's masterpiece of masterpieces - I am afraid that I wrote more of a book here than a review, it would seem.  Rich Mullins is my favorite musician, and I just couldn't capture the spirit of the album in a few simple paragraphs.  I do offer a warning about length in the opening paragraph, though, so that folks are aware of my verbosity.
  
• Choosing a twin stroller - As parents of twins, we had several things to consider when purchasing our stroller, and this essay is an attempt to help guide parents through the details they ought to consider when considering such a purchase.  It's also a favorite because it gives me a chance to detail the experience of finding out that twins were on the way.
  
• V-tech toys vs. near-perfect pitch: the duel - Our daughters have four different V-tech toys, and three of them have (or had) wrong notes in the melodies or accompaniment!  This may not be a big issue for you, but it was for me.  This is the only toy for which I have ever written a negative review.
  
• FLUXX: an unlikely wedding gift? - The game of FLUXX has become a favorite of my husband and I, and we have actually started giving it to young couples as a part of a wedding gift package.  A bit odd, you think?  Well, we do it anyhow.

I have only written twentyish reviews, as I am not all too quick and have plenty other things in my life that keep me busy (two two year-olds and graduate work, for example).  People may be interested in my WOT - I have become much more particular about choosing whom to trust than I was initially.  After reading several reviews that were written over a period of time by a writer I find enjoyable, I may decide to trust him or her.  You must realize that I am a stickler for grammar and spelling... a few misplaced apostrophes will not cause me to rate an otherwise good article lower, but it will keep me from "trusting" you.  The work I enjoy most is written with knowledge, humor, and organization (not necessarily in that order).  If you choose to "trust" me, I take this as the highest of compliments, and I will likely read some of your work to get a feel for who you are also.

Sheesh - I am sure this is more than you care to know about me!  If you want to know even more, then you have entirely too much time on your hands. Go and read a book or have a nice chat with a spouse or friend (or both in one if you're particularly blessed). Want a book suggestion? I'll eventually get to that, too.

Happy day to you!

-Angie