http://www.onlivingbylearning.com/2008/06/22/a-homeschool-mixer-introduction/

I found the above link on another website and after reading a ton of other mom's answers, i was amazed (as always) by how different we all are, and yet how alike :) (especially in response to #7!)

So i'm going to answer these questions, and i'd love to read other people's answers, if anyone wants to leave a link to their blog in the comments section :)..

1. Why do you homeschool? - i homeschool because i want a relationship with my children, and i feel that a few hours at the end of a busy day isn't enough.  Wish i could homeschool my husband, too :) - also, i'm a paranoid, overly protective mother.  also, i've had bad experiences in public school.  also, i've been inspired by other homeschoolers who did something beautiful with life and their children.  also, i'm pretty sure God wants me to do it, which makes everything moot, doesn't it
2. What technique or curriculum do you use? i kind of use a mix of classical and Charlotte Mason and workbooky and intuitive handmade curriculum, depending on who is studying what, as i have seven children from ages 12 down to a 3 month old baby... (she only has Peekaboo 101 this year!)
3. Do your kids work above or below grade level (or both!)? Both!  Depending on what child, and what subject.  I'm not concerned any more about lags in certain subjects - they tend to catch up and then go slow in something else, but i think we tend to have more trouble challenging the littles enough, than being frustrated with too little...
4. What is your educational level? I have one year of Jazz and modern music at a community college, and two and a half years of BA in English.  I dropped out to "put my man through school", promptly got pregnant :) - but i love reading, and learning...
5. Do you feel that your education level has an effect on your teaching (both limits and abilities?) I think it can't help but shape how i teach my children.  I tend to be heavily focussed on the larger picture, worldview concerns, my children's spiritual life and heart condition. I am also way biased towards enjoying literature, but luckily my husband is great at math and science and is a great teacher (in his work and at home!) I do feel at this point that i'm relearning everything all over again, and it's much more fun this way than sitting in school, waiting for the bell to ring.  not sure it's that different for my children, though...
6. What does your daily schedule look like? wake up, take care of babies, get breakfast on, meet with God, worship, confess, give thanks, give Him our concerns, chores, language arts and math, lunch, chores, free time till baby naps, history, latin, logic, music practice, free time, supper, and fun with dad till bedtime
7. Are your kids always polite and ready to learn? no!  But compared to other children their age, they're pretty good little guys :)  and pretty polite, and used to learning :).  Wish they loved it more, and owned it more
8. Do the kids (or you!) get frustrated? um.  yes!  But i take that verse in the Bible pretty seriously about not frustrating your children, so i try to deal with their frustrations right away.  Wish someone did that for me!  Mostly my frustration shows a lack in my own character...
9. How has this affected your parenting?Frustration?  or homeschooling?  i think being around my children 24/7 means we learn to let go of what is not truly important, and put our efforts into what we do, wholeheartedly.  I like this :)  i like being the mama, i love my little children, and i want to become more Christlike and i think this is one vehicle my Father is using to make me who He wants me to be...
10. How much free time do they have? More than it sounds like.  Two or three hours after lunch, and from about 4 p.m. till bedtime.  Also, they wake up later, depending on where i am in my baby having cycle :)...  tiny babies=late late sleep ins!
11. What do they do during their free time? read, play wii, play with nintendo DS, play with each other, build forts in the house, and "baby worlds", play in the backyard, making obstacle courses and timing each other, running, working out (you gotta see who i married to understand why), sewing, knitting, painting, coloring, tracing, writing stories or cartoons, randomly nailing things, taking apart electronic things that don't work anymore, creating "armour" out of cardboard from the garage, designing a new coat of arms for themselves, playing with the baby, cooking with mama, playing at the park...
12. What hobbies do they have? see above :) and add in music - piano, fiddle, accordion (sometimes?) and mandolin
13. What difficulties and challenges do you have with homeschooling? i get tired of being the engine that makes it all happen.  I wish they were more self starting, more independant - but they will hopefully become so as they grow... and i wish i had real live community.  There are only four other homeschoolers in town, and twhile they are all wonderful women, we are not very group activity oriented.  and i miss that.
14. What makes homeschooling enjoyable? i love it all:) - love picking out new books, toys, love reading to them, love seeing them make their own connections (that i never saw before!), love having them around with me all the time
15. How do you get involved in the community? We have moved a lot.  This will be the first time we've lived for three years in the same town for a long time.  We don't have a church family, but we are involved in things like the kids triathlon, family cross country skiing club, and things like ballet lessons, ladies' choir, jr. youth group... not all at the same time, but at various times we get involved...  otherwise it's too lonely!
16. When do you have opportunities to interact with public or privately schooled children? When we go to community events or to places like the park - or when we went to church.
17. Would you like more of these opportunities? not really.  not unless their parents are there with the children.
18. How can they be created? not really interested in getting together with kids just because they have a different way of being educated.  a lot of what i don't want my children taught happens in the interactions between students when teachers aren't watching at school...
19. What is your least favorite homeschool stereotype?i guess that homeschoolers all buy their "schooling stuff" in a big boring box and then just tick off the boxes all year long when there is actually so many options/ways of doing this thing, so much freedom and opportunity