When we moved into this house, I was overwhelmed with the add’l time that is needed to keep it clean. (found another thing that I was thankful for…the many different housing situations we have been over the past 3 ½ yrs…smaller means less area to clean! :-)
The nice thing about this schedule is that I have given myself a small task each day that shouldn't take more than 30-45 minutes. And if for some reason something comes up and I can't complete the task that day, I know I'll get to it the next week.
On the days that I have stuck to it, it has been revolutionary! I actually have an allotted time to empty the dishwasher each day. Hooray! I'm sure it will need to be tweaked as we go along, but for now this new routine has been very helpful.
I'm sharing this with you not so much for your benefit as to keep me accountable! If I tell you I'm doing this, well by all means, I better keep it up!
Daily Routine
Before Breakfast:
-Check e-mail—which includes the daily Back to the Bible emails that I subscribe to
-Read the Scripture Passages from Back to the Bible emails
-Drink coffee and watch a few min. of news
(the boys are watching a 30 min show in our bed while I go downstairs to do the things listed above)
While Boys Eat Breakfast:
-Empty the dishwasher/Do any dishes left in the sink from the night before (yes, it’s not beyond me to go to bed w/ dirty dishes in the sink :-)
-Start prep work for dinner (thawing meat or starting crock pot)
After Breakfast:
-Get Dressed
-Make beds
-Daily Cleaning
-“School” (I aim for M, W, F for this )
-Outing/Errands (some days)
Before Lunch:
-Pick up toys
After Lunch:
-Put boys down for naps
-Work for PT job
-Finish Bible Study
Before Dinner:
-Finish dinner prep
After Dinner:
-Run dishwasher (whether it is full or not)*
-Wipe down countertops
-Pick up toys
-Put boys down for bed
-Work for PT job
-Shower
*You might think it is wasteful to run the dishwasher even when it's not empty. It is. However, unloading the dishwasher used to be one of my most loathed tasks. If I have an allotted time to empty it (during the boys' breakfast), this makes it much less of hassle than trying to unload it in the middle of something else.
And if I start the day w/ an empty dishwasher, I don’t end up w/ a “backup”…
I used to always have a sink full of dirty dishes that needed to be loaded into the dishwasher, but the dishwasher had clean dishes in it that needed to be unloaded…an bad habit/cycle to get into.
This has been the single greatest implementation so far! And it is almost ALWAYS full by the end of the evening.
Daily Cleaning
Monday:
Vacuum downstairs
Clean downstairs bathroom
Wash all laundry
Tuesday:
Fold all laundry
Sweep Kitchen
Wednesday:
Vacuum upstairs
Clean the 2 upstairs bathrooms
Thursday:
Dust
Sweep Kitchen
Friday:
Vacuum downstairs
Catch up from any daily cleaning that was skipped
Or Monthly/Semi-annual Cleaning Task (see link below)
Saturday:
Catch up from any daily cleaning that was skipped
Or Monthly/Semi-annual Cleaning Task (see link below
Menu plan and grocery shop
Sunday:
Clip coupons
I then use the cleaning list here (see page 2) for the cleaning items that should be done once a month or a few times a year (washing windows, vacuuming under beds, etc).
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Birthdays and Pets
Wyatt turned 4 just 2 days after we moved into our new house last month, so we held off his bday party for a few weeks until we were more settled in and ready to entertain guests for his party. I told him he was able to invite 4 friends, but one of those friends had to be his brother :-) My mom was also able to come since she was in SC helping my sister w/ her newborn baby. This was the first birthday party for Wyatt that she has been able to come too, so it was really special! She has taught 4 yr old Sunday School for years and was a great help w/ the party games that we were trying to get 4 yr olds to play :-) My cousin Andrew was also able to come and spend the weekend away from Bob Jones University.
This year was the first year that Wyatt was really excited and "all about" his birthday party. He has since asked me if he can start inviting people to his 5th Birthday Party, and tells me that he is going to be 5 soon! ha!
