Not only do road trips take a lot of planning (especially when you require vegetarian gluten-free snacks and meals), but it takes awhile to recover from any trip that involves extended family. We drove up north to visit my grandparents, while my mother, father, sister, and niece flew up and rented a car.
That said, we enjoyed seeing my grandparents. In the end I wished we had more time, because the boys didn't start warming up to them until dinner the first night, and we had only a little more than an hour with them the next morning. My grandpa is quite a character and it is interesting to listen to him tell the stories of his youth (though I certainly hope my boys aren't as wild and reckless).
I did learn more about homeschooling and rhythm when combined with trips. My new rule is to not plan schooling the day we leave or the day after we get back. We didn't have time for a lesson Friday before we left, and yesterday I was wiped out and needed to get things back in order. I have revised the schedule for the next trip to give us the Friday before and the Monday after off (although I have planned a few activities for while we are on the trip, as there always comes a point where we need to pass some time).
I am accepting the reality of our situation. There is no way we are sitting down to breakfast at 7 a.m. anymore. I've pushed back our schedule by an hour which leaves us time for play/computer if we get up early enough, but doesn't make the rhythm fall apart if we aren't up until nearly 8. It is always good to get rid of the "shoulds" and to live our lives the way it really works for us. Come fall and the time change I'm sure we'll be early birds once more.
This week I need to evaluate what we're doing already in terms of Enki, and what to add in and in what order. I'd like to work on movement next, but I think I need more time to watch and listen to everything, so I might start with our afternoons and getting going on projects. Today is easy; we'll be making birthday cards for Papa, and we have a banner to hang.
Well, one thing that messes up our rhythm is when I spend too much time on the computer! So it is time for me to dress, clean the bathrooms, make the beds, and hang the laundry.
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