Life is meant to be an adventure.....

So, it is easy for us to get stuck in a routine, to set the boundaries of our life neatly inside of a box. To go out of our comfort zone can be very uncomfortable. In fact, some of us never go outside of the box. Others of us, from time to time, set out on an adventure looking for something with the promise of excitement. No matter what you choose, it is your life to live. This life holds an individual journey for each of us. Our paths cross at different points along the way offering lessons through the relationships we forge. On an offshore island, with very real, tangible boundaries, we can easily forget that there is a whole other world out there. This island living can, if you are not mindful, leave us to become too entwined in the lives of the other 54 people we share the island with. This island living is a beautiful, magical privilege. Island living is a culture. I have come to understand that each island has it's own culture.

I am an island girl born and raised. I understand that island living is a way of life that only the saltiest of us can endure and appreciate. When you are so deeply connected to an island, there is no other place that you feel truly at home. My husband and I, and our 5 little kids, committed to trying life on a new island. An island 4 hours away from the one we grew up on. This was a ballsy commitment. In the fishing world you are very aware of "territory" on the water. So for us to move our family from our home port to a new one took a lot of planning and lengthy conversation.

When you are from an island you feel a huge sense of ownership and pride for the beautiful rock you live on. You are connected to those you grow up with like they are all family. You fight like family, you party like family, and you are there for each other when the times get tough. Island people can be set in their ways, stubborn if you will. We are not interested in outsiders coming into our world and making any changes, because the way we do it is, "the way we have always done it."

So with all of this said, let me get to my point. Here is what I know for sure: * Appreciate every lesson as it comes * Life your life the way you need to live it * Let others live life, their way, as long as they are not harming you

There is more to this story, but if I told you the whole thing now, what fun would that be??? To be continued.............

Laundry, Blueberries, and HomeSchool

Another beautiful July day out here in the middle of the ocean. We woke to a dungeon of fog that was burned off by the sun mid-morning. This is a typical occurrence, indicative of tuna season!! From our perch up here on the hill, we do not see the ocean, but we can here boats all day. The perfect background noise for wild-Maine blueberry picking! We are onto our second freezer bag for the season, not including all we have eaten! The third load of laundry is about to go on the line. Nothing beats the smell of sun dried laundry. With the cost of electricity at $.35 per kilowatt hour......Line drying is the way to go for a family of 7, plus 1 with our visiting niece. Hanging laundry is a welcome chore for me. It guarantees me time out on my deck. I can feel the sun, the breeze if there is one. I can smell and hear the sounds of the ocean. I can also have a chat with my chickens.

Between loads I have managed to get some paperwork in order for the upcoming school year. It is time to submit test results, and letters of intent for the new home school year. Are we excited? You bet, we are going Waldorf this year. We are going to have fun. We are going to read, play music, get creative with art and handwork, get closer to nature, bake, and work on our math skills. We are going to do this together, on our time, at our pace.

More to come later, off to get that vitamin D while I get the laundry out..

Blessings to you.

Thanks for reading,

Island Momma

Homeschooling against the grain....

We have been a homeschooling family for four years now. When we made the decision to move to a remote island we opted to give the tiny, one room school house a whirl. Our three school aged children brought the school population up to seven. We thought such a small class size, with two teachers, would be a comfortable fit. Well, as time went on it just became clear that homeschooling just fits better, for us. Life on an island is complicated in many ways. The biggest challenge for us is to keep the food stock plentiful. A shopping day means that we all leave the island together on the Mailboat. In the off season the Mailboat makes only two trips a day. So we leave at 8:15 am and return at 5:00 pm. When the kids were in school here, this meant leaving part of our family behind, on a remote island, a boat ride away, with terrible cell phone reception between us......That leaves an anxious mother feeling very unsettled. Then there was the added obstacle of planning "trips off" (island talk for trips off of the island). Planning trips off revolved around the Mailboat, our fishing schedule, the weather, and the school schedule. So, for us, having one less entity, public school, adding to the feelings of isolation, equals relief.

