About

ABOUT ME

I am a wife (since 1984) and mom (since 1986).  Becoming a mom changed my life forever.  Homeschooling my 7 children added a new dimension to my life as well.  

Through the years, people have asked me about homeschooling and managing 'all those children'.  This blog attempts to answer many of those questions by sharing what I have learned; what I did well and what I would do differently.  

I have graduated 5 students that have gone on to college; 3 have graduated college.  Of those 3, two are in grad school and one has a Masters degree in Engineering.  I have 2 high school students still at home, so I am still in homeschooling high school 'mode' for a few more years. (update: as of May 2016 I have graduated all 7 of my students) I enjoy family time, reading, cooking, traveling, and walking.  I reside in Texas.

Come in, look around, and see if I answer your question.  If I don't, go ahead and ask- chances are that "I have been there and done that".

MEET THE FAMILY

My husband, 'the bearded wonder'.  This nickname is from Mr. Whiskers in the book Cranberry Christmas.  He is the sports coach, pre-school teaching, hiking, camping, running wonder of our home.


As an engineer, he keeps us all on time and efficient.
(OK, well, he tries, but it is challenging sometimes.)

My oldest, Hannah, and her husband, Sam.  They were married on Pi Day, which seems appropriate for an engineer and an IT ninja.  Hannah was my first homeschool graduate.  She currently holds a Masters Degree in Water Resources Engineering and is working on her PhD at Montana State University.

You can follow her adventures at https://prepareforadventure.com/

My daughter, Abigail, declared that 'math is evil' at an early age.  Despite that, she earned a Bachelor's degree and is currently a Physician's Assistant with a pediatric cardiologist. She resides in south Texas with her husband.

 Andrew, my oldest son, recently graduated with a double major in Piano Performance and English.  He spent a year teaching English in Bethlehem.  He is working on a Master's degree in Information Systems at the University of Texas.

As you can see, he is an avid reader and enjoys books that most of use would not even consider reading based on the title.



 

Caleb, my fourth homeschool graduate tried college for a year and decided he would be better served by working and deciding what he would like to do.  His current plan is to possibly open a restaurant some day and to that end is getting valuable experience in that field.

My fifth college student, Nathan, recently graduated from Southern Methodist University with a dual degree in Composition and Creative Computing.







 

 My fourth son, and sixth child, Jesse is just beginning his college search.  He will be a senior next year (2014-2015). I will probably write a lot about his application process.

He enjoys performing with our local children's theater, especially in the musicals.  He also tutors middle school students and teaches middle school boys Sunday class.
(2016 update:  He attended SMU for one year and is currently taking a year off to decide what he wants to pursue.)








 

  
Christina, the baby.  With four older brothers to protect her and two older sisters to 'mother' her, she might be slightly spoiled (according to her siblings).

She is a joy to all of us.  She especially looks forward to the days when everyone is home for the holidays or special occasions. 

(2016 update: she graduated our homeschool in May and is now a full time college student at the local community college.) 












 ABOUT THE WEBSITE

My goal for this website is to share from my experience as a parent and home school mom.

On the Parenting page you will find general information on parenting children of all ages.

On the Homeschool  page you will find specific as well as general homeschooling information.  I will share about curriculum I have used, what I liked and didn't like, and why.  I will have information about homeschooling ideas and tips that I have learned.

The College page will provide help for choosing and applying to college; finding scholarships; testing; and succeeding and surviving in college.

The Food page will give general food ideas for large families as well as one or two people.  I will have Family Favorites Friday for posting our family favorites for my adult children to find, and to share with you what we like.  Maybe one of the recipes will become your favorite.

The Travel page will provide tips and ideas for vacationing with a large family.  I will eventually have quite a few different trips we have taken posted here.

Book Reviews will be what it sounds like.  Reviews on books that I (or my children) have read.  I will have some book give-aways here, too, so follow my blog or check back frequently.

**karentrina.com is a participant in the Amazon affiliate program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising commission by linking to amazon. com  This means if you click on a link that goes to Amazon and choose to purchase that product or another product, Amazon will pay me a small percentage for sending you there.  If you shop at Amazon and would like to support my website (no cost to you) you can do so by clicking on one of my affiliate links (easiest to find at book reviews) to get to Amazon.