Quitting Work

I had an interesting week at work. I talked to Billie (my supervisor) about my plans to stay home with the girls and discussed options for freelance and part-time work with both Billie and Human Resources. I haven't given notice or shared an exact time-line. Billie is very supportive. She has a kid and is also having a challenging time balancing work and home life. From HR I learned that the best option may be to start a small freelancing business. Hiring freelancers is more cost effective for the Society than hiring through a third party contracting firm, and the tax advantages of having a small business would be beneficial to us.

I like the idea of continuing to work on my terms--and the "extra" money wouldn't hurt. It's not that I don't enjoy working, it's just WAY too much of a good thing. Squeezing 8 to 12 hours into the cracks of our week would be doable. Any more than that and I'd need help. What would be preferable, and a more likely scenario, is to work in short, sporadic, blocks of days or weeks. I'd need to hire a sitter and/or trade with other homeschooling parents. Who knows, maybe a few years from now we'll be swinging at anchor in Vanuatu and I'll be thinking, "Snorkeling? Another mango? Make a map? Snorkeling?" How much work will I be getting done then? Hopefully not much! -WR

About This Blog

Update 07.23.10 -- As of today, we'll have two blogs: A family blog for posts unrelated to cruising, and "Log of s/v Del Viento" for anything cruising-related. This post rightly belongs in our other blog, I've left it here simply as a record of the split. --WR

Two court cases against homeschooling parents have put homeschooling in both CA and DC under increased scrutiny . The CA case was recently thrown out. In DC, a horrific crime by a deranged mother (who, incidentally, wasn't even a homeschooler) became a tragic embarrassment for DC child protective agencies. They needed to find a scapegoat, and they found one in homeschools. The result was that DC, once a homeschooling paradise, nearly became the most highly regulated administrative unit in the US. Fortunately, DC homeschoolers, assisted by HSLDA, resisted valiantly and the regulations were pared down to what hopefully will be no more than an annoyance. The only regulation that really affects us is the requirement to keep a portfolio "representing the work of the student." Toward that end, aside from archiving samples of Eleanor's work, I will document some of what she does here.

The primary purpose of this blog, however, is to document what's going on with our family, preserve memories, share with our friends and family that we don't get to see often enough, and establish a channel of communication that will persevere as our lifestyle evolves.

 --WR

The Boat?

While Grandma Linda was here we all drove to Annapolis to see a Mason 43 that was for sale. It was beautiful. We may end up with a Mason 43 but it's not likely to be as pretty as this one. The Mason 43 is one of the only (the only?) production boats that satisfies our criteria: two staterooms, a shower, heavy construction, and affordability. We may not end up with a Mason 43, but rather with an off-brand boat of less distinguished heritage. It will depend on what's on the market at the time. So for now, here she is. -WR

Future home sweet home


Mike does fit through that door


Cozy galley --that's a good thing, you don't want to get
tossed around while cooking


A stateroom for E and F


They'll be a bit bigger...

The Plan Has Changed

You all know about The Plan. In 2011 we will sell everything, quit our jobs and buy the boat on which we will live and travel indefinitely. Money will be tight, but as Mark Twain said, we'll be 'Rising from affluence to poverty.' We won't have many things, but we will have two things we are in short supply of now: freedom and time together. How long is indefinitely? I'd say more than two years, less than twenty years. We're committed to giving it a good go, so we'll need at least two years for that. And because I can't imagine living the remainder of my life without dirt to dig in, I'm arbitrarily capping it at twenty years (these views are not necessarily those of the household).

So...our most recent version of The Plan called for me to quit my job one year prior to departure. I'm eager to start homeschooling and being home that last year would free me up to start liquidating our stuff and searching for The Boat. But I can't wait. I want to start homeschooling yesterday. I'm tired of free time with the girls being limited to weekends. My job? It's a great job. I've been there nine years. I'm not easily bored, but we're talking nine years. And then there's one other little thing: I believe our education system is fundamentally flawed (more on that later). So, in less than six months we're going to start homeschooling. It's our first big step toward a new lifestyle. -WR