Lightening McQueen from Disney's movie, "Cars" was the theme, and we had tons of fun w/ different racing-type games! One very creative guest even gave him a Lightening McQueen slip and slide (which I get asked every day now if it's hot enough outside to use his new present!)
My sister wasn't able to come w/ her 2 little boys b/c we had just gotten over the flu a few days earlier and she did not want to risk her newborn catching anything right before they went on the road with their Sports Evangelism ministry (National Goals) We missed them, but I was able to go stay w/ her a few weekends later.
Here is my handsome 4 year old!! Where has the time gone?? (sniff, sniff)
Here is my handsome ALMOST 3 year old and Wyatt and Levi's friend, Judah.
The pictures below were taken at the house we just moved out of. The boys did not know this, but we were planning on leaving Dixie with our neighbor when we moved. It's a "love/hate" relationship with Dixie...first off, let me say that I never had a dog growing up, so I am not a true dog-lover. Seriously, I doubt I would own a dog other than the Cockapoo breed. I mean what other type of dog does not shed and is hypo-allergenic?? I do NOT do dog hair on my floors and furniture! So, I love Dixie b/c she is sweet and loving, does not shed, doesn't make me sneeze, and rarely smells. Plus we've had her for 6 years, so I love the memories of her before we had kids and how she was our "baby" and my friend for all the late nights during bball season in FL. But I hate that I get stressed out by the extra responsibility that she is now that I have kids. I hate that I have to juggle taking her out to do her business while my young kids are left unattended and often get into trouble. Nothing like coming in from taking Dixie out to find my (then) toddler eating dog food, or unrolling the toilet paper into the toilet. Or on the flip-side of that scenario...not paying attention to the dog b/c I am taking care of my children and keeping them from making messes, or changing a diaper, or feeding them, or just something semi-important for totally dependent children under school-age...then finding that the dog has had an accident b/c I did not take her out. Now to clean up the dog's accident...then while cleaning up the dog's accident, finding my recently potty-trained child has also had an accident...you get the idea...etc, etc. I am not a naturally laid back person, so all of these situations really get me stressed out and I was finding myself loosing my cool w/ my kids due to the extra responsibility of the dog. (I'm sure there are times that are not dog-related that I lose it too, but you get the idea)...all that to say that we were going give Dixie to our dog-loving neighbors when we moved. We did not think it would be an issue of sadness w/ our kids b/c they have never paid Dixie a ton of attention and were too little to help w/ the different dog responsibilities in the past. But of course just days b4 we are set to move (and simultaneously leave Dixie w/ the neighbors and pass it off as "Dixie couldn't come to the new house")...just then, both boys start being really loving toward Dixie. Wyatt asked me to take his picture w/ his "friend" when Dixie was sitting him one day. Then the next day, Levi did the same (prob. just b/c Wyatt had done it, but still none-the-less makes you feel guilty that you are about to give your household pet away). I knew that I could not handle going thru house training another dog at this time in our lives, so I figured we might as well keep the house-trained, 6 yr old dog we already had (and had spent a good deal of money on as well). Alot of the things that annoy me about her probably could really be changed w/ some good training...I need The Dog Whisperer...
This year was the first year that Wyatt was really excited and "all about" his birthday party. He has since asked me if he can start inviting people to his 5th Birthday Party, and tells me that he is going to be 5 soon! ha!
Lightening McQueen from Disney's movie, "Cars" was the theme, and we had tons of fun w/ different racing-type games! One very creative guest even gave him a Lightening McQueen slip and slide (which I get asked every day now if it's hot enough outside to use his new present!)
My sister wasn't able to come w/ her 2 little boys b/c we had just gotten over the flu a few days earlier and she did not want to risk her newborn catching anything right before they went on the road with their Sports Evangelism ministry (National Goals) We missed them, but I was able to go stay w/ her a few weekends later.
Here is my handsome 4 year old!! Where has the time gone?? (sniff, sniff)
Here is my handsome ALMOST 3 year old and Wyatt and Levi's friend, Judah.
