A trip down Memory Lane, WTM style...

[LisaKinVA]

I've been on this board for years...since the olden days...I'd say since the beginning, but I'm getting so old that I don't really remember when that was (oldest DS was born in 1999, so I'm guessing I've been around the board since about 2002 or 2003 -- because I purchased one of the first copies of TWTM before my son was born.)

 

My posts on the current board only go back to 2011 -- but what a history of things long since forgotten (and then there are the events that will never be forgotten).

 

When I started out on TWTM, I wouldn't venture onto the equivalent of "The Chat Board."  It was a scary place.  I mostly kept to myself...only dipping a big toe on the accelerated learner board.  I wonder if any of those posts are lingering somewhere in cyberspace?

 

Eventually, I found myself splitting my time between the Elementary School forum and the accelerated forum...around the time my oldest hit middle school, I started dipping my toe in more on the "Chat Board."  I had at least three babies while participating on these forums.

 

Today, I'm mostly on "The High School Board."  Ocassionally, I pop over to the other boards, and I spend more time here.  Only rarely do I peep in on the accelerated learner board (and it's not because my kids don't still fit that mold...it's because I usually have a better idea of what I'm looking for, or where to go to ask the questions, or feel a bit more confident myself).

 

This board has seen my through many ups, downs and changes...from issues with my in-laws, to sudden changes of plans (we're going to Italy...nope...staying here.  Moving to VA Beach, nope staying in DC, We're going to Italy -- We MADE it to Italy -- we're going back to VA beach -- we're staying in Italy), and various issues with my oldest son (well, he is the guinea pig after all...).  Moments (or years) of various frustrations, questions about life, homeschooling, curriculum, working, de-cluttering, mamma pride, concern, laughter and tears.  

 

Reading through some of my personal history here...well, it was a lot of fun, and I just wanted to say "Thank you."  Thank you to SWB and her team for being such a wonderful (and important) part of my homeschool journey through the creation and maintenance of this site.  Thank you to the boardies who have put themselves out there in times of need, or offered words of support and encouragement (It is impossible for me to mention everyone here), or just allowed me to vent.

 

This place, well, it's like a second family in many ways.  We may not always agree with each other -- at times, it may even get a bit ugly -- but looking at the short 4 years I can still see here on the board, it's always been worthwhile.

 

Love you all.

 

(no, I'm not saying "good-bye," just having a sappy moment.

[Hikin' Mama]

I'll join you in your sappy moment.

 

I could NOT have homeschooled without these boards, at least not in any way that I could have sustained long term. The learning challenges board was especially useful to me as I taught my dyslexic child. I started out with a Charlotte Mason approach, which I still think is great, but reading TWTM (first edition, ha ha!) was what provided the framework for how I wanted to approach educating my kids. I have used several of SWB's resources, with the SOTW series being my favorite. I've also loved listening to some of her lectures. She is smart, gracious, and down-to-earth. I'm so thankful that she is also generous in providing this forum space for us.

 

I big puffy heart you, SWB! And I love all the different personalities on this board!

[Night Elf]

Yeah, these boards have meant a lot to me over the years too. I think I joined in 2002, a year after I started homeschooling. I dabbled in the academic type boards, but really preferred the general board for typical daily mom chat. I honestly don't know how I would have made it through all my years of homeschooling without this site. I think SWB has affected many lives in different ways, not just her wonderful books.

[JFSinIL]

over a decade here, too.....

[SpecialClassical]

You would never know it by my post count, but I've been here over a decade as well. The WTM has been a huge blessing in our homeschooling journey.

 

I remember the dancing microphone, people trying to be the first to post on a new page, posters like Abbey and SWB who were homeschooled, Mental Multivitamin, and so many more influential posters. I remember clicking on Ree's link to her blog when it was brand new.

 

I don't read every day like I used to, but almost. 😀 Topics definitely repeat.

[LisaKinVA]

You would never know it by my post count, but I've been here over a decade as well. The WTM has been a huge blessing in our homeschooling journey.

