About Our Family

I thought some of you might like to know a little about who we are as a family, and why nicknames are used, etc.

My husband and I are both from Texas originally; in fact, we were high school sweethearts, dated all through college and finally married once I had graduated from college. We have been together for over 20 years, married for over fifteen.

In September of 2007, my husband's employer moved us to S. America. This was a tremendous promotion and wonderful opportunity for my husband and his career, and for our family as a whole. Our boys were 10, 6 and 2 when we moved from Texas to S. America.  We were initially asked to come for "4 or 5 years" but have now passed the 5 year mark and are still unsure when we might return to the US. Our original thought was that we would be willing to live here until one year before our oldest heads to college; that seemed terribly far away when we first came, and seems right around the corner now.

We have, for the most part, enjoyed our time in S. America, though it is hard to be away from family and very hard to home school in a country where it is unheard of; I can think of few places in the US where a home school family would be as isolated as we are here, though we live in a city of 2 million people. The internet has been our lifeline and my primary source of home school support.

My husband and myself are both nearly fluent in the new language, as is our oldest son. Our middle son had lessons but hasn't moved much beyond almost functional; our youngest abhors the language with all his might and refuses to learn, though I've recently discovered that children with dyslexia (which he  has) do not usually learn foreign languages easily, at all.

Because of the recent change to home schooling laws in our country of residence, I will steadfastly use nicknames on this blog.  My husband is The Chemist; I am The Reader; I chose nicknames for each of us based on interests, hobbies, etc. My oldest son, then, is The Writer; next is The Artist, and finally, The Adventurer.

Why these names? Well, my husband is a Chemist by trade and enjoys that aspect of his job, so it seemed only natural. For me, I've been reading as long as I can remember, back to when I would crawl into my father's lap and follow along in his Reader's Digest when I was a small child. I am the quintessential bookworm, oblivious to all going on around me when I have a book (or lately, my Kindle) in my hands. I do have other hobbies and interests --- quilting, photography, etc. --- but nothing sums me up quite like books/reading. So, The Reader.

My oldest son is The Writer. He wrote his first story when he was 4.5 years old, and hasn't stopped since. He began his first comic strip when he was perhaps 8 or 9 years old, has written countless short stories, scrapbooks, and even character biographies for characters in games he's invented for his brothers. Like me, he's multi-faceted, but writing seems to be his passion, his creative outlet more than any other. So, The Writer.

My middle son is The Artist. This boy has an eye for art, in all forms. Drawing, coloring, painting, sewing, quilting, cooking; seeing & recognizing art when he spots it or creating it in some form himself, doesn't matter; he's all about art. He's lately added music to his repertoire, and he's also an avid reader like his mother, but art....in all forms....is his passion. He does not shy from any medium, so long as he can create. He is my Artist.

My youngest son is The Adventurer. Anyone who's ever met him can understand why. This boy was climbing things (bookshelves, tables, bunk beds) before he could walk. He is the first of my boys to give truth to the saying that boys are just "noise with dirt on it."  With two older brothers, he has always felt he can do anything they can do, only bigger & better. He is courageous and unafraid, no matter what. He started out as a 3.5 pound preemie, but that has never slowed him down, at all. Life with him has been, and always will be, an adventure, thus, The Adventurer.

I hope this gives you a little glimpse at who we are, and a bit of understanding as you read our home school journey. I hope to get to know you as well!