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aussieannie
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Location: Australia
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| Posted: Jan 23 2009 at 1:42pm | IP Logged
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Casey, I am so pleased you have found your way here, 4Real opened up my homeschooling world even though I was in my 6th year of schooling by then, I am sure you will find the same! 
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Under Her Starry Mantle
Spiritual Motherhood for Priests
Blessed with 3 boys & 3 girls!
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Mackfam
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Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
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| Posted: Jan 23 2009 at 4:47pm | IP Logged
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aussieannie wrote:
| 4Real opened up my homeschooling world even though I was in my 6th year of schooling by then, I am sure you will find the same! |
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Oh, I feel exactly the same, Anne!!! Welcome Casey!!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19 , ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Angie Mc
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Joined: Jan 31 2005
Location: Arizona
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Posts: 11400
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| Posted: Jan 23 2009 at 6:05pm | IP Logged
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Hi, all, and a special welcome to new members! Thank you for your introductions. I'm Angie and I enjoy this board because I learn so much from the moms here, especially about Catholic Tradition and traditions. I also like hanging with ladies who can chat about anything from favorite apples (honeycrisp) to the philosophy of education (Charlotte Mason, St. John Bosco, better late than early, etc.) while being very charitable. I also love, love, love, the privilege of praying for others and being prayed for by amazing prayer warriors  .
Some current blessings...
dh has steady employment, our boys play club baseball, dd received her brown belt in American Kenpo, JP loves to play with play dough and his kitchen and his fishing toys, reading lots of picture books, Math-U-See, cooking on my new stove (haven't posted about THAT yet!), and the gorgeous AZ weather!
Some current challenges...
for over a year we've been trying to get licensed by the state of AZ to foster-to-adopt, craft-impaired, tending to the garage and yard, getting to bed on time (just posted about that today,) producing a budget report, eating enough vegetables, memorizing the Magnificat.
Something you may not know about me yet...my favorite color is blue and my eyes are blue, too! And, I watch The Office - there, I said it, - and my excuse for watching it is that I especially appreciate the environmental nuances of my hometown, Scanton, PA  .
Love,
__________________
Angie Mc
Maimeo to Henry! Dave's wife, mom to Mrs. Devin+Michael Pope, Aiden 20,Ian 17,John Paul 11,Catherine (heaven 6/07)
About Me
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Lori
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Joined: Sept 10 2008
Location: Arizona
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Posts: 257
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| Posted: Jan 23 2009 at 7:41pm | IP Logged
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Hi all! I'm Lori, and I live in AZ, too, with my hubby of 17+ years, and our kiddos ranging in age: 16, 10, 7, 6 and 5 (all boys but the baby princess!)
We started homeschooling about 2 years ago, out of necessity, and are attempting to hs all four of the youngest kiddos for the first time this year (the oldest one escaped and is doing fine in public high school, although he has his moments of wishing he was hs!) I discovered Charlotte Mason through a serendipitous comment on a blog I read, and have branched out and expanded from there...rather eclectic now, but seems to be working for us, and that's saying a lot--2 years ago if you'd asked me if I'd ever homeschool I would have said "No way! Are you crazy?" And now here we are.
I love reading (blogs, books, scripture, etc), scrapbooking (or saying that I scrapbook...at least thinking about scrapbooking, and buying all the little doodads, and reading about scrapbooking, and...well, by now I could have done a page, so there's some kind of roadblock, apparently!), and I'm a huge listmaker (and list ignorer).
I particularly love this forum, and have learned LOTS from the delightful women here.
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crusermom
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Joined: Aug 09 2007
Location: New Jersey
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Posts: 878
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| Posted: Jan 24 2009 at 8:17am | IP Logged
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Hi - My name is Mary - I am married to Dan who is in the Army and we have 8 children and are expecting number 9 in Sept. (09-09-09??? - would be cool.)
I am originally from New York but joined the Army to finance school and since have lived around - currently we are in San Antonio, Texas. I met my husband in medical school and we knew we were going to get married after a week of dating. We were both cradle Catholics but had a reversion about 12 years ago.
Our children were in public school and parochial school when I was working. Since I have been out of the army (10 years), I have been homeschooling all or part of the brood - depending on the child and on where we live. Wow - I feel like I am so new to this!
Currently, my oldest is at Christendom College, When we moved to S.A. last year, we put our next four in the parish school. It is a wonderful school with daily Mass and my husband is fearful of another deployment. My 17 yo is planning on going to Notre Dame next year, My 9, 6, and 2 year old are home with me.
