CURRENT MISSION

Avoid being brainwashed by corporations or cultural dogma. Damage the planet as little as possible. Raise intelligent, curious, imaginitive children who love to laugh and giggle but also know when to calm down and show respect.

ABOUT ME

If you asked my friends for a description of me? They'd probably say "Why...why, what did she do?!?!?!". Hmmmm...well, they would say I'm always up for a laugh and a long conversation. I love to read, I adore the performing arts (I have a degree in opera, and I currently teach music, drama and dance to 4-10 year olds...best job on the PLANET). I have an amazing family - a pair of identical twin girls who are too cute for words, and my handsome hubbie (a stay-at-home dad extraordinaire, who recently started a home daycare to help provide a few of our friends with affordable childcare).

PHILOSOPHY

My personal philosophy is "If you have a choice between a night you'll remember and one you won't, pick the one you'll remember"

Add to that a few particularly influential quotes:
"The best things in life aren't things"
"Pay attention to the little things, because some day you'll look back and realize that they were the big things"

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

My family (yup, all four of us) stayed with a couple in Ottawa. We'd like to visit other places within driving distance, either as a family, or just my husband and I. We're open to hosting, but because we have young children, it's extremely important that I'm comfortable with someone before having them stay overnight in our home

Interests

I love music in pretty much any incarnation (anything from drumming circles to Schoenberg). Gardening for food, talking about good books (Malcolm Gladwell is my current obsession), hiking, and pretty much anything on the nerd spectrum (anime, star trek, video games, D&D...my Fandom is Random)

• arts
• books
• performing arts
• dancing
• dining
• cooking
• vegetarian
• walking
• flying
• gardening
• anime
• video games
• survival
• music
• guitar
• piano
• opera
• outdoor activities
• hiking
• teaching
• mathematics
• science

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Moment: Sitting on a plane and flying to a remote native reservation in the backwoods of Northern Ontario, where I was about to start my first teaching job (a grade 1/2 split). I was terrified.

Moment: Holding my daughters for the first time (about 18 hours after they were born - they were premature and had been whisked off to the NICU).

Several moments: Walking into any huge, gorgeous historical church

Teach, Learn, Share

For adults: how to read music, how to play any band instrument (you know, the ones from high school), how to master "the teacher voice" (ie: I'm in charge and you're not). I've also taught ESL to adults. My husband is an absolute boy scout (literally: he was a scout leader for 10 years). He can teach outdoor survival (building a campfire from scratch, pitching a tent, building a lean-to, etc.). He's also a really good vegetarian cook.
For children: I can tutor pretty much any subject from k-8, and almost anything from high school (math, english, music...most anything but science)

Learn: I love to learn about anything really - it`s fascinating to hear the things that others are truly passionate about. Specifically, I`d love to learn more about gardening, using power tools, and pretty much any skill where you use your hands

Share: I love attending pretty much anything. Let`s go together. I also love making music with pretty much anyone (but as a warning, I only know 6 guitar chords and my piano skills extend to plinking out the melody with my right hand)

What I Can Share with Hosts

My husband and I will happily cook for you, and we'll make every effort to leave any area that we use in perfect order.

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, United Kingdom, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

Canada