This blog has been going for a very long time; it wasn’t the first to be created out the ex-Muddlepuddle site, but it was one of the first – and i’ve enjoyed keeping it. But things have changed; over the last few years i’ve changed a lot and now i think it is time for a little more privacy, or i’m going to stop blogging altogether. It isn’t just me either; my daughters are reading, writing, thinking people with a right to privacy themselves (which perhaps they always had and i didn’t respect enough). With Fran going off to school now, her life will be different and i want to be able to make sure that even if her childhood is freely available, her adolescence isn’t.
I don’t want to be restricted by what i feel safe writing, because my blog has been valuable to me and i’m sure always will be. It has occurred slowly to me that i’ve stopped blogging in the wake of negativity i’ve encountered as a result of it, or fears i’ve had if i wrote what i needed to write. It’s a shame really, because right when i needed a blog most, i didn’t feel comfortable using it.
I’ve toyed with passwording the whole thing and i don’t really want to, nor do i want to mess around with individual post passwording, so i’ve decided to make some parts of my blog accessible only to people who know me, or are long standing readers/commenters. So i’ll be adding the ability to create an account over the next few days; if you do know me or if you have commented in the past, you really are welcome, so please do make one 🙂
I’m here, so count me in
hugs n stuff
xc
Agree with everything you said. It’s one reason that I made our blog kind of anonymous – if friends read it, they know who we are, but the rest of the world has to get by with abbreviations of names and only pictures of the garden and stuff – no people! Was great to see you in action with the stall at the weekend – and hope to see you at a gym comp soon!
Love
Sarah
Hi Merry,
Wow, I’ve been reading along since about 2003 when I stumbled on your blog after Googling “brethren headscarf” (!) to find out more about the group of rowdy, headscarfed brethren children I always saw on the train to work – and I realized you were home educators and knew the Clarkes, whom I know in Exeter!
After that I became fascinated reading all about your reasons for HEing and have since done lots of reading on the theory and practice of it. I’ve always been in awe of your eloquence, honesty, tenacity and sheer commitment to your family, your business and HE.
I quite understand your decision for more privacy as the girls are growing up and I will therefore not be offended if you would prefer me – who is, after all, a stranger to you! – not to read any more. However, if you feel comfortable with it, I’d love to have a password. Entirely your decision, of course. Please feel free to confirm with Sarah that I’m not a stalker!
Susannah
A long time lurker here but just want to say I completely understand. This blog was the first I read (about 2 years ago), and the one that convinced me that removing my son from school was the right thing to do and that home ed was indeed possible! I remember spending a whole weekend reading through the archives and being so excited about finally seeing the light lol!
I’ve always felt a little bit shy about having my own blog, and when meeting other home ed families I’ve felt a bit odd having read their own families blogs and sort of “knowing” them before I’ve met them. I do appreciate everyone who is kind enough to share their experiences.
Just wanted to say thanks! :o)
I’ve been reading your blog for the past few years. I love reading about your lives and home schooling in the UK (I’m in Texas). I’d be very grateful if you’d allow me to continue.
I’ve been reading your blog for a quite a while now – it was also one of the first I stumbled across when I was thinking of pulling my DD1 out of school – so glad I did – and I have loved reading about your family’s life (wow – that sounds so stalker-ish!). I tried to keep a blog for a while – always felt more of a chore for me than anything – I might post here and there if needed – but I completely agree with the need for privacy thing – esp for the children as they get older (DD1 will be 9 soon) – I’ve dropped Flickr, taken to using alias’ and tried to reduce my internet prescence. I understand if it’s not what you would like – but I’d love to be able to keep reading your blog. Thanks for all the posts.
Emma 🙂
can confirm that Susannah is a safe stalker, even if she does google for very strange things (and I can’t think how your blog came up after that google search either!) 😉
I have loved reading your blog and it was the first HE blog I read and helped give the confidence and courage to take my kids out of school and HE. My two are returning to school next week.