I love to read and sew. I love the country life and would be happy with all my kids home on 20 acres. I have crunchy tendencies. I have a horse named Pancho - that my husband has forbidden me to ride now that I am pregnant. I rode during my last pregnancy and freaked him out. I am older and wiser now. I will be good and listen to my husband. He is a very smart man.
Enjoying learning more about you all and welcome to the newcomers!
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Mary
Army wife and Crusermom to 8 wonderful children!
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Sarah M
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Joined: Jan 06 2008
Location: Washington
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Posts: 1423
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| Posted: Jan 25 2009 at 10:42pm | IP Logged
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Hi- I'm Sarah- I've been married to my husband Andrew for almost 8 years . Our three children are 7, 5, and 3. My 3yo son is 10x harder than both girls put together. Somebody please explain that to me  .
Let's see... we live in the Pacific Northwest, but may be moving in the near future. My husband received a promotion over a year ago (no, that's not a typo), and any day, we could get a call that will tell us to relocate within 45 days. And no, he's not in the military. We are hoping to stay here in the NW because all of our family is here, but I've finally come to terms with the "adventure" of moving, so I think I'm ready for whatever comes.
I love to read everything I can get my hands on. Books of all kinds, the Mater et Magistra magazine, blogs (especially this, this, this, and this one, although I enjoy a whole bunch more of them, too). I crochet in the winter, garden in the spring. I love to birdwatch- this is a relatively new hobby of mine. I've also recently tried sketching, which it turns out, is not so hard to do after all!
Our homeschool is eclectic- but we draw mostly from Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, and unschooling. This year I am using Oak Meadow with my first grader, plus read-alouds and observance of the liturgical year. My girls just joined a Little Flowers group, and I met some other 4Realers there- how fun!
I love 4Real- it has been such an encouragement to me through all the ups and downs of the first years in homeschooling!
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CrunchyMom
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Joined: Sept 03 2007
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| Posted: Jan 26 2009 at 8:10am | IP Logged
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Hi, I'm Lindsay, and I live on the East Coast. I grew up in Alabama and I'm a Catholic convert (Easter, 2003), but my husband is a cradle Catholic from Michigan.
We started dating in June of 2002 and starting planning our July 2003 wedding shortly thereafter. We just had our third boy in September, and we've been talking of homeschooling our children all along. I feel so blessed to have found this board early on in my search, but I've only recently, as my oldest is actually approaching the age of schooling, become more active in discussions. What a beautiful bunch of ladies who have been quite instrumental in introducing me to many resources that have challenged me to grow in faith and virtue as a Catholic mother!
Just this week while discussing a summer daycamp on a local working, educational farm, my husband (who was nervous about leaving our son for 2 hours each morning for a week) was shocked when I reminded him that our oldest would be attending kindergarten this fall if we weren't schooling at home! So, very soon, even the state will recognize me as a homeschooler 
I have toyed with some Montessori, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Waldorf, etc..., and I feel my understanding of education and the nature of the child has been broadened so much in my reading of all the methods. I anticipate being a relaxed, eclectic home schooler with a heavy dose of Charlotte Mason for discipline and structure(for myself, mostly!). We'll see what happens, but I do keep coming back to it!
Mostly, my goal is to get my children to heaven by feeding their soul with as much truth, beauty, and goodness as God gives me the grace to muster!
I enjoy cooking and providing nutritious meals for my family, reading, sewing (though I'm not very good at it), music (my major in college), and practicing stewardship, orderliness, and creativity in making my home a peaceful and enriching retreat for my family--all of which is very challenging with a rolly-polly four month old!
ETA: I really don't care for my screen name, but would it be confusing to change it to something else?
__________________
Lindsay
Five Boys(6/04) (6/06) (9/08)(3/11),(7/13), and 1 girl (5/16)
My Symphony
[URL=http://mysymphonygarden.blogspot.com/]Lost in the Cosmos[/UR
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Elizabeth S.
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Joined: Jan 25 2009
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| Posted: Jan 27 2009 at 1:38am | IP Logged
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Hello from the NW! I'm Elizabeth and I am also a convert to the Catholic faith and married to a cradle Catholic (this year we will celebrate our 11th wedding anniversary!). We have homeschooled since the beginning and have 4 children...9, 6, 3, and 1..our 3 year old is our only girl. We use Kolbe for our 3rd grader and a mix for our kindergartener.
I look forward to meeting other Catholic Homeschooling Moms in order to gain support in living out my vocation as a wife and mother to the fullest potential I can. I'm especially interested in sharing ways to better celebrate the liturgical year as a family and learning more about raising great Catholic kids! 
