We arrived safely to our new home November seventh and we are so thankful for how smooth everything went. We decided to make the most of this trip and turn it into a family vacation along the way. We had a system planned out making the trip as smooth as it could be.

Each day I had a little something new for the kids. They got new sticker books and activity books and they would get them in the mornings after checking out of the hotels. After our afternoon stop we’d let them watch a movie. For our stays we pre booked and pre planned making sure each place would have a pool and breakfast. 

For food we stopped at restaurants for lunch and whatever they didn’t eat we reheated in the microwave for dinner. I had hotdogs and apples and things in my on the go cooler for dinners in case they ate most of their lunches.  At each Restaurant we would do potty breaks and tidy up the car a little bit with toys they have dropped along the way.

Peter and I had a game plan. Depending on when we would check into hotels. Some nights we would let the kids go swimming. For mornings we would do breakfast there then go back and start loading up the car. I would fill mine and the kids water bottles with fresh water. The nights before I would lay out mine and the kids clothes so we could collect our bags faster. I would also reheat food from restaurants for dinner and unload the cold food in the fridge while they would be swimming. 

On the first day we drove straight to Idaho and stopped for gas and had a picnic from food I packed. Then my sister in law got us pizza and we met up at their house to take the kids trick or treating. It was so fun! The hotel was ten minutes from their place and we skipped swimming.

The next day we drove to the first restaurant for lunch and then went to the potato museum. Afterward we headed on the road for a long stretch to Wyoming and the kids got to go swimming that night. Wyoming was beautiful. After checking out the next morning we headed to a beautiful botanic garden and a really nice restaurant for lunch that had the best food and atmosphere for families.

The next day was a longer drive to Colorado and we took a break the day after. We knew with being on the road for a few days we wanted to make sure we were having fun and taking a break in the middle of the trip. We decided to do an adventure day in Denver, Colorado. We did the children’s museum and lunch at the aquarium and the aquarium after lunch. I highly recommend the aquarium. It was amazing! After the adventures we headed to our next hotel that was only an hour away. 

The last stretch to Texas was our driving day we didn’t do much. We just got to our hotel to swim and went to a play ground. We booked a hotel near our new home and stayed there for two nights giving us time to get there in case something happened along the way. The day we moved in was really fun! We went to a play ground then out for lunch at Olive Garden. The kids loved it! Then we unloaded and did leftovers for lunch.

After being here for six weeks we are seeing more each day that this big life change has been a great fit for our family.

We are homeschooling! We officially started in June when Jason finished up preschool at his private school. 

I started in January only doing twice a week dipping my feet in the water helping us get in the routine on Jason’s home days. That way I could figure out the kinks of when we started official full-time homeschool. 

This helped a lot the first week, because both boys knew what to expect. 

Our days for school are very simple. We have our morning routine and then they get an hour of free play that gives me time to work on my morning chores and set up anything for school. Then we meet in the playroom and we do our circle time. In that time we are counting, going over our alphabet, going over the calendar, and reading one story. Then we go into the dining area and do the lesson or sometimes we just do the lesson right on the playroom floor. The lesson usually is a game, something I find on Pinterest, a workbook (they do as many pages as they feel), or they use fun materials like a puzzle. I personally love reusable things. So we don’t have a lot of supplies. The school days are only 30 minutes long. The rest of the day is filled with playing, a play date, or going somewhere. So far I have loved the breathing space that homeschooling has allowed. It also has given me the privilege to be on the front lines of their learning. I love seeing them connect and figure things out.

I originally was on the fence with the idea and thought it over for about six months. There was apart of me that was craving flexibility for our family and not a strict structure. We thrive on routine and flow. I didn’t want our calendar to be over filled and miss connecting with my children. I wanted to be in charge of our calendar. At first I was hesitant as we were figuring out how give our extroverted son the much needed time with friends. Peter said he would bring them to Awana giving them consistency throughout the school year. They could do recreational sports, a co-op and of course play dates. We have taken both our skills and combined them. I am more organized and love figuring out creative ways for them to learn something and Peter is also an extrovert and isn’t too tired to go out at night.

We are doing homeschool year around giving them breaks for when we go on trips and for events so we can keep the routine making it more smooth on all of us. That way we don’t have the feeling of starting over. Instead going with the flow of the next step.

This is the beauty of homeschool. We get to do what works for our family. Live a slower paced intentional life where we can grasp the lessons with our children and grow along side them.