All about us

I'm assuming that most of the people who are reading this already know plenty about us. But I'll give a quick "who we are" introduction in this post. To begin, we have our son, Ethan. I refuse to refer to my children as ds and dd. People seem to do that a lot on the internet. I think it's weird. So I will just refer to him as my son, if it's all the same to you.

Ethan turned eight on February 23. He was born in China, moved to Singapore at age 4 1/2, and is still fairly convinced that he is Chinese American. He is an engineer in training, following his daddy. His obsessions are Legos and computers, particularly combinations of the two like the Star War Lego computer game. When it comes to school, he majors in math and science. He's not a big fan of language arts, though he's a good reader. He's an auditory, logic smart learner. He's not much for sports aside from biking, fishing, archery and ping pong. He loves being in the Cub Scouts. He's a pretty even keeled kid who goes with the flow, but he is known to get upset if you pull him away from the computer unexpectedly.

Our daughter, Megan, just turned six on April 15. Yes, I know, it's tax day. But it wasn't tax day in China, where she was also born. I was just glad she wasn't born on the fourteenth of April, because it's an unlucky day there and while I don't believe it, I didn't want the Chinese thinking she was cursed. Megan sings and dances her way through life, currently to the soundtracks from High School Musical 1 and 2. She loves to read and write, but she hates history. She started Tae Kwon Do recently and is in love with it. That's usually the case with any sport she tries. When she irreparably tore a tendon on her toe this year, her only concern was whether or not she could still play basketball. Megan's trademark is her long red hair and yes, she has the temper to match.

I always say that life with my husband is like climbing a mountain - in a good way! You know those amazing guys who lead expeditions up Everest? They seem to have a superhuman strength and endurance. They're encouraging, challenging, and you trust them with your life. That's Erik! He's an adrenaline loving, godly man who has an engineering bent. His current role as an Operations Director means that he's always figuring out bigger and better systems for how things operate - including in our home. But he not one of those "great tech skills poor social skills" kind of people - he's been voted "friendliest in the office." People love him because on a team he's so approachable and capable. Can you tell I'm blessed? He's fantastic, which is a good thing, because I could never do this homeschool gig without his undying support.

As for me, the defining truth I know is that I am a deeply loved child of God, and I try to live out of that as my identity. I want to live a life of humility and dependence on God. That's a big reason why I homeschool - nothing has driven me to my knees more than this!

I am a native Minnesotan with a degree in organizational communication. I am most alive when I am able to communicate the lessons and insights God gives me into myself, into life, into knowing Him. Put me in front of a thousand people with something to share and I will be thrilled. I wouldn't say I'm cut out to be a homeschool mom, but I have my strengths, and I'm learning to rely on God in my weaknesses.

That's it - there's our whole family. No plans for 10 children or a farm. We won't be milking our own goat or making our own clothes. Our kids don't build pretend pyramids in their spare time or play any musical instruments. But they're learning a lot and enjoying the freedom of just being kids, and I'm enjoying a prolonged time with them before I release them into the world.

If you found this blog and expect it to be a litany of the glories of homeschool, you're wrong. What you will find is the honest expression of what we're learning, resources and techniques we've found that are working, and probably some venting.