About

[Disclaimer: I've been writing this blog for over fifteen years, which is a good chuck of time. There has been a lot of change in that time as well due to our experiences as chronicled here. What I started out as believing to be the best way to parent and to see the world has changed dramatically. Some of my earlier posts are very different from what I write today. I leave them up as part of my story. It is probably my evolution as a person which is ultimately the most interesting thing about this blog.]

Happily outside acceptable parameters.... We are two parents (J & E) and twelve children (W, B, A, P, H, TM, D, R., K, Y., G and L). Followers of Jesus, homeschoolers, and readers of many, many books. Here are some photos of everyone, I know the initials can get confusing.





This is W. (for older posts, you'll see the initial M.). W. graduated with a communications degree from North Park University, worked in the city for a while doing theater, and is now a certified vet tech (CVT). W. is married to MK who is a graphic designer as well as gifted in other creative pursuits. They live in Chicago.


This is B. He graduated from North Park University with an environmental science degree, he now holds his arborist certification and works with trees. B. is also a talented artist and keeps bees here at Bittersweet Farm. He lives in an apartment near Chicago.


A. is next. She has a bachelor of science degree in sports management and is a manager at a local branch of a national fitness center. She and her dog, Olive, live in the area.



This is P. She is a riding instructor at a local barn and currently lives at home. Her hobbies include reading apartment listings looking for an apartment she can both afford and that allows cats. She is an excellent rider and adores animal.




H. is 19. She loves cats and dogs, drawing, making origami, playing with Lego, and reading comic books. H. is always looking for ways to help around the house and is learning to cook.




Here is TM., who is 19 and a high school graduate. He loves technology, cars, and is a talented artist and a pretty amazing photographer. He works for a large lighting design and installation company that does lights for major concert tours. He was recently promoted to a beginning management position. He and his dog Aster live in an apartment near his work.




D. is 18 and just finished his freshman year of college where he is a bio-chem major. He is active in student government and is loving college. He was accepted into the summer research program, so he is back at school doing research on social ameoba.




R. is 19. She loves to play with her doll, Lilly, and to help around the house. She also loves to listen to stories especially if they involve bunnies or princesses.




K. is 16 and in high school. He is our master Lego builder with an uncanny ability to recreate any photograph he sees into three dimensional Legos. K. is very caring and is always willing to lend a hand around the house.




Y. is 15 and in high school. She loves to read, with Anne of Green Gables being her favorite book. Y. is extremely bright and very thoughtful.




This is G., who is 12 and in middle school. She loves horses and cats as well as listening to audio books. G. is also our resident mythology expert.




And this is L., who is 12 and in middle school. L. loves to make things (such as the mask she is holding) and to read. She is also a writer and the author of The Swooping Eagle.




Finally, there is J., the father of this horde of children. He is the best father and husband I know, making me the winner of the husband lottery. His children (and wife) adore him. In his free time, he also works in university administration in order to keep us all fed. If he had any other free time, he would indulge in his interests of reading, hiking, rock climbing, and writing. (He's a far better writer than I am.)

I (E) am the main author of this blog, though others have been known to jump in.  I write mainly about my large family, adoption, attachment, homemaking, horses, homeschooling, parenting, and Jesus. When you have this many children, you're going to see stuff as J. says. As a result of this stuff, I have learned a lot about parenting, children, trauma, and how the brain works. I also learned the hard way that sometimes there are better ways to parent that are healthier for both parent and child. Over the past couple of years I have become a certified parent coach as well as holding a diploma in Equine Facilitated Learning. I hope through this work and through this blog to help parents navigate some of the stuff they are seeing.

There was a documentary made about our family, though I rarely talk about it. Hayden and Her Family

We can be contacted at:  ordinarytimeblog@gmail.com
My business website: Bittersweet Farm LLC

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