We are back!

Well, I had forgotten all about this blog! Now that I can actually get back into it I will try to use it more often. A quick snapshot update on our family:

Remodel is done and BEAUTIFUL!!

Started third year of homeschool. Still thankful God placed on this journey, and we just continue to pray each year for direction for the future.

Hubby still at Disneyland, but has been promoted to be over the West side of the Park. Works soooo much.

Still have our dog, but our two old cats have both passed away.  We ended up with two more cats, Max and Miley, followed by two more kittens we named Rosie and Eva.  We also have a betta fish and a gecko.  I refuse to count the crickets we have to keep for food as pets.  But the kids have named the snail that cleans the fish tank :/

I have my 20 year high school reunion this month. Boy, does that make me feel old. And Weight Watchers helped me lose over 40 pounds!  If only I can be committed enough to keep it off...

How time flies...but are we having fun?

Wow -- didn't realize it had been 3 months since I had last written!  Our remodel is over and done with, and it is beautiful!!  As much as it was a financial and emotional strain and drain on us, we don't regret our decision at all and look forward to our family enjoying much needed breathing space.  It definitely made us appreciate our small house.  When we were squeezed into the back half, regaining the front half felt like doubling our living space!

Homeschool has been an interesting and challenging journey so far, just as I expected it to be.  I still have a deep abiding peace within that this is the right thing for us, despite any anguish and turmoil that may arise day to day in the constantly adjusting relationships.  It has been a difficult transition for the boys to work with mom as the teacher.  I get frustrated when they don't show me the same respect and attention that I know they would be showing their teacher in a normal classroom.  But they just see me as mom still.  And that's ok -- we will get there.

I am definitely thankful for homeschool as the kids seem to need to sleep in later lately, and so do I.  Plus, having no homework in the afternoon means more time to play for them.  And definitely more time with Daddy on his day off.  We've been on several field trips with and without daddy and the kids love that.  Plus, we are about to start cooking lessons since we now have a working kitchen.  And I can see how my being so closely involved in their schooling allows me to adjust lessons to help where they are weakest, instead of barrelling ahead to keep the class together.

So even though there are days and times when I wonder what was I thinking that I could accomplish anything with homeschool, again God reminds me that I am not accomplishing anything.  He is doing a work in ME, and in my kids THROUGH me, not by my own strength alone.  And for that I am truly thankful.

The clock is ticking

We are now T minus 7 days and counting til demolition starts.  Should be a interesting experience -- not just for the practical knowledge of how it all works, but also to see if from our kids point of view.  Especially the boys -- anything involving hammers, saws and lots of destruction is TONS of fun!

We're also just a month away from our homeschool adventure officially beginning.  I'm supposed to receive the last of my curriculum shipment in the next couple of days.  I've started planning, but there is always something else for me to add!  I pray God keeps me sane and rational -- I don't want to set myself up to fall due to too high expectations, or too many demands on our time.  I have to remember one of our main goals in all this is to have time together as a family.

And since the remodel won't be done until AFTER school begins, we'll get to experience some of that freedom everyone talks about by having our schoolwork done in the backyard and the bedrooms!

Convention hangovers

I think I have Homeschool Convention hangover.  Going to my first convention was so much fun!  I LOVE books -- in fact, that is one of my weaknesses.  Sometimes I feel like you can never have enough books!  So that exhibit hall was a bit like being a kid in a candy store with a pocket full of change. 

Of course, it was quite the hefty pocket of change by the time I was done.  And God did give me peace about my decisions that day.  But I would highly recommend stopping and eating something at some point.  I just kept going and going like the Energizer bunny.  So by the time I'd been there 10 hours, I hadn't had anything to eat or drink.  And that DEFINITELY is not good for making financial decisions.  So I had to stop and finish up online that night. 

And now a word from Sarah:  God bless everyone.

Decision Time Again

Why does everything feel like such a huge decision these days?  We finally settled on a contractor, and things are moving along on the remodel.  And now it's time for the big Homeschool Convention this weekend.  So suddenly all my "settled" plans for curriculum have blown up in my face -- and it's all my own fault.

Just when I felt like I had it all down and organized, new ideas have swum into my head and unsettled it all.  Now I'm all atizzy trying to restructure what I need to buy for next year -- with only 3 days til the big exhibition hall.  I know I don't have to purchase everything there -- but the lure of free shipping is a big money saver for me.

I am praying constantly that God will give me peace and lead me to the right things to get for our kids -- both for them to learn and enjoy, and for me to feel confident and excited about using!  And off we go to shop....

Decisions Decisions

We are about to make a huge decision -- which of two contractors are we going to go with to do our big kitchen/dining room/office/living room remodel!  This is a big deal for us.  We've never worked with a contractor for such a big project that covers so many things.  All our previous jobs were for specific projects like installing wood floor or replacing the windows.  This has a bit of everything!!

And so far, the two companies are about equal.  They both seem really good.  One is a big company with a much more practiced presentation, but the guy seems very good about detailing EVERYTHING that we will be needing to make decisions on.  The other one is someone from church.  We never really knew him before this, but I knew his wife who also works with him, and his sister used to be Sarah's preschool teacher.  And the architect to work with him is from our church too.

Price seems about equal because it all boils down to the decisions we make on what we use.  I just don't know what to do!  This all seems to come back to the same problem of do you work with people you know or do you avoid that situation like the plague?  I pray God makes it clear where He wants us to go.  I definitely still feel like the project should go forward, and I have more peace about it today with a little bit of distance from both guys.  I just pray God makes it clear and that it is clear to both of us so that we are in agreement and can go forward.

I feel like I have been much more willing to do whatever God would have us to do, for all kinds of things, if He would just show us what that would be.  I want to have a willing and listening heart, and part of that goes along with the fear that I am not listening well enough.  I always worry that I won't hear what He has for me to do.

I have found that I can face difficult situations with less fear and more trust and peace when it is a bad situation that comes from outside of ourselves.  To me, those are out of my control, so I have no choice but to trust in God.  But the situations I struggle with the most, such as now with choosing the contractors, is that it is our decisions that will affect what happens after.  So if something bad happens, I feel like it is my fault and it is much easier to beat myself up, over and over.  But I have to try to remember that God is still in control of everything, and my puny decisions, whether good or bad, can not overthrow God's intentions or plan.  That even if something bad happens, God can still bring good out of it.

First time for everything

Well, I never thought writing a blog would be something I would do.... but as I've said many times, saying Never will often take you somewhere once you give it up to God.  Look at where God has taken us so far!  We always said we'd have two to four kids .... and baby Rachel made her appearance after we told everyone we were done!  Always thought we'd be a two career family .... and here I am a stay at home full time Mom.  And most of all, I always said I would never homeschool -- that the kids would drive me crazy.  And yet again, we're taking the leap off the bridge this next year and trying that for the first time. 

It just amazes me where God has led us when we've opened ourselves to the possibilities of what God has for us, not just what we think we should have or do.  Makes me wonder what else He has for us and what other things I've held back that I need to let go of.

Anyway, here's to a new journey with our family!  Please keep us in your prayers because we will need them!