 

I remember the dancing microphone, people trying to be the first to post on a new page, posters like Abbey and SWB who were homeschooled, Mental Multivitamin, and so many more influential posters. I remember clicking on Ree's link to her blog when it was brand new.

 

I don't read every day like I used to, but almost. 😀 Topics definitely repeat.

 

Yes, topics do repeat...often...haha

 

I guess I've averaged about 500 posts a year, but I know there were years I hardly posted anything, and years I posted a LOT.  When the board first switched over to a new format, I remember getting excited about reaching new posting "milestones" and getting new level names -- now we can name ourselves...haha

 

But, for the most part, my screen name has remain (mostly) unchanged.  

[Kfamily]

Yes, thank you so much SWB for providing this forum. It has helped me so much! I never did find very many like-minded homeschoolers IRL, so this site was so important to me. I think I go back to around 2002 as well. I remember the old boards, too...and the race to be the first poster every morning. :) I've loved learning all of the acronyms.

 

 I remember so many members over the years who had such a profound influence on me and I MISS THEM SO MUCH!!

 

Thank you to everyone here!! :)

 

 

[Kareni]

Another long time board member here. I remember how after Y2K the board went back to the early 1900s!

 

A very hearty thank you to SWB for providing this resource to us all.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Rose in BC]

I've been a boardie since around 2002/2003 and I agree it was my biggest support (along with Well Trained Mind book) while homeschooling. I live in a rural, small town far from a large urban centre. Internet is often our best resource.

 

My friends used to tease me about the boards because anytime we talked about a topic in real life, the board happened to be talking about the same subject. And if the subject wasn't being discussed on the boards my friends would prompt me to "ask the Well Trained Mind people".

 

I'm at the end of homeschool journey. I keep thinking I should cut the ties but aside from school, people on this board have showed some incredible support and kindness to me through some very difficult times in my life. The sense of community is real.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I've been around for a long time ... I can't remember how long.  I remember waiting for the old board to flip.  I remember the parallel site of people making fun of these boards.  Current events, parenting, homeschool shoes, crock pots, shopping carts, curly girls, teA, bOOks, kilts, yoga pants, Benedict Cumberbatch!  How I love a controversial topic!  Curriculum choices, transcripts, college applications, college acceptances, tearful goodbyes!  These forums have allowed me to procrastinate on just about anything!!  Over the years, this board has meant so much to me.  At times, I have felt isolated and have always had the boards to turn to.  You have been a source of support when there have been things I have not been able to share in my real life.  Thanks for being my buds. 

[Chris in VA]

I was doing about the same thing, Lisa, a few weeks ago--I needed to censor and delete some personal stuff, so I reread a lot of messages and posts.

Such a record of life, like a journal, almost!

 

Y'all are dear to me. I may not remember a lot of details about individual lives, but you ARE individuals to me, and I love the Hive!

 

Every time I go into World Market and see some bee-themed kitchen thing, I want to buy a bunch and send them out to you all! Sorry I don't have the budget to do so. :laugh:

[Liz CA]

Also still fondly remembering how the board "flipped." Early on I used to confuse Ria and Ree - neither one is now here anymore. I used to be on the HS board for years before I ventured into what was then called the "General Board." I don't think we had post counts back then so some people thought I was brand new...

[Lori D.]

Another long-timer here. We started homeschooling in 2000, and I think I stumbled across the WTM site about 2 years later. What a blessing! I learned about so many things that became a fundamental part of our homeschooling that I never would have known about without you all! :) [i also don't think I would have spent so much money on trying out so many things if it hadn't been for you all, either. ;) ]

 

I don't think I every made "first" when the original board flipped, but that was fun to race for it. ;)

 

And a quiet moment of remembrance for Devan (original WTM board poster), Kalanamak, nmoira, and others who have passed away; you are missed.

 

Thank you all for making our family's homeschooling journey so rich.

