Well, gentle reader, I am back. I am back and ready to get back to my roots and my core – a blogger blogging about life as a Catholic Woman, taking care of her family and homeschooling in their Domestic Church.
I got a little sidetracked over the years. It was subtle, but sure,. I’m back.
A couple of months ago, my homeschool support group had a meeting with a lot of new moms thinking about homeschooling and looking for support and guidance. I mentioned that I had homeschooled all six of my kids and that they were either gainfully employed or attending college. Then I joked that none of them had been incarcerated, which didn’t really go over very well. New potential homeschooling moms are drop-dead serious and have higher bars for their kids than avoiding jail time!
But that made me think it might be a good time to review what my kids are doing nowadays.
My oldest, Calvin, works as a paramedic in North Carolina. He trained at a hospital-based paramedic program. He has been in his current role for 10 years and is now a crew chief. He and his lovely wife have their own home and are in the midst of raising a sprightly toddler!
Sam graduated from high school and started working for the local pizza shop. After a few years, he got a job at a local fresh food market serving locally grown food. He married his high school sweetheart four years ago. He and his wife started a restaurant business just before the pandemic. After struggling through those years, they sold the business, did some world traveling, and then Sam got back into the food industry. He worked at Brennan’s in New Orleans for a year and witnessed Mardi Gras in person. For the past couple of years, he has been living in Florida. Sam works at a Michelin French Restaurant and is learning to prepare, plate, and serve genuine gourmet cuisine. He won a scholarship to train at the French Laundry in California and is currently there making friends and further honing his skills.
Gabe completed a vocational program at Kent State University in building maintenance. This included basic electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and HVAC skills. He is now a full-time member of the university’s maintenance staff. Miss C’s college education will be covered when she graduates from high school! In his spare time, he is a member of a comedy troupe and does standup throughout the area.
Noah graduated with honors from Walsh University. He continued to live at home and work at a warehouse until he paid off all of his student debt, which he did. He then got a job in finance and has been working in that field ever since. Three years ago, he married his college sweetheart, and they just recently bought their first home.
Izzy worked at Michaels for five years after high school. She lived at home and saved her money. Because she was so reliable during the pandemic, she went from cashier to manager in short order. Three years ago, she enrolled as an art major at the local college and will be a senior in the fall. She now works at the college in their student union and helps set up and tear down for events and programs.
Rosie will be a junior at Walsh University in the fall. To say she is thriving is an understatement. She is on the dean’s list, has lots of friends, and has a serious boyfriend. She sings in the choir on scholarship. She is an exercise science major considering physical therapy as a profession. It surprises me how much science and math she has to take for this, but she is managing well and passing with flying colors.
That just leaves Miss C, who is in the middle of her homeschooling journey. Next year, she starts 7th grade and will tackle Latin for the first time.
So that’s all the kids and you are completely caught up.