The pictures below were taken at the house we just moved out of. The boys did not know this, but we were planning on leaving Dixie with our neighbor when we moved. It's a "love/hate" relationship with Dixie...first off, let me say that I never had a dog growing up, so I am not a true dog-lover. Seriously, I doubt I would own a dog other than the Cockapoo breed. I mean what other type of dog does not shed and is hypo-allergenic?? I do NOT do dog hair on my floors and furniture! So, I love Dixie b/c she is sweet and loving, does not shed, doesn't make me sneeze, and rarely smells. Plus we've had her for 6 years, so I love the memories of her before we had kids and how she was our "baby" and my friend for all the late nights during bball season in FL. But I hate that I get stressed out by the extra responsibility that she is now that I have kids. I hate that I have to juggle taking her out to do her business while my young kids are left unattended and often get into trouble. Nothing like coming in from taking Dixie out to find my (then) toddler eating dog food, or unrolling the toilet paper into the toilet. Or on the flip-side of that scenario...not paying attention to the dog b/c I am taking care of my children and keeping them from making messes, or changing a diaper, or feeding them, or just something semi-important for totally dependent children under school-age...then finding that the dog has had an accident b/c I did not take her out. Now to clean up the dog's accident...then while cleaning up the dog's accident, finding my recently potty-trained child has also had an accident...you get the idea...etc, etc. I am not a naturally laid back person, so all of these situations really get me stressed out and I was finding myself loosing my cool w/ my kids due to the extra responsibility of the dog. (I'm sure there are times that are not dog-related that I lose it too, but you get the idea)...all that to say that we were going give Dixie to our dog-loving neighbors when we moved. We did not think it would be an issue of sadness w/ our kids b/c they have never paid Dixie a ton of attention and were too little to help w/ the different dog responsibilities in the past. But of course just days b4 we are set to move (and simultaneously leave Dixie w/ the neighbors and pass it off as "Dixie couldn't come to the new house")...just then, both boys start being really loving toward Dixie. Wyatt asked me to take his picture w/ his "friend" when Dixie was sitting him one day. Then the next day, Levi did the same (prob. just b/c Wyatt had done it, but still none-the-less makes you feel guilty that you are about to give your household pet away). I knew that I could not handle going thru house training another dog at this time in our lives, so I figured we might as well keep the house-trained, 6 yr old dog we already had (and had spent a good deal of money on as well). Alot of the things that annoy me about her probably could really be changed w/ some good training...I need The Dog Whisperer...
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
"School"
Regarding all of the activities that we do for "school"...
Ideally, on the either Saturday or Sunday, I go to the following websites to get ideas and prepare for the next Letter of the Week:
ABC Jesus Loves Me
Confessions of a Homeschooler
In ABCJLM, we are doing the 3 yr old Curriculum. I click on Weekly Lesson Plans, and read thru all of her suggestions/ideas and pick and choose which ones I think would benefit our family the best. She has the weekly lesson plans corresponding w/ the calendar school year of the end of Aug. to the beg. of May. We started off right along w/ her calendar, but the "plus" side of homeschool-preschool is going at your own pace, and taking breaks for different life changes like sickness, travel, or something "minor" like MOVING! :-) We are currently on Week 20 which she had set for the 2nd week of Jan, so we are a little behind, but I dont's spend a whole week on review like she has worked into the schedule, so we should be able to catch up if we do 2 letters/week here and there.
I LOVE ABCJLM for the emphasis on the Bible. We learn verses, Sunday School songs, and Bible stories all focused on the same theme!
Then I go to COAH, and click on the ABC's & 123's drop-down menu, and choose the letter that we are going to work on. I pick and choose the printables and activities that I think will best benefit our family. Aftering printing, I laminate most of COAH's print outs so that I can use them again next year with Levi or even again w/ Wyatt.
Both websites have Book Recommendations to correspond w/ the theme and/or letter. I then go to my local library's website and search for and reserve those books. If your local library has this option, it is PRICELESS!! I love getting the phone call that I have books waiting for me at the library! It's much easier than trying to search for specific books w/ 2 preschoolers in tow.
