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Our Cross Country Move and New Home

This post has been a long time coming but if you’ve ever done a big move you know that it is a busy time and takes a while to get settled. I wanted to share a little with you about what it was like moving during a global pandemic as well as share some photos of our beautiful new home!

So we found out on January 6 that our movers were coming January 28 (the actually ended up showing up unexpectedly the 27th). That was not long to plan a 10 day drive + a 14 day isolation plus say goodbye to the place and people that have been home to me for the last 15 years. It was also a very short amount of time for my oldest girl to process her grief. Both girls would celebrate birthdays as soon as we arrived in our new home and wanted to have a little party before we left as well. I wanted to grant them that special time iwth their friends before we left but it was a pandemic! Thankfully, about 5 days before our movers came, we were allowed to have 10 people gather outside. So the girls invited a combined 8 other girls to the outdoor rink by our house and those little girls toughed it out for 45 min or so to skate, drink hot chocolate, eat cupcakes that froze waiting to be eaten, and make our girls feel so special. We are so thankful forever for our west coast friends.

It was not an easy task figuring out accommodations for the trip considering we have 3 pets! Thankfully once you have 3 people, the RCMP will cover either a suite or adjoining rooms. The problem was that a suite was often not possible as the limit in most places was 2 pets per room. Add to that, many hotels don’t have adjoining rooms anymore! It was a full time job just getting hotels and our isolation location booked! We did get it all booked with a combination of adjoining rooms, suites and in a few places just 2 separate rooms. All but one place really was excellent, and even that one place at least offered us somewhere to lay our heads overnight.

I have said it before and I will say it again, travel with your kids from the beginning. Our daughters were TROOPERS! I cannot sing their praises enough. We stayed in 9 different hotels. Only one night was there a pool that we could use and only one night could we actually eat in a restaurant. There were a few days through Manitoba nad northern Ontario we couldn’t go in gas stations to use washrooms and in some places we couldn’t even find anywhere we were allowed in to get lunch! They were totally agreeable to eat the baby carrots from the cooler with a side of already opened chips! Due to the pandemic, all the fun activites we thought we would do on this drive were out the window. One night we went to Walmart so they could spend their birthday money and other than that, we hung out in the hotel. There were a few times we were on the ground floor with outdoor door so they could play out in the snow. They did their school in the car, read, drew and watched some shows. I read our Narnia book outloud as well as some Canadian History. I don’t think these girls complained once!

We hauled our camper because it was too stressful to figure out how to ship it last minute and also we wanted the extra space. We put our cats in there for driving so we didn’t need to listen to them meow. We also put a giant cooler full of meat we didnt want to throw out as well as all our overnight bags and a giant rubbermaid full of activities for them to do in isolation. We brought their quilt and pillows so they would have that if they needed it. We also brought some dry goods for during our isolation period and a small rubbermaid of snacks for along the way. We brought juice boxes so we didn’t have to buy special drinks at each lunch stop and paper plates for splitting up food in the car. The most annoying part of having the camper was that we didn’t fit through the drive through of fast food places. This never mattered before because we could go in, but not during a pandemic. So we were stuck a few times. Somedays we walked up to the windor or called in but other times we were just out of luck.

The other annoyance was all the stuff we had to carry in each night! We didn’t want our instruments ruined so we kept them in the truck and brought them in each night along with my canning that I didn’t want to throw out! All in all, we made it. We enjoyed our nights in the hotels together and I enjoyed reading in the car!

When we arrived in NB we had to go straight to out isolation house. We had filled up with gas before the border but had to stop and use our jerry can with about 20 km to go. Thankfully Thomas had filled two up and strapped them to the back of our camper last minute. We didn’t need it until the last 20km of the trip but we were glad to have it.

Thankfully we had found a cute Air BNB that was willing to change their pet rules for us and let us stay there for two weeks. I am so thankful for that as it was such a cute little house and such a comfort knowing we had a place to stay for 2 weeks where we had space. There was a little yard for the kids and the dog and lots of room for us to spread out when we needed time. I had stopped at walmart before the border and bought some things like playdough, a new game, new barbies, etc to help pass the time. A local RCMP wife did a Costco run for me and some girls I used to coach brought me groceries plus a bunch of Amazon packages for birthdays I had ordered to her house. Birthday week started 2 days after we got to our new house.

On February 22, we boarded the boat to come to our new home on Grand Manan. The truck with our stuff didn’t arrive until the next day so we went into another Air BNB here on the island. In the end it was 28 days between hotels and the 2 Air BNB’s that we were out of our house. It has been fun exploring this beautiful island and there is so much more for us to explore. I am currently writing an article for The Canadian Schoolhouse about Grand Manan so if you check there in May you can find out more info. I’ll leave you with some photos of our first few weeks here and the beauty that is this island!

