It takes a village...

The more we stay home, the harder it is to leave. Every traveler knows that. We wanted to offer our girls the experience to take the classes they wanted to take, but it was clear to me that while doing this, we were growing roots a little more... running the risk of making it just a bit harder to leave...

The more we stay, the more I realize how much a community is important with older children (when they were younger, the community was still important, but more for the parents I feel). Having our family nearby gives a lot to our girls. Their new little cousin, my dad explaining the girls how blood circulates in our body, my mom spending special dates with each of them, my grandma showing them how to crochet... Our friends, their friends. Taking more space in their lives. In their hearts. An almost full moon walk with a dear friend, a surprise birthday party, a beautiful celebration for our godson, a last minute trip to the orchard. A great homeschooling group with inspiring families.  

When you homeschool surrounded by meaningful people, you make sure the children have lots of beautiful models in their lives. On a regular basis. And that is very different than when you travel long-term, where you are pretty much the only reference they have 24/7. Are we ready to be that only reference again? I am not sure. I might have found the limit of my comfort level. I feel less and less ready to completely let go of my community. But I still want to travel with my girls. We will find that balance I am pretty sure. Or it's more like it will find us.