I'm gonna admit...moving across the world has had its ups and downs.
The first 2 weeks were FULL of honeymoon moments.
Like learning to drive successfully to the grocery store.
*Kiwis drive on the opposite side of the road than Americans!*
Cooking and eating dinner in our private courtyard of our hotel room.
*We lived here for 1 month and I wasn't about to complain about daily housekeeping and FREE laundry services.*
Exploring and finding some of the BEST parks we've ever played at.
But after about 2 weeks, the homesick blues sat it!
We were having ZERO luck finding a rental home. Our shipping container was SLOWLY making its way over to New Zealand. So we were still living with what we had brought over on the plane. And I was digging deep to find joy in our every day lives.
But I eventually caved in...It had rained for 3 solid days. The boys were antsy and I had my first case of the homesick blues. The kind that makes your heart hurt. The kind that makes you just wanna...curl up and cry!
So how did I get over it?
There seemed to be 3 things that helped.
Side note: I didn't add, to this list, that spending time curled up in bed watching endless episodes of House Hunters and Fixer Upper (oh, Waco, Texas!) probably wasn't that helpful. Or maybe it was... it rested my body and mind. But most importantly, it made me come to realize that I truly was a little down and depressed. I needed to get over it for the sack of myself and my family.
Nature
Yep! Simple and sweet. Good ole NATURE! It's good for the body, soul, and mind. Even if I needed to go for a walk, in the rain, I went.
Our hotel, for the month, was 3 blocks from the majestic views of Lake Taupo, Mt. Ruapehu and Mt. Ngauruhoe (aka Mt. Doom). So, it was a quick walk that helped clear my mind. And allowed me to pray and meditate...without those sweet, little interruptions.
Exercise
Yep! I said it. I used to HATE running until I had my 2nd born. And then I entered my first 5K and discovered that I was pretty good. And even better, it makes me feel REALLY good.
I learned too that posting your work-out successes on social media pushes you. You end up with virtual coaches and cheerleaders. So I have no shame in the "look what I did" posting game.
Journaling
After hosting the
Brave Writer Conference back in May, I made a commitment to journal as often as a homeschooling mom could.
Julie Bogart made sure that we had plenty of time to practice writing during this 2-day event. And something that I took away was... if I wanted THEM to write, they needed to SEE me actively, enjoying writing too. I used to journal a lot at night when I could gather my thoughts. But with this new goal, I had to write while my boys were awake! So you can usually find me writing during or after my morning coffee. Just something quick... a thought, maybe a scripture or sweet memory of yesterday.
And what better time to journal than when you are on the adventure of a lifetime! My hope is that this journal is something that my boys (and their wifes) will treasure some day.
*BONUS*
After writing and reflecting during the post, another point evolved to help me get over this "homesick hump".
A big piece of my heart belongs to homeschooling! You all know that. So now that the "vacation" was over, after our big move, we needed some structure. We all needed some small doses of homeschooling.
So we gathered up a few supplies and started these few bits:
*Khan Academy (15 minutes a day)
*weekly library visits
*Read-a-louds at our favorite parks
Everything seems to be falling into place!
Because...
And that's just how it is.
Happy Learning with your loved ones!
Cheers from over here
