About Me and My Coffee Breaks

FAQs (okay, maybe not frequently asked...)

Who are you? I'm a Christian wife and mother - married for 30+ years, and homeschooling for 19+ years. I'm not a writer, nor do I hope to be a writer; and that's why it's ridiculous that I have more than one blog. I grew up in Calgary, met my husband in Winnipeg (although he is from southern Ontario), lived in southern New Jersey for awhile, and have been living in Maryland for over 20 years.

What do you do all day? (This one IS frequently asked, usually by my husband) Here's the original answer from a couple of years ago:  Other than Facebook and message boards and blogs, you mean? I do actually spend some time on homeschooling. I actively teach a couple of subjects, and need to be available to help with everything else. Sometimes just to give them the stink-eye now and again to make sure that they are actually working on math, y'know? And there's grading and lesson plans and teacher-type stuff like that. I find that my family rather expects that I'll do household chores like laundry and cooking, so I give that a go whenever I think about it, or it can't be avoided. I don't much care for cooking, I'm not gonna lie. Not terribly fond of cleaning either, to be perfectly honest. I would rather read, or nap, or do something that involves music. And I drink coffee in copious amounts. I am involved with music at our church, and help out some with the youth ministry - call me crazy, but I actually like hanging with the teens! I drive my kids crazy to activities like music lessons, youth activities, Children's Chorus, and Civil Air Patrol. I'm also a member of a community choir, which is one of my opportunities to do something that doesn't hinge on my being someone's wife or mother.

Here's a more recent answer, since my youngest student graduated from high school: I still spend more time than I should on the internet, and although I don't have my own students to homeschool any more, I'm still involved with homeschooling. I'm connected to the same homeschool community and oversight groups, and I teach at a homeschool co-op. And I even question my college student about her classes and homework from time to time. I work at a local small business a couple of days a week. My attitude to cooking and cleaning and laundry hasn't changed much - it's not my favorite, but it needs to be done! Of course I'm still spending time reading, enjoying music, and socializing. And drinking coffee! I'm still involved in music at church and in the community choir. 

Where is your other blog? Just A Second. No, that's the name of the other blog. It's called Just A Second.

How much do you really know about homeschooling? Are you an expert? Well, I know a lot about what has worked for us in this homeschool adventure, and I know what hasn't. I believe in the value of home education and I like to promote that and encourage families to consider homeschooling. I'm not an expert, and I have only stayed in a Holiday Inn Express a handful of times. But I've tried a lot of different homeschool products, on our own and through the Homeschool Review Crew, and I've been doing this homeschool thing for a number of years now.