I totally understand about the privacy. On my previous blog about HE in Cyprus I had an unwanted reading in the form of dh’s ex wife so started a new blog last year to get rid of her and put her off our scent.
Hope Fran settles in well at her new school.
Emma
Well include me. I too have been reading forever. LOl I feel like I know your girls and have enjoyed watching them grow up. I will miss this blog but hopefully I can still catch up with you the other way.
Merry– I have a funny feeling this comment list is going to get huge. You have been a wonderful inspiration to many, and set up the Yahoo group that has helped hundreds of parents to meet one another. For that-Thank you! Whatever you choose to do–I hope you and all the family are happy!
Hi Merry
I’ve been reading you for years and have loved watching how you deal with things as they arise. Your daughters are a little step ahead of my own children, so I’ve picked up lots of ideas. I completely understand you wanting to protect their privacy and your own. Thank you for sharing and good luck! x
Merry – I don’t know you personally either insofar as I’ve never met you IRL, but I too have been reading the blog since forever…. Totally understand your reasons for wanting to be more private, but if you have a space in there for me, I’d enjoy it. Either way, thanks for your contribution to the HE scene online. As previous commentators have said, you’ve been an inspiration to many others, giving parents the courage to remove their kids from the hell of school. Thanks,
Debbie
I do plan to keep blogging, just keeping more to the mundane and allowing myself more freedom to be more personal in a less public way – i’ll be adding a layer that only closer/long term readers who identify themselves (as in all these rather lovely comments) can see – so please feel free to register 🙂
And thank you – so nice to hear from people 🙂
I would love to keep reading your blog Merry. I have also been reading it for years 🙂
Me too. I don’t comment much, but I have commented, now and then!
I kind of hoping/assuming I don’t have to ask if I can have an account – but then maybe I do…? 😉
I can fully understand you wanting to keep personal stuff more personal. It’s hard knowing where to draw the line sometimes and I suspect that once Aprilia gets bigger and more self concious then I will need to look into going the same way.
And from one person with a s**tty date to remember every year to another, hugs for yesterday.
Just wanted to say a big thankyou for all your posts. I have been following them for a few years now, and they always fill me with inspiration. My girls are a similar age to yours, we did HE for quite a while, but they are in school now, the eldest starting secondary school in September. I would really like to take the plunge again, as would the girls, and reading about your experiences really spurs me on! If you have room in there for me I’d love to carry on reading, but either way totally understand your wanting to be more private. Thankyou once again and best wishes for the future
Hi Merry. I’ve been a weekly reader since I stopped blogging two years ago. I only pop by a few of the blogs I used to read regularly and this is one of the ones I’ve always been so drawn to as I could identify with it in so many ways. The first HE group I ever attended was a muddlepuddle one and I quickly became aware of Mrs Muddlepuddle and her blog!
In the early days I found your blog insightful, helpful and totally realistic of what HE life is like and as I became accustomed to the HE life myself, I simply enjoyed reading and have never stopped being inspired by your blog.
I completely understand your reasons to want to keep things more personal and that as your girls grow up, they are becoming more aware of their own privacy status (my eldest three are roughly the same age as yours).
Good luck as you move forward into a new phase of life, especially with Fran’s schooling and I hope to be able to follow your journey as your blog develops.
Take care. x
Hi Merry,
I’m another long time reader and mostly lurker – I think I’ve probably commented about three times! But I really love your blog and have really missed reading your posts recently. My three children all go to school (and my oldest is off to high school in September so I was really looking forward to hearing how Fran gets on) but I am a passionate believer in home education and the right for people to choose what is best for their family.
I have a livejournal which is mostly public, but more personal/sensitive stuff gets locked down to the people I am comfortable reading it. As the children get older I do find I am writing less, in public posts, about them.
I would love to have a password and be able to read everything here, but completely understand if you haven’t got a clue who I am and don’t want me to!
Thank you for sharing your journey with us for so long.