[brehon]

Another long time user of the boards despite the low post count. I was thinking the other day of the past voices that are no longer here for whatever reason. I still have many posts from the old (dare I say ancient? :leaving: ;) ) boards that I printed out, saved, and still read over once in a while.

 

I, and especially my kids, have benefited so very much over the past ten or so years from the collective wisdom and experience of the boards in all their incarnations.

[Brit29]

I love this post! I'm a newer member here, although I lurked a year or so before I started posting. I'm already feeling a big sense of community which is important to me since I don't know many homeschoolers that share my educational philosophy. 

 

I look forward to getting to know you all! 

[Mommy22alyns]

I've only been around since 2008, but there's no way I'd be homeschooling without the book WTM and this board.  The book gave me confidence that I actually could teach my kids, and the board kept me going day to day.

[Laurel-in-CA]

I think I was here when the boards open. I know I read WTM 1st ed. the year it came out and its information has shaped, rather than directed, many of our homeschooling choices. It's been a really great ride. It's also been great to share the fellowship of this board. Our first (and best) co-op experience came thru a meet-up with folks we met here. Many of the helpful hints that have served us best came thru here as well. One year, the year dh was laid off twice and I found out I was pregnant and my dad was dying, our Christmas came thru the generosity of folks on this board. It has truly, truly been a blessing.

 

It's also been a real eye-opener: the things other folks joke about, struggle with, watch, discuss, pursue, prioritize and argue over. The variety of pov and style that I might never have been exposed to otherwise. The chance, occasionally, to correct my netiquette or share a bit of experience, to pray for and encourage others and find the same when I needed it. To "meet" other older moms. To learn about summer camps and college apps and scholarships and the great things kids can accomplish, as well as be reassured about finding the right pathway for my own individual kids.

 

And much, much more. A big, big thank you to SWB and her crew for establishing and nurturing this community, in all its variety.

[Susan Wise Bauer]

Aww...y'all are making me feel all mushy.

 

Who was here when I was trying to get tips on starting labor because I was 9 1/2 months pregnant with my now-fourteen-year-old daughter???

 

SWB

[MomtoCandJ]

I started on here in 2009 with full intentions of homeschooling my oldest when we lived in GA. Now that we moved back to MI dd1 goes to a private school but is after schooled in science and history

[Hikin' Mama]

Aww...y'all are making me feel all mushy.nm

 

Who was here when I was trying to get tips on starting labor because I was 9 1/2 months pregnant with my now-fourteen-year-old daughter???

 

SWB

I must have been here then because I think I remember a picture of you with your baby daughter. I began homeschooling 18 years ago, and found these boards relatively early in my journey.

[Amira]

I didn't find these boards till 2003 but I remember posters reminiscing about swapping labor-starting ideas.  

 

I wish there was a way to look back on those really early posts.  I loved it when I moved to Kyrgyzstan and didn't have to stay up late to be first. :)

[SpecialClassical]

Hmmmm, I do remember threads early on about starting labor, but I'm pretty sure your daughter was already born when I began reading here. Now I'm wondering.....

[Hunter's Moon]

I just realized a few days ago this is my fifth year on the forums!

 

I'm not a typical member by any stretch, considering I was underage when I joined and have no children, but I was always made to feel welcomed and included.

 

I couldn't have done what I did (self-educated myself the last two years of high school) without this board and all of the wonderful people on it.

[Forget-Me-Not]

I've been here five years. I really don't know how I would have managed homeschooling without this lovely community and SWBs books! I'm grateful for this place every day. I have learned so much here!

[Carol in Cal.]

I am another old timer. I remember the old boards, and the ones before those.

How I pored over my very first post!  It was about why I wanted to teach world history to my daughter, as part of a Christian family, so that she would be prearmed for whatever BS got thrown at her in schools later on.  I wish I could find that post again.  It was something I had thought about for years, and finally polished and articulated, and then, of course, lost forever.  

I remember that something I said several times in it was 'She will be ready.'  That has always been my goal for all home education--'She will be ready.'

