Winding down the homeschool...

Those of you who have made the mistake of bringing up homeschooling in my presence have probably heard this already (I do tend to go on when given the opportunity, don't I?), but we homeschool year round.

It has it's benefits. First of all, it keeps the kids occupied. It only takes us 2-3 hours a day, so it's not like they ever really NEED a break like public school kids do, so it's not like we take uberlong vacations ever. But, going year-round also means that when we do want to take a vacation, we can do it when everyone else is in school. This translates to 5 minute or less wait-times on rides at Disneyland and no problem finding a camp site. (Though it has been a long time since we've been camping, come to think of it.) It also means that when we get to the end of a text and go to start the next, we can skip the first 1/3rd of the lessons, because they are generally all review designed to get the class back up to speed on all that they've forgotten over the long summer break. This means that instead of taking us 9 months to do a grade level, it takes us roughly 6. This is why my 6 year old is doing 2nd grade math and reading. It's not that I'm a super-fab teacher, it just doesn't take us as long to cover the material.

Anyway, we've been cruising right along in this way for the last 2 years. But as we get closer to the move, we also just so happen to be coming to the end of some of our texts. And if I move into the next text, well, then that means that we'll skip all that review and then have a big interuption when we do the actual move, and then when we get back into things, we'll be trying to start it up again without any review built in to the program to get us back on track.

So, the kids are on the cusp of their first real, long vacation. We're starting to taper off our subjects as we get to a good stopping point. Today, for instance, we reached the end of our social studies book, so we're going to stop studying that formally until we start up again in May or so. With the other subjects we've stopped in the last few weeks, it means we're down to Math, Phonics, Religion, and Reading. We'll finish our Phonics book by the end of February, but everything else will carry through until the move. Of course, the good thing about homeschooling is that we're more aware of lesson opportunities as they arise, so I'm sure we'll get plenty of science, social studies, music, etc in while we're in school limbo.

The one thing I'm most concerned about is our math. There simply isn't a good stopping point for either of the girls before the move. We will have at least a 6-week break while we go through the last push of packing, a month of visits and transition, and a week of unpacking on the other end, and I'm worried about how well the kids will remember their math during that time. The youngest is only going to be about 40 lessons in on her Kindergarten math, but K will be closer to 100 lessons in by the time we move, which is a harder time to break, I think. I'm toying with the idea of just taking their math books with us back to MA for our 3-week visit, but I don't know how that would go. Of course, April weather can do either way. We may be trapped inside with nothing to do while everyone is at work, so it might be a good idea.

In the meantime, less time doing school translates into more time to pack, so that is not a bad thing at all.

Approaching High Gear...

Last night, my husband and I sat down with a calendar. We have a handful of Must Dos before we leave and wanted to be sure that we had them all plotted out before things got too crazy.

It's a good thing we did. EVERY weekend is planned between now and the end of March. Every. Weekend. Not all of the weekends involve a long car trip, though three of them do. And some of the weekends aren't planned, per se, so much as they will be absent A, who will be several thousand miles away getting things established in the Philippines. We have four trips to make (three goodbyes and Disneyland), two tag sales to hold, and Valentine's Day. Those, plus two weekends A will be gone puts us at the end of March.

Currently, I am functioning under the impression that I can get the house in order and everything packed up by just devoting the next 8 Tuesdays to the task. After seeing everything mapped out last night, I'm thinking that this is a delusion.

I am learning that packing takes about twice as long when you move overseas. Especially when you aren't taking everything with you. The extra time is mainly taken up with the sorting process. "Is this necessary for the Philippines? If so, would it be cheaper to just buy a new one over there? If not, is it something of enough monetary or nostalgic value that I am willing to inconvenience my in-laws by having them store it for me? If not, is it in good enough shape to attempt selling at the next tag sale? If not, will it fit in the wheelie bin?"

