What is Life Like in the Trailer?
Now that a year has passed since moving into our humble abode, (I say humble smiling because even though it is very cozy, I feel more spoiled than ever before). we have figured out quite a few things and have a pretty good routine down for how things get taken care of with respect to water refills, propane, dumping, garbage, etc. The kids, Dallin and Tyrell especially, have the morning routine down pat. That doesn't mean they are always as quick or quiet as I would like (I'm sure they feel like I am always after them), but their help in putting away blankets and clothes is helpful. There are a few questions that I get asked more than others, so I decided to take some time and try to describe what life is like in our trailer, and on the road.
FAQ"'S
How do you sleep at night?
The most common question I'm asked is how we manage with a baby when he wakes up at night. The answer is that I live with 5 very heavy sleepers, and Jacob is not a fussy baby. Even as a newborn he didn't squawk a lot; he just cheeped a little and I would get up to feed him. Now he is sleeping through the nights just as well as the rest of them. (So why don't I get any sleep?) If he had the lung capacity and voice projection that Dallin did as a baby, then we might have needed to invest in heavy duty commercial earplugs for everyone. In fact, once we get through the commotion of unfolding the beds, getting out blankets, changing, and brushing teeth, things settle down a lot faster than they did back on Henry. I had a fear at the beginning that they would keep each other awake and partying, but the opposite has happened. When the lights go out, for the most part, they seem to realize it is time to go to sleep. With that said, the commotion of getting ready has increased, and I often have to count to myself, set a timer, or separate children as they clamor around each other and have spontaneous wrestling matches while they should be getting their beds made.
What is the hardest part?
I have what I call my, "crazy" times of each day. They are the morning and bedtime routines. Even Dan knows that if he wants me to respond or pay any attention at all, my "crazy" time is not the time to try talking. It just seems that the quicker we get breakfast on the table and the day started, the smoother the day goes. Once breakfast is served the chaos seems to die down and we can start to enjoy each other's company. With the night-time routine, after all the shuffling is taken care of and everyone is still, crazy time is over. Then we go into one of my favorite times of day, which is reading together as a family. We start by taking turns reading the scriptures, and then either Dan or I will read to Natalyn and Davey, and then read a few chapters out of a bigger book to everyone.
So, you must homeschool your kids. (Not a question, but the questions usually follow after that. Homeschooling is a whole FAQ on its own!)
My usual answer is that homeschool is a "love-hate" thing. I feel a huge responsibility being in charge of my children's education. I take that responsibility very seriously. I believe in exposing children to every type of learning method that is possible. I believe that if a child can read something, write about it, do experiments with it, manipulate it, skill and drill, and then play fun games to reinforce it, they will internalize it and become master of whatever subject they choose.
The love part of school is when this theory works and becomes reality and we are all working together enjoying each other's company learning. I love being able to play games with the kids that reinforce what they are learning. I love the fun we have at the beach playing in tide-pools identifying creatures, or in museums where history comes to life for them. I get a great charge when the children see something that excites them, like a bug, and then they go to all of their books to try to identify the exciting thing and learn as much about it as they can. Having one of the kids read out loud in a part of one of their science or history books because they find a particular section interesting and they want to share with everyone is just thrilling. I'll admit that I also enjoy how much I learn as I teach the kids.
The hate part of school is that we have many days that are just chug through days. Many days we struggle to trudge through the cirriculum and still hope we want to be around each other by the end of the day. I know that is normal, but after experiencing some really great days, the normal days can be hard to swallow. There are so many things to learn, and so many fun ways to present that information, but more often than not, we just scratch the surface in the fastest way possible to move onto the next subject. Enter the children and their different learning styles from the, "do your work as fast and sloppy as you can" approach to the, "stare at my work for five hours without touching it with a pencil," approach and one might sense the tension that can build on occasion as expectations don't meet reality.
Can anyone talk about something as important as schooling and children without addressing fears? My biggest fear (and it is not mice) is that when my children are adults they will be sitting in a jail cell or in a counselor's office talking to some proffessional about how their mom messed them up, while I'm locked up rocking back and forth in a padded room. (I don't really see that happening, but no one ever said fears are supposed to be based on reality). My second biggest fear is that I will be the weak link in our traveling lifestyle. As Natalyn is beginning kindergarten and will need more attention in her studies, (which to this point have been fun and unfocused) I sometimes think that if I'm going to avoid the padded room, then the kids might have to go back to public school. I'm really hoping that with a little bit more planning and organization of lesson plans I can avoid that possibility.
Please don't misunderstand if this seems all negative. I just don't want to give the wrong impression that homeschool is all rosy and perfect. There are some real concerns that we are consistently trying to address. Some women are naturally born patient and soft and quiet. I am working toward being one of those moms.
What cirriculum do you use?
We use the same cirriculum that the public schools in Idaho are using - Saxon math and Houghton Mifflin Reading. For science we have a series called, "Explore and Learn" that we use in combination with several experiment books. For social studies we have a wonderful book called, "The story of the World" that we use along with map skills workbooks and activity books about the countries and states. Rosetta Stone and Spanish for Dummies cover our foreign language. For art we have a few different books about drawing 3-D or cartoon characters that the kids love to practice with. Tyrell has especially developed a love of drawing lately. We have several learning games for math, logic, phonics, and spelling that we use once a week on, "Fun-day Friday."
What did you do with all of your stuff?
This is an interesting question to me because a very major part of our decision to live a more, "simple" lifestyle was because we felt like, "stuff" was beginning to control our lives. An interesting phenomenon with people is that they get a lot of space, they fill it with stuff, and then they need a bigger space. We think we own our stuff, but if you stop and think about how much money a person spends to get their stuff, repair it, store it, maintain it, clean it, sort it, rearrange, and even use it - the obvious conclusion is that the stuff really owns us.
With that said, we do still have some stuff we weren't ready to part with. Some of our food storage is stored at my parent's home, and some of our other things are stored on Dan's parent's/grandma's property. A lot of what we own we are now ready to part with and just need to figure out what to do with it. For now it sits and owns us while we discuss whether we should sell it, give it away, throw it away, or just let it sit and collect dust until we become dust and our children inherit the sentence of possession.
How do you get anytime alone as a couple? (wink, wink)
Only one person has been bold enough to actually ask this question, but I know it has been burning in the back of many minds. It will just have to continue burning.
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