Introductions Please!! Newbies and Regulars!

[Remudamom]

Hello and welcome! We're reformed too, and drive 90 miles one way in order to go to the nearest reformed church. It's a PCA.

[hsmom]

I just happened to stubble across this site a few minutes ago. It looks like a very active hsling site.

 

I am a sahm of two full spirited boys, 11 and 3. I live in the great state of Wyoming.

 

We started hsling last Feb., and have LOVED every minute of it!

I can't wait to jump right in and hear what everyone has to say and recommend.

[dalynnrmc]

Hi there! I posted a separate intro thread, but only because I hadn't found this one! Nice to be here!

 

I'm DaLynn, 28yo wife to Bill who works nights as a bakery supervisor with a national chain soup and sandwich shop. He's with a franchise that covers all of Austin, San Antonio, and the surrounding area and keeps busy! Because of his schedule, we've adjusted and are a late night family around here - you'll find me on after 9pm and upwards to 3am some nights! (Not constantly of course. LOL)

 

We've been homeschooling our boys for 2 years now. The oldest will be 9 on Easter, our middle son will be 5 in May, and our youngest is 3 with an August birthday. The two littles are really just beginning to do some schoolish things, when they're interested. Our oldest we pulled after he finished first grade in the ps system and haven't looked back! I read WTM this past summer and we've been moving more towards a classical education outline ever since. We use an eclectic means to get there though!

 

Great to be here, am excited to converse with others who share a similar style!

[pixelroper]

started hs formally w/WTM in '04, one dd now 8, I've gleaned info from this forum since settling on the WTM. Have only posted before with questions, I can not remember who has helped me (sorry). I've only posted 2 or 3 times in the last 3 or 4 years- I have no idea who I might have posted as... always forget to write down passwords & user names--

 

so, HELLO & GREETINGS & Thank you for your thoughts.

[chaik76]

Hi, we've always homeschooled, and currently have two dc, ages 6 and 7mo.

We follow WTM principles but with lots and lots and lots of hands on. I'm going through a major curriculum crisis at the moment, but other than that, we're loving it. I'm a total curriculum junkie and own thousands of books. People keep telling me I need to get rid of some. How can I, they're family too!

chaik:D

[hornblower]

I have 2 kids: 13yog and almost 10yob.

Secular.

IBCLC.

Homeschooled from the beginning.

I like reading about the WTM more than actually doing it ;-)

I'm on the West Coast of Canada.

[nukeswife]

I have been sick for the past 4 days so I haven't been on much but I'm back and saw this so here goes.

 

I'm Kel, a 33 (34 in July) year old SAHM mom. I'm a US Navy wife to my wonderful Husband, who's a LCDR. He's been in the Navy for 13 years now we've been married for almost 11 (anniversary's in June). I have 3 beautiful children which we affectionately call the "3 little monkeys". We've been homeschooling for 2 years. My kids are, ds (9 in May), dd 6 (7 in Nov), and ds 2 (3 in July). My oldest was in PS for K and half of 1st and it was a nightmare for him, especially since he'd been in 2 schools and would have been starting a 3rd for 2nd grade. Deciding to hs is one of the best decisions I've ever made.

 

I also have 2 dogs (an 11 year old Sharpei/lab mix and a 3 year old Pug) and we just recently got an aquarium and now have 6 fish (2 zebra danios and 4 guppies) and 3 snails.

 

We are secular homeschoolers and I didn't even know about TWTM when I first started. I sure wish I had, it would have made that first year go so much easier. It was recommended to me by another hsing friend last fall and I read it shortly after we had started the year. It's really helped me fine tune what we've been using and in making decisions for what to use next year.

 

I really enjoy this forum and have gotten some great advice from many of you. I'm glad to be a part of the "community"

[MySerenity]

Hi I'm pretty new around here so I thought I'd formally introduce myself. I'm kind of shy... even on the boards... so I don't tend to post a whole lot.

 

This is our first year following the WTM. Of course my oldest isn't technically supposed to be in school, if you go by ps standards. And I suppose you would call him an accelerated learner. He's five years old and I think he finds most of his first grade work a tad easy. He's enthusiastic about learning and a natural at it. It amazes me how much he retains.

 

With my middle one we're taking it a bit slower. We're letting him go at his own pace. And my third little boy he's just playing and pretending to do school. Although he some how knows the letters D and T and can count to 3. I think he picked it up while I was working with my middle one.

 

Anyway... I hope to be on here a bit more and I would love to get to know everyone. I need to come out of my shell a little bit!