Then, since we are shipping everything we do take by boat, the issue is not the weight of the things we are taking so much as the volume. So, every box is packed to fill every available nook and cranny. Soft items, like cloth napkins, yarn, and washcloths, are used as packing supplies to save money and space. Anything hollow is filled with smaller items before being packed itself. Spiral-bound books have the spirals filled before going into the boxes.

The goal is 150 cubic feet. Imagine a typical American bedroom, aproximately 10' x 10' with it's floor covered with 18" of stuff. That is how much I'm hoping to get us down to. For four people, two of who are homeschooled and need all their supplies shipped over for the next 3 years. Luckily, none of us are clothes hogs, and we should be able to fit all of our clothing in our allotted suitcases, so little to none of that 150 cu ft need be taken up with clothing. But still. Most of it will be the homeschool supplies, the kids toys, some electronics it will be too costly to rebuy over there, and a few household things to make our home there seem a little like our home here.

I honestly do not know how the pioneers did it. Or the people coming to America with one suitcase to their name. Blearg.

So, now you know...

I have made the executive decision today that it is time to just let people know about the move. I updated my status on Facebook and will begin telling non-Facebook people as I see them throughout the week. I have had 3 people ask me in the last few days about the move, so I know that word has been getting around. That is ok. I'm not upset about that. I just want to be the one to break the news to the people who haven't heard yet. So, there. If you've found this, you know. Feel free to talk amungst yourselves.

If you are just finding out about our move now, please do not be offended. We kept things quiet initially, because we weren't sure that it would actually happen. Obstacles have been overcome now, so we began to tell an handful of people. But then we (or, I anyway) worried about The Long Goodbye that can become an issue in things like this. You know, every discussion becomes about the move, or people start to withdraw a little, because they want to make that ultimate goodbye easier to deal with. So far, though, there has been very little of either, and I'm feeling ok about letting everyone know now.

Things are progressing on the home front. The most important thing, I suppose, is that the kids have been informed and are on board. K was easy to win over--A just had to log on and show her pictures of the animals indigenous to the Philippines. I'm still not sure how the youngest came around. I think we just wore her down by constantly talking about it, and it's just become a given that we're going. It's not like she's got many options at age 4. She either comes with us or she comes with us.

This last Saturday I had the first of what I think will eventually be 3 tag sales to start off-loading our non-essential items. It's amazing how much stuff in your home becomes non-essential when you really take the time to look at it. It is also amazing just how much stuff can hide in a house that is less than 2000 sq ft.

We are starting to enter the realm of the "lasts," and it's a bittersweet position to be in. Every last means we're one step closer to embarking on this adventure, but it also means we're one step closer to embarking on this adventure! Today, I taught my last Relief Society lesson in the ward. The way our Stake Conference hits, I won't be teaching in February, and then March we'll either be gone or so close to going that I will be insane. I honestly love this calling, and I doubt I will have the opportunity to teach very often, if ever, in the Philippines, as it seems that church is conducted in Tagalog. Soon, we'll be having the last trips to visit grandparents before we leave, last trips to the zoo, last playdates with friends. One "last" I'll be completely ok with when it comes: cleaning the bathroom!

First Steps...

Last night, I began emptying out the house. I figured the one area that would have the least impact on the kids, and would be easy to replace if things fell through would be my crafting supplies. So, I took a deep breath and dove in.

So far, about half of my books and magazines have sold, and there is a lot of interest in the yarn. I even have a buyer for my fabric, though I didn't even get a chance to list it yet! I guess people can smell desperation!

My spinning wheel is going to a new home, too. A woman in the Mesa knit club has claimed it. I just finished giving it a good waxing for her.

I'm also going to start boxing up our school books. Libraries are small and rare in the Philippines, so we're bringing as much as we have and then will rely on the internet for the rest. There are a few more books I'd like to get before we leave, but other than that, I think we have most of what we'll need for the next 3 years that can't be found online.