Those 2 websites + my local library are the main tools I use for resources for our homeschool preschool. But I also preuse the following websites for ideas, inspriration, and encouragement:
I Can Teach My Child
No Time for Flash Cards
1 + 1 + 1 = 1
Ideally, on the either Saturday or Sunday, I go to the following websites to get ideas and prepare for the next Letter of the Week:
ABC Jesus Loves Me
Confessions of a Homeschooler
In ABCJLM, we are doing the 3 yr old Curriculum. I click on Weekly Lesson Plans, and read thru all of her suggestions/ideas and pick and choose which ones I think would benefit our family the best. She has the weekly lesson plans corresponding w/ the calendar school year of the end of Aug. to the beg. of May. We started off right along w/ her calendar, but the "plus" side of homeschool-preschool is going at your own pace, and taking breaks for different life changes like sickness, travel, or something "minor" like MOVING! :-) We are currently on Week 20 which she had set for the 2nd week of Jan, so we are a little behind, but I dont's spend a whole week on review like she has worked into the schedule, so we should be able to catch up if we do 2 letters/week here and there.
I LOVE ABCJLM for the emphasis on the Bible. We learn verses, Sunday School songs, and Bible stories all focused on the same theme!
Then I go to COAH, and click on the ABC's & 123's drop-down menu, and choose the letter that we are going to work on. I pick and choose the printables and activities that I think will best benefit our family. Aftering printing, I laminate most of COAH's print outs so that I can use them again next year with Levi or even again w/ Wyatt.
Both websites have Book Recommendations to correspond w/ the theme and/or letter. I then go to my local library's website and search for and reserve those books. If your local library has this option, it is PRICELESS!! I love getting the phone call that I have books waiting for me at the library! It's much easier than trying to search for specific books w/ 2 preschoolers in tow.
Those 2 websites + my local library are the main tools I use for resources for our homeschool preschool. But I also preuse the following websites for ideas, inspriration, and encouragement:
I Can Teach My Child
No Time for Flash Cards
1 + 1 + 1 = 1
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Tot School
Once again, it's been awhile since I posted anything about our Tot School (now also Preschool Corner for our new 4 yr old!). We have done fun things pertaining to Letters L and M since my last Tot School post. And we've had many (probably too many) days "off" from school b/c I was busy packing boxes, and now I'm busy unpacking them at the NEW HOUSE! We'll have to move fast in order to get all the way thru to Letter Z before we go to PA for the summer break. But then again, after Wyatt's 4 year old well-check at his pediatrician, we could probably afford to slow down w/ "school". Have to brag just a little b/c the pediatrician was very impressed how Wyatt could write his name, and said that he had the skills of a 5 year old about to enter kindergarten! Yay Wyatt!
In this picture, Wyatt was building the pattern w/ Ladybugs that he saw on the print out from Confessions of a Homeschooler.
Levi sorted these Ladybugs from smallest to largest.
I hit the jackpot with all things Ladybugs at the Resource Center. Wyatt put these ladybugs in a big circle, and then pretended one was his pillow and took a "nap". Then Levi joined him for rest time w/ the Ladybugs!
This was the intended use for the Counting Ladybugs...put the correct # of velcro black spots to correspond to the number sewn on the ladybug's back.
We also did "L" is for Lion and learned all about the Bible Story of Daniel in the Lion's Den. These fun paper bag puppets were something I found on First-School's website
Levi really got into this Ladybug fine motor-skills craft. He wanted to do it "by himself" and did very well handling the glue stick and ladybug spots.
Meanwhile, Wyatt was practicing writing his name w/ these fun Crayola markers from Grandma.
For the Letter M, we had a Monkey themed week. Below Levi is trying to match up the shapes that the Monkey is holding. (another printable from Confessions of a Homeschooler)
Wyatt put together this M is for Monkey "puzzle". I printed and laminated the picture, then cut into 6 equal pieces and he had to put it back together.
