Re-introduce yourself, no matter how long or short you've been here

[Sharon H in IL]

Hi Chuckie, et al.

 

I'm Sharon H. in IL, same name as on the old boards. I rarely post nowadays, though there was a time when I read every post on every thread -- can you believe it?

 

I married at 23, but didn't have my first till 34, then second boy at 36. :D

 

Homeschooling was my DH's idea, I couldn't wait to let someone else take Son #1 off my hands for a few hours a day. However, a fracas in the local school district with teachers lined up to oppose a charter school that they couldn't be bothered to understand forced me to say "You'll never get your hands on my kid!"

 

I found TWTM and never looked back. Home educating for academics, and because I like being with the kids.

 

Finally Son #1 asked to go to junior high for 8th grade, and we agreed he could. He's doing great, thriving. Now Son #2 wants to try 7th grade this fall, so we're going to try that. And I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he hates it. :lol:

[RobynV]

Hi, I'm Robyn and this is my first post. :) I've been lurking for about 6 months. DD had a rough first year of jr. high in PS (6th grade) and begged all year to be homeschooled. I started researching, found WTM and have read religiously since. DH and I just decided that we're going to try HSing for 7th grade and see how it goes.

 

I've grown really excited about it (after saying for years that I could never do it) and can't wait to get started. We're going to start light and add in a subject every few weeks so that we both can adjust to our new roles.

 

DD is an honors student and one of her big complaints about PS was the slow pace in science and history so we're going to try to accelerate to a pace that pushes her. She excelled in honors math, so we'll keep up the rigorous pace there.

 

She got good grades in honors language arts, but it took hours upon hours of work. She's a very literal girl and really struggled with literary analysis. We're going to slow down with that and do some serious socratic discussions so I can help her start to see beyond the actual words. We'll work on grammar and vocabulary as well since neither was a big focus of the elementary curriculum here.

 

Nice to officially "meet" everyone!

[Liz CA]

I have been on the old board since....2002 I think. We started homeschooling in 2001. Ds has graduated and went to college, has taken a break, is working and trying to go back to college. Lots of back and forth here. We used to have a horse and chickens but are down to one very large dog now.

I like to read, walk, crochet, cook and EAT - a little at least since I cannot get away with eating a lot anymore.

[ereks mom]

Hi, I'm ereks mom, which means I am mom to ER & EK. I posted some on the old board--can't remember when and I don't remember my original posting name, but I became ereks mom long before the new boards started in January 2008.

 

I've lived in Georgia all my life except for a 1-year stint in Michigan (where my dad was from) when I was a toddler. I am a conservative Christian, and I've been homeschooling for 16 years. I hold a Master's degree in education, and before I began homeschooling, I taught PreK-K and 5th-12th grades at various times over the years in both private and public schools. We chose to homeschool because of academics and for religious reasons.

 

I have two children, both homeschooled from the beginning, and a very supportive husband! My husband is a Southern Baptist minister, and he also owns a small business where he writes, publishes, and teaches character education programs for teens & adults. (Shameless plug: Feel free to PM me if you'd like the link to his website.) My son ER graduated in 2008 after being homeschooled all the way through, and he graduated from college last month with a music degree and a minor in Christian Studies. My daughter EK will be in 12th grade after our summer break. She plans to study early childhood education in college, and says she will likely homeschool her own children someday. :D

 

I also teach a rising 8th grader, the daughter of a friend, and this fall, I will add another student, a rising 11th grader, the dd of another friend. I tutor high school math one afternoon per week. I plan to continue homeschooling and/or tutoring until... well, I don't know how long, but until God leads me to something different.