[Apiphobic]

I like reading about the WTM more than actually doing it ;-)

 

 

BWAHAHAHAHAAA! I know what you mean! :lol:

[HootOwl]

I've been homeschooling for 6 years now (Wow---hard to believe!), ever since my daughter was 3 years old and I discovered the Letter of the Week curriculum online. That is still one of my favorite years of schooling!

 

Since then I've also added her younger brother into our schooling, and we've had a lot of fun exploring the woods and trails and animals around our homes. (We've moved 4 times in the last 3 years.) They are now 9 and 7 and growing up way too fast.

 

I'm a former teacher myself (although only 1 year in the public school system before I got out of Dodge) and have always loved teaching---still do! I'm enjoying learning a lot right alongside my kids. It's a great life, and the kind I hope we have throughout high school.

 

I started out when dd was 4-5 reading TWTM and kept looking forward to the years when we could really start with the history and science cycles. We did 1st and 2nd grade pretty much "by the book", but now I'm starting to loosen up a bit and am actually leaning more toward Charlotte Mason philosphy. Although my personality lends itself well to very rigorous academic studies, I'm finding that my children really need more time to enjoy playing outdoors, exploring and discovering things instead of me always having the "teach" them. So, this year has been one of revisiting my thoughts on what homeschooling should be and trying a lot of new things. I'm looking forward to next year going off the SOTW track and starting WinterPromise American Story 1, AND I'm going to follow the instructor guide instead of always developing my own schedule or tweaking an existing curriculum.

 

We've had a rough couple of years with our moving away from the city to the country, then back to the city TWICE now, and we're still not sure we are in the right place. I truly do love the quiet life in the country and am a bit saddened and disappointed to be back in the suburbs again. We're hoping to be in the position to move to Montana (or somewhere out west) soon and buy a ranch/farm and live that quiet life we so much want. A lot of that will depend upon dh's new IT consulting business that he's recently started.

 

I love visiting these message boards, and I've learned so much here. Although I don't often engage in a lot of discussions myself, I always like to glean from other's wisdom and discussions.

 

Blessings to all!

[I talk to the trees]

Hello!

 

I have one dd (7), homeschooled from the beginning. We are in our second year of following WTM, and DD is loving it! In addition to the one child, dh and I have 4 shelties who are convinced they are human. We live in upstate NY for now, but are hoping to head south soon, to be closer to our families.

 

Yep. That pretty much covers it!

 

-Robin

[Apiphobic]

Oh, wow, I found my old intro from 2003! Well, this one's from December 2005, but I linked to my 2003 intro.

 

I found my intro from October 2003. Dc are 13, 10, 10 and 4, and we're back in the States now. After re-reading this intro, I remember how worried I was about ds. He's improved immensely, and I really do believe homeschooling has been wonderful for him. It's been great for all of us, but especially for him, I think.

 

When we started homeschooling, I'd planned to do it all the way to high school. I still would like to do that, but I'm not going to refuse to consider it if something comes up or circumstances change. I definitely feel this is the best thing for us and I guess I can't believe anything would change my mind about that, but ... never say never!

 

--------------------------------------------------------

Finally an intro! and is anybody else torn between WTM and unschooling? (loooong)

 

Hi, I've been lurking here for a little while and posting occasionally. Finally worked up enough courage to write an introduction. Before I get to it though, I want to thank you for all the wonderful advice and stories. You've provided such a wealth of information. This is a fantastic resource!!

 

This is our first year homeschooling, and I am so excited about it. (Hubby is taking a "wait and see" approach). We have 4 children - daughter (10), boy/girl twins (7) and another daughter (2). We are stationed overseas right now, and that really makes it a lot easier to homeschool (less regulation and red tape).

 

When I first started researching homeschooling I fell in love with the idea of unschooling. Then when I read WTM I fell in love with that! So now I'm trying to find some middle ground. They definitely seem like opposite ends of the spectrum! I've read that so many people started out too gung-ho and have scaled back, and I've also read how some people started out very laid back and have added some more structure into their schedule. I feel like I'm overwhelming the kids (and myself, too, sometimes!) but it seems like there is so much to do.

 

Like I said earlier, I'm so excited about this and want to try so many things but I'm worried that I'll turn the kids off to learning. One of the big reasons I want to homeschool is that I want the kids to love learning and to seek out knowledge. It seems like so many kids are apathetic about school.

 

I would appreciate hearing suggestions about how to decide what to focus on and what to let go of. We don't have a very well-stocked library here, so I end up buying a lot of the books suggested in WTM. It's just getting way too expensive!