Any questions about travelling / moving with kids, message me or leave them in the comments. This is the very short version!

Our first time on the ferry and looking out as our new home approaches. It was a dreary day but still so cool to see.
Our first time out adventuring. The first photo is of the cliffs at Southern Head when we went to see the lighthouse there. This image is of the beach about 1 minute from our house. It was not warm and they ran right into the water. We didn’t get to stay long as S ended up soaked from the waist down and barefoot in the cold sand!
Sea urchin shell. The above 3 photos were taken at the North beach which is phenomenal for sea glass! You can’t walk a few steps without getting some sea glass. We had such fun beach combing there and can’t wait to spend more time there.
Stanley Beach which is the sea glass beach in the north. It is right by where the ferry docks.
Another weekend we did the hike out to this lighthouse. It was STUNNING! I can’t imagine a more beautiful view. We were right out on the furthest cliffs you see there at and past the lighthouse.
We live in this beautiful fishing village. We love it here. We don’t live right here but just up the road from this.
The view from another hiking trail along the cliffsi n the southern part of the island. The hike is called Flock of Sheep.

I hope you all enjoyed a few images of our new home! Feel free to ask any questions about travelling or moving during a pandemic!

God bless you all!

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Featured Articles

Our Cross Country Move and New Home

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CrossTimber Plaque Print review

Drive Thru History Adventures Review

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About Me

Hi I am Kristin Stewart. I consider myself so lucky to be a homeschool mommy! Before I was a mother, I was a teacher in both public and Christian boards and I loved teaching so much. However, once my first daughter was born I knew God was calling me to be at home with her. So when it was time for her to start school, homeschooling was a natural fit for us. Read More…

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from_kristin_homeschool

Kristin Stewart
✨better together✨ Another week of school done ✨better together✨
Another week of school done and enjoying the beach on this beautiful Friday afternoon.
1ish week of school to go.
#raisingreaders #alwaysbringabook #raisingreaders
#alwaysbringabook
Homeschool perk- the freedom to travel. Packed up Homeschool perk- the freedom to travel. Packed up our books and brought them to the land of the red sand. The beach is calling, we must go!
Friends, popsicles, butterflies and tiny pools…. Friends, popsicles, butterflies and tiny pools….we love summer ❤️
Starting our study of Numbers today for Bible time Starting our study of Numbers today for Bible time. It’s important to me that the girls understand the importance of looking at a whole book of the Bible for context and understanding of how each event fits into the bigger picture of Gods salvation. 

The Bible Handbook from @thedailygraceco to overview and introduce the book.

The Story of Numbers by @readkaleidoscope writes it geared toward kids.

And not pictured, our Bibles. We frequently go over checking back to our Bible if we arent sure about something in another book. 

What are you studying?
Cheers to the other mamas just finally getting the Cheers to the other mamas just finally getting their quiet time at 10:15 am because they’ve been in diffuse and correct mode all morning. 

Here’s to the mamas with a child who needs a little “extra” in the regulation department. (If you know what I mean, you know). 

To the ones taking deep breaths and calling on the fruits of the spirit to help her deal with the current “explosion”. 

To the mama who wonders if she’s doing it right but knows it’s worth it. 

God chose me to mother her and He chose you to mother yours. He did that purposefully and He will equip us. If you are a Christian, you have the fruits of the spirit and the help of the Holy Spirit. 

Take a deep breath, a quiet minute and ask God for wisdom and help for this day. It’s an honour and a privilege to have this job of mama.

Hard doesn’t equal bad. 

Here’s to you mama! Keep going. ❤️
All About Reading tip: give them last years reader All About Reading tip: give them last years readers for independent reading.

 She always wants a few minutes to read on her own before bed and she likes to read last years AAR readers because she knows she won’t get a story that’s too hard. 

There’s nothing wrong with letting kids independent reading material be below their instructional level.
It’s a great way to build fluency and confidence and avoid frustration.

Thankful for these readers with interesting stories and colourful pictures @allaboutlearning ❤️
We had a great hike adventure on this beautiful sp We had a great hike adventure on this beautiful spring day!
A look through, and long explanation of, Learning A look through, and long explanation of, Learning Language Arts Through Literature grade 4. 
Let me know if you have any questions!
Sharing the math manipulatives I used today in my Sharing the math manipulatives I used today in my stories. My youngest really thrives when she learns hands on. These are from amazon, except the animals that are from the dollar store.
Read with your kids! 👏🏻Read to them. Let the Read with your kids! 👏🏻Read to them. Let them read to you. Take turns share reading. Read your own books beside each other. READ!

