This has been The Year Of The Move(s)...and I wish there were words to articulate what our family has been through. I've gotten asked "Why aren't you blogging during all of this chaos?". Well, you pretty much answered your own question!
When everything around you is temporary, confused and unsure, it is very, very difficult to do the little things that you start to realize are really luxuries...like blogging. Oh, sure, I could have come on and given a 3 line blip here and there. Let me just sum up for you the progression of what each blip might have said. Are you ready?
"They just sold the house we're renting, gave no notice, have to find temporary housing IMMEDIATELY."
"Just moved into temporary spot at a summer home. They've got it booked for next month, so we'll have to move again soon. We'll enjoy the lake while we can, but don't dare unpack a single thing."
"Just moved into ANOTHER temporary spot at a summer home. They close the camp in the fall, so we're looking again for housing."
"Just moved into a home. It's also for sale, and no guarantees how long we can stay here. Should we buy a home? Nope, we can't stand living this far out in the boonies. Time to reevaluate where we want to be."
"It's 4 months later and they're showing the house we're renting. We have GOT to find something more permanent!"
"OK, well we think we know where we want to live. Husband is applying for jobs. He's gotten a couple of offers, but none that will pay him what he's currently making (or even come close). We're hanging on the edge of a knife hoping this recent interview will result in an offer he can at least consider."
Yeah, so that's where we currently are. We have a temporary home waiting for us, which we can't sign a lease on until L. gets a job offer he can accept. He's supposed to hear by the end of next week, and thankfully the new landlord is holding the home for us. Did I mention that it, too, is only temporary?
At least it will give us some time to try to purchase a home that we can STAY in.
Meanwhile, homeschooling is catch-as-catch-can. The stress level is HIGH, and everyone in our home feels it. We have a lengthy travel every time L. has an interview, and we're very exhausted from the travel, packing/cleaning to move, etc.
Sometimes we take a couple of hours and do some lesson work, but most days I've been sitting them down with a documentary, video, or ipad/laptop game. This homeschooling year right now looks like a complete mess. We're behind where I wanted us to be, so I have to decide what to cut out and what to keep. Not that I am a slave to scope-and-sequence, but I DO like to be somewhere close. A friend of mine recently said "Well, just call it "unschooling" for this year." Is that what people do? Maybe I'm just judging myself for not keeping as much of a structure as I wanted to have.
I feel like I'm failing my kids because we take far too many breaks from lesson work...and some days it's just because my mental stress level is so high that I zone out and can't bring myself to sit down with those damned books.
Well, I will continue to try to slip lessons in where I can, and I guess I'll just have to tell the end-of-the-year reviewer that "the rest was "unschooling"". Legally that will pass muster for the reviewer (probably)...but for me, it doesn't taste very good in the mouth.
I guess I just have to accept that our family has been through a lot this past 15 months. I *KNOW* my kids are still learning things, but I do also feel they are slipping behind a bit. I guess I have to allow that some years LIFE has to come first. SANITY needs to prevail. Sanity WILL prevail eventually...right???!!??
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