We have begun to tell our local friends about the move. It seems more real now, and I'm starting to see the downsides. Or downside, really. I don't think I'll miss anything too much, except for friends and family. Once things are definite, I'll tell people about this blog. Hopefully, it will be a good tool for keeping in touch.

A's friends in the Philippines have already been more than helpful. I think the transition will fall into place and we'll all be fine. It's good to know that there is already a good group of friends over there waiting to take us under their wing.

A went to renew his passport today. Because he was born before 1990, he was going to have to wait two weeks to an original birth certificate. There was no way he'd be able to get it before then. And then he found the right lady to flirt with a bit, and she printed one right out for him. Amazing how technology works, isn't it? LOL!

The girls and I will be sending in our applications soon, then there will be visas to get, too. I'll stop there or I'll get caught up in listing everything that needs to be done, and I don't want to go there!

Back to work I go.

Day two...

I have started talking to the girls a bit about how neat it would be to be able to live in the Philippines should the occasion present itself. K is open to going for ONE DAY and being back home by lunch. The youngest, on the other hand, is open to anything.

Last night, I began investigating some software to learn Tagalog. I think it may end up being a little easier than my experience with French in high school, given that all the sounds in Tagalog are found in English already. It will be a test of my memory skills, of course, and getting the cadence right. My husband observed that even though many people speak English over there, it's heavily accented, so I will need to retune my ears and be ready to attempt "Taglish" pronunciations if people look confused when I speak.

I have begun to look around the house for items I can get rid of right away. There is quite a lot, really. As a Good Mormon Family we have quite a bit of food storage, for one. We will be attempting to eat through it in the coming months. It will not only use it up, but save us a lot on grocery bills as we sock money away for the move. I've listed some books on Amazon, and I think I'm going to start listing my craft books on Ravelry, too. I think I will start listing things on Craigslist, too, like bookshelves and whatnot.

I really wish that we could tell people. I would like to start rolling on the purge of the house, but I don't want people asking if I'm renouncing all my worldy possessions to support a drug habit or something.

We have a Christmas tradition where every year, I get the girls a pewter ornament engraved with their name and the year. I ordered their ornaments for 2009 today. They are on sale from 2008. I guess Christmas trees aren't a tradition in the Philippines. Not a huge supply of pine trees, dontcha know. I figured I'd go ahead and get their ornaments for next Christmas and they can go into storage with everything else or we'll take a little fake tree with us.

Good thing Santa always knows where to find us!

And thus it begins...

I'm not going public with this blog to friends and family until things are more settled, but for my own edification, I'm starting this now. It's big news and I want it all in one spot.

My husband and I both spent some time overseas before we ever met, and we both loved it. After we married 7 and a half years ago, we began talking about how we wanted to live overseas with our family for at least a few years. Today, we were presented with that opportunity.

The company that he works for needs to open an overseas office to be more competitive in their market. My husband has the experience and language skills necessary for the endevour, so he has been assigned the task. The goal is to have an office up and running in the Philippines in about 6 months.

There is so much to be done, I can't even keep my head on straight at the moment. This is a potentially long-term move! Just the household logistics are insane, let alone all the planning my husband will be involved in as he gets the office together.

My main concern at the moment, though, is finding out the regulations for homeschooling in the Philippines. We are 3 years in and have found our groove. I don't want to have to subject our homeschool to any more monitoring than is required by law. It seems like homeschoolers there have to work through an accredited homeschooling group, but I'm not sure if that applies to foreign homeschoolers who don't intend to ever use the schools there. However, from what I understand, the libraries there aren't that extensive and the homeschooling groups provide the curriculum for a fee, so it might be worth it to just pay the fee and not have to ship 3 years worth of materials for 2 kids.

Not surprisingly, it's hard to find the answer to any of these questions instantly online. I fear I just don't know the right places to look. I can't even find an official site for the Department of Education. I have joined few yahoo groups in the hopes that someone can point me to the right place.

I'm going to turn in for the night. Hopefully, I will be able to sleep!