 

I'm also wondering how to adapt WTM for my son. Since it's such a language intensive curriculum, my girls do much better than he does with spelling, writing, reading, etc. I'm wondering if anybody else has noticed that for their son(s). I'm reading a book called "Boys and Girls Learn Differently!" by Michael Gurian. He's pointed out several things I've been noticing since the twins started school. (They've been to kindergarten and 1st grade). I don't compare the twins, but they notice that he's not as far ahead as his twin sister in reading, writing, etc. That affects his self-esteem, so we try to show how he's better at other things.

 

Wondered if Jessie Wise noticed any disparity with her kids when she was homeschooling them (thought she had two boys and one girl). Her daughter has sure benefited from it, but I wondered how the boys fared. Is a language intensive curriculum harder for boys?

 

Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing from anybody who has any advice or suggestions for me! Thanks!

 

Stacey

Here's the link to the original post by NOLAdy. I'm some of you will enjoy reading your intros!

 

About introducing yourself post below...let's all tell a bit about ourselves even though we've been around a while. There are many newbies on here recently who probably appreciate the info. I'll go...

 

Wish I could get to the 2003 board. :confused:

[Alenee]

I'm Carli, full name Caroline. Carli was my dh's (then boyfriend) idea for a screen name when chatting online first became popular. It stuck, so now I'm just Carli.

 

I've been married for 11 years this year to the most forgiving guy in all the world! My girls are 9, 6, and almost 4. I wanted a boy in the mix, but well, that didn't happen. Fun fact about me, I delivered my third child naturally, on my knees, and she weighed 11.4 pounds:w00t:

 

I've been hs'ing since oldest was 4 after pulling her from a private pre-k program. PS is NOT an option in this house and if ever there's a need for "real" school God will have to tie me up and drag me to it.

 

Began reading TWTM a few years ago but couldn't get past the first chapter. Re-visited it in January and couldn't put it down. Guess it was just my time.

 

We are non-denominational, evangelical Christian and while I love my home message board, I truly appreciate this one because of the vast points of view. I don't post much, though I'd like to. I am a product of the CA ps system...my writing is terrible. I sit and read and think, "YES, that's exactly what I would've said!"

 

I'm a soccer coach, need-filler, serious, obsessive, control-freakish, relaxed kinda gal. Someone posted today about their dd being a "true libra"...that's ME! LOL! Until a few months ago, I couldn't focus well on anything. Thank you to the makers of Natural Progesterone Cream! :D When it comes to curriculum, (and a few other things), I tend to buck the system. I take what I like and toss the rest. I think I drive my staunch WTM'ers/ Classical friends nuts! I am so thankful that the fog cleared and TWTM was for sale when I came across it again. I have the goal of Classical ed. but was not reaching my goal. God has worked on me to stop "bucking the system" so much so my motto for the time being is SURRENDER!

[HS in NZ]

I'm pretty new here in regards to posting. But I've been "lurking" and gleaning useful information since around 1999, (I think... it's been a long time) when a good friend introduced me to the WTM. My dh and I have been homeschooling for 8 years and wouldn't do it any other way! We have 3 children: dd11, dd6, and ds2.

 

We used to live in California until 2002. Then we moved to beautiful New Zealand for a more simplistic lifestyle. I like it here..... But, I left my heart in the U.S. If I could just move New Zealand next to California, it would be close to perfect! :001_smile:

 

We LOOSELY follow the WTM and are pretty much ecclectic when it comes to our curriculum. We use A Beka and Saxon as well as others.

 

The reason we are homeschooling is so that we could teach our children to see and do everything with a Christian worldview.

 

You all provide such a wealth of information and advice. Thanks!

[klg]

i'm kerry. i just found this forum and i'm so glad. i just have to figure out a way to tear myself away and get beauty sleep. if you could see me you'd say amen right now. i live in nebraska and know a few homeschoolers but only one WTM woman. i have 2 girls 8 and 5. school is the best thing i got going now. especially Mystery of History and bible. i'm not sure what else we do. we're waiting for an eternity for our adoption from china and it's probably a good thing since we don't have anywhere near the amount of money we need to finish. but we've been praying for "kate" for 2 years now and she's probably not even born yet. (it's complicated). i work all day for my husband who has his own sprinkler company. i don't really have any skills. i can't even keep my kitchen floor clean. but i would like to tell the world about Jesus and green smoothies.

[Laura R (FL)]

I live in Central Florida and homeschool two girls who are almost 14 and almost 12. We have always homeschooled, but we use co-ops to enhance our educational experience. I love TWTM, but I don't always follow it very closely. I've been hanging around these boards since 1999. I'll put up an Avatar as soon as my kid shows me how. :)

 

My oldest uses an eclectic group of sources for her schooling. She shoots JOAD target archery (2008 FL FAA/NAA Indoor Champ for her division YAY!), volunteers at the Central Florida Zoo as part of their Teen Team, helps take care of our 'zoo', and is working toward a digital editing/film career.

 

My youngest goes to a structured classical co-op/day school program that meets once weekly. She studies classical ballet at the Orlando Ballet School and also helps out with our zoo and family business.

 

My husband and best friend is an IT guy and boating fan. He is the CEO, CFO, and general manager of our home and school. I'm working toward my MA in Christian Education and I teach science at the local umbrella school of 600 families. We have a family business that develops science products and hosts reptile encounter for the nature deficient of the Central Florida area.

[Guest Amy in MS]

OK, I'm adding an intro because I now understand that the thread hasn't been closed just because it says "Last Thread" in the list :)

 

I live in Mississippi--but not for much longer, hopefully. My husband just finished his Ph.D. and we'd like to get back out to the Rocky Mountains.

 

I homeschool 4 children dc7, ds5, dd3, ds 1 (well, homeschooling consists of not letting him play in the toilet, at this point). I use ABEKA, MUS and ABEKA math, lots of novels and lit, and SotW. We also follow some aspects of classical education, and I teach the children French, which is my second language.

 

In my "spare" time, I'm a writer for young people. I have an outstanding agent, but we're still in process of shopping my latest novel. I LOVE writing.

 

That's it! Hope to actually participate more in the boards once we get moved.

Amy

[Vita Passiva]

Hi! I have been a lurker for quite a while, and now that we are closer to actually doing more formal things I am taking even more interest here. We are just beginning our homeschool adventure with kindergarten formally in the fall, and low-key preschool. We have 2 active boys and are living overseas so I really appreciate all of you! You are like my virtual mentors :001_smile: I am a former teacher so educating my kids really has come natural for me and I've been doing it since they were born. I love teaching them! I am taking each year as it comes with a loose plan to follow TWTM, although I guess I am kind of eclectic as I appreciate CM and I throw in a lot of my own ideas and experience from my past days of teaching. I just started a blog! I have a ton to learn as I am so not techy......thanks for all your discussions, I hope to check out the forums as I am able. It's nice to "meet" you all!

[chiguirre]

I have 3 kids but I only hs the younger two. The oldest goes to a private school. We moved to Houston 4 years ago when the boys were diagnosed with autism. I still miss Venezuela, but I do like living here. After a disastrous experience with the ps's PK program for special needs we decided to hs ds2 and a year later brought dd home from a Montessori school. We all enjoy hsing and dh and I are pleased with ds's progress. Dd is just a joy to teach.

 

We're pretty eclectic right now because the kids are still a bit too young to start in with a full WTM approach. I do think we'll follow it more closely in the future. Right now we are concentrating on the 3Rs and finishing up FIAR Volumes 1-3. We've also read through SL cores PK 3/4, PK 4/5 and are about a 1/3 of the way through K.

 

I started posting a while back when we lived in Venezuela because I wanted to afterschool the kids. Umm, that didn't work out, so I disappeared for a couple of years until we decided to hs ds. I do enjoy the boards since I don't know many curriculum obsessed hsers IRL.

[Parrothead]

I thought it different that there wasn't an introductions sticky or forum when I joined. Now I have to see if I can come up with enough interesting stuff about me to make a decent intro.

 

Dh and I have one dd. She has never been to outside school. During our second year homeschooling my mother bought me a copy of TWTM. I implemented the vast majority of the suggestions the third year. The next year I dropped a few of the things that weren't working for us. This past year I think I finally have "the perfect" curriculum for dd's learning style and my teaching style. This fall will be our last year in the grammer stage. I'm looking forward to implementing the logic stage plans.

 

In my past life (premommy) I was a police officer and fire fighter. Dh works for the federal gov't. We move quite often due to his job. We've been married almost 10 years. In that time we have lived in GA, SC, AZ, MT and now ME. We want to make one more move to a place closer to civilization. Our last two stations have/are in very rural areas. It takes me an hour and a half (one way) to get dd to dance lessons each week.

 

So those are the highlights. Thanks for having me onboard.

[Just Me]

Hi all!

 

I am a mom of three dks - ds (12), dd (11), and ds (9). We have homeschooled for 6 (Yikes!) years now, and have no plans to stop any time soon.

 

My Dh is in Seminary, and graduates in 5 -count 'em-5 weeks!! He is on staff at our church full-time, since January.

 

I am on staff part-time at the church as the Music Assistant. I also teach Precept Studies, am an avid Dave Ramsey follower, am working on my couch to 5K, and really can't wait for the weather to get warm and stay that way!! :coolgleamA:

 

I have gleaned so much information from these boards over the years, although I am mainly a lurker, and a not so often poster. I was once Michelle in NC, but there were several Michelles, so I became Just Me!

 

Our family has two dogs, two birds, two fish, one gecko, and one rabbit. We had a cat, but she decided that she really liked our old house and ran back there as soon as we let her out. We can't make her stay here, so she has become the "church cat".

[Donovans4]

4 in our family, DH, DD13, DS1o and myself. We have been homeschooling for 5 years, wish we had discovered it sooner. We use a mix of things, whatever seems to work at the time. We live in MN and are just now welcoming spring!

 

LauraD in MN

[Dayle in Guatemala]

we have 5 in our family--dd13 (almost 14), dd11, ds9 (almost 10), dh, and myself (you don't get to know our ages!).

 

We have been home schooling for 8 years and have been using the CM ideology the whole time. We are very eclectic in what we use, a little of this and a little of that.

 

We currently live in Antigua, Guatemala as missionaries with Youth With a Mission (YWAM). We've been here for almost 3 years, but, call MN our home state!!! We are planning to be here 2 more years and, hopefully, we will be moving to Amsterdam, Holland to work there with YWAM. That's the plan, but, who knows what God will direct.

 

I love these boards and I'm so thankful for the advice and direction given here. This is my network, more so now since the only other home schooler I know here is sending her dc to the Christian school in the City next year.

[LibraryLover]

I'm the mom of 4. The oldest is a freshman away at college, a ds in a private school finishing up 8th grade this yr, and a teen (9th grade) dd and an 8 yr old dd who are hsing. We have been hsing/unschooling for 6 years and my youngest hasn't ever attended school. My oldest went to private school starting first grade, so basically not hs'd. ;) I take care of my sister & bil's 2 yr old while they work. We are very busy, needless to say. I hate my car.

[CheerMom]

My name is Sarah and I live in MO.

I have 3 great kids, ds 9, dd 5, ds almost 3.

I found this site after reading the book in Feb.

I used to use BJU HomeSat, which worked for the 1st 2 years when my littlest was a newborn. He has some health issues and was often sick, so school could continue while I cared for him. DH is an over the road truck driver and is gone about 4 weeks at a time.

I am excited to use SOTW V 1 next year, NOEO BIO II, Real Science 4 Kids, Teaching Textbooks 5, DITHOR, WP Sea and Sky(over 2 years), McRuffy 1 Phonics and Math, and WP JOI and IRTL(over 2 years with my youngest)

Whew, I'm going to be BUSY!!

[crazycoffeechic]

I have two kids, my daughter is in public school and I homeschool my son. I pulled him out of ps almost 3 yrs. ago. I am just now getting into the groove of knowing what I am doing:D. We are doing MOH, TT, LLATL, Apologia, WS, SWO. I found this site a couple of months ago (thank you Calming Tea!!) and have been hooked ever since! I've learned a lot on these boards, thank you so much ladies!!

[Sarita]

I've been lurking here for a while and finally decided to join the ranks. So I'm pretty new, but I think I'm up to a whopping 5 posts now!

 

My husband and I live in Ames, Iowa. We have 3 kiddos--dd5, dd3, ds1. After swearing that I'd NEVER homeschool, I started reading every homeschool book that I could get my hands on when my oldest was 3. After reading Lisa Whelchel's So You're Thinking About Homeschooling, I was intrigued. After WTM, I was hooked. I just love coming to these boards for advice and encouragement...thanks!

 

Sarita

[SuzyKS]

Well,

I am single Mom to one girl who is 11, almost 12. We tried kindergarten in a public school but it just didn't work so we started homeschooling in first grade. I run a home daycare to "bring home the bacon" so to speak. My dd is a competitive gymnast and that keeps us pretty busy!!

Suzy in KS

[LanaTron]

I am hsing 4 dc who have never gone to school. When I first decided to home school, I was smitten with unschooling philosophy. I still am in theory, but I wanted a WTM-style educational outcome for my kids...I felt unschooling left too much up to chance, and by the time I had #4 dc, I needed some structure to things! We use WTM as a general guideline, but use whatever curricula/classes work for us in with each child and each season. I do consider Latin, Logic, and Rhetoric to be core subjects.

 

We are very involved in scouts, as I have Daisy, Wolf cub, Junior, and Tenderfoot Scouts. We also attend a music co-op once a week where the children get band (recorder for the 2nd grader), choir, and music theory. As I have a degree in music, they pounced on me when we registered, so I teach beginning and intermediate woodwinds, as well as secondary music theory. The kids also do home school tennis and P.E. classes; I walk on the treadmill as much as I can, which hasn't been often enough lately.

 

My dh is currently semi-employed--he is working as a waiter while searching for another full-time job as a chef.

 

I guess that's it? :001_smile:

[runningirl71]

Hi! I live in NW Indiana, homeschooling a 12yo, 10yo, and 2yo. Nothing formal with the little one right now, but we'll be starting Before Five in a Row in the fall. I'm eclectic with materials using Sonlight 7, Latin Prep, Saxon Algebra I, and Apologia General Science with the oldest. I use Lively Latin, SOTW3, Noeo Chemistry II, Giant Write, copywork, and SP with my 10yo. My hobbies are: running, scrapbooking, stamping, hanging out on the boards, and belly dancing! :) We've lived in various places across the globe and told dh he has another year in this job before it'll be time to move again! :) I was glad to find this thread and thought about starting one last night! Nice to meet you'all!

[fruitful vine]

Hello everyone!!

 

My name is Jennifer and I live in PA. I've been married to my wonderful husband for 11 years this September. I became pregnant with our first daughter only one month after we were married. 11 months after our first was born our second daughter was born. That was a start if a trend!! Next was a son followed by another son. Our next 3 children were all girls. We are now expecting another daughter, she is due in Aug. That brings us to a current total of 6 girls and 2 boys.

 

I'm homeschooling the oldest three;

4th grade, 3rd grade, and 1rst grade

 

I started homeschooling our oldest daughter when she was 5 and she is turning 10 in July. So, it's been five years, it doesn't seem that long!

 

It was a hard time home schooling at the beginning. Now, things are much better. I owe a lot of that to my husband's helpful spirit!!

[Guest kellymicco]

Hi! I'm Kelly in OKC. I have been reading the boards for several months researching curriculum and getting ready to start our first year of hs in August. I love the WTM which a good friend gave me to read and have learned alot here as well.

 

My DH and I are going to try and partner this thing with him doing the majority of the schooling during the day and me doing one day a week and maybe a few choice subjects. I hope to lighten his load by doing most of the planning and weekly scheduling, with lots of input from him on what's working and what's not. I hope this works out well! We are both working almost full time but have a lot of flexibility in our jobs.

 

We have been married 18 years this month and have 2 great kids, DD9 & DS7, who will be starting hs in grades 4 and 2. We've been wanting to do it all year but are waiting until after we move in June.

 

We are going to use FLL, GWG, WWE, HWoT, MOH1, RS4K Chem, MUS. And joining a co-op group for Fridays.

 

Anyone else partnering with a spouse? Wish us luck! We are very excited about this opportunity to relight the fire to learn in our kids and hopefully bring us closer together as a family.

[LaMere Academy]

I have four children, names and ages in my siggy.

We're from TX, but lived in CT for 8 years and just moved to FL last year.

DH and I have been married 14.5 years.

We're in our 8th year of homeschooling and we've mostly used Sonlight, although I tried WP, MFW, and TOG...we always go back to SL, so we're sticking with it...I hope.

I've been on the WTM boards for at least 3 years...more often now than the old boards, because I find this format much easier and more friendly.

[Guest Babymacsmama]

I've been know in a former WTM board life as Amanda in TX and then Amanda in Raleigh, NC. After getting settled here last April, I stopped coming here. So, it's been quite a while since my last visit!

 

I have only one child, a 7yo girl. This is our third year HSing. I am not a strict WTM follower and have been basically unschooling for the past few months. Upon moving to NC, I was more interested in helping my daughter foster friendships than stick to a school schedule. This was by far the best thing I could have done for the both of us. I am lucky to have joined a wonderful HS group in a nearby town. We have met lots of people and are starting to create some wonderful friendships.

 

We love SOTW and will only be starting #2 this fall since we took a break. We do lots of extracurricular activites like art lessons, acting classes and PE. I finally have a separate room for schooling, crafts and such.

 

Well, that's all! Hopefully I will be around a bit more than I use to be! :blushing:

 

BTW, I am loving these new boards, so much easier to navigate and read!

 

Amanda

[RedHen6]

I used to be a regular, but I have been on hiatus for the past year. I have six dc (dd 11, ds 8, ds 6, dd 4, ds 2, dd 4mo). The oldest two children have been attending a charter school this year. That has been good and bad, and I am still struggling with that decision. My 6 yo ds has continued to be at home. Still not sure what the future holds for us!

 

--Korrie in UT

[Amie]

Hi, my name is Amie. I've been married for almost six years. I was homeschooled and have always planned on homeschooling my own children some day. I read The Well-Trained Mind right after my son was born--he's now 18 months old. I've enjoyed perusing the forum and hope to learn from all of you.

[Frontier Mom]

Hello!!

 

I have 4 dc's whose ages are below. I have been married to my wonderful dh for 15 years, although he is at a conference without me in Hawaii right now. LOL. He is at a Pastors Leadership Conference.

 

We have always homeschooled and I came to this board probably about 4 years ago after reading the book TWTM. I use most of the recommendations that I have seen on this board and consider this group to be my homeschool support group.

 

I was KJ in NC on the old board. I am an accountant by trade and prepare income taxes for people in the spring. I work part-time as the Director of Children's Ministries (K to 5th) in our church and lead the Children's Worship Service each Sunday.

 

My ds's like to play baseball and basketball. My dd likes gymnastics. We live in a neighborhood so my dc's are more socialized than I would like sometimes. One of my favorite things to do is watch them playing their sports, I am their #1 fan!!

 

Home education for us is a life style and no two weeks look alike for us. I always start out planning more than we could possibly do in three years, let alone one, but we always make it through alive somehow. I love it more each year as I see my children growing in relationship with Christ and each other. I wouldn't trade home educating for the world although some days I would trade my dc's! LOL

 

I like posting here because I feel we share a bond, although our opinions and backgrounds are varied.

[Donna T.]

My name is Donna T. I live way down south on the Alabama coast. I decided to homeschool before my children were even conceived. We experienced many years of infertility and during that time, I decided I'd homeschool any children that the Lord decided to bless us with. He's now given us two beautiful, smart, and unique sons. For us, homeschooling is more of a lifestyle choice than anything else. We enjoy being together and we want to make as big an impact on their little lives as we possibly can... knowing that they will be All Grown Up soon enough. I work full-time at a job that I love (night shifts). I'm a Christian of the fundamental flavor. I've been married for 15 years to a really super guy and my sister (Laurel T.) sometimes posts on the board, too. I love reading everyone's posts and even though I have an abundance of zeal for the Lord Jesus Christ, I want to hear from others who think differently than I do. I think people are God's greatest creations and I enjoy the richness and the variety of perspectives that are represented here on the board.

[Jumping In Puddles]

I am looking into Homeschool my 2 kids, one is 5 and my daughter is almost 4. My original plan was to keep my son at the Montessori school he's at now for kindergarten and my daughter will be there also for preschool.

 

Then I will start homeschooling them each from 1st grade onward.

 

Now, I'm considering starting in Kindergarten but am undecided :001_huh:

 

I have no idea what I'm doing and I haven't figured out a curriculum yet. It's all so overwhelming!

 

I am trying to learn by going through the threads here but its slow going because I have to look up *every single acronym* <sigh> or I have no idea what I'm reading.

 

Anyway, this board looks like a wealth of information and I can't wait to start learning!

[Momto5]

Thanks for starting this thread.

 

I have 5 living dc - 14 yod, 10 yod, 6 yod, 4 yos, and 2 yod. We are foster parents - our 3 little ones came to us as foster children. We have adopted 2 of them and are finalizing the adoption of the last one. It has been a blessing to be able to parent and teach all my children.

[keptwoman]

I am Sandra. We are New Zealanders, but we live in Australia.

I have 3 DC.

J is 14, we pulled him out of school in November 07 because his new school killed his love of learning, and his faith in himself. We are working on both those things and life is getting much better for him.

C is 8, we pulled him out of school in December 06 because his LDs didn't fit in a school environment. He has absolutely thrived at home.

M is 4, we have seen the light, she won't need to be pulled out of school, she won't be going in the first place!

[goodgollycr]

Hi. I'm Molly. We are missionaries in Costa Rica. I have been homeschooling my dd since her K year. This is her first year of high school, she is 15. We also have three boys, ages 11, 9 & 7, who are also homeschooled.

 

I am all over the board with Curriculum, but have been using SOTW for years.

[momto3]

I have been homeschooling my three children from the beginning. They are 10, 8 and 6. I would call our style relaxed and ecclectic but we do have a schedule and goals to strive for.

[QuirkyKapers]

Hi-

My name is Rebecca. This is my first year of homeschooling. I have two kids ds 7 and dd 5. I am eclectic in my approach but am using Sonlight for my base, just added in WP. Basically, I like to switch things up so I don't get bored! I definetly am open to letting the kids take off and learn what they want if it captures their interest. I love CM and friday's are officially our science and nature day!