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Kyra
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Joined: Jan 26 2009
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| Posted: Jan 27 2009 at 8:43am | IP Logged
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Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra, I'm a Canadian, and also a convert (both me and my husband, Easter 2007). We live in Toronto, and attended a very small ecumenical college in Ottawa together. Three-quarters of our class became Catholic, starting from strict Presbyterian, Baptist, Anglican, and Free Brethren. :) It's quite wonderful.
We've been married for six years, and have a one-year-old son, Nathaniel Elijah (Nat). We're hoping to homeschool, God willing, and for me to stay home. Some of our closest friends are homeschooled, and though I don't know much about the various methods yet, I'm eager to learn.
We both love to read, I am a passionate cook, fashion history lover, and I sew and do various handcrafts. Since I've been interrupted by my busy little person about twenty times since I started writing this, I think I should run. Nice to meet you all.
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KC in TX
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Joined: Aug 05 2005
Location: Texas
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Posts: 2621
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| Posted: Jan 27 2009 at 9:59am | IP Logged
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Hello to all our new members!
I'm KC, my husband, Ben, is in the Army. We have 3 1/2 years until retirement. I can't wait! We have four children here and 2 in heaven.
We use an eclectic blend of philosophies as well. We've been homeschooling since my oldest was 5 after a brief stint in a pre-school. He is now 10. I've learned so much from these group of wonderful ladies. They've also given me quite a bit of support and many prayers.
__________________
KC,
wife to Ben (10/94),
Mama to LB ('98)
Michaela ('01)
Emma ('03)
Jordan ('05)
And, my 2 angels, Rose ('08) and Mark ('09)
The Cabbage Patch
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Emma
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Joined: Feb 07 2009
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| Posted: Feb 11 2009 at 9:48am | IP Logged
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Hi!
I am Emily a 28 year old sahm. We are Orthodox Christians (Orthodox Church in America) and my husband is an Orthodox priest. We are currently assigned to a small mission parish that rents it's facilities in an Office Building.
We have two small children: our daughter is two and a half and our son turned one in December. Both of our children were born premature one month and two months respectively)but with God's Grace are doing extremely well!
I began to explore homeschooling options when our little girl turned two and we are now doing some pre-school activities together most mornings.
I am glad to have found this group because I have already encountered some resistance to homeschooling in our church community and extended family (though my unconventional aunt broke the ice when she and her husband started homeschooling their children!)
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Sarah M
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Joined: Jan 06 2008
Location: Washington
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| Posted: Feb 11 2009 at 10:47am | IP Logged
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Welcome to 4Real, Emma. I'm so glad you found this group- be encouraged! I have encountered resistance to homeschooling in my church community and my extended family as well, but there is so much encouragement and inspiration here and in real-life homeschooling groups. Blessings on your week!
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amberWA
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Joined: Feb 16 2009
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| Posted: Feb 16 2009 at 3:32pm | IP Logged
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Hi! My name is Amber. I am 26 yrs old, married, and live in Spokane, WA. I am a WAHM and I have two wonderful daughters who are 7 and 4. It looks like I will also be a college student starting in April.
I am not Catholic, yet. I do feel like it is where I belong and I anxiously await to join. I have done self-study for over a year and have been attending Mass for the last month. I start RCIA after Easter. I feel like I am finally home and it feels amazing.
I used to homeschool, but my family pressured me to do public school so I caved. It has been horrible! She has an attitude, doesn't listen, only cares about the popular clothes, and cares about "friends" instead of learning. This is not my girl! So, I am pulling her out and homeschooling her. I am going to stick to what I know is right for us. I am considering CHC for curriculum, but I am excited to see what others use as well. It won't be easy to work at home, go to school and homeschool, but I know I can do it. I am considering not going to school, but I know I will get my answer before I have to go.
Looking forward to getting to know you all!
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Mimip
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Joined: Feb 17 2009
Location: Florida
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Posts: 1526
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| Posted: Feb 18 2009 at 8:02am | IP Logged
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Hello All,
My name is Mimi. I have been married to my wonderful husband for almost 11 years and we have 2 girls(8 and 6) and 2 boys (ages 3 and 1). I am originally from Miami and we are back living here after 6 years in Minnesota (where my hubby is from).
