Ramblings...

I haven't updated this blog since October 2012!! Holy cow has it really been that long?! Needless to say things have been very busy in our dysfunctional world. Since I do have a post in progress (the same post I alluded to back in October) I'll just make this one a picture post to give you some idea of the crazy we have been living since October.

We've tried some new recipes (they had Nutella inside of them!)

We took our first official family of five photos; they were also our last professional family photos in Japan.

We endured three days of movers in our itty bitty Japanese house.

We slept on air mattresses.

We had our last field trip to the Okinawa Aquarium.

We said goodbye to Japan after four life changing years. (This was taken at 30,000 feet as the sun went down  in Japan and our time their ended).

We got back to America and discovered that the place put in charge of storing our vehicle had done this to ALL the seats in our car as well as other things to it. The damage can't be put into words and posting all the pictures would completely change the mood of this post...so instead I'll let your imaginations run wild.

Lastly, we arrived at our new base in VA. This is the sun rising over the Chesapeake, I still had wicked jet lag when I took this. Things have improved jet lag wise. Although, I must admit I miss Japan more than I thought I would. Uprooting your life doesn't get easier, but the adventures you get to take do make the headaches worth it! If any of you happen to call VA home please feel free to share in the comments what you like to do for fun in the state for lovers. Copyright(c)2013 Rayven Holmes

I could make this a long drawn out post about the benefits of homeschooling when it comes to traveling, especially traveling that involves flexibility. I won’t though, because I would be preaching to the choir on that one. I could compare and contrast the stress and frustrations of traveling with children to the stress and frustrations experienced in homeschooling, because let’s be honest it isn’t always easy. Frankly though I don’t want to do that either.

Instead, I think I shall tell what I’ve learned. Yes, I learned. Schooling didn’t always take place when I wanted, yes we are technically behind, but in homeschooling can you really ever say you are behind? That is one thing I’ve learned and will continue to expand on. The thought that we are never behind if we are continuing to move forward. Some of our best schooling took place when we didn’t crack open a book. Now, am I suddenly a non-book user who relies solely on field trips or other experiences to teach? No. I don’t have it in my controlling nature to not plan out our schooling to some degree, but learning happens every day, everywhere. When life plops you down somewhere unexpected or even somewhere you expected to be, you should seize that moment because you never know what it may teach you.

On our travels we have explored a list of amazing places that I plan to share once I’m completely settled, they all offer something unique and we would have never had an opportunity to take in these sights and sounds if we didn’t strive to seize the day.
Seizing the day…the only real way to sum up traveling with homeschoolers in my humble opinion, but you don’t need to be traveling to do this.
Live, Explore, Do! Life is too short not to. This is a lesson I am happy to learn while I'm still young enough to put it to use.

First leg of our trip...kids can really sleep anywhere.