Is it possible to be a dedicated homeschooling mom while still making time for myself as an individual (a girlie girl who likes cute shoes)? I like to think so. Follow along, and I'll let you know for sure.

Trust me . . . it's not ALL about the shoes.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Thankful Thursday - Learning Vacations

Ever get struck in the middle of a crazy, hectic day by overwhelming wave of gratitude for being able to share a special moment with your kids? Well, that’s what Thankful Thursday is all about. Each week, I’ll aim to share a special moment that I would have missed had my kids been away at school . . . and I’m counting on all of you to share yours, too. It will give us something to reflect on during those other six crazy, hectic days!
 
Our official start to the school year is always a few weeks later than most Florida kids typically head back to school. And even though I'm firmly set on waiting until after Labor Day to start back with our classroom time, I always have at least a little twinge of feeling like I'm slightly behind.

Perhaps I remember my own school days not starting until September, or maybe I'm just protesting the end of summer . . . either way, the timing just feels right for us - especially since we like to take a vacation right around Labor Day when the crowds are lighter and so many are already back in school.

This year, we are visiting my aunt and uncle at their beautiful, peaceful home in Virginia. The kids are enjoying visiting and playing with them, and I am enjoying some much-needed "Mommy time off" before we start back with school next week. Yesterday, we drove into DC and visited the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial . . . and we may venture back there today (thanks to Schoolhouse Rock, the kids were begging to go to Capital Hill!)

Today, I am very thankful for the flexibility that homeschooling allows in our lives - the ability to travel whenever we want, to spend time with family and to experience a place as historic as Washington DC by walking its streets rather than just turning the pages of a textbook . . . all before our official "school" year even starts.

2 comments:

  1. I like this... We have actually just started homeschooling this year. We are now 4 weeks into our school year, started our year the same day regular school started. I have to say, I have been having some frequent mommy moments lately, where we are just doing something simple and I start thinking "gosh, we wouldn't even be able to do this if he was still in regular school." For example, 4 weeks into school a Thursday evening would be a bad time to go out and enjoy a town event, we would probably have a pile of homework to complete, and have to eat supper and get cleaned up and into bed at a decent time. Well, yesterday in town (we live in the country so it is an event to attend events in town) there was an event held by the local college. They specialize in vetrinary science, and were having a barn owl release where they were releasing barn owls they had been caring for in captivity, probaby because they had been injured or something prior. But, anyway, normally we wouldn't have even thought to try going to something like that. Because realistically we would not have had the time. We were there last night though, and as I stood there watching my son just loving this little moment, which was actually very educational, I was litterally a bit emotional lol. I was just so happy for him that we got to go out and enjoy this unusual thing and not have to be worried that because we did this something else didn't get done or we would be tired in the morning. It has been awesome, and it is definately something to be thankful for.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, what a neat experience. Thanks for sharing! It's interesting . . . I mostly think about what *I* would miss out on if the kids were in school, but this reminds me that *they* would miss out on moments/experiences like this, too!

    ReplyDelete