[LisaKinVA]

Hmmmm, I do remember threads early on about starting labor, but I'm pretty sure your daughter was already born when I began reading here. Now I'm wondering.....

 

I remember that being a thread that repeated...pretty sure I started and participated in at least one of those!

[ThisIsTheDay]

I first heard of WTM in the 2002-2003 school year, after pulling my dd from ps. I read WTM, got my hands on Story of the World book, saw the Activity Guide--and never looked back!  I learned more from those books than anything I ever read in school, and they are among the few hsing books I will never sell.

 

I joined the old forums way back then too. John Holzmann used to post periodically. Ree began writing a funny little blog.  There was that crazy woman who posted as two people, creating surely the biggest continuing lie ever on the boards.  That was one long lasting internet lesson, wasn't it?  I've even met a couple of boardies IRL.

 

Thanks, Susan.  Giving us these boards has changed countless lives in ways you could only imagine.  As a group, we don't always get along, but there are many times when we're one big, giant family.  From parenting my kids when they were small, to discipline options, purchasing decisions, curriculum choices, college knowledge, medical procedures (really!), and in broadening my mind in a way that wouldn't have happened in my cozy, comparatively smaller homeschool group, thank you for being so giving in your website and in your time and money you've spent on us. Where else would we have had the opportunity to gather and sharpen and encourage each other on such a scale?

 

 

[OneStepAtATime]

I have only been posting here for about 3 years.  We started our homeschooling journey just a bit before that.  I didn't realize at first it was a community, just a place to get a bit of info.  Over time I came to realize just how much of a community this is.  And I have come to care very much for so many members of this community.  Certainly from a newbie homeschooling standpoint I will always be eternally grateful.  So many things seemed confusing and overwhelming in that first year of trying to homeschool two newly diagnosed dyslexic kids.  Suggestions and support from these boards helped tremendously.  

 

I cannot say enough how thankful I am for TWTM and to SWB and all those who help her maintain it for continuing to keep it alive.

[Debbi in Texas]

Love these boards and have been here a LONG time. SWB-I may have been here when you were trying to go in labor-too long ago to remember exactly.

I enjoy all the ones still here and miss those that are not. Two that come to mind are ChurchPat abd Quiver. Oh and nmoira :(.

[JudoMom]

I've been around since 2004ish.  I read WTM in 1999 when my oldest was born, and then on a road trip to visit the in-laws I was trying to figure out spelling for my genius first born ( :001_rolleyes:) and noticed there were forums available.  I hopped on at my in-laws home (I used to be threelops back then) and asked what I should do with said genius ( :001_rolleyes:) child, and was troubled that people advised me to not push my little snowflake and I assumed they didn't understand ( :lol:).  Ahem.

 

I've become good friends with a handful of the others who used to post regularly on the old boards.  Just a couple of weeks ago I flew across country to an old boardie's house, another drove up to boardie #1's house from a different state, and we went to the Cinci convention together (It's a good thing Susan wasn't there--I think we startled Perrin, Kern, Pudewa, and Cothran when we requested a group photo--not to mention a note from Dr. Perrin for a 3rd old timer instructing her children to do their work because they listen to everything he says :lol: ).  The first boardie & I met the year prior when our families got together in a 3rd state when our vacations intersected.  I consider her one of my dearest friends.
 

I don't post nearly as often as I used to, but these boards have been a real blessing in my life.  Like others, I have procrastinated here, but I have also learned so much, and my life and my sons' lives are better because of the time I have spent here over the years.

 

[Barb_]

Aww...y'all are making me feel all mushy.

 

Who was here when I was trying to get tips on starting labor because I was 9 1/2 months pregnant with my now-fourteen-year-old daughter???

 

SWB

 

I believe I started a debate on the merits and drawbacks of castor oil.

 

I found the Well Trained Mind in late 1999 when a group of militant unschoolers warned me away. 