We have begun to plan our new school year for 2015-2016 and we are so excited to have found the world of Waldorf. It just takes what we have already been doing and seriously fine tuning it. While doing my research I discovered this great support group, and great Waldorf Essentials curriculum. I would highly recommend this to any family interested in approaching homeschool from a Waldorf perspective.

The trouble with homeschooling on a tiny island is this.......The year round population of 55 depends on the public school for a handful of jobs. The seasonal population of around 350, depends on the health of a community to keep the island going. The school is an integral part of a sustainable year round island community. So, for us to take nearly half of the school population out, to homeschool.......left some ruffled feathers. In such a small community you are almost always VERY aware of EVERYONE'S opinions. Turns out, we are homeschooling against the grain. Turns out, these are my children, they do not belong to the island community.

Blessings to you.

Thanks for reading,

Island Momma

Salty Morning

The norm in this house is for the kids to start rising at 6:00am. We have been encouraging them to stay in their rooms until 8:00. This gives Momma (Daddy is gone long before) a chance to get her eyes open, a cup of tea, let the dog out, open the coop for the ladies, nurse the baby, and get our three year old settled in to something interesting. Then we all gather for breakfast and to map out our day. This fine morning, I rolled out of bed, with the baby in tow, looked at the clock........7:50???? What?? I cannot recall the last time that happened. What a gift. Could it be the fantastic essential oils? Well, in any case, I start my routine. I get the baby settled in the pack and play, the three year old settled, the "olders" (an island term for big kids) busy playing, and get my crocks on to head out to the coop.

As I open the door I am greeted with what is, hands down, the most comfortable smell, for me, on this great Earth, the sea. You might think that this is something I smell everyday living on an island. This is a smell that I miss when I travel away from the coast, and it is the first sign I am close to home when I return from away. The ocean is a short walk away on most days. However, there are days that are saltier than others. Today is one of those days. This is a sign of good things.

Blessings to you.

Thanks for reading,

Island Momma

Essential Oils Adventure

As time has gone on, and my parenting has evolved, I have spent many hours reading, researching, questioning EVERYTHING from diapers, to homeschooling curriculum, to alternative healthcare. We eat as clean as we can, most of the time. We are an active family. We emphasize the important balance between exercise and rest. Given that we live on a remote island, with virtually no medical care available, it is more important than ever, for us to have a good understanding of self care. It is important to keep our immune systems strong. We have a good relationship with our Naturopath, but she is a 45 minute boat ride, and then a 1 hour drive away...

I have been using essential oils for several years now. Recently I spent some time educating myself a little further about the difference in quality between cheaper oils and those that are of therapeutic grade. All the reading I have done points to doTerra Essential Oils being of the highest quality. We have joined the doTerra team and have quickly seen results in treating moles, anxiety, skin infections, toothaches, and the list goes on.

I am happy to share what I know and what I am learning. If you are interested in joining me start here:

https://www.mydoterra.com/Application/index.cfm?EnrollerID=2076373&Theme=DefaultTheme&ReturnURL=www.mydoterra.com/kellymerrill&LNG=en_dot&iact=1

Blessings to you.

Thanks for reading.

From six miles out to sea......

From six miles out to sea, this is, officially, my blog. Welcome to it. I will get my feet under me here, and start sharing my adventures with you. This site isn't pretty, but sometimes life is just that way. Raw and unedited. Especially life on an island, with five little kids, a fisherman, a dog, a cat, and three chickens. Somehow in the midst of chaos, I find comfort. Even when we make every effort to make things neat and tidy, we have to come to accept that we just can't control it. Any of it. The number of messy diapers, the number of tantrums, the weather, the lobster catch.......So for now, this is a start. The improvements over time will just be that much more exciting. Blessings to you.

Thanks for reading.