Wyatt is working on a counting activity from Confessions of a Homeschooler, and Levi was putting marbles into Valentine Hearts ice cube trays. Notice all of their Monkey Friends that joined us at the school table that day. The Money holding the bananas was another Resource Center find!!
You can click on any of the individual pictures to enlarge the view.
Monday, January 31, 2011
New House
It's official, we are permanent residents of North Carolina. Technically, we were residents 3 1/2 yrs ago when got our NC state driver's licenses, but now we are home owners in this state and have an address that will not be changing in 6 months or even 1 year (Lord willing). For those of you that had to cross out our address year after year in your address book...if you have any room left in the "H" section of your book, you can write this one in ink! And I'll msg. the address to you all personally so it's not published on the world wide web for everyone to see!
Our house is 3 miles from our current rental house in Waxhaw. It's about 10 min. from Adam's job, so that is a huge blessing. And we already know 3 families that live in our new neighborhood from prior relationships w/ MOPS or mutual friends.
So onto doing our "favorite" thing, or so one would think b/c of how many times we have moved in the past 3 1/2 yrs. But we both really hate moving and are not looking forward to the whole process, but are looking forward to being in our new house. We now have a true extra/guest room, so PLEASE come visit us! (although we have to work on our furniture supply...having never lived in a place bigger than 1200 sq ft, our new house will be a little empty furniture-wise at first. but I am scouring Craigslist and watching for sales, and just waiting)
Our house is 3 miles from our current rental house in Waxhaw. It's about 10 min. from Adam's job, so that is a huge blessing. And we already know 3 families that live in our new neighborhood from prior relationships w/ MOPS or mutual friends.
So onto doing our "favorite" thing, or so one would think b/c of how many times we have moved in the past 3 1/2 yrs. But we both really hate moving and are not looking forward to the whole process, but are looking forward to being in our new house. We now have a true extra/guest room, so PLEASE come visit us! (although we have to work on our furniture supply...having never lived in a place bigger than 1200 sq ft, our new house will be a little empty furniture-wise at first. but I am scouring Craigslist and watching for sales, and just waiting)
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Tot School
Once again, it's been awhile since I posted anything about our Tot School (soon to be Preschool Corner for our soon-to-be 4 yr old!). We have done fun things pertaining to Letters G, H, I, J, and K since my last Tot School post, but I only have pictures from a few of those. One of the letters that we enjoyed alot was J because we were on that letter right around Christmastime. We did lots of fun papers and crafts with 'J is for Jesus' as our theme. (printables all coming from Confessions of a Homeschooler's blog. We even put together our own stable complete with Baby Jesus in the manger and a star on top. (but no pictures...boo hoo!)
Here is a pictures of Levi trying to arrage some inchworms (for Letter I) in order from biggest to smallest.
Levi did a "complete the pattern" activity. If you click on this picture, it will show larger and you can see that his patterns were the 3 Wise Men, and Baby Jesus in the manger
Wyatt has been doing extremely well with watercolors. He gets frustrated alot when he is coloring with crayons and gets out of the lines. But for some reason when he paints w/ water colors, he has alot more control it seems and stays in the lines more easily (see Candy Cane picture below)
Wyatt completed a "puzzle". I printed this picture and cut it into 6 squares and he had to put it back together.
More Fun with "K is for Kite" theme.
These kites were from the Resource Center and were a big hit! Great to have something tangible to go along with the theme and great for re-inforcing (Wyatt) and teaching (Levi) numbers!
Take 2!! Levi's eyes are now open, but Wyatt is doing some pirate moves!
LIFE SCHOOL
Just some everyday "teachable" moments we get to share with just everyday LIFE!
I'll save the info and pics about our BIG NC SNOW for another post, but here are a few. Adam was out of work for 4 days due to snow and ice. The first day was really fun with lots of soft snow, then it got icy and "too crunchy" to play in. The boys were bored, but needed to be outside to get some energy out!! I put some food coloring into 2 sprayer/squirter water bottles and sent them out. Not sure if you can see well from this picture, but we had blue and green snow/ice all around our yard! They had fun! They also learned how to walk in snow and be careful on ice when they were walking with Daddy up our snowy street. (notice the trash can lid in Adam's hand. our southern sled!)