Helen P
Count me in, I have been reading you forever too. I found you when I first looked into home education.Google sent me to you. I have loved every moment of your blogging journey and am so grateful to you for sharing it and inspiring me with my home education journey. I havent blogged for an audience for nearly a year now so I can see why you want to filter who reads what. I would love to have a password though. :o)
Hi Merry,
Another mostly lurker here, but I have also been regularly reading your blog for about 2 or so years, my 2 girls are a bit younger than yours and we are thoroughly enjoying home education…. I look at your blog for ideas and inspiration and because you write so well. You have made me laugh and cry. I would love to carry on reading but do totally respect you and your girls’ need for privacy too.
Best wishes
Rachel.
Hi
I have been reading your blog since googling HE a couple of years ago when school wasn’t right for my children but I didn’t know what else existed. I have gone back through archives and openly stolen ideas from you in terms of projects etc.
I can understand how you would may be want to make the blog less personal, and have noticed that you have subtly done so over recent months.
What ever you decide to do – good luck with your ventures.
I’m another long term lurking reader who would like to continue reading if you’ll have me. I’m also home educating four children (but one of mine is a boy) each a couple of years younger than yours so I started reading your blog as a kind of glimpse into the future of my own children’s HE journey but now I just read it because I like it. You manage to say things which often crystallise my own thoughts in a much better way than I could express them myself. I feel as if I know you in the same way as I think I know characters like Ken Barlow and I recently embarrassed myself by saying hello to him in the street, forgetting that he didn’t “know” me back! I absolutely respect your decision to go private but if there’s room for people like me to keep reading I’d really like ot be on the list.
And well done for getting so much done. If I could achieve a quarter of what you do then I’d feel really satisfied with myself!
Wishing you and your girls well with your futures whatever you decide to do with the blog.
Honestly, much as i appreciate the love in 😉 and it is making me glow to get it, you are very welcome to create an account on the left and then, when i’ve sorted out how to make the levels, i’ll be carrying on blogging as normal and people who have made accounts, so i know them, will just see some extra, more personal posts 🙂
Don’t stop the love in people! I’m enjoying it!
I can point you in the direction of some excellent plugins for this as I use them on my blog to limit who can see what. Email me x
I too have been so inspired by you, I started reading your blog 3 years ago when considering HE in the USA , we are back in the UK now and my2 kids are similar age to your 2 eldest, I have used certain school materials you have blogged about like E.C and some other creative ideas you blogged about which have really been helpful . I think you are an amazing person and am in awe of what you do in a day with your business as well as your busy family life. I would be sad to not read your blog regularly ,though totally understand why you need to change it, the way you write is inspiring.I would love to be given the password. Thanks Jenni
I really enjoy reading your blog too!
I am just starting to homeschool my little girl who is 5.
Thanks for all your wonderful posts
Deeann
I’ve really enjoyed reading your blog, only lurking but interesting to read about your experiences. Thanks, and good luck.
I’ve enjoyed reading your blog too… I’d love to be priveleged to continue reading but totally understand if you don’t think I know you / you know me well enough. Good luck for everything the future has in store for you.
Have been reading your blog for a while now and find it really interesting. Have a 7yr old struggling at a ‘high achieving’ school (but he loves it there!) and only wish I was brave enough to have a go at Home Ed. My 4yr old is due to go in September and although he is completely different personality wise I am still apprehensive. Think you do an excellent job with your girls! Thanks for all the ideas.
I’m another that doesn’t know you in real life but I’ve read your blog for a long time, ever since deregistering my son and googling for home ed info. It lead me firstly to a blog addiction and then to a hama bead one. I’ve since quit the beads but still very much hooked on blogs!
Hello, I’m another lurker since 2003! I find it very interesting and it’s certainly changed my view of home education and it is something I would definately consider when it came to the time for my own kids. I think you do a fantastic job and your girls are a credit to you 🙂 It would be excellent if I could have the password and continue reading but I understand if not, and thank you.
I just registered (if I had your permission) – however I put my username as munkyfish and used a different email address – clearly wasn’t thinking that you wouldn’t know it was the same person! Thanks