We’re on our way home.
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I’m in a hotel in Niagara Falls. Neither L nor I had ever seen the falls until yesterday. The three of us spent the evening watching them while fireworks lit up the sky.

​Today, we're hanging out in the room for a while to watch the Canada vs. Netherlands women's soccer game. LJ is very excited to see two of her favourite players face off on the field.

This year, amongst all the amazing moments, it's often the simple ones that stay with me. Those moments of connection – to people, cultures, each other.

After Vietnam we took our eight-year-old homeschooler on a “highly educational” trip to…

Vegas baby!?

WTF! Talk about reverse culture shock! What were we thinking?!

After having been away from North America for nine months stepping back onto our own continent via the Vegas Strip was…bizarre!

Jarring! ​Ridiculous! Crazy! 

Before we left, we got asked a lot about how we would "do school." It was hard to answer because we weren’t quite sure what third grade would look like for LJ.

We started homeschooling her last year and looking back we’re glad we did. It allowed us to get a better sense of what works for her (and what definitely doesn't) before leaving home.

It also got our family into a rhythm of learning without school.

But homeschooling at home -- in a house with lots of space, in a city with lots of activities for homeschoolers, and in a neighbourhood filled with kids -- is different than homeschooling while travelling.

But what about school?

It’s what many people ask when they find out we’re travelling with our kid for a year.

Our daughter started school when she was two and a half. It was an all day, every day preschool complete with a red and navy polo-shirt uniform – adorable but a little weird.

Five years later, she dropped out of school and now I’m lucky if she’s wearing a shirt, let alone one with a collar.

​I didn't really plan to be a homeschooling mom.