Sunday, January 2, 2011
New Year
2010 is over. While it started off with a bang of bad news, it ended with some very promising news (to be disclosed in a later post...and NO I'm not pregnant)! A year ago, we found out that our landlord had gotten foreclosed on and never even bothered to let us know. Yes, the house we were living in, and had been paying monthly rent for the past 10 months was now owned by the bank, and we would have to move within 6 weeks. Finding a notice of a Sherrif's Auction on the door of your rental house is pretty shocking in and of itself, not to mention that that was the first place we had lived since moving to NC that finally felt "permanent".
We would have loved to rent that house for 5 years (our home in FL that never sold due to the housing market crash was limiting us from buying a home at the time). We had incredible neighbors, it was a great neighborhood, had a great fenced-in yard that backed up to woods, the boys had their own room (which was HUGE for sleeping habits of toddlers), I was finally making friends and enjoying living in NC (which was also HUGE b/c the move to NC and the subsequent 18 months was a little hard for me to say the least). Oh, and to add to the shock of how we found out about this, and to the disappointment of leaving that specific house/neighborhood...add to that, the "hassle" (not sure what word to use here) of moving...AGAIN...that was our 4th move in 2 1/2 yrs.
BUT as I think back on the past year, there are so many blessing for which to be thankful! At times I questioned why the Lord even allowed us to even rent that house if we were just going to have to move out after 10 months. I almost wished we had never gotten to live there b/c now I was going to compare any future housing options to that and be disappointed...BUT living in that house/neighborhood ended up bringing many blessings from the Lord.
While I would have never wished or desired to pack and unpack as many times as I have since Aug 2007, each place we have lived since coming to NC has "made me who I am today" (isn't that a phrase that you hear alot??...best way I could think to describe it although cliche). I've gotten to know many different areas, the pros and cons of different neighborhoods and parts of the town, and learned where lots of different stores and businesses are located. And most importantly, I have made all types of different friends (mom friends, friends for my children, dog-sitter friends, home-schooling friends, etc, etc) from all the neighbors that we have had. And most specially of the most importantly, I made one of the closest friends that I have ever had. A Christ-loving girl that is my age and has the same age kids. God is good!
And now the house that we moved to...another rental. We didn't have much choice b/c of the short amt. of time due to the lack of notice from the landlord (I need to let that go, I know!! But I still can't get over that!)
Thankfully, we were able to stay in Waxhaw and at the same monthly rent. But, the house was much smaller, the boys had to share a room once again ;-(, it was surrounded by trees (horrible for allergies--this is the girl who had to get allergy shots as a kid, and stay home from school b/c I couldn't see out of my eyes...so 50 oak trees covering my house is kind of a big deal for me), and other little things that just weren't my first choice. At least we were just renting it.
But there are lots of things that I must list that I am so thankful for and will be sad to leave:
the nice wood floors throughout, all of the extra custom cabinets in the kitchen, everything being so 'close' in the house b/c it's all on one level, the window over the kitchen sink letting me watch the kids while they play on the nice deck, the storm doors so I can let some sunlight in (I'm def. a "solar-powered" gal), closenss to Harris Teeter, less house to clean, and another neighbor who has become a great friend even though they moved to another neighborhood.
And I must list a few more things I love b/c I went into so much detail about the negative earlier...I just really like the town of Waxhaw in general...found the best re-sale kids clothing shop ever...Sweet Repeats, and discovered MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) at Waxhaw Bible Church and made lots of sweet Christian moms there!
This is getting very long, so I will end with the following that I cut and paste from one of my favorite websites: Life as Mom She said what is my heart and what I desire.
What’s does the future hold?
I have no idea what will happen in the new year. I imagine that some things will change, some will stay the same. But, I know that I want to approach the twists and turns that are sure to characterize the road ahead with the right attitude.
I want to trust that God is ultimately in control. I want to remember to hold things loosely — what do I have that He hasn’t given me?
