Do you homeschool?  

Even though we lived at a dock for over two years, the first question everyone always asked us when we said we lived on a boat was:  “do you homeschool?”  Ha, ha, now we can finally say YES!  Until this fall, our kids attended a brick and mortar school–private for the last two years and public school prior to that.  Because we are new to homeschool, we have chosen tried and true Calvert for much of the kids’ schooling, with the exception of spelling/vocabulary (we use Wordly Wise) and math (we use Teaching Textbooks).  We added Ouino for French.  We purchased the Calvert 5th grade curriculum for Ryan and 7th grade math in Teaching Textbooks (after reviewing Ryan’s placement tests).  For Ariana, we purchased 8th grade Calvert, and Geometry for Teaching Textbooks (because she finished Algebra 1 with A’s last year).  Only two months in, I realize I should have bought a grade higher in Calvert for Ariana (kudos to their school, Parrott Academy).  Two and a half months in, she has been doing nothing but review for three of her Calvert subjects.  Ryan, on the other hand, seems to be fairly well-placed, although he breezes through most of it very quickly.  This will equal more time to explore and learn about all of the interesting places we plan to visit!

ARIANA’S AND RYAN’S BINS OF BOOKS FOR SCHOOL:

Aren’t you worried about pirates?

This is the second question we are usually asked.  The answer is, actually, not really.  We will not be anywhere near Somalia, and although pirating exists everywhere, I am much more worried about pervasive seasickness or an accidental man overboard…

How will you have enough food on the boat?

Luckily, my kids eat fairly well, although they don’t eat fish!   I love to cook, but when I feel seasick, all I want is peanut butter sandwiches (for breakfast) and pasta, butter, cheese and salt for lunch, and an entire sleeve of Ritz crackers on night watch.  I don’t want sweets, wine, soda, or spicy foods.  Boring, right?  Yes, definitely, but it makes for a nice weight loss program!  😉  In all seriousness, we will have plenty of food onboard and can provision in ports.  I will keep you posted about the foods we stock in posts!