First day of (UN)school...

Tomorrow would be Max's first day of Kindergarten, if he were going to be attending our local public schools. At certain points in my life I have moments where I become acutely aware of different paths my life could be on, as a result of different choices I might have made (good or bad) in sort of a quantum mechanics/multiple universes type of way. So I was imagining the other me, on another path, getting ready for that big milestone with Max. Buying new clothes, a backpack, a lunchbox, school supplies from an official list... preparing for that big day where I would hand him off to the world and let go and hope for the best. I'm also trying to imagine the different potential paths of his life, depending on my choices for him now as a child, and also his own choices when he is old enough to make them for himself. I sort of feel like tomorrow is a kind of major fork in the road of possibilities... and I feel positively giddy about the path we are taking. And a bit rebellious. And sure, a little nervous. But I'm confident that this path is the best one, with the best possible unknown forks and branches coming off of it. I am so excited for all that lies ahead of us, and I feel like the world is ours.

I don't feel the need to follow the public school system's calendar and make tomorrow our First Day of Homeschool. It seems crazy to me to lock all the kids away when the best weather of the year - fall - is about to begin. I plan to do a more relaxed, year round, 24/7 schedule - basically just keep doing what we're doing, living and exploring, at least in these early years. We'll try to do more academic stuff in the cold winter months and the hot summer months when we're shut inside, and spend as much time doing outdoor activities in the fall and spring months.

Today Max helped me disassemble Emmett's crib, removing all of the bolts with a wrench. Then he helped me make breakfast, cracking the eggs into the bowl. It's a beautiful, sunny yet cool day, so we went for a walk at a local park. We discussed the cumulus clouds in the sky and the weather, the different birds and creatures we saw in and around the lake (a Swan, geese, ducks, seagulls, pigeons, chickadees, squirrels, fish, algae), and the different cars, trucks, and people we passed as we walked. Next we stopped for lunch and then came home for some quiet, independent afternoon playtime. It was a lovely, relaxed-yet-educational day. Well, until Emmett decided to have arts-and-crafts time with the contents of his diaper. Oy. But I'll save that for another post...