Hello World! My name is Shannon, and I am the Gettin Life Dunn Blog founder. I’ve been married for 31 years and have five children and two grandchildren. Three of those children rented space in my womb together – AKA “The Triplets.” In 50 years of living, the question I’ve been asked the most is this – “Were they natural?”. I would ponder saying- aren’t all kids natural – but smiling, I would simply share the truth. What is it? Well, stick around to learn more in future posts. Why? I encourage you to keep on Gettin Life Dunn with Simply Shannon.
And yet, you ask yourself what makes me more unique than any other blogger. I don’t know how to answer that except for being 100% honest- my passion isn’t cooking or journaling; it’s people! I do enjoy cooking and journaling – it’s simply because those things are fun, but those things aren’t MY passions–my true love lies with the human race!!
Do You Remember How Excited You Were to Get Your Driver’s License?
Do you remember being so excited to get your license and car? You were probably excited to get the freedom to drive anywhere you wanted– like the mall. I did that too, but it was when I worked at the mall. I was more excited about being able to get out and help people. When I was 16 years old, I was doing something that I kept a secret from my friends. Why? Well, probably due to fear of it being viewed as weird.
Still wondering what I was doing. Even if you know me well, you probably don’t know this little fact. I grabbed my car keys and an envelope and headed out to the laundry mats in the area. Nope, I wasn’t doing laundry for my mom. Although, I did spend a lot of time on the laundry mat as a child. Does anyone even know what laundry mats are anymore?
You’ve waited long enough; I was hanging up missing children’s fliers. I contacted the Delaware State Police and asked to volunteer with the Missing Children’s Department. I was told to call the 1-800 number of the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. So, I made the call and waited patiently for the fliers in the mail. I was so excited to do something that would possibly help children.
Looking back, I think the clerk possibly wanted to get off the phone. That clerk has no idea how much her advice would cost a working teen in gas. At that time, I was making $3.35/hour. On a serious note, she positively impacted my choice of career field.
How Did Education Impact My Life Journey?
While in college, I was a substitute teacher. The administration liked me so much that I was offered a full-time position as the In-School Suspension Supervisor. But, one day, I decided that this wasn’t my career. Why? I will never forget the conversation I had with my boss, the principal. He said, “Shannon, the students aren’t supposed to want to go to In-School Suspension?” I responded to him, “Isn’t learning supposed to be fun?”
OI moved to Germany; I decided I wouldn’t be a school teacher. So, if you had told me that 20 years later that I would be homeschooling my own children, I would have denied even the mere possibility of such absurd thinking. Well, guess what? I homeschooled all 5 of my children from Late Elementary/Junior High until graduation.
I have a small confession to make. Are you ready for it? I homeschooled one year of elementary school and then, like some of you, thought I wouldn’t be able to educate my children at home. I can tell you that I was 100 percent wrong and can confidently say that. I don’t think you should follow someone blindly because that person claims to be a homeschooling or a veteran mom. It’s my responsibility to show you that you can trust the guidance and encouragement I offer you!
Why Should You Trust What I Have To Say About Homeschooling?
Where is the proof in the pudding? Well, I have a college graduate, another child who scored so high on the SATS without even studying for them and now has a 3.8 GPA at a University [Biomedical Sciences is a challenging field to keep that high GPA], a son who scored so high on the military test that he could have picked any field that he wanted to go into, one son whose climbed his career field faster than most. My daughter and son were told they are terrific writers by their college Department Chair compared to their peers.
Oh, and wait until you read this – three of my sons make more money than I do in my career position.
Now, I don’t tell you those things to brag, but to tell you that the thoughts you’re having that you can’t provide that education that your child needs – is just plain NOT TRUE! You can do it!
So, before you throw in the towel, reach out, and I mean that! You’re not alone in those thoughts that you may be having, and there is a vast community waiting to support you. This simple woman encourages you to continue Gettin Your Homeschool Life Journey Dunn.
We also joined a co-op, where I enjoyed teaching other children in the homeschool community. So, I am excited to share the tips about home education that I’ve learned the school way.
My love for the classroom didn’t just stop there. I wanted to teach adult students my area of expertise in the classroom. So, I became a part-time Criminal Justice Instructor at our local community college. I bet you didn’t see that curve ball coming!
How Did I Work Full-Time and Homeschool?
Are you wondering, “How did she work full-time and homeschool”? I did it the same way all of you did when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. I was fortunate to work alternate shifts from the standard 9-5, which allowed me to homeschool.
I have been a public servant in the 1st State for 26 years. A little history question for you -do you know which state that is? Did you catch that? The first state is Delaware.
For 14 years, I was an Adult Probation and Parole Officer, and my area of expertise was in Substance Dependency. For the past 12 years, I’ve worked for the Kids Department in Delaware. As I said before, life is full of irony. For example, I never imagined the thought of even shooting my stepfather’s shotgun but then carrying one daily for a living. How did that happen?
The Highway Of Life Has Many Side Roads
Every choice we make in life has an impact on other decisions that we make. For example, my decision as a teen and young adult was NEVER to have kids – well, you see how that worked out! Every main road we travel has various side roads or exits. Sometimes you may make a turn that wasn’t on your life GPS. Yet often, that exit becomes more exciting and scenic than driving the main road.
Well, I’ve been wanting to blog for more than ten years. I even purchased the book – Blogging for Dummies – which is still on my bookshelf. It may have been the only book on blogging ten or more years ago. Although every choice you make impacts some other part of your life. With having five children, homeschooling, sports, and teaching at a co-op – there was no time for blogging.
And as you can see, my life was nothing but simple. And most likely, neither is yours. But, regardless of never having a simple life, I have always been a simple woman and can’t wait to encourage you to keep on Gettin Life Dunn.
Stop Turning the Pages!
I’ve now embarked on a new chapter in life. I’ve been trying to turn back the pages of life, but life won’t let me. So I am on this chapter whether I want to be or not – Empty Nesting. When your life IS your kids, empty nesting ranks with menopause.
Some of you empty nesters may want to tell me that this will be the best time of my life. All I can say is that I am new to empty nesting, be patient with me. Most of my kids decided to spread their wings around the same time. Another thing that no one tells you about having triplets!
Since I have no control over being an empty nester, I’ll focus on what I have control over. Rather than look at the glass as half empty, I needed to decide how to look at glass as half full. I am sure you have also forced yourself to do this in some chapter of your life. What will I do with more time on my hands and fewer kids in the house? How will my glass look ½ full now? Well, after ten years of “just” thinking, I am actually “doing” – I’M BLOGGING!
Are You Looking For A Simple Life Blogger That Is Encouraging?
If you are looking for a perfect woman with all the answers – you’re not going to find that here. Are you looking for a simple woman who wants to encourage you to keep on Gettin Life Dunn by living a simple life in a complex world? If you said yes, then you’ve come to the right place! I’m so glad you landed here because I am a simple woman who wants to encourage you to keep on Gettin Life Dunn.
If you found something about me exciting or something I said, then make sure you subscribe to the blog. Make sure that you share our content with your family and friends. You never know how a post can positively impact another person. So, why not share in a world where sharing is free? That’s the frugal part of me talking!
Speaking of sharing… I contributed the aka “Simply Shannon” from a memory shared with my grandmother. She would often say to me when I was throwing a creative idea out there on how to change the world, “Shannon, quit being simple,” which back then was not a positive meaning of the word simple. Yet, what I do know about my grandmother is she was a simple woman, and her mere presence in this world contributed to who I’ve become in life – Simply Shannon.
Just A Little Glimpse Into My Little World