[Ottakee]

I started homeschooling in 1996 and I think I was here about 2000 or so..........that was a long time ago to remember correctly.  I was here with the OLD boards and the one before that one.....where things were threaded and you had to scroll way to the right to see the new posts.  I remember all of the hupla about the new boards and the likes/dislikes/we don't do change well here, etc.

[Joanne]

I believe I started a debate on the merits and drawbacks of castor oil.

 

I found the Well Trained Mind in late 1999 when a group of militant unschoolers warned me away.

I was warned away and ended up here from the FIAR boards. Circa 1999 also?

[sunflowerlady]

I started homeschooling in 2004 and found the boards shortly after. I bought a set of books from Ria. The swap.boards used to be awesome!

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I found the Well Trained Mind in late 1999 when a group of militant unschoolers warned me away. 

 

:smilielol5:  :smilielol5:  :smilielol5:

 

 

Almost 9 years for me. This board was the main reason I pulled my oldest from the kindergarten rolls just days before school was supposed to start. I can still remember shredding her bus pass and feeling like I was being crazy. And then on the first day, watching the school bus pick up 30 feet from our front door and feeling like I was going to faint :lol:

 

I was sent here by someone who ended up being an afterschooler and who warned me that it could be pretty hardcore. I was a Mothering.com devotee at the time. After a year or so, I left MDC behind and began spending the majority of my online time here! I've learned SO MUCH about HSing, parenting, and life in general here. I can't even begin to imagine what our lives would be like if I'd never started hanging out at the WTM forum!

[hornblower]

I joined early or mid 2001 (then left & came back & left & came back..LOL)  In Jan of 2001 I asked in another forum about Lost Tools of Learning & what I wanted to achieve in education & another poster recommended WTM. I read it within weeks of that & joined the boards soon after.

I've just been having a chuckle looking back at my lofty post then. I had 2 wee kids & wrote this:

"Back to a liberal education, some of the things I hope to achieve:
-the ability to speak and write with clarity in English
-at least an introductory acquaintance with another language
-capacity for critical thinking (logic, reasoning, analysis, synthesis,
deduction and induction)
-openness to new ideas combined with independence of mind
-continuing curiosity about the social, cultural, and natural worlds in
which we live
-appreciation of the complexities of knowledge and tolerance for ambiguity
-a capacity for gaining perspective on one's own life through
self-examination and the study of others
-a liberally educated person should also appreciate and understand something
of the philosophical, artistic, scientific, and political roots of the
Western Civilization & its relation to other traditions and perspectives
(I've been collecting quotes about what constitutes a liberal education and
this list is culled from that collection which is why it's a bit disjointed)"

oh hun. Who'd have thought you'd be admitting in 2014 that your dd never wrote a single essay in her homeschool career. :lol:   Also dd & tolerance for ambiguity? SO NOT TRUE. :lol:


 

[fairfarmhand]

I think I  have been here for about 5 years.

 

I checked out some of my older posts today and some of them, I laughed out loud about. I considered resurrecting the one about teen drama.

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/420038-so-a-whole-list-of-options-for-using-teenage-drama-to-its-maximum-effect/

 

I can see that my daughter has SLOWLY improved her outlook. She's never going to be easy, but she' s gotten drastically better.

[KidsHappen]

I have been here since 2002 as well. So for 13 years the WTM forums have pretty much been a constant in my life. My youngest was three when I joined and now my grandson, age 6, is beginning his homeschool journey. I don't participate as much as I used to but I still remember so many of the originals who no longer post here and I miss them. 

[Onceuponatime]

I found the boards circa 2004, possibly earlier, and posted under another name. I happened to come in during a big troll hunt and I didn't even know what a troll was. The person I miss the most is Pam (flaming sword of moderation). I remember an Amy in Orlando, a Butch, an Abbey (?) who was good at troll hunting, and others. It feels like a whole different world. I've changed a lot, too.

[ILiveInFlipFlops]

I have been here since 2002 as well. So for 13 years the WTM forums have pretty much been a constant in my life. My youngest was three when I joined and now my grandson, age 6, is beginning his homeschool journey. I don't participate as much as I used to but I still remember so many of the originals who no longer post here and I miss them. 

