Who is Charlene?

Salutations!

Say what?!  ‘Salutations’ is just a fancy way of saying hello!  I learned this as a child in my favorite book, Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White.  It is likely pretty obvious by that book title that I love nature, farms, friends, spiders (ok…just Charlotte) and of course reading and learning.  That makes my responsibility as a homeschool parent pretty fun.

We have been homeschooling for eight years now and absolutely LOVE it!  My husband is extremely supportive, involved, and was actually the one who finally suggested we go forward with homeschooling once and for all.  I am beyond thankful he did.

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High School Sweethearts

My husband and I met in high school and were high school sweethearts…yes, I know it makes me want to puke too!  Right after high school he joined the military and a few short months later I became a military wife at the age of 19.  I guess when you know, you know!  

We have been married for almost 22 years and have two children together.  After our daughter was born in 2011, I left the dental field to be a stay-at-home mom.  I’m quite proud to care for our family in this way and cannot imagine doing anything else.  My husband has an extremely busy work schedule, so we are most thankful for the extra family time we share thanks to homeschooling.

Our Whole Family LOVES to Travel!

I get so excited about travelling to new places and teaching about them before we go!  I take the saying, “The world is my classroom” very seriously!!!  

We’ve been blessed to travel thus far to Hawaii, California, Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois, North Carolina, Wyoming, Montana and Kentucky for some of our “field trips!”   We honestly get just as excited about a one-hour day trip to see something new in our own neck of the woods!!!  

My wish list for field trips includes: 

• Digging for dinosaurs out West
• Space camp
• Travelling by covered wagon across the prairie
• Watching a sea turtle nest hatch
• A beach clean-up trip all the way around Lake Michigan
• Visiting the Redwoods
• Seeing Colonial America

Nature is Another Big Deal Around Here… BUGS Especially!

We’ve found and hatched everything from praying mantis egg sacs, to 67 Monarch Butterflies which we released last summer!!!  My kitchen becomes a makeshift bug lab in the warmer months…right after my seedlings get kicked out into the garden beds.  I currently have a pretty good size slug, which was found yesterday, in a jar on my kitchen counter for observation.  I draw the line at spiders though, unless of course it is Charlotte!  

We love critters and animals of all kinds and have probably had hands-on learning with just about any you can name, even hummingbirds, sea turtles, and camels.

Most Important of All, Volunteering as a Family

We want our children to learn the importance of helping those in need and to appreciate just how blessed we truly are. 

Some of the things we have been involved with include:

• Volunteering on Vacation
• Playing with dogs at a dog rescue shelter
• Making treats at a wildlife rehab center
• Volunteering on organic farms
• Decorating hundreds of lunch bags for a kids’ food pantry
• Distributing Thanksgiving meals to those in need
• Cleaning up beaches and state parks we visit

I am always on the lookout for new ways to help and things to learn about.

I’m Pretty Much a Kid at Heart, Who Married Her Best Friend!

We are truly having a blast raising our kids!  Don’t worry, we have plenty of bad days too!  

You will most likely always find me in my garden, my kitchen, anywhere outdoors, planning our next adventure or at a thrift shop looking for deals on children’s books!!!  

I hope by reading our journey you’ll become inspired to travel, learn, volunteer or try something new with your own family!  

“I arise in the morning torn between the desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.  This makes it hard to plan the day.”

E.B. White

Best Wishes, Charlene