I want to laugh often and love much.
I want to say yes, be all there, and enjoy today.
Will these things guarantee that my year is a happy one? No, there’s no guarantee to anything in life.
But, I think if we expect the unexpected and prepare our hearts and minds to tackle stumbling blocks with determination and a good attitude, well, I think it can be a happy year.
We would have loved to rent that house for 5 years (our home in FL that never sold due to the housing market crash was limiting us from buying a home at the time). We had incredible neighbors, it was a great neighborhood, had a great fenced-in yard that backed up to woods, the boys had their own room (which was HUGE for sleeping habits of toddlers), I was finally making friends and enjoying living in NC (which was also HUGE b/c the move to NC and the subsequent 18 months was a little hard for me to say the least). Oh, and to add to the shock of how we found out about this, and to the disappointment of leaving that specific house/neighborhood...add to that, the "hassle" (not sure what word to use here) of moving...AGAIN...that was our 4th move in 2 1/2 yrs.
BUT as I think back on the past year, there are so many blessing for which to be thankful! At times I questioned why the Lord even allowed us to even rent that house if we were just going to have to move out after 10 months. I almost wished we had never gotten to live there b/c now I was going to compare any future housing options to that and be disappointed...BUT living in that house/neighborhood ended up bringing many blessings from the Lord.
While I would have never wished or desired to pack and unpack as many times as I have since Aug 2007, each place we have lived since coming to NC has "made me who I am today" (isn't that a phrase that you hear alot??...best way I could think to describe it although cliche). I've gotten to know many different areas, the pros and cons of different neighborhoods and parts of the town, and learned where lots of different stores and businesses are located. And most importantly, I have made all types of different friends (mom friends, friends for my children, dog-sitter friends, home-schooling friends, etc, etc) from all the neighbors that we have had. And most specially of the most importantly, I made one of the closest friends that I have ever had. A Christ-loving girl that is my age and has the same age kids. God is good!
And now the house that we moved to...another rental. We didn't have much choice b/c of the short amt. of time due to the lack of notice from the landlord (I need to let that go, I know!! But I still can't get over that!)
Thankfully, we were able to stay in Waxhaw and at the same monthly rent. But, the house was much smaller, the boys had to share a room once again ;-(, it was surrounded by trees (horrible for allergies--this is the girl who had to get allergy shots as a kid, and stay home from school b/c I couldn't see out of my eyes...so 50 oak trees covering my house is kind of a big deal for me), and other little things that just weren't my first choice. At least we were just renting it.
But there are lots of things that I must list that I am so thankful for and will be sad to leave:
the nice wood floors throughout, all of the extra custom cabinets in the kitchen, everything being so 'close' in the house b/c it's all on one level, the window over the kitchen sink letting me watch the kids while they play on the nice deck, the storm doors so I can let some sunlight in (I'm def. a "solar-powered" gal), closenss to Harris Teeter, less house to clean, and another neighbor who has become a great friend even though they moved to another neighborhood.
And I must list a few more things I love b/c I went into so much detail about the negative earlier...I just really like the town of Waxhaw in general...found the best re-sale kids clothing shop ever...Sweet Repeats, and discovered MOPS (Moms of Preschoolers) at Waxhaw Bible Church and made lots of sweet Christian moms there!
This is getting very long, so I will end with the following that I cut and paste from one of my favorite websites: Life as Mom She said what is my heart and what I desire.
What’s does the future hold?
I have no idea what will happen in the new year. I imagine that some things will change, some will stay the same. But, I know that I want to approach the twists and turns that are sure to characterize the road ahead with the right attitude.
I want to trust that God is ultimately in control. I want to remember to hold things loosely — what do I have that He hasn’t given me?
I want to laugh often and love much.
I want to say yes, be all there, and enjoy today.
Will these things guarantee that my year is a happy one? No, there’s no guarantee to anything in life.
But, I think if we expect the unexpected and prepare our hearts and minds to tackle stumbling blocks with determination and a good attitude, well, I think it can be a happy year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)