 

I was literally just wondering about you yesterday, thinking that we hadn't seen you around in awhile. Your grandson is 6?!!! Amazing. I love that your DD is HSing as well. What a testimony to the hard work you've done :D

[KidsHappen]

I was literally just wondering about you yesterday, thinking that we hadn't seen you around in awhile. Your grandson is 6?!!! Amazing. I love that your DD is HSing as well. What a testimony to the hard work you've done :D

Yes, I am very excited that she is homeschooling him. She never even entertained the idea of sending him to school. It was just kind of a given that he would homeschool and she is doing a great job. Much better than I ever did. She has him way ahead of where I ever had any of them at his age. I am so proud of both of them.

[Evergreen State Sue]

I've been around for years and years too - back when the boards would flip and I would post "I'm 1st!" only to find out there was a delay and I was really 3rd or 4th! I remember being so excited that Susan was going to be the keynote speaker at our homeschool conference in the Seattle area and I went to every one of her sessions and hung on every word she said.  I had hoped to be more of a "Well Trained Mind" teacher, but I had to deviate from the plan to accommodate the needs of my kids.  Coming here and listening in to others and asking some of my own questions showed me that was okay and I was still being the homeschool mom my kids needed.  Now they are in college and my job is nearly done.  A big thank you to all who have helped me along the way.  I hope you don't mind I'll still be checking in to glean from all your wisdom.  Blessings.

[GoodGrief]

I've never posted much, but came here from the FIAR boards in 1999, I think.  I may have started out on an AOL homeschool board!  I remember flipping boards, and I got lots of ideas through the years.  My then-4 year old is in college now!

[Barb_]

I was warned away and ended up here from the FIAR boards. Circa 1999 also?

 

My warning came from the TAG listserve.  David Albert (Skylark Sings) was a particularly vocal opponent.  I was intrigued...sort of like reading the right negative reviews on Yelp or Amazon.

[Barb_]

I joined early or mid 2001 (then left & came back & left & came back..LOL)  In Jan of 2001 I asked in another forum about Lost Tools of Learning & what I wanted to achieve in education & another poster recommended WTM. I read it within weeks of that & joined the boards soon after.

 

I've just been having a chuckle looking back at my lofty post then. I had 2 wee kids & wrote this:

 

"Back to a liberal education, some of the things I hope to achieve:

-the ability to speak and write with clarity in English

-at least an introductory acquaintance with another language

-capacity for critical thinking (logic, reasoning, analysis, synthesis,

deduction and induction)

-openness to new ideas combined with independence of mind

-continuing curiosity about the social, cultural, and natural worlds in

which we live

-appreciation of the complexities of knowledge and tolerance for ambiguity

-a capacity for gaining perspective on one's own life through

self-examination and the study of others

-a liberally educated person should also appreciate and understand something

of the philosophical, artistic, scientific, and political roots of the

Western Civilization & its relation to other traditions and perspectives

(I've been collecting quotes about what constitutes a liberal education and

this list is culled from that collection which is why it's a bit disjointed)"

 

oh hun. Who'd have thought you'd be admitting in 2014 that your dd never wrote a single essay in her homeschool career. :lol:   Also dd & tolerance for ambiguity? SO NOT TRUE. :lol:

 

 

 

 

That took guts.  I went looking for some of my old cringeworthy posts on the wayback machine...there is no way I'd post them now, LOL

[Barb_]

I've never posted much, but came here from the FIAR boards in 1999, I think.  I may have started out on an AOL homeschool board!  I remember flipping boards, and I got lots of ideas through the years.  My then-4 year old is in college now!

 

We probably bumped into each other on the aol boards. Thanks to the AOL boards I realized homeschoolers weren't freaks.  They were normal people! They gave me the courage to pull my oldest out in 1996, "for a couple of years until we could afford private school." LOL!

