The Intro

Why a blog?
It's an experiment in record keeping (which means it may fail to suit my purposes and suddenly stop--my apologies). We could be described as uptight unschoolers or really relaxed homeschoolers, so keeping records of the entourage's education isn't going to be as simple as writing down grades from tests or assignments. I'm trying to find a system that works for us before we actually have to start reporting to the school system. Another mom recommending starting a blog to keep track of highlights and current interests with little write-ups and photos and to share with interested friends and family what we're up to. My hope is update this blog weekly at least.

Why "the Entourage"?
Partly out of necessity, partly as part of our parenting/education philosophy, our daughters go with me everywhere--the grocery store, the doctor's office, the DMV. They usually get involved in the at-home chores too. At some point my husband (Daddy from here on) and I began referring to them as my entourage, and he even came up with positions for them. Monkey (3 yrs) is "the muscle," Bug (also 3 yrs) is my "hypeman," and Goose (almost 1 yr)  is "arm candy." (Any family members who need help figuring out who's who, send me a message, and I'll enlighten you.)

Why homeschooling?
Before we had kids Daddy and I assumed we'd send them to public school. Then in August 2008 two things happened: Monkey and Bug were born, and Daddy starting working as a teacher in a public school. Daddy very quickly became disillusioned with his job choice and the educational system in general. We joked about how our girls "would learn more if just didn't send them to school" (disclosure: the district we were in was facing a state take over, so we were looking at one of the worst districts). It didn't take long for the joking to turn to serious thought. We liked the idea of letting them learn at their own pace, allowing them to follow their own interests, and encouraging more freedom and creativity than they could have in a classroom environment. We also realized the homeschool lifestyle would work well with Daddy's new career in the military and all the traveling that can entail. So here we are!