Edited June 24, 2012 by ereks mom

[ForeverFamily]

Hi I am ForeverFamily. I am a SAHM to 4 cute kiddos! I have a 6 1/2yo who is extremely creative and crafty (my table is always full of the latest projects as a result:glare:); a 4 1/2yo who is full of energy (if only she could share some of that energy with me!:tongue_smilie:); an almost 3yo who is quiet, thoughtful, and is a snugglebug; and my 1yo who is extremely close to walking and is quite the little ham! Growing up I always wanted to be a mom and a teacher, and I have been blessed to be able to do both. My hobbies include art, computer art (i.e. photoshop, illustrator, etc.), and playing the piano.

 

I myself attended public and private school and I was also homeschooled (7th-10th grade). My husband and I decided to homeschool our children for a long list of reasons, and that list continues to grow! I am fairly new on these boards and I do A LOT more reading than I do posting mostly because I feel like I have a lot to learn and have little to contribute in homeschooling knowledge ;). I found the TWTM book while I was in my last month of pregnancy with my DS and found these boards when he was only a few weeks old. The wisdom of all those on these boards has been a huge blessing in my life and the way we homeschooling has drastically changed for the better as a result. So I just want to say a big thank you to all those on here.

[scmama]

I'm Lisa..we live in SC, originally from FL. I've posted here a few times, but mostly I lurk and learn from all of you guys!

We've been homeschooling for about 3 yrs now. I have a 13 yr old boy, a 10 yr old girl, a soon to be 6 yr old boy, and a baby girl due at the end of July. The oldest kids started in public school, but my oldest begged to be homeschooled after moving here. I'm very happy with our choices and so thankful to have found this board. I've learned so much from everyone here.

[Allearia]

I have two sons, 10 and 7. We live in the SF Bay Area, the East Bay just north of Berkeley. We have homeschooled each since Kindergarten, though they went to preschool for three years each.

 

I read about WTM when my older son was in preschool. I have always wanted to be a teacher and very interested in better ways of teaching, so when I read this it was a revelation. Wow, I wanted my kids to have this! Before that, I thought homeschooling was weird and wrong. I lurked and posted some on the old boards for quite a while, really wanting to homeschool but thought with how social my son was that we would send him to ps and I would after school. But I couldn't let go of the idea, and finally decided to take the plunge. We have loved it, though there have been ups and downs.

 

We follow the WTM a lot, though I substitute in different things and use different levels according to their abilities, I consider myself a die hard WTM-er.

 

I work from home as well as a contractor. Sometimes I have no work, sometimes 10 hours a week, and sometimes like last winter for several months almost full time. So I struggle with how to balance that, and we continue with school over the summer to make up for some of the things we missed when I as working (though we always keep up with the minimum math, piano, reading, writing). My husband works more than full time, and we have no family in the area, so it feels like it is all on me.

 

I love these boards, spend probably too much time here, but it really helps me feel connected with other homeschool parents who are focused on academics. I love reading about all the curricula out there, though maybe if I read a bit less I would have more money in my pocket. I mostly pitch in on things we have used quite a bit or other things I have experience with with my two kids.

[MinivanMom]

Let's see. I've been reading these boards for a long time, but don't post very much. I have 5 children and we have homeschooled from the beginning.

 

We homeschool for academic reasons. I taught public school in my life before mommyhood and I knew that they (b&m schools) wouldn't be able to meet my children's needs.

[QuirkyKapers]

Hi,

I'm Quirky Kapers. I have two children. I love having my children home and being part of all their creative energy. I love to swim and was a lifeguard in college. I like to bowl. I also love traveling. My favorite thing to do on vacation would be to hit the beach and read a book in the sun. I have been married going on 22 years.

[BlsdMama]

 

Hi, I'm Chucki the Parrothead. I was a lurker on the old board but signed onto the new boards not long after the switch. I have one child (dd12) and before dd came along I was a firefighter and a city cop in a small town in GA.

 

I'm a navy brat and moved frequently as a kid. Now my dh is a gov't employee and we move frequently. Currently we are in New England near the US/Canada border.

 

Our top reason for homeschooling is academics.

 

Okay, your turn.