[FloridaLisa]

Aww...y'all are making me feel all mushy.

 

Who was here when I was trying to get tips on starting labor because I was 9 1/2 months pregnant with my now-fourteen-year-old daughter???

 

SWB

 

I've been around since the early days as well. I read WTM in 1999 and joined the boards shortly thereafter. I remember folks getting really upset over the dangers of castor oil! 

 

I loved the look of the oldest boards .. how you could follow the progression of the discussion at a glance from the various responses. So many folks raised their kids over the years on these boards. A lot of folks and curriculum got their start on these boards. I remember when most boardie handles were [real name or initials] in [real state/town/city]. 

 

These boards have a been a huge resource for all kinds of questions I've had both home and non-homeschooling related. I remember when SWB thought about naming the chat board the water cooler and when folks huffed and puffed and left over various issues  (the overmind? the denim jumper?)   I first learned about trolls and IP lookup here. I remember when folks first started talking about these new things call "web blogs" and when there was a pretty good-sized blog roll. 

 

I remember great efforts to align 2 and 3 and 4 history programs to meet all the needs of various ages. And the touchy issue was Saxon math.  AND I remember when SWB earned her doctorate. ;)

 

The volume of information that could be catalogued from these boards! 

 

Lisa

[Truscifi]

I've only been around since 2008, but there's no way I'd be homeschooling without the book WTM and this board.  The book gave me confidence that I actually could teach my kids, and the board kept me going day to day.

 

Me too, including the year we started.

 

Reading some of these posts, I feel positively young.  :coolgleamA:

[Halftime Hope]

I'm one of those old-timers, too. (I think we go back to 1999? and the *green* Kingfisher!)   I went kicking and screaming from a relaxed/Charlotte Mason-ish homeschooler to having God use WTM to push me to "raise the academic bar" for our family.  X (my eldest ds) was in 3rd grade when I read Susan's first book, and for 4th grade I really started working on composition and writing intensively with him, because I had SWB's materials to help me understand the importance.  He did really well, but it continued to be a struggle and a challenge: when he was in eighth grade, he was finally diagnosed with disorder of written expression to go with the dyslexia we had suspected was there.   Heaven knows where we would have been if we hadn't had those four years of serious work inspired by Susan's conviction of the importance of good writing, as all around me I had other voices saying, "He'll get it when he's developmentally ready."  NOT. 

 

I remember so many fun things/people from the old boards here, Susan having a girl (!), PamSFSOM, Aidan and Myrtle, the dad-chiropractor whose handle I cannot recall, Faith's family's church remodel and--yes--she posted the original bikini wax story, Kay (and Doug) in Cal, Ree keeping us on the edge of our seats waiting for the next installment of Tractor Wheels, Kareni and the Ovid quote, Lori D on literature and life, Aubrey, and so, so many more.  And when our lives connect in the rare way they do here, we share sorrows, too -- MMV and her boy-with-the-starfish-hands, Kari C losing her dear son, Julie's courage under adversity, Kalanamak, and nmoira, and many others I have admired.

 

Today I celebrate what this place has done for me and my family -- our lives have been vastly enriched because of Susan's "living room."   Thank you.

 

ETA:  for you "young uns"  look up SWB's day in the life post, the one with chocolate chips -- you'll never be the same.    

 

 

[Tiramisu]

I think I've only been hanging around here for about seven years, and just reading for quite a while before I was brave enough to ask a question. I started reading about algebra texts here while my dd was in seventh grade and now she's finishing up her second year of college. I don't think I would have ever figured out her learning issues without first 8 and then OhE, and knowing that has made such a positive difference in our lives.

 

I love watching everyone's kids growing up, remembering stories I read about them when they were little and then hearing where they are now.

 

It's so strange that I can be in this world where I can't often picture faces but everyone is just as real to me. 

 

I hope I'm a better mom because of these boards, even if they've taken up a lot of my time. Without them I don't know if I would have kept my sanity through these homeschooling years!  :tongue_smilie: