Traveling homeschool family: Our Family’s 3 Month Adventure!

Do you ever have one of those crazy ideas and it’s just so crazy it stays in your head? The thought of being a traveling homeschool family. Yes, I got one of those ideas some time last summer and after months of planning and convincing David it was just crazy enough it might work, we’re officially doing it.

See Ya Later, Virginia! Traveling Homeschool Family

At the end of January, we packed up our sweet house. We turned the keys over to a traveling nurse who’s working at UVA’s hospital for 3 months. We’ve taken our four kiddos (and Kaiser, our lovable wolfhound!) to the Chesapeake Bay and now we’re in the mountains of North Carolina. Next we’ll drive to Georgia, then to Florida, then fly to England, hopefully make a side trip to Germany (COVID allowing!), fly from England to Charleston, back to North Carolina, then finally back to Charlottesville.

Taking Advantage of a Year of Homeschooling

What possessed us to do such a disruptive trip? Last year our two older kids were constantly being sent home from school for things like sneezing or a tummy ache. Our family would have to quarantine and all get COVID tested before they could go back to school. It was a nightmare for me trying to take care of our infant twins without being able to depend on the school schedule for the older two kids. David and I decided that with COVID likely still raging this schoolyear, we’d try homeschooling and setting ourselves up for a more dependable schedule. Eve (2nd grade) and Wilson (pre-k) have been attending an outdoor homeschool co-op in Charlottesville since August and we’ve enjoyed the flexibility with being able to do school on our own at home. (I’ve also officially realized homeschooling is not for me. I have so much respect for moms with large families who can do it!) Since this will most certainly be our only year homeschooling, and since David is still working 100% remotely, we decided to take advantage of the flexibility and travel.

We love, love love Charlottesville and will be glad to return. However, I’d gotten kind of bored with doing the same activities so much. Traveling allows me to show the kids about things we wouldn’t ordinarily come across in Charlottesville. We’re really enjoying learning by doing so far. I’m excited about local activities that simultaneously teach, such as gem mining or visiting the local zoo with native animals.

Break from Our Farmhouse

In full transparency: I needed a break from our house. I am so grateful we get to live where we do, but lately I’d realized I was feeling almost resentful. Living in an old house can be, well, exhausting. The repair list feels impossibly never-ending. I had been feeling overwhelmed with our house since I found out I was pregnant with our twins in March 2020. It was one thing for David to work on house projects while I hung out with our two kids, but quite another when I suffered from hypermesis gravidarum (aka I was super sick!) for months. I was hopeful that once the twins were born it wouldn’t be so overwhelming. In my experience, though, taking care of baby twins turned out to be about a million times harder than a singleton baby. All this to say: the upkeep of our farmhouse has been on the backburner for nearly two years. David and I really craved some time after the kids went to bed or on weekends where we could simply be together instead of stressing over what needed our attention.

What About the Animals?

The amazing couple renting our house has been toying with the idea of living on a farm. They’re thrilled to have a trial run for 3 months to see what it’s like taking care of pigs, goats and chickens!

What Does This Mean for the Blog?

Before we left Charlottesville, I toured a few more farmhouses. I’m excited to share them over the coming weeks with you! They are fabulous. I’m hoping to be able to find historic British farmhouses to feature while we’re in England. We’ll be staying in Surrey for about 7 weeks. (If you have any recommendations or know of any cool British farmhouses, please reach out to me at lynne@afarmhousereborn.com.)

I’ll be checking in and posting semi-regularly over our trip! Thanks for all the support from our friends and family for making this trip possible. We’re really excited about the adventures that lie ahead.