 

I have been married for 17 years. I love to learn and try new things. I also a habit of over researching everything to the point of ad nauseum:001_smile: Oh- I love the sale and swap board and have been an avid purchaser for the last few years!

 

I have loved reading everyones intro's which as taken me over an hour to catch up with:001_smile: It is so interesting to find out more about others, how they homeschool and all the various interests.

[Liza Q]

Wow - I have not been to the WTM boards for nearly a year....just look at all the changes!

 

I found the boards in 2000 (or maybe 1999?) and was a frequent lurker/occasional poster. Last year I made an effort to reduce my time online (which was good in many ways) and I stopped checking in regularly, then pretty much forgot about the boards!

 

I am part of a RL support group but it just not the same. I have missed the support and encouragement I found here.

 

Anyway, I had the opportunity to hear SWB speak a few days ago and I decided to come back. I am glad that I did!

 

Oh - we've always homeschooled. I guess I can say that we use an eclectic mix (Classical, Charlotte Mason, Ruth Beechick, Christian, secular, textbooks, living books, etc.). My oldest is looking at colleges and is making herself (and the rest of us!) a little crazy. My 9yo struggles academically and that has changed how I approach everything.

[Retired]

It took 2 years to convince my dh. I have two boys. We are eclectic. I would love to be total classical but my oldest was an ABEKA burn out from private school when we started. He has the attitude of school, when will it be over. My younger loves to learn. He didn't attend regular school as long.

Life before homeschool Cardiac Recovery Nurse. I have been married 18 years.

[Camy-7 boybarians 1 lady]

I was a 7-year veteran on the old board, and it seems that I am a "newby" on the newly formatted board. I'm not sure if I'll make the posting number to become a vet here, though!

 

Years Homeschooling: 11

Method: Classical, Charolotte Mason, eclectic, unschooling science, etc.. (grin).

What I've learned so far: That I'm always learning something new, especially when I think I know it all.

 

I took some time off for awhile (from the boards, that is)...about 1 year. The boards have been a great source of support, encouragement, and wisdom for me. I have met some friends here who mean very much to me!

 

Blessings.

[Mosaicmind]

My intro:

There's me, Lisa and wonderful dh of almost 20 years and 7 great dc: DD/18 soon to be graduating, DS/15 in public highschool, DS/almost 14 homeschooled, DD/12 public middle school, DS/10 public grade school, but coming back home next year, DS/8 homeschooled, and DS/6 homeschooled.

 

I have homeschooled for 10 years, mainly with Sonlight. Last year I started incorporating SOTW into our history. I love the WTM classical approach to education and am going to implement more this year.

 

All my kids play soccer except for DD/12. We have a spring, fall, and winter indoor league that we participate in.

 

I have been diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder over 5 years ago and have been in counseling since then. This makes life at our home very interesting. Don't know what else to share; so just ask away.

[jjmw1]

Guess it's time for my intro!

 

There's me, Jen. I work full time from home doing medical transcription as well as homeschool the girls. There's my hubby of 14 years, and our 2 girls, ages 10 and 8. We started homeschooling when DD10 was in 1st grade - we had moved to a new school district which was not working for us so we pulled her out and have been homeschooling ever since!

 

We also have 7 indoor cats and 1 indoor/outdoor cat plus a fish!!!

 

DH and I are originally from Cleveland/Akron, OH area. He joined the Marine Corps out of high school so we moved around a bit. DD10 was born in New York (Long Island), and then we moved to NC (Camp Lejeune) when DD10 was only a month old. DD8 was born at Camp Lejeune. DH got out of the Marine Corps in 2001 and we moved here to the Raleigh area at that time and have stayed here since. All of our family is still in OH except my brother who got married and moved to Alexandria, VA (and they are having their first baby in September! YAY! I'm going to be an aunt!!!!)

[NancyNellen]

Hi, I'm Nancy. I have been a sporadic poster on the WTM boards for 6 years. I am formerly of CT, now living in the L.A. area for almost 2 years. Since joining the Well Trained Sparks I don't get here too often, but still enjoy the wealth on info. found here.

 

I have 5dc (11, 9, 7, 4, 1) and have homeschooled since the beginning. I have a bachelors in music education and am a flute player, although I have not made too much time for it lately. My husband is an accomplished pianist and a wonderful composer who is currently trying to break into the film industry (hence the move.)

 

I enjoy studying the Bible (currently sitting under the teaching of John MacArthur - wow!), decorating my new home, and watching movies with my family.

 

Thanks for all the info. I have received here in the last few years! You guys are awesome.