I learned about homeschooling when I was going to Franciscan University of Steubenville and met such great people who had such great things to say about it. As a elem. education major, I heard everyone around me talking about the beauty of homeschooling so we have never really considered anything else 
Last School year we were doing traditional workbook type schooling and it was not working for us. My oldest was frustrated with school,(I was asking her to do way too much) and my 5 year old was not learning much, so I picked up Real Learning, Elizabeth is a real inspiration to me, and I realized that God was calling me to a better home life that included educating my children. That being said I spent 6 months researching and reading (remember I am a former teacher ) and in September we started a new way of life. AND I LOVE IT!!! I am so very happy. We read and read and read and we do fun things and we learn and Mom is at peace.
I am so excited to join you all in this journey.
God Bless you all,
Mimi
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Mackfam
Board Moderator
Non Nobis
Joined: April 24 2006
Location: Alabama
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Posts: 14656
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| Posted: Feb 18 2009 at 9:54am | IP Logged
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Welcome Mimi, Amber, Emily, Kyra, and Elizabeth!!! May these forums and the women here bless you as much as they have blessed and enriched my family!
__________________
Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Carrie A
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Joined: Jan 18 2009
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| Posted: Feb 19 2009 at 1:02pm | IP Logged
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Hi!
My name is Carrie and I have been married to Todd for almost 9 years. So far we have three boys (almost 8, almost 6 and 3) and a 1 year old daughter. We live in VA and are blessed to be in Holy Trinity parish. This is our first year homeschooling and we all love it. My ds started out at a Catholic Montessori school, which we loved. But a loss of teachers forced us to make the switch to homeschooling and I'm so glad we have!
We are still getting our bearings, figuring out what works for both me and the kids, and I am currently devouring reading Elizabeth's Real Learning book. Lots to think about!
I am enjoying all the posts!
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Courtney G
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Joined: Feb 15 2009
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| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 10:05am | IP Logged
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Hello everyone!
After lurking around since my first baby was born, I finally decided the time has come to join and take an active part in discussions!
My name is Courtney and I live in Northern NY near Lake Ontario. I've been married for almost four years and my husband and I have two little boys, 2.5 and 6 mo. We are exploring a very eclectic homeschooling style (some Waldorf, Montessori, Charlotte Mason, Classical, etc. etc.) and having a lot of fun learning and playing every day!
I'm looking forward to chatting with everyone as we start this journey!
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kbfsc
Forum Pro
Joined: Jan 26 2009
Location: Florida
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Posts: 216
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| Posted: Feb 20 2009 at 4:16pm | IP Logged
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Hi All,
I'm Kiera in north Florida. Hubby and I have been married for 8 years. He's a Navy Seabee reservist and we are so proud of him! This is our first year as a homeschool family. We have an energetic and creative first grade boy, a princess-y pre-K girl, and a two-and-a-half year old wonderboy. Number four is on the way. (Two little saints are already in heaven and praying for us mightily.)
Homeschooling has been a great blessing to our family. Overwhelmed by the choices, I went with an all-in-one kind of program (Catholic Heritage), and it's been good. I wanted that lesson plan - but I find myself using it less and less. Also, Five in a Row has been a nice way to get all the kids to sit down together and learn a bit. Love that cuddly reading time.
Right now we're working on more opportunities for our first grader to play with other little boys. He needs to jump and wrestle and sword-fight all day, apparently. Math has been our challenge so far... (and keeping the house clean and cooking and folding the laundry and... but those are a bit unrelated) The girlie needs more of me emotionally, so we're working on that, too.
I've been reading these forums for several months and have already learned a lot. Many thanks to those that work so hard to maintain them!
Blessings,
Kiera
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pmeilaen
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Joined: Sept 07 2008
Location: New York
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Posts: 565
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| Posted: Feb 23 2009 at 8:37pm | IP Logged
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Hello,
My name is Eva and I'm a Catholic homeschooling mother of five. I'm a German citizen and I just turned 41. We are a bilingual family and I met my husband at the University of Notre Dame, where we both went to grad school. My husband is Lutheran, but all our children (ages 11, 9, 6, 3 and 9 months) are Catholic.
We live in Western New York State, where my husband teaches at Houghton College. We've been homeschooling from the beginning using Live Education! as our main curriculum. I'm interested in Waldorf education, foreign languages (I taught German at Notre Dame), and Charlotte Mason.
Homeschooling is basically illegal in Germany and many of my relatives can't even understand the concept of it. My parents have noticed good results in our children, though, and seem to warm up to the idea.
I look forward to exchanging ideas with everybody.
Warmly,
Eva
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Sarah M
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Joined: Jan 06 2008
Location: Washington
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Posts: 1423
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| Posted: Feb 24 2009 at 12:13am | IP Logged
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Welcome Carrie, Kiera, Eva, and Courtney! So glad to see you here- be blessed and encouraged!
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: Introductions 2009
