Jimmie -- About Me and My Lenses

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic by 59 people | Log in to rate

Ranked #79 in Me, #14,547 overall

Hi! I'm Jimmie. Although I don't look much like the Victorian lady I've chosen for my avatar, I like the image that she portrays -- dignified, calm, attractive, and cultured-- all things I'd like to be. Instead I'm a bit too loud, a bit too frank. So to give you a more realistic view of me, here is a photo of me and my darling only child Sprite (a nickname). You can find images of us sprinkled throughout this lens.

Yes,

my name really is Jimmie.

Niches that I Build Lenses Around 

squid polaroidMost lensmasters have niches-- specific areas that they are both knowledgeable and passionate about. Here are mine.
  • Lapbooking
  • Charlotte Mason Homeschooling
  • Notebooking
  • China
  • General Homeschooling
  • Miscellaneous (Wouldn't I seem boring if all my lenses fit into strict categories?)

Why Did I Begin Making Lenses at Squidoo? 

How it all started

My first lens was Lapbooking. (Lapbooking is a bit hard to define concisely. It is a learning product made of miniature books that are put together into a comprehensive project.) To be totally honest, it was all for myself. I wanted a place to store all the links I had for minibooks, folds, lapbook pictures, how-tos, Yahoo groups, and blog entries. There was no ONE website that had the best of the best in an attractive, organized format. I wanted a reference tool that would be easy to use and navigate when I needed something specific.

Squidoo lenses looked like just what I needed to create my lapbooking reference page. So, I created my first lens: all my lapbooking ideas, tips, and links in one convenient spot.

I never dreamed that my Lapbooking lens would become so popular. I shared it on my blog and in the Carnival of Homeschooling. It started to rise in lensrank.

family



It ranked as high as THREE at one time stayed in the top 100 for months and months. WOW! (For those of you who don't know, there are over 500,000 lenses at Squidoo!) The ironic thing is that in the beginning, I had no idea how amazing it was for my newbie lens to be ranked so highly. I had found a niche! I had found a topic that needed to be written about! I was not the only one who liked to see all the lapbooking links organized on one page.

Over many months, as I honed my lensmaking skills (mostly through the SquidU forum and some wonderful HTML lenses out there), it just got better and better.

I started getting compliments via email and comments. People asked me for lapbooking advice. People started linking to my page and saying it was great. (Blushing, here) I was asked to speak at a homeschool conference about lapbooking! (I couldn't go, but, wow, was I flattered!) Now my lens is in the process of being translated into French by a homeschooling mom in France!

THE Lapbooking Lens 

This is where my Squidoo journey began -- a lens on Lapbooking. (It has nothing to do with laptops, by the way.)

More Lapbooking Helps 

My original lapbooking lens is sometimes a bit overwhelming to newbies, so I created an easier to follow, bare bones, how to get started lens on lapbooking. Then I created more specifics about lapbooking. Those lenses are below.

 

 

 

Queen of Minibooks! 

Because of all the minibook lenses I've made, Valerie of Lapbook Lessons gave me this hilarious award!
minibook queen

No,

Jimmie is not short for James.

Lapbook Topic Pages 

At Hong Kong Disney
It's a small world



As do-it-yourself lapbookers, I realized that lenses would be the perfect place to organize all the best resources for lapbooking a certain topic: photos, links, and ideas. I'd already done most of the hard work when my daughter and I studied the topic and made the lapbook. All I had to do was put it all in the format of a lens. Easy peasy! My work can now help other moms who want to lapbook the same topic.

Lapbooking Specialties 

 

 

Some of Our Lapbooks 

I love using Flickr to store pictures of our lapbooks. Not only are they safe forever, but I have the joy of showing off and sharing with others!

Here are some lapbook covers. More pictures are on Flickr. Help yourself to a look.

Colonial America Lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Colonial America Lap...

lewis and clark lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

lewis and clark lapb...

Human Body lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Human Body lapbook c...

Egypt lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Egypt lapbook cover

light and color lapbook and main book by jimmiehomeschoolmom

light and color lapb...

american revolution lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

american revolution...

Greece Lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Greece Lapbook cover

dolphin cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

dolphin cover

rainforest lapbook COVER by jimmiehomeschoolmom

rainforest lapbook C...

Penguin lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Penguin lapbook cove...

Rain Lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Rain Lapbook cover

Space Lapbook Cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Space Lapbook Cover

Forces and Motion Lapbook Cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Forces and Motion La...

Volcano cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Volcano cover

Viking Lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Viking Lapbook cover

China lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

China lapbook cover

middle ages cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

middle ages cover

Ocean Lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Ocean Lapbook cover

Lipizzaner cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Lipizzaner cover

Pirate Lapbook Cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Pirate Lapbook Cover

Music lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Music lapbook cover

Ancient Civilizations Lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Ancient Civilization...

Explorer Lapbook cover by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Explorer Lapbook cov...

lapbook mosaic by jimmiehomeschoolmom

lapbook mosaic

curated content from Flickr

Vote in the Poll 

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Giant Squid and Rocket Mom 

& Giant Squid Awards 2008

giant squidgiant 100 squidAs of July 2008, I am a Giant Squid. That means that I have at least 50 great lenses (as decided by the Giant Squid organizers). Then in July of 2009, I was awarded GIANT 100 Squid status!

Besides this nifty badge (grin), you get some special perks like increased lensrank and a special personalized template.

For more information about the Giant Squid program, a great place to visit is the So You Want to be a Giant Squid blog.




Two of my lenses won in the 2008 Giant Squid Awards!


holiday lens crafty lens








On June 3, 2009, I graduated from the very first Rocket Moms "class." Of course, I'm still a Rocket Mom! But I completed my RM assignments in June of '09.

rocket mom logojimmie graduated

Lensmaking Tip #1

Pictures, Images, and Graphics!


You've got to have them to make your lens attractive. My general rule of thumb is to have some sort of graphic showing on the lens at all times, no matter where someone has scrolled to. That means LOTS of photos!

Some of My All Time Favorite Books 

These books are ones that impacted me greatly, changing the way I think or behave. I highly recommend each of them.

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

Foundational parenting philosophy.3 points

Sacred Marriage by Gary L. Thomas

Sacred Marriage by Gary L. Thomas

The premise of this book is that marriage is more more...2 points

Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love by Jerry Bridges

Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God's Unfailing Love by Jerry Bridges

This book was pivotal in my spiritual development. more...2 points

The Message Remix 2.0: The Bible In contemporary Language

The Message Remix 2.0: The Bible In contemporary Language

This version of the Bible makes old passages come more...0 points

No,

My parents did not want a boy.

Words I Would Use to Describe Myself 

Jimmie 2 pandasI'm sometimes an INTJ and sometimes an ENTJ on the Meyers Briggs Personality test. I'm very "in the middle" on the introvert/extrovert scale, but the other scales are always consistent.

Here are some words I would use to describe myself:
  • Responsible
  • Loyal
  • Creative
  • Analytical
  • Expressive
  • Curious
  • Task oriented

Sprite's Craft Corner 

This is my daughter's craft blog. Don't tell her, but this is my sneaky attempt to motivate her to write! She tells me what to type, and we discuss and edit it before we publish.

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

A Lens Just For Sprite 

My daughter already loves surfing the net! I finally discovered that I could use a Squidoo lens, updated weekly to give her some structure to her Internet play time. I put links that reinforce what we're studying and plenty of fun things too.

Homeschool Lenses for Everyone 

 

 

Math Lenses 

 

Teaching Writing 

Our Favorite Family Movies 

A family movie is a special thing -- a movie that's safe for your child but also entertaining for the parents. These fit the bill for the entire family. We've watched them over and over.

Nacho Libre (Full Screen Special Collector's Edition) by Unknown

Nacho Libre (Full Screen Special Collector's Edition) by Unknown

"I smell cookies....." A movie about a w more...0 points

School of Rock (Widescreen Edition)

School of Rock (Widescreen Edition)

We think Jack Black is a scream! Dad loves this on more...0 points

Fiddler on the Roof (2-Disc Collector's Edition)

Fiddler on the Roof (2-Disc Collector's Edition)

This classic is a winner at our home -- family val more...0 points

Daddy Day Care (Special Edition)

Daddy Day Care (Special Edition)

Our favorite line from this movie, which gets quot more...0 points

Lensmaking Tip #2

Share! Be generous!



Offer freebies on your lens. For example, on some of my lenses, I have links to free printable homeschooling templates that I created. Everyone loves freebies! Give and you will recieve!

My Tagfoot 

tagfoot

TagfootTagfoot is a cool new bookmarking site with so many neat features -- comment on bookmarks, post your own articles, upload pictures, send messages! Here are my latest bookmarks.

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

China 

Terracotta soldiersI actually live in China, so we are blessed to be able to take some amazing field trips! My China lenses come out of my own interest and experiences in my wonderful host country.

The Ancient China lens came about after our family vacation to see the Terracotta Soldiers in Xian, China. It was an incredible experience that ignited in Sprite an interest in archaeology and a deep appreciation for the rich cultural heritage of this land.

The photos below are ones that I've taken during our time in China.

curated content from Flickr

China Related Lenses & Groups 

Still China Related, But On the Lighter Side 

Asia in General 

Poll about the Name Jimmie 

Loading poll. Please Wait...

Hobbies I Enjoy 

chicken croquets

  • Cooking from scratch
  • Photography
  • Blogging and making lenses
  • Collecting postcards
  • Traveling (but coming home is always the best part!)

General Kid Fun Lenses 

from preschool and beyond

Jimmie's Collage 

My Very Own Blog

Doreo hosting :: Affordable Reliable SolutionsMy blog is hosted by Doreo, which I'm very satisfied with. My sign up was a bit complicated because I live abroad, but Frank, a Doreo associate, helped me through several days of problems, emailing me back and forth until I got successfully set up. I highly recommend Doreo for affordable and reliable web hosting.