The benefits of reading to your kids are staggering. Not only are there crazy academic benefits, there are also relational benefits. Reading together is such a bonding experience. It helps calm your tiny ones and it brings your older kids to you. 

She’s almost 10 and she’s been reading since she was 4. She’s a voracious reader, reads constantly. I might need a job just to keep her in books. She can read as well as people twice her age. Some might naturally think there’s no point in reading to her anymore. She doesn’t need me to, she’s capable on her own. 

I disagree! We always have a book on the go together. It’s so bonding to be mutually enjoying a book and into it together. It allows her to relax or draw while I read to her. It gives us something to do just the two of us when we have time but I’m tired. Sometimes we just snuggle up like this reading our own books, pausing when she wants to talk about her book. Benefits here are we are physically connected and I get to know what shes reading and be available for discussion. 

All that to say, read with your kids!! Even when they’re older!! 

Together, she and I are loving the Tuesday’s with the Castle series. We’re on our last one!! What are you reading with your big kids?
What a great fsmily hike today to the southern tip What a great fsmily hike today to the southern tip of our island! 75 ish min hike for the whole crew!
Mystery of History Level 1. This is the history p Mystery of History Level 1. 
This is the history program we are using this year and I love it. This is likely what we will use for the next few years. I think this level will last us 2 years since we don’t do History daily.
This is a Bible based curriculum. It begins with creation and goes through history chronologically from there. Each lesson is short with a lesson in the text to be read (I read it out loud) and then a selection of activities. Each lesson has an activity for younger students, middle students and older students. 
There are some written components you can choose, such as matching characters with descriptions or answering comprehension questions. But as the teacher you can pick and choose what you want your kids to do. It can all be oral if you prefer. 
You can order timeline images and work throughout this whole curriculum to make a timeline. This is neat as it allows the kids to see how it all first together.
I love using this resource to learn together as a family!! 

#mysteryofhistory #homeschoolhistory
Merriest Christmas from our house to yours!! Looki Merriest Christmas from our house to yours!! Looking forward to this week off of school and next week we will be back at it!! My plans this week are mostly to read! How are you spending this week?
We are all so excited to see the snow and hope it We are all so excited to see the snow and hope it stays for Christmas
Grumpy mom goes to the beach. If you hear report Grumpy mom goes to the beach. 

If you hear reports of a crazy lady walking Stanley beach in the downpour and singing at the top of her lungs, have no fear, ‘twas just me. 

Do you know the best part of homeschooling? Being with your kids all the time. Getting to make so many memories and develop a strong bond, laugh together, train them, shape their character, disciple them, see them grow up….

Do you know the hardest part of homeschooling? 
Being with your kids all the time. All the mess, all the noise, all the discipline and discipling and correction. Not being able to outsource the tiring and hard parts of parenting. 

Homeschooling isn’t neat and tidy that’s for sure. It’s loud and messy and tiring and hard. And it’s beautiful and rewarding and bonding and the best decision we ever made. 

Doesn’t have to be one or the other. Both can be true. I can love it and think it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done all at the same time. 

So that’s what brings me in my raincoat and boots, worship music blaring out of my pocket and out of my lips, to the beach…getting myself ungrumpy and ready for another week of the hardest and best thing I’ve ever done. I wouldn’t change it for all the money in the world. ❤️

@valmariepaper a nod to your grumpy mom takes a holiday book. ❤️
“I believe in God the Father, I believe in Jesus “I believe in God the Father,
I believe in Jesus Christ,
I believe in the Holy Spirit
And He’s given us new life.
I believe in the crucifixion, 
I believe that He conquered death.
I believe in the resurrection
And He’s coming back again
I believe.”

Last Sunday our oldest daughter publicly declared her saving faith and allegiance to Jesus through the act of obedience through believers baptism. What a glorious day! And for her daddy to do the honours was even more special. 

We will continue to disciple her as she grows in knowledge, understanding and love for God. 

You do not need to share my beliefs to be welcome here. I’ve got a seat for you at my table regardless of your religious views. But may where my belief, love and allegiance lays never be in question. 

We love you Hailey girl ❤️
One row of carrots and a few onions harvested. Abo One row of carrots and a few onions harvested. About 1/3 of what’s there so lots more work to do.
Thank you God for this harvest and it’s provision for our family
I accidentally cut myself off! Here is part 2! I a I accidentally cut myself off! Here is part 2! I also forgot that there are usually individual white boards down below with the binders but they used them this morning and they’re not put back yet!
Showing the rolling cart we use for school this ye Showing the rolling cart we use for school this year
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