 

I was active on the old boards and probably am equally or less active now. :) We have several DC (signature) and have been homeschooling from the beginning. :) I was blessed to find TWTM (the book) before we started schooling Ana and began to read it while we used Five in a Row when Ana was in Kindergarten.

 

We're in Oregon currently but we're from the Midwest and we spent a bit of time in CA while DH was in the Army.

 

We've been schooling now for eleven years and since the baby is almost one, I should think we've got another good 13 years at a minimum. :D

[TrixieB]

So I always wondered, did you marry Jim?

Um, yeah, actually I did. You know, I never thought about my dh having the same name until I read your post! However, our last name is NOT Frayne. That would be too weird...

Edited June 22, 2012 by TrixieB

[laughing lioness]

I'm Lisa and have been a WTM boardie for over 10 years.

I have 5 kids whom I've homeschooled for 21 yrs- the oldest is a college grad and lives in KY. The 21 yr is a cosmetologist and might go into an R.N. program in the fall. 3 at home, rising Sr, 7th and 5th graders.

 

We've homeschooled in CA, OH, NM and now SD. We started homeschooling

1. because of visiting public eled schools in S. CA for our oldest :thumbdown:, then a 4 1/2 yr stint in the military which included three moves, so continued and by then it was a life style.

2. because I wrote a Master's thesis on "Why Parent's Homeschool." Lit Review was on the history of Education in America.

3. dh and I both wanted more and less of what we got in public/private schools for our kids.

4. Academics

5. We see it as a vocational calling, which we are called to.

[Alice]

I'm Alice. I lurked a little bit on the old boards and maybe posted once or twice, I can't remember. It was right before it switched over to these boards though.

 

I'm homeschooled since my oldest was in K. I was probably one of those annoying people who thought of herself as a homeschooler when I only had a preschooler. We knew that was what we wanted to do and I started doing some research and reading about homeschooling when he was very little.

 

We homeschool primarily for academic reasons and typically tell people we're taking it one year at a time. I think the truth now though is that this has become our lifestyle and while we can imagine circumstances that would have us put the kids in another school setting, this is what we've chosen and prefer.

 

I'm also a part-time pediatrician. I learn a lot here, mostly surprising to me, about how the general public and homeschoolers in particular feel about pediatricians. :) It's all good though, mostly it makes me better at my job.

[happygrrl]

Hi!

I live off-the-grid on 20 acres in the Pacific Northwest. I have been hs'ing my hippie children for 9 years now!

 

You can pm me if you ever want to chat about that, or about working with diet to help your aspie, or about converting to Eastern Orthodoxy, or about art, or music, or anything, really :)

 

I used to lurk on the old boards sometimes, but the format did not work well for me. As soon as the 'new' boards started I joined in the chatter. I love the high school boards especially, as those folks are so cool! :D

[Denise in Florida]

I'm Jessica. DH and I have two little boys and recently found out that we are expecting baby #3. We both would really, really love to have a large family so we will see how that plays out in the coming years :)

 

I've been very pro-homeschooling since I was 15 and my mother finally admitted that even though she had doubts, surely she would do a better job with myself and my younger siblings than the local schools! I was very thrilled to realize that there was an online forum "attached" to WTM not long before the birth of DS1. Academics are the primary motivation for us, but also homeschooling just fits better with the type of lifestyle we want as a family.

 

I'm very into self-sufficiency/homesteading, from scratch cooking, gardening etc and I enjoy reading, writing, am teaching myself to sew, and have a very deep, abiding, spiritual love for animals and nature. I also enjoy training and showing dogs and am (not so patiently) waiting for the time when I have the opportunity to really get active in my breed of choice. DH has a similar love and we would really like to show dogs as a family hobby/passion/outright obsession.

 

May I ask what your dog breed of choice is? :001_smile: I know there are other dog folks on here. My dd18 shows horses, and I have shown chickens. I picked the wrong breed (chick) for showing. They have tons of personality but aren't very flashy. I may start over in a year or so.

