how was your schooling growing up? I was homeschooled and it was great
I went to public schools.  Were you educated at home by a parent or tutor?
my Mom, she had a teaching degree but turned to a stay at home mother
That's great.  There were about 2.3 million homeschooled students in the US a couple of years ago.  
thats a staggering number when you stop and think about it
It is but what's wonderful is on average homeschoolers scored at or above the national average on standardized tests.  You are in a good group!
Not sure what i missed out on by not going public, but my mother did great
It has grown considering hoemschooling was mainly practiced or in rural areas.