Why I sent my homeschooler to public school.

Well, I can tell you this, it was not by choice. At least it wasn't by MY choice. My newly 10-year old daughter up and decided, the day before public school kiddos were back in session, that she wanted to be a part of them.

 First day jitters...she wasn't so sure when it was 

actually time to walk in.

What do you do when your homeschooled daughter tells you she wants to go to school?

You calmly let her explain why, and then let her make her own informed decision...obviously.

Well, I get credit, because I did do that. Sort of. I did let her explain, and I did pretend to understand. Then I walked around like an injured zombie for the rest of the day. (I also broke down and cried...but only once...and only for a second.)

By the fourth day she was a pro! Made her own 

lunch, and was off the boat 30 minutes early!

Boy oh boy.  Sometimes those stinkin' kids of ours have their own minds and we just gotta go with it. (Yes Mom, I see the irony in the situation.) To be honest, it isn't a huge commitment since we're leaving to travel in two months anyway. It's more like a social experiment; a homeschooled kid in a public school world.

The cool thing is, taking a step back and looking at the situation...she's living exactly the way we're trying to help her to be...to be willing to try something new...to live her best life...to not be afraid to try for something she wants. Maybe our life changes have already helped her grow...and if that's true, who am I to stand in her way?

Her brother walked in with her to show support

For normal kids going to school would be no big deal...but for my kid, whose comfort zone is homeschooling, choosing this is the path unknown. I'm actually pretty damn impressed that she chose to step out of her comfort zone and try something not only new...but a little bit scary.

Now, I won't lie, this homeschooling mama felt a little lost at first. I started to worry that mixing our very simple intentional lifestyle with public school kids would bring back a lot of the things that we've taken out of our lives. Most school kids have iphones, cable tv, new first-day outfits...and years of experience dealing with public school kids. And to be honest, I like my no-nonsense gal exactly as she is. I don't want her to come home talking about fashion trends, TV shows and asking for an iphone! (She hasn't asked, but she has informed me that only she and one other girl in her class don't have a cell phone.)

I can't speak for the changes to her personality over the next 60 days...only time can tell. But I can honestly say that the girl I picked up after the first day was glowing. She was so proud of herself for doing it, and for breaking free and being her own person. It's only been three days, but I'm pretty sure she's grown up a little bit more in that time.

Look at that face...that's a proud face.

The good thing is, she wants to do this, and it gives her an idea of what school is like, so if she wants to try again (or not) at least she will have this experience to help her decide. I don't know how long we will travel, or when we will stop and grow roots again...so any more life experience that she can take with her is a good thing. 

At least I hope so!

My Home

I am so excited about our upcoming travels...but I will miss this place so much. Not just Ketchikan, but our marina, our yacht club and our boat. I know it sounds strange, but even doing the laundry is fun...every time I walk down the dock to put in a load I see seals, otters, eagles, salmon and sea stars...it is truly a wonder. 

It not only makes me feel grateful for this life, but it makes me feel alive.

I never felt alive doing laundry in my regular house...it just seemed like a chore.

This picture was NOT taken by me. (I wish!) This is a local photographer, Mike Gates, and he posted it on our local Ketchikan Facebook Photography page, and I just had to share it.

This is my home...my marina...and yes, it is THAT beautiful.

Goldfish Party at Settlers Cove

Laurel's biggest birthday yet (10 years old!) is also the last birthday we'll celebrate in Alaska.  And it was one that will never be forgotten.

She chose to have her final Alaskan birthday on the beach again, but this time we decided to rent the cabin at Settlers Cove.  This way if it rained we could move all the food inside.  And, as an added bonus, when the  party was over we sat by the dying fire, watched the sun fade into the sea and then crawled into the cabin and read our family novel by lantern light.

I have never seen a child glow like this.

Thankfully Alaska provided the entertainment.  Except for few moments to refuel on food, or whack the pinata; mostly the kids were running through the woods, climbing trees, walking along the beach and playing in the cabin.

We had good friends, good food and a beautiful view.  I don't think you can ask for more than that.

It was perfect.

(And since Laurel made the cookies and the pinata, all I had to do was the cake...which fell over twice on the way to the cabin. Yes...twice.)

The next day Luke woke up with his eye like this...don't know what bit him...but it ain't pretty.

catching ourselves when we falter

Today I'm going to tell you a story about me.  

The changes we have gone through as a family have changed me so much. What started as one simple thing; family travel. Turned into SO MUCH MORE. Our belief system and our daily habits had to be joined. So often we say one thing, but live another. Not on purpose of course, but life has a way of living us if we aren't paying very close attention.

Not on purpose of course, but life has a way of living us if we aren't paying very close attention.

For instance, we believed in quality family time, and not using too much technology, but we had cable TV, and we used it...much more than we should have. So we cut it out. We said we didn't believe that processed food was good for us, but every time we wanted a special treat...it was always something processed. And like any good mom, I told my children that their natural beauty is what counts (inside and out), but I put on make up every single day. 

I was raised to think that we needed make up to cover all of our flaws. From the 5th grade until the time I was 35 I woke up and put on my foundation, powder, eye shadow, mascara and lipgloss. It's hard to break a 25 year old habit...but I did...and I have begun to love not having to fix who I am.

But...and here is the point of the story...I live in a very intentional world. My friends have been cultivated out of a group of amazing women who stand for who they say they are. They have similar beliefs as myself; healthy food, limited technology, natural beauty, etc. I don't have to worry about how others see me, because I am always in a safe and loving environment. Until...my daughter announced that she wanted to try out public school. I had to go in and talk to the principle and the teacher and see other parents...I hadn't been in this kind of situation in years! 

It made me nervous, lord knows why, but it did. 

So, I automatically fell into old habits...I turned on a curling iron, and pulled out my makeup. Without even thinking I did myself up. Then, minutes before leaving I actually looked at myself in the mirror...and I laughed. I couldn't believe how ridiculous I looked. I looked like a person who was trying too hard...and more importantly, I didn't look like me. I had grown so accustomed to seeing MY face in the mirror that this false version of me looked silly. So I stopped and washed my face, then walked out the door, happy to feel like myself again.

I think it's important to really sit down and think about what your beliefs are, and then compare them to your actual life and see how it jives. In other words, you want to make sure your present day actions align with your convictions. I think that this is the most important part of living consciously. 

You want to make sure your present day actions align with your convictions.

Kids of Summer

Could summer really be ending? This summer has been filled with the woods, and the beach and lots and lots of hours doing nothing in particular.  

That's my favorite kind of summer.

a domino effect of goodness

When we first sat down to figure out what we wanted out of life, we came up with this idea of traveling for a little while.  The next obvious question was how to pay for it. Which caused us to look for a tiny house option.  Which required us to downsize. Which taught us to buy less stuff.  Which reminded us how much more money we could save. Which allowed us to see the disparity of riches in the world. And consequently made us never want to live a life where we were completely out of touch with the needs of others. That helped us look at how to live more sustainably. Which convinced us to make more environmentally conscious decisions. Which made us appreciate the world around us more.

Sometimes it just takes tipping over that first one 

to change your life.

11 Weeks left...

We have about 11 weeks left to live in this home that has been so dear to us.  Every square inch of this place feels like a part of us, and leaving it will likely be the first time I have cried over leaving a home. (and I've left A LOT of homes in my life)

There is no other point to this post.