Jimmie's Collage

Loading Fetching RSS feed... please stand by

Yes,

I hated my name as a child. I wanted to be called Judy. But now I enjoy my name. It's different and therefore people usually remember my name.

Lensmaking Tip #3

Keep your lenses fresh. Just like your mascara needs a touch up now and then, your lenses do too!

For more detailed tips and tricks for keeping lenses fresh, visit my Squidoo Tips lens.

Lenses as a Research Project 

My two favorite people. No, Jiminy isn't one of them.
(But I do like him, of course; his name is almost the same as mine!)Photobucket

I discovered another great use for Squidoo lenses. Not only can I use them to organize what I already know, I can also use them to organize what I'm learning. This is how my Charlotte Mason lenses came about.

I was not very knowledgeable about this homeschool philosophy in the beginning, but I wanted to know more. Creating Squidoo lenses on CM topics was what I did to organize my research and my findings. As a result, I not only ended up with a deeper understanding of CM, but I also had documented what I learned to share with others.

So when I find a topic that I feel I should research, I make a lens about it. That motivates me to find good material and to learn. For example, I'd like to learn about opera. So, at some point I'm going to make a lens about opera for kids (and newbies like me). I am a lifelong learner with a strong dive to constantly be learning something new and creating something new.

Charlotte Mason Lenses & Groups 

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Photos 

nature journal -- mantis exoskeleton by jimmiehomeschoolmom

nature journal

nature journal1 by jimmiehomeschoolmom

nature journal

Nature Walk 3-20-08 Sprite's  journal by jimmiehomeschoolmom

nature journal

Monet notebooking page front by jimmiehomeschoolmom

Monet study

Hanging Timeline 5 cards by jimmiehomeschoolmom

index card timeline

timeline 1600 by jimmiehomeschoolmom

notebook timeline

curated content from Flickr

Charlotte Mason in Her Own Words 

Quotation Lenses

These lenses feature quotations taken directly from Charlotte Mason's writings.

Charlotte Mason Applied to Various Areas 

Charlotte Mason Artist Study 

Charlotte Mason Artists 

Charlotte Mason Art 

Charlotte Mason Composer Study 

Charlotte Mason Nature Study 

The Name Jimmie for a Girl.... 

What do you think of it?

Names are strange things. They are very personal and reflect who we are, but we don't choose them for ourselves! So what about my name? Don't worry. You won't hurt my feelings. After all, I didn't pick this name!

What's your opinion of using the name Jimmie for a girl?

Loading Fetching blurbs now... please stand by

Girls should have "girl" names.

KathrynDarden says:

Jimmie IS a girl's name! Notice the "ie" on the end. Just like my Bobbie, Billie, and Tommie, who were my great aunts, all born before 1900.

Rajays says:

Before reading this lens I always thought you were a man. Your name suggested it. Now imagine MY surprise. Girls should have "girl" names. Atleast I wouldn't be feeling this stupid.

It's cool. At least it's unique!

sylvie torok nagy says:

i love it, i wanted to name a girl ( i never did have one) charlie....i love unusual names.

kimmisue says:

I think it is pretty! :)

mukunda22 says:

Nice Name!

papawu says:

I know of people who have named their child after a number or a letter, so far be it for me to say anything about a girl named Jimmie. At least it's an actual name rather than 6 or Z.

Deven says:

My name is a boy's name: Deven! Although it's used both ways. I love unique names! Even though all of my kidlets have traditional.

tandemonimom says:

My daughters are named Noa and Mica (note the dropped "H"s), so I guess you know where I fall in this debate!

Daphnemomof9 says:

I love unique! My daughter is expecting a baby next month and the names that she picks can go either way. I do believe they've chosen the one they're going to use now and it is Eden. Unique names are the best names.

sittonbull says:

Don't think I'd like to be a boy named "Sue", but
Jimmie is unique and the ie makes it feminine and
nice!

 
view all 29 comments

My Lensmaster Buddies 

I know these ladies via other online communities -- blogging, Yahoo groups, or forums. They make great lenses related to homeschooling.

Notebooking Related Lenses 

 

Curriculum Focused Lenses 

WP
When we switched homeschool curriculum from Sonlight to Winter Promise, I got a lot of questions on my blog and via email about Winter Promise. That's how these came to be.

Cooking Lenses 

Miscellaneous 

A general hodgepodge of leftovers that don't fit in anywhere else.

Animal Lenses 

Squidoo Specific Lenses 

teacher squid

Guestbook 

jimmie adventureThanks for dropping by and sharing my "Adventure."

Ya'll come back, now, ya hear?

submit

 

CurrClick Learning Things Notebooking Pages

by Jimmie

Hello! I am a homeschooling mom who loves to teach and learn.

I enjoy cooking from scratch, photography, and traveling. For more about me and my lense...

(more)
Create a Lens!