My Twice Baked Potato

Sometimes, it’s hard to make sensible and responsible decisions, especially when you have a credit card staring at you, taunting you.

Typically, we plan three or four small trips during the summer. We seem partial to fancy hotels with scenic views, beautiful pools and luxurious sheets.

Unfortunately for us, those things come at a price that is unreasonable right now; we had to adjust previous plans and summer traditions since I reduced my work hours by eighty percent.

First off, I know that I’m lucky that homeschooling my son is even an option. I know that this is the right decision and I’m not complaining…not really.

Without the pricey lodging costs, we can still ride the ferry, walk the beach, catch the sunsets, and play in the sand.

I would be lying if I said it was identical to previous summer days, but it isn’t bad.

When you spend your summer at home, it is hard to escape the have tos. Those errands and messes that you can ignore, at least for a few days, while you deny their existence and lay your head somewhere else.

For me, you can’t have summer without s’mores. Instead of having the fire and s’mores outside our Cannon Beach hotel, we now have them in our backyard fire pit.

These actually do taste the same.

We have more squirt gun fights than those lounging by the pool and we have more reading and neighborhood walks than previous summers.

Next week, my son will spend time in a pool during his swimming lessons; however, he isn’t always thrilled when the focus is on instruction instead of splashing and playing Marco Polo.

There have been benefits to our “Summer at Home.” I can honestly say that we have done an excellent job at schooling throughout this summer. We are almost ready to begin next year’s math curriculum and we have already began our study of Washington State.

We were able to witness the transformation of five caterpillars to five painted lady butterflies without leaving our kitchen. Later this week, we will let them go.

As with these butterflies, change is all around us. I doubt that I’m alone in saying that change is hard for me; however, I’m trying to show my inflexible boy…while something is different, it doesn’t mean it is less.

What are some changes or sacrifices that you have made for your children?