Welcome to the Homeschool Library!

It's all about the books.

I had a blog several years ago. We were living overseas, I had just started homeschooling my two girls, and I was excited to share our adventures with friends and family. Of course, because we were living in Italy, we had lots of cool photos to share, and we could make people jealous when we actually visited the places they were only reading about. =)

However, I found that a personal blog is just not for me. My life isn't that interesting. My kids aren't overachievers, and we're just not that different from any other family on the block (well, maybe a little different...). But BOOKS. Oh, books. Now that's where I have something to share.
Most homeschool moms have a plethora of books. Books are everywhere, piled on every flat surface, threatening to take over the house (and if they're not, you're not homeschooling right).

But can I admit here, freely, that I have gone a step beyond? Here's how it happened: when I finished my bachelor's degree, my kids were 6 & 3 (I was a late bloomer, what can I say?). By then I had figured out that I was really good at being a student, so I wanted to continue on to grad school. I wanted to do something that would allow me to be with my kids as much as possible. I thought about teaching, and got a job as a substitute teacher in my older daughter's school. Then, I started volunteering in the library.  This was it. The place. Nirvana. A K-3 library, and I was hooked. I was in there every spare minute, and before I knew it, I was in library school with the dream of being a school librarian.

Two moves later (we're a military family) we had pulled both kids out of their DOD school, I was knee-deep in grad school, and I fell head-first into homeschooling. I checked out a pile of homeschooling books from the library (and on this trip I found The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise, which has pervaded my consciousness ever since) and we never looked back. Okay, we looked back a few times, but mostly we never looked back.

Fast forward a handful of years and here I am. I'm an assistant professor at a local university teaching Library Skills and Research Methods. I teach literature classes and facilitate book clubs for young people. And I work part time at a big-box book seller (who shall, according to company policy, remain nameless) where I have my hands all over the children's, young adult, parenting and education departments 4 nights a week. It doesn't pay well, but I can't give up just being surrounded by it all. Having all those books pass through my hands is a dream.

When I find a good book, a good resource, a diamond in the rough, I want to pass it on. I can't help it.

I hope I introduce you to something new here!

Susan