Hi there! I’m so glad you stopped by. My name is Mary, and I am a stay-at-home (mostly), homeschooling mama of 5 amazing children. My husband (who I refer to from time to time as “The Accountant”), and I are raising three extraordinarily energetic boys and two sweet and spunky little girls. I am a piano instructor on an extremely part-time basis, and when I feel like it, I do a bit of freelancing work on the side (weddings, etc.). I adore music; it is one of my deepest passions, and I am so grateful to have a gift for it. My other passion lies in raising these crazy kids to be kind, compassionate, and caring human beings with a passion for Christ and a deep love for others. We use Ambleside Online as our homeschooling curriculum, and I am an ardent admirer and follower of Charlotte Mason and her wonderful philosophy of education. This blog is my attempt to document our homeschooling journey- the good, the bad, the ugly, and the transcendent (it does happen from time to time!) and the happenings and musings of our lives. Some random facts about me: 1) I have raised chickens. I’ve been meaning to write a blog post about this for about 5 years now. 2) I used to be a gymnast. I wasn’t Olympic material, but I certainly wasn’t awful. 3) I love to tell a good story. The funnier, the better. My childhood was filled with all sorts of bizarre and hilarious events, many of which I will share here on this blog. Like the time my dad built a go-cart for us…without brakes. 4) I love documenting our family life through scrapbooks, and the only way I am able to make any of this happen is through Project Life and the Project Life app. Check it out. NOW. (sorry. I can be bossy sometimes.) 5) Favorite book of all time? Pride and Prejudice. 6) Favorite band/musician? I can never, ever decide. It is a grave and serious matter to say,”My all-time favorite band is…” But I can tell you that I will always love the Beatles, the Stones, Radiohead (Fake Plastic Trees FOREVER), Brandi Carlile (yes, you read that right. No mean comments. Have you ACTUALLY listened to “The Story”??) and David Bowie is my soulmate forever. Favorite classical composers? Rachmaninoff, Chopin, Ravel, and Beethoven & Debussy tie for 4th. I also love folk music. Go ahead, laugh. There is such history there and few things sum up the beauty and sorrows of the human experience like folk music can. And to bravely out myself as a complete and total nerd, I’m going to boldly state that I happily tune in once a week to “A Prairie Home Companion”. I grew up on the frozen tundra of the upper Midwest, and nothing quite encapsulates the heart of the Midwest as well as Garrison Keillor with his lovely, lovely voice. SO there. 7) I have a bachelor’s degree in music with a double concentration in Piano Performance and Piano Pedagogy & Literature. I was applying to grad school so I could get my masters in Music History so I could be a music librarian, but found out early on in the application process that I was pregnant with my first baby. And you know what? That’s okay. I am trusting my instincts about when to return to academia. But for now, I am a mom, pianist, wife, daughter, child of God, sister, and friend,  and that is absolutely enough. So stick with me, and we’ll have some adventures together.