Sue Patrick is our TriangleMom2Mom mom of the week. She's a homeschooler who recently wrote a book that's selling around the world. Thanks Illyse for the introduction!

Here's Sue ...

Mom2Mom: Tell us about yourself.

Sue: I am a wife, mother of 2 children, ages 14 and 12, and am heading into my 11th year of homeschooling.  One of my children has autism and due to the challenges we initially faced in raising him and teaching him, I developed a  structured and organized system for homeschooling.  I had begun speaking and traveling to teach more people how to implement this system 10 years ago.  Due to it’s popularity, I wrote a book last year, Sue Patrick’s Workbox System.   I thought I would perhaps sell 20 books in the Triangle.  Incredibly, now just short of 1 year after publication, it is selling  well world-wide.  Go to www.workboxsystem.com for more information.   It turns out people love structure and organization--yet they need help in implementation. We also do foster care - something of great need in North Carolina.

Mom2Mom: What's your favorite family place in the Triangle?

Sue: That would depend on which family member you asked.  Home would be a favorite of three of us—the fourth would like to be anywhere two or more people are gathered.  We have some wonderful parks in the Triangle, and well as great museums.  But if you were to judge by time spent, I would say New Life Camp on Durant and Falls of Neuse roads is our favorite place to be.  They have so many wonderful Christian programs for children, and especially wonderful enhancements for homeschoolers, that my children are at New Life Camp as much as possible.

Mom2Mom: What's your favorite place for yourself in the Triangle?

Sue: My garage at my pottery wheel.

Mom2Mom: What's your favorite ritual with your kids?

Sue: Hiking and running.  Both have been very important to our family both in time spent together as well as developing healthy lifelong habits.  I can’t say enough about either of these for importance in our family.  Running is a daily thing at our house.  My children have been running 2-3 miles, 5 days a week since they were 5 years old.  This has left them fit enough to enjoy so many family activities such as Geocaching, hiking in the mountains of NC and VA, and local 5k charity races.  Running in local races together as a family has been very rewarding—both in the time spent in preparation and at the competitions.

Mom2Mom: What did you eat for dinner last night? Can you share the recipe?

Sue: Barbecued chicken on the grill and sliced cucumbers.  We eat the very most basic of food.  Really, rarely involving a “recipe,” and hopefully involving as little processing as possible.    We even grind our own wheat and try never to purchase processed grains from the grocery.

Mom2Mom: What's your guilty pleasure?

Sue: Hmm, going without sleep.  I don’t need much anyway, but I love the quiet solitude of the wee hours.

Know a mom we should feature? E-mail me. And go to www.trianglemom2mom.com/meet and check back here every Monday to learn about other local moms.