My good friend Jen's parents are moving to Maryland from Iowa. Jen was going to aid the move by flying to Iowa, then driving one of their cars back home. Her parents did not want her driving the 900 or so miles by herself, so I was invited to come along. After a bit of deliberation, and figuring out who would watch the kids the two weekdays I would be gone, I decided to accept her invitation.
I was excited by the invitation until a day or two before I was to leave. I think that because I am an at-home mom who homeschools, I have a bit of an attachment issue with the boys. My sons and I are usually together. They LOVE their dad and crazy things he does, but I feel guilty when I leave for more than the evening. To make me feel better, my husband pointed out that the trip was an adventure, and that I needed to remember to look at it as such. I realized that this was an oportunity to go somewhere new and experience new people and places by doing.
Hey, this was like I was unschooling ME!
So I headed out and flew from Baltimore to Atlanta, then onto Moline, Illinois. We went to her parents house, then Jen gave me a tour of Davenport. We then went to her brother's farm and enjoyed a lovely evening with her family. The next day we traveled through Illinois, Indiana, and part of Ohio. We stayed the night there and traveled the rest of the way through Ohio and into West Virgina, Pennsylvania, and then back into West Virgina before we returned to Maryland.
And I learned some interesting things this trip.
*I still set off metal detectors in airports.
*The Atlanta airport is huge, but the people who work there are quite friendly.
*Davenport, Iowa is part of The Quad City Area that spans both sides of the Mississippi River.
*Iowa (Illinois, Indiana, and much of Ohio) is very flat, as least compared to my home in Western Maryland.
*The first chiropractic adjustment took place in Davenport. Daniel Palmer was the person who performed the first adjustment, and he started the Palmer College of Chiropractic, which is also in Davenport.
*There are hundreds of miles of corn and soy bean fields across the Midwest. For miles and miles, corn is all that can be seen.
*I have mixed feelings about Cabelas stores. There are too many dead things, but goodness, it is interesting.
I met some great people, visited a family owned farm, chased barn cats, and pet a wonderful horse. With my trusty iPhone, I was able to research anything that caught my eye during the trip. I could take things in and process them for myself instead of always looking at them from a child's perspective. I had a great time, and was full of stories to tell my family when I got home.
I highly recommend that all homeschool "teachers" take the time for a family free adventure if they can. It was great fun, and really helped me put the unschooling idea into perspective. Thanks to Jen and her family for inviting me. And thanks to Leo for making it possible for me to go.
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