[vettechmomof2]

Howdy, vettech mom of 2 human children.

[elinnea]

Hello!

I live in Washington State now but I previously lived in Germany for over 10 years. My husband is German and my two older children were born there.

 

We've always homeschooled both for academic reasons and because my dh travels a lot for work so we like to have the flexibility to sometimes accompany him.

 

My hobbies include genealogy, Scandinavian crime fiction, and knitting.

[Denise in Florida]

I'm HOPE_Academy, and I always feel like a bit of a fraud here because I don't actually have any of my own children yet.

 

I'm here because I was home schooled for middle school, and I have been tutoring home schooled children for the past 10 years. I taught 2nd grade at a Classical school right out of college and met many families either transitioning out of or in to home school. Since then I have also taught 8th grade English at a Catholic school. I now work full time with 4 home school families, and I love every minute. This board has been hugely helpful in terms of learning about curriculum, etc.

 

BUT, I told my husband I wanted to home school before we even got married, so he's had some time to adjust to the idea (every woman in his family is a ps teacher!). Which is great, because we found out this week we're expecting our first baby... so I guess in about five years, I can finally put your collective wisdom to good use!

 

Congratulations. Good luck. Deciding to homeschool my girls was my best decision ever.

[Denise in Florida]

Hi! I'm LAmom because I live in Los Angeles not Louisiana. :D. I have 5 kids, homeschooling for 3 years. I'm from the Chicago area and miss it much! We moved willingly for my husband's work. He is a pastor here. We are oddballs, being reformed Christians, somewhat conservative, etc. Not many like-minded people in this little town.

 

Do you think anyone will actually read every response?!

 

Anyways, love all the help I get from this board....maybe sometimes too much when it comes to all the great choices of curricula. :001_huh:

 

Hi LA mom,

 

I understand about being the oddball only we went the opposite direction. We lived in New Mexico (where I was considered conservative) and now live in Florida (where I apparently am a wacky liberal heathen :lol:). Some days I feel like the challenge makes me thrive, some days it wears me out.

 

I am trying to read every response, but every time I leave to start laundry or work in the kitchen, I get further behind. ha

[DaffodilDreams]

Hi! I'm Kimmie, mother of an 8yr old dd. I've been here since 2009, but I still feel new most of the time! We've homeschooled since the beginning and have no plans to stop soon. There were many factors involved in our decision to homeschool, so I'm unable to pinpoint just one.

[julzar]

Hi! I am Julie and am pretty new here, but have been lurking around for a couple of months.

 

We live in the Colorado mountains with our 4 kids. My husband of 14 years works at a whitewater rafting, backpacking, and rock climbing company.

 

I started homeschooling when my oldest was in 3rd grade and second was in 1st. Prior to that they went to a private Christian school. We started homeschool partially for financial reasons, when private school got too expensive. I had always been interested in homeschooling, but hubby was not on board prior to this.

 

This will be our 5th year of homeschool with a 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th grader. I love Jesus and hope my children will catch that love too. Academics are also very important here as we seek to love God with all of our minds.

 

Enough rambling about myself! It has been so nice to read about so many of you!:)

[Denise in Florida]

I'm Iona on these boards.

I have a 7, almost 6 and 3 year old. All boys. We just finished our second year of hsing and my mind just turned off. Is that normal?

 

yup :lol:

[Caroline]

Um, yeah, actually I did. You know, I never thought about my dh having the same name until I read your post! However, our last name is NOT Frayne. That would be too weird...

 

:) I am so happy you married Jim!

[Jan in SC]

Hi,

 

I'm Jan and I live in SC. My dh is an attorney here and we have three wild boys. We are starting our 4th year of homeschooling. The boys had couple of years in ps, but seem to enjoy this better.

 

I used to enjoy playing tennis, but now I can be found at a baseball field, tennis court, or a theatre watching my children. My hobby is apparently driving. I didn't know I enjoyed it so much, but I must, as my children are constantly asking me for a ride to somewhere! I love to read and go out to eat. I am really good at ordering things off the Internet. I don't know how to cook and my dh doesn't seem to mind.

 

I have a couple of IRL WtM board friends and they will tell you that I tell it like it is and talk a lot! I think it's because my mind is rotting from boys trying out new jokes all day.

 

I am a radical unschooler in my heart and a buy everything and try it all classical educator in reality. I mostly confuse my children and assume that I will need to dig a basement for them to reside as my educational plan is probably creating gaping holes, thus rendering them unemployable in the future!

[Lisa in SC]

I'm Lisa, married for 21 years, live in SC, and mom to 4 plus twins who've passed away. We've homeschooled for approximately 12 years. Currently, our oldest is in college, our next daughter is a rising senior in public high school, and our plans are to homeschool our boys through high school. Our reasons for homeschooling are many but include children who learn in ways that don't mesh with ps and our desire to teach our children to embrace learning, the world around us and integrate our spiritual beliefs throughout our lives. :001_smile:

[Harriet Vane]

I am Strider and have been on the boards for many years.

 

I have always been attracted to homeschooling because I love teaching. Dh was initially a little resistant. However, at the time we were living as a middle class, white family in a high crime, impoverished, African-American community in the city. While we had many good neighbors and good friends there, the local school was an academic wasteland and very unsafe. Private schools or magnet schools would have required a lot of money and driving time (hours every day), which was unappealing. We decided to give homeschooling a try, and found that we all love it. We have homeschooled ten years.

 

I was given the nickname Strider in high school because I am tall with a long walking stride. I also like to think that, while a bit scruffy or worn down, I have steely resolve and indomitable spirit just like the real Strider. ;)

[Mama Anna]

Hi! I'm Mama Anna. I'm wife (of almost 14 years) to a fellow studying to be a professor and mama to three girls (see sig.). Dh decided we were going to be homeschooling before we had kids and while we were living near SF, CA. I was not blessed. Then several years later, when dd8 was 3 years old and questioning me closely about the musical form of Brahm's Lullaby, I suddenly realized I didn't want to just toss her into a public school system and hope she turned out okay. (I didn't know it was an option to be heavily involved in your child's public school life - my parents weren't in mine.) Not knowing what else to do, I went to the library looking for homeschooling materials and found WTM. We've not really looked back since.

 

We school for academic, religious, social, and logistical reasons. As well as for the fun of it. Once I got into it I realized that I've got quite a few teachers in my background (My dad's parents were both school teachers, he's a professor, and all three of my brothers are involved in either teaching or training.) and really loved the teaching part. Dh is a natural teacher, too, so our kids might as well benefit. Sometimes I feel a bit sorry for them, having myself grown up in a house where instruction is the normal mode of communication. (You ask my dad a question about AC vs. DC current and you get a 1 1/2 hour lecture including diagrams. At least I did last week! :lol:)

 

I hope we can school all the way through. I've been on this board since it switched over, but I only post intermittently. We're located in the middle of the States right now, but that'll change when dh graduates.

 

'Nuff about me.

 

Mama Anna

[EducationX2]

May I ask what your dog breed of choice is? :001_smile: I know there are other dog folks on here. My dd18 shows horses, and I have shown chickens. I picked the wrong breed (chick) for showing. They have tons of personality but aren't very flashy. I may start over in a year or so.

 

I'm also curious. When life calms down for me (does life calm down? :lol:) I'd like to get into breeding and showing. Chocolate Labrador retrievers. :001_wub::001_wub: I've also done some rescue work with labs and want to get more involved with that. I love all dogs, but big dogs, especially labs, most especially chocolate labs are my true soft spot. :D

[Denise in Florida]

According to my profile, I joined the Hive in September 2008. I left the forums for a while because I was trying to cut back on the time I spent online. Then one day I thought of TWTM as I was pushing my shopping cart back into its proper place in a corral. ;) I got pulled into a few interesting discussions, and I've been here pretty much ever since.

 

After homeschooling for 3.5 years, the economy bit us on the hiney, so we moved out of state, I returned to the workforce (I'm an editor), and we enrolled my older DD in school.

 

We live in a Mayberry-like small town now that's near where I grew up. My kids attend the small local school. I do afterschooling activities with them after school, on weekends, and in the summer as our schedule allows and their interests dictate. I usually focus on art, history (including SOTW), and other subjects that the school doesn't cover well because of the increased focus on math and reading. We're involved in 4-H and incorporate that into our home learning too.

 

I remember that kerfluffle. I followed it but was too shy to post. :lol::lol:

 

My youngest dd was very involved with 4H, it can be a wonderful program.

[Denise in Florida]

I'm TrixieB. I live in Sleepyside-on-the-Hudson with my brothers Brian, Mart, and Bobby. My best friend Honey lives next door.

 

Wait! That's not right! Do-over!

 

I'm TrixieB. I've been homeschooling my two kids since 2002, and I started reading and sometimes posting on the WTM forums shortly after that -- but with a different username.

 

Currently I'm freaking out about homeschooling high school, as my elder child will be in high school this fall. Where has the time gone?

 

In my spare time I enjoy knitting, crocheting, reading, and geocaching. I need more spare time!

 

I loved that series when I was a kid. I am pretty sure I read my favorites until they fell apart. :lol:

 

I remember being terrified of high school, but it turned out fine. I just kept doing one step at a time. Good luck

[Woodhaven]

Hi. I have 4 kids - boys and have been home educating my kids from the beginning. I love schooling my kids this way!

 

I've been around here for years, but don't post often. Mostly I learn from all of you! :bigear: This is such a great forum!:thumbup1: It's the first place I go these days to begin my research on a subject/book or something else. :)

[woolybear]

I'm Woolybear (I'll leave it at that for privacy reasons.) I live in Connecticut. We have been homeschooling for 6 years. It seems like we kind of fell into it. There were quite a few years when I couldn't see doing anything else. Actually, I still can't, but I know realistically ps may be in our future.

 

I have run the gamut with homeschooling approaches--starting out with unschooling, dropping in on Waldorf, learning about classical, and finally parking myself for awhile in Charlotte Mason. At this point I would say my heart is largely CM, but we do whatever works, which isn't always CM.

 

I have two cats, whom I love dearly. I like coffee, chocolate, the woods, and books. I spend a ridiculous amount of time at baseball fields these days and find that I am quite social. I would love to be able to spend more time sitting on a rock in the middle of a mountain stream. Alone. :)

[Denise in Florida]

Hello all! This is my first official post but I have been reading these boards for quite some time (a year, at least). There have been many times I have wanted to post but haven't and after seeing this thread I decided to take the plunge! For starters, I have no idea how to put a signature on this, etc (I am using my iPad and can't seem to figure this out!). Anyway, a little about me... I am an at-home homeschooling mom to two very active boys, ages 8 & 9 (yes, they are only a year apart and no, it was not planned that way!!). I have been married to the love of my life for over 10 years. I have been homeschooling since preschool, although we did attempt a half a year at a private school and it didn't work out. We are a followers of Christ but we homeschool primarily for academic reasons with the intentions of putting them into a private college prep school for high school. Hmmm, what else...I love photography, baking, cooking, and exercise (running being a biggie, hence my username). My hubby is very well known in his industry and his hard work has allowed us to live very comfortably, something I am truly grateful for especially since I think I am a curriculum hoarder (is that possible???). I am looking forward to finally coming out of lurkdom and being an active part of these boards!! Also, I apparently like to ramble (sorry!) so I will end with this!

 

Hi Runnermom, I am a curriculum hoarder too. :seeya:Maybe we should start a 12 step program thread?

[Parrothead]

Hi!

I live off-the-grid on 20 acres in the Pacific Northwest. I have been hs'ing my hippie children for 9 years now!

 

You can pm me if you ever want to chat about that, or about working with diet to help your aspie, or about converting to Eastern Orthodoxy, or about art, or music, or anything, really :)

 

I used to lurk on the old boards sometimes, but the format did not work well for me. As soon as the 'new' boards started I joined in the chatter. I love the high school boards especially, as those folks are so cool! :D

I'm going to be letting my inner hippie out bit by bit over the next few months. I'll be sure to take you up on your pm offer. ;)

[Forget-Me-Not]

Coming in late :) I'm LemonPie, mom to 3 with one on the way. We've been homeschooling 2 years and we're about to start out 3rd year. I'm LDS and I enjoy photography, reading, and baking.

[ssavings]

I'm Meg, mom to 4 kids. Our first official year of homeschooling starts in the fall. We live in Florida, and we always planned to homeschool.

[Galatea]

Hi, I'm Beverly. This is my first post! I've been married 12 years and we have one daughter, who is nearly 4 and we already know that we are going to homeschool her, so I'm just looking for information about where to start. I'm a lurker extraordinaire, and I've found lots of good info already just by reading what other people do for Pre-K/K.

[happygrrl]

I'm going to be letting my inner hippie out bit by bit over the next few months. I'll be sure to take you up on your pm offer. ;)

 

Oh, Please do! I promise to drink a margarita and sing some JB when I write back! :D

[fischerl]

I'm Lori; we made the decision to homeschool long before we had kids! :tongue_smilie: Partly for academic reasons (I'm a former public school teacher and knew I could do better myself than what I witnessed in some classrooms) and partly because it sounded like so much fun! We began in 1994, so we've been at it for quite a while, and we're still loving it.

[Erica in OR]

I'm Erica, with three kids in 2nd, 5th, and 7th grades, with two new additions to the family last year.

 

I lurked on the old board, but didn't really post because we had hardly started our homeschooling journey. I had never really thought we would homeschool, but being friends with a homeschooling family and stumbling across WTM at our local library made definite impacts.

 

Before we started our family, I taught chemistry and physics at a rural high school. I'm able to work out of the home doing some chem educ related consultant work and like to share chemistry activities with the local homeschool support group.

 

We moved from the Midwest to Oregon when DH took a call to a dual parish here. Hence, the name:

 

Erica in OR

[Mommyfaithe]

Oh, Please do! I promise to drink a margarita and sing some JB when I write back! :D

 

Can I come too?? I'll bring my Hot Tuna cd's! :D

[Education Explorers]

Never say never. I swore I would never HS. Eww, not for me! I'd go crazy being home with my kids all day. I had all sorts of preconceived notions about HS and figured Laura Ingalls, I ain't. God does have a wicked sense of humor. So I am now HSing two kids and we are all shocked by how well it is going and how much we like it. Not once was Children's Services called, I'm not drinking (heavily :lol:) nor I am I living in a padded room while sporting a fashionable straightjacket. Phew! We are taking it year by year, but are not committed for year number two. We are keeping our fingers crossed for continued success.

[Mandamom]

I'm Janice and have been a participant on these boards (and the old ones) since 2002.

 

I am currently not homeschooling although I homeschooled my oldest stepson for 5 years ago when he and his brother were living with me and dh. The older boys currently live with mom and stepdad.

 

I have 3 children at home (11, 10 and 6) and they are all in school (one private and 2 public.

 

I work as the Homeschool Coordinator at a local private school for those with learning disabilities. I am also a reading and math instructor and train the new staff each year. I tutor on the side. Most of the students I work with are 2-3 years below level and I've had a lot of success bringing them to grade level.

