I can’t believe it’s been a whole year since I wrote anything. It was definitely not my intention to take such a long break, but, you know, life happens. It’s been a year of twists and turns, and I am ready to jump back in to sharing stories.
Here is a brief summary of what we have been up to since April 2023 though this day of April 2024.
I passed the Travel Agent Proficiency exam and am now a licensed travel advisor. I have spent much of my free time over the past year, taking continuing education classes and getting certifications in a lot of different areas of the travel business. My taking on this new business ownership is an example of lifelong learning and shows that our unschooled kids can do the same thing at any time when they want to do something new – just like us adults!
In June 2023, we embarked on our last long road trip on our quest to take the kids to all 50 states. We drove to the northwest and visited Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota as new states to add to our list. In November 2023, we made it to our 48th state – just Alaska and Hawaii to go!
My son has continued his involvement with Scouts BSA and as a member of the Order of the Arrow (OA). He has attended so many campouts including the National Jamboree where he was elected as the Council Contingent Senior Patrol Leader. In the fall of 2023, he was elected as his OA Lodge Secretary and has a team of six scouts that report to him for various communication functions for the lodge. It’s been such a great experience, and he is learning so much that will serve him throughout his life. He has started working on his Eagle Scout Project and hopes to have it completed by the end of May this year. He just joined a Venture Crew too that allows youth to stay in scouting until age 21. And he is staffing at BSA Summer Camp for five weeks this summer as well.
Back to last summer, we hosted an exchange student from France for three weeks in June/July. He was awesome and we had so much fun! He just fit right into our family and we were sad to see him go. We still keep in touch and would love to have him visit again!
In July 2023, our son, 16 at that time, started his first job at a local restaurant. And in August, he started taking classes at the local community college. He has about two weeks left right now of his second semester. He absolutely loves it and is crushing it! And, remember, he hadn’t been in a school setting since he was 9 or 10 years old. I promise, they will learn what they need to and figure it out!
Our daughter, who turned 15 in July 2023, is still taking gymnastics and enjoys it. Over the past year, she has explored lots of friendships, had a few low-key “boyfriends,” and learned a lot about herself; what she likes and doesn’t like, how she wants to be treated and how to treat others, etc. She has had friends that don’t live nearby come visit and she has gone to visit them – that brought her so much joy and confidence! She has Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) and learning to navigate this autoimmune disorder while being a teenager can be tough at times. She is not interested in being involved in lots of activities like our son, but, she has experienced so much personal growth over this year! It’s been amazing to watch.
My husband was between jobs and had four months off over the summer. It was great having him around more and while he was navigating coping with a more open schedule, he was a great role model to the kids about how to navigate an unexpected situation. He started his new job in September which requires a lot of travel. So, we are adjusting but are getting the hang of it and learning how to all stay connected even when we aren’t together.
This job change prompted me to learn a new skill too – meal planning and prepping. I have never really liked cooking much and my husband has always been the main cook in the family. But, he is gone for weeks at a time now. If I didn’t want to eat out for every meal, I had to figure out something. Additionally, I have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and over the past year have figured out that there are certain foods that trigger RA flares. When I cook at home, I can control the ingredients and I have improved my condition by using food as medicine. Just another example of lifelong learning and figuring it out when you need to and/or want to!
I also want to point out that I have reached out for help as needed to learn about taking control of my health and my RA. I know it can be hard, but it’s ok to ask for help! I started with a year of the NOOM app; then I started using the Future app for personal training – I have been using it for 3 years now! Two years ago I worked with a health coach to take my eating and health habits to the next level. And, finally, in the fall of 2023 is when I started working with a holistic chef (ChefLauraRodriguez.com) who has taught me meal prepping in addition to using food as medicine.
So, if you feel like you could use some help with unschooling, respectful parenting, traveling, roadschooling, etc. then reach out to me. I love to help others get to the next level.