Alabama With Daddy

Almost exactly one year ago, Steve had been assigned to work five out of six weeks straight. Bella had just started school and Evelyn was in preschool two days a week, so we just did life without him. It wasn't fun, but we made it work. It was also the first time I considered homeschooling. I am not one of those people who secretly feels that every family should homeschool, but I can absolutely look back and see how God moved our hearts towards homeschooling. All of a sudden, everything just seemed to make sense. There was no real downside, and I know that had to be God!

Fast forward to August, and Steve's schedule has been very similar. He had one week in D.C., a week at home, and then one week back in D.C. and three straight weeks in Alabama. We didn't expect to go on the road with him so soon, but we decided to give it a try and see how it worked. So far, the major pitfalls have been keeping Henry happy and Bella's level of focus.

Doing Spelling in the car.

We got a suite, so the room is larger, which really helps us not feel like we're on top of each other. It also gives us a little couch and coffee table, so we have a "school space". Trying to keep Henry contained in a room where there's a bathroom, microwave, art supplies, and papers, all at his level, has been interesting, and at times, a straight disaster. He's either opening and closing the microwave door fifty times, dumping the girls' art supplies all over the floor, or crying at me when I sit him on a chair, smack his hand, or anything else that he doesn't appreciate.

The other hurdle has been Bella's focus, or willingness to do school. Which I totally get! We're in one room and anytime one of the other kids is doing something, her attention span struggles. Which is a lot of the time. I know it's so hard for her to be on "vacation", but also have to sit still and work on Grammar. Here's the thing, though, sitting still and focusing are hard traits for Bella no matter where we're doing school. She would so much rather be running or climbing a tree or looking under rocks.

With all of that in mind, this week has been all about balance; about figuring out when to push my kids and when to call it for the day. Tuesday was a bad "school" day, so we headed for the outdoors, and the day got so much better! For all of us!

We started out at McFarland Park, a campground, marina, and park, all mixed into one. The area that we're in is pretty desolate, as far as the economy goes, but the scenery is beautiful! The local parks are much nicer than what I expected. We saw this park online, and it was even more beautiful in person.

The kids found salamanders, dragonflies, and caterpillars, and we threw a little bit of our current Science lesson in there, and pointed out the cumulus clouds that were overhead. 

It was good for everyone's souls to get outside and enjoy the breeze!

Henry spent the first 48 hours of the trip, pretty much making this face. Steve and I were about done, but on Tuesday afternoon, he took a 2 and 1/2 hour nap, and was a new kid! He's been doing pretty good all of today - thank God for sleep!

We found a lion habitat that was connected to the local college, and it was awesome! There were two, full-grown lions and they were just lounging against the fence. The kids got a very close-up view!

Henry kept "roar"-ing.

And Bella was in Animal Heaven!

Our next stop was the local splash pad. The kids had a great time, and I didn't have to worry about anyone drowning. They ran around in the water for over an hour, and Henry got bold, too!

This kid. I love his big eyes. Make me swoon everytime.

It's been a good week, and I've realized that Bella and Evelyn are definitely not "let's just sit down and get it done" kids when it comes to schoolwork. It's been much better for them to stretch it out over the course of the day. A little bit of school, watch some PBS. Finish your Jackie Robinson book, have a snack. That's not how we do it at home, but it's been working this week!