About Me

I am a 50-something, blissfully married, work-at-home mom of four amazing kids. Jim and I spent 18 of the last 28 years of marriage involved in full-time ministry. After leaving ministry 8 years ago, I had to become a “working mom”, but I have been blessed to be able to work from home in a field I love…homeschooling! I am currently working as the Web Content Developer for All About Learning Press, publisher of All About Reading and All About Spelling. In a nutshell, I love my job!

In December of 2012, I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and have been “fighting like a girl” ever since! I began chemotherapy on January 2, 2013 and completed treatment in late April–the day after my 50th birthday! Throughout the whole journey, I kept our family and friends updated on a CaringBridge site here.

I’d love for you to meet my children:

Darcy (26) is a graduate of Northern Illinois University.  She is currently working as as a nanny of a sweet 2-year old.  She keeps all of us laughing with her daily Mabel stories! Darcy is also involved in several ministries at our local church.

Janna (25) is a graduate of Thomas Edison State College…a degree which she earned through accelerated distance learning with the help of College Plus! Janna is also working as a nanny. She keeps busy caring for a 2 year old and a baby…both girls. Darcy and Janna recently moved into a new apartment just around the corner from us! We LOVE having them so close!

Nina (23), is the manager at Freshii, a restaurant that provides a great healthy alternative to fast food. She recently moved back home after living with a friend for the last year. We are thrilled to have her back home again!

Jimmy (9) is the big surprise of the family. Born almost exactly 13 years after his closest sister, Jimmy was both a huge surprise and a HUGE blessing to our family!! His poor tired mommy is working hard to find a healthy balance between full-time employment, homeschooling, and fighting cancer! His mommy rocks! 😉 Jimmy’s passions are reading, playing computer and DS games…he’s currently working through his sister’s collection of Nancy Drew Mystery books and computer games.

Homeschooling is a journey—an exciting and sometimes treacherous journey filled with bumps and pitfalls, beautiful waysides, and breathtaking views.  It can be challenging, discouraging, and troubling, but it is always thrilling.  As with any journey, the experiences of those who have traveled the road before can help smooth the way for those who follow after.  My own homeschooling journey began nearly 20 years ago—even before I had children—and continues to this day.  It is my hope that my experiences along this often long and winding road will be a help and encouragement to others as they forge their own homeschooling journeys!