Mr. Andi and I have been talking about taking the kids on a trip once Sarah Kate makes substantial progress in rehab as a sorta-reward. The problem? We won’t have a lot of moola to spend this year because of all the medical expenses. Enter Haley, who recently posted a great piece on visiting New Orleans with your kids.
New Orleans may just be the perfect choice. The kids have never been there, it’s only a couple of hours away, and summer is the cheapest time to go – because of the sweltering heat and humidity, no one wants to travel there. We’re “lucky” in that we live in the exact same climate so we can either be hot at home or hot in NOLA – might as well be NOLA!
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I’m trying not to think about the beaches. We live so close to them, but right now they feel so far out of our grasp. It’s always been a challenge to take both kids to the beach – Sarah Kate can’t be loaded down like a pack mule like most older kids because of her poor balance, and Nathan loves to run (not always when it’s convenient for us to chase him). In the past, at least, Sarah Kate’s been able to walk by herself down to the sand and waves, but I don’t see that happening this year.
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Sarah Kate got another award this week at school – the Superintendent’s Award for having not just an A average, but straight As in every subject for the year. We took her up to the school for the awards ceremony, and her principal gave some opening remarks recognizing three students who exemplified compassion, teamwork, and courage. Guess who was “courage”? 🙂
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Not only was Sarah Kate the example of “courage,” but her buddy Connor was “teamwork”. I’m so proud of them both!
Mr. Andi is on his own with the kiddos this weekend while I’m off with a friend on a scrapbooking retreat. He shall soon learn the joy of having Nathan dump out all the dog food and water while he is in the other room with Sarah Kate helping with her exercises. He will soon know what it feels like to hear an unidentified noise that requires immediate investigation while he is unable to move because he is spotting Sarah Kate as she holds a standing position.
I anticipate a warm welcome upon my return.
As predicted, Mr. Andi was floored by yesterday’s post. My friend Dawn texted me as soon as she read it to tell me she fears I may have PTSD from the past six weeks of being at home with Sarah Kate. If I decide to do it (and I shouldn’t really say “I” because it would be a family decision), it won’t be until kindergarten so I have a year to research, plan, and decide if I have what it takes. I’m doubtful but we’ll see. If you have any thoughts, send them my way!
Have a great weekend!
This post was inspired by and is linked to Conversion Diary‘s 7 Quick Takes.
Thanks for the link love! You have such a gorgeous family. I hope NOLA works out!
New Orleans: favorite city in the U.S. besides Chicago. Sounds like a fun time to me!!!
I love it, too! We really don’t go over there enough, and Scott and I have never been together (weird, huh?) He’s been and I’ve been, but not at the same time!
No real words of advice. I’ve been thinking and reading about homeschooling since my oldest entered preschool. She’s now finishing 2rd grade and I’ve finally decided to pull her and her 1st grade sister and homeschool them. The older one is average in academics and the younger is gifted. I made the decision in a week that I spoke to both of their teachers. My 2nd grader’s teacher, whom I like very much, thanked me for working with her at home and said that in a class of 23 students, my child is too “average” to get much attention. I called the 1st grader’s teacher, whom I’m more luke warm about, to ask about a pattern of weakness I noticed on her reading assessment. She told me that since she was already well above grade level, I shouldn’t worry about her. Once again, I was told that they don’t have time for my children. I do. I’m terrified at the responsibility, but in reality, its always been mine anyway. Good luck making your decision. Remember no decision is permanent.
Re: homeschooling, perhaps try to find some social groups for homeschooling parents and get to know some families, maybe even shadow a parent for a day so you can get an inside view of what life is like for them… Good luck!