Unconventional Beginnings

One of my Homeschool Blog Headers

I have been blogging at Home Mission Field since October 2008.  In that blog I have documented all these past years of homeschooling.  It has been quite the adventure, beginning with one third grader and eventually graduating two students, with two more still a part of my homeschool "experiment."  It has been a journey that has led me in many different directions.  Homeschooling has been a vital part of the growth of my faith.  When nothing else seemed to make sense, when my circumstances were falling apart around me, my homeschool was a stable force in my life.  It kept me moving forward.


And move is an apt term.  Change has been a large part of our lives over the years.  We moved from one learning style to another.  We moved around various curriculum options as I tried this and that and more.  We literally moved three years ago, relocating to a different town and downsizing.  Even now, we are moving our purpose, transitioning as we adjust to less children (three have grown) and new challenges.  We have moved from a child-focused ministry and home (children's church teachers and five children at home) to a more balanced home where my husband and I can pursue other passions.

My Five Daughters (and grandson)

It has been a wild ride.  When my husband and I met, I had two daughters and he had one.  We had another together a few months after we were married.  A few years later, we added yet another daughter.  That's right!  We have five daughters between us!  My husband and I have been married for nearly eighteen years.  About seven years into our marriage, my husband and I became Christians.  That was a pivotal moment in our lives.  A couple of years later I felt led to homeschool.  Eventually all except one of our daughters would be homeschooled.

Our four oldest girls when we were a newly blended family.

Tasha, my first homeschool graduate

So... why "Unconventional Catherine?" 

Many of the choices I have made in life are unconventional.  Synonyms of the word unconventional are eccentric, individualistic, and atypical.  I tend to march to my own beat.  I don't often fit in the way I wish I did.  I would rather read a book than go to a party.  I like learning and studying.  I am pretty authentic in who I am. I did a lot of things backwards in my life, like going to college after most of my children are grown.  I tend to be very passionate about my values and interests.  And, say what you want about "Christianity," it is not popular to follow Jesus as it was traditionally.  In fact, to truly follow Jesus is getting to be more and more unconventional.

It may be more of a norm for parents to homeschool their children now than in the past, but it is still only pursued by a small portion of the population.  The number of homeschooling families is growing, but the conventional ways to educate children still are mostly the local public school or maybe a private school.  I have homeschooled a child with learning disabilities.  My youngest daughter has ADHD.  My kids are intelligent, but learning isn't always smooth sailing.  These struggles have taught me much as a teacher and as a mother.

We had a large family by today's standards, and there were a lot of lessons learned in blending two families and dealing with unique circumstances we faced.  It is more conventional to have blended families today, but it still presents unique challenges.  Even in blended families, most parents don't have five children under one roof.  We managed, and even took in a couple of other young people when they needed a place to stay. 

My husband and I are growing slowly more and more minimalistic in our views about the world.  This is also a bit unconventional, even if it is gaining popularity.  We have never had a large income, but after five children, we have seen how overwhelming stuff can be.  It has been a slow process as we have simplified much of our lives in waves.  Decluttering is only a small part of the process.  We have simplified our obligations.  As children have grown, we have simplified our finances (or tried to).  With this new blog, I am simplifying my writing.  I have actually kept two blogs for a long time.  I have kept The Home Mission Field for my homeschooling adventures and According to His Purpose for posts about my faith and things in my life, such as my health.  I am going to keep those blogs for now, until I see the direction of this one.  The homeschool blog is a treasure trove of memories from the past nine years.  I don't want to delete any of the posts.

Am I truly unconventional?  I hope so.  I don't want to be normal.  The fact that I don't feel I fit in has been a bit of a lonely road.  Having a large family and living on one income has not helped with the "fitting in."  There have been many times when I didn't have the finances to join the group.  I am also a bit of an introvert.  I am not usually shy, but I have never been Miss Popularity either.  I discovered a few months ago that, according to the Meyers-Briggs test, I am an INFP.  When I discovered that only about four percent of the population has this personality type, it suddenly made sense on why I often felt that lonely, not fitting in feeling. 

Nature photo I took

On the other hand, I love to write.  I love to express myself with words and photos.  I am passionate about my family.  I am not afraid to be different.  And most of all, I am in love with Jesus.  This blog will be many things.  After years of blogging, this may be an unconventional beginning, a new blog to combine other blogs, but it seemed time for a fresh start.