 

My dh is home with the kids after he lost his job a few years ago.

 

That's me.

[frugalmama]

I'm FrugalMama aka Darla. Single mama to one dd who has suspected ASD and is gifted. This fall will start our third year of homeschooling. I'm a second generation homeschooler - I was homeschooled from 4th until 9th.

 

I'm a former Christian / Catholic, now converted to Islam as of a year ago. We homeschool for a lot of reasons - dd has severe food allergies and would NOT be a good fit in a classroom, I want things to support our religious views, and I've seen the local public schools and don't want my kid anywhere near them.

 

 

We have changed a lot since starting to homeschool - we started with a Catholic program and now use a hodpodge of mostly secular materials as seen in my signature.

[4Hisglory]

I'm Jen and am a horrible lurker. I love reading here but seldom post. :blush:

I've been homeschooling for 14 years and started with my first as a single mom. That one has graduated and is at college and I have added three more(and am no longer single.:001_smile:) We live in the rainy, green, lush state of Oregon. Our reasons for homeschooling have changed over the years. At first I did it because it seemed wonderful to not miss out on so much time with my dear ones and that is still true, but I have added that home educating is such an incredible gift (even when I'm tired, frustrated and someone's climbing the walls) that I want to persevere and do it well. That is not exactly the track record from my youth, a worthy turn-around.

[happygrrl]

Can I come too?? I'll bring my Hot Tuna cd's! :D

 

Yes yes! Please do!

:cheers2:

[Socalmom]

Hi! I'm Margie and live in Southern California, a bit north of San Diego. I have 2 girls, 12 and 14, and have been married for 26 years. We decided to homeschool our older DD 3 days before she was to start 6th grade. She had been attending a Catholic school and it wasn't a good fit socially for her. I couldn't let her go through another year being an outsider. We just finished 8th grade last week. It has been a wonderful experience! She is going to be attending a charter High School in the fall. I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do next.

 

Thank you to everyone that posts their words of wisdom on the boards. I've learned so much.

[mafi39]

Hi I'm McKinsey and we live in Tn. I too am a horrible lurker and don't post as often as I should. I'll work on that :) We have two adopted children dd 9 and ds8. They are biological siblings. I used to be a ps teacher and when our children came to be with us at 2 and 3, I quit teaching to stay home. Homeschooling was a natural progression and also nudging from the Lord. It's been a wonderful fit for us and I love our life!

[acablue]

Hey there!

 

I'm Sean, one of the 4 or 5 (I think?) dads one the forum. I live in New Jersey and stay home to homeschool my three kids, Nathan, James and Molly. In the fall, they'll be in 2nd, 1st and kindergarten, but this summer they're keeping us busy with their sports and camps. All three kids were adopted (one at birth, two as toddlers), and one of the attachment specialists that we worked with actually recommended homeschooling to us. It's not something I would have thought up on my own, but I love it and we plan to continue at least through middle school. I find it really cool how many adoptive parents are on the board.

 

Anyway, I've been busy the last few weeks building a treehouse. It was supposed to be a family project, but it turned into a "Daddy, get it done quick so we can play in it" project. I'll be around more now because you've all turned me into a curriculum junkie and I'm not satisfied with my plan for next year.

 

Oh, I also have two stepkids, Ben, who's 15 and Mackenzie, who's 17. Ben was homeschooled for a few years when he was younger and they're both super smart and cool and adventurous.

 

I just introduced my SO, David, to the wonderful world of homeschool curriculum :D, so I'm sure he'll be reading over my shoulder a fair bit now.

 

Now, I guess I'll go back and read all of these. See you in a week! :tongue_smilie:

[Amber in AUS]

I've been here for a little while now :) I'm Amber and i live in Australia hence Amber in AUS. I have 4 kids, home schooled from the start. My youngest was a micro prem 25w, 865g. We homeschool so that we can challenge our kids at their level.