Moving again! Yay...and Awwww.

Nobody enjoys all the hard work it takes to move. But, I'm actually quite excited. The volunteers here at the ministry have done a wonderful job of renovating, and actually creating, a new apartment. New kitchen, new utility room, new bathroom, and new carpet and linoleum. I'll post photos when we get all the cleaning done there so y'all can see it. And although I'm already swamped with a lot of work these days, I am very excited. Not only will that put staff on the main level of the complex (us!), but it will also be the newest and nicest apartment in the place.

The biggest perk for us will be that we no longer have to share a washer and dryer with other families in the complex. I don't mind so much sharing with them, but having to have a schedule, and not being able to wash everyday, any time I'd like, has been tough to get used to. Plus, other families will now be able to use the 12 hours that I've had the machines reserved for us each week. LOL! I'm sure they're all as thrilled as I am. :o)

Attachment Parenting...Great for the kid...but what about the babysitter?

Now, it's been years since I had a baby in my home. My youngest will be 9yo this month, and his baby years were just a blur for me.

So, I told one of the gals in our complex that I'd be happy to watch her 5mos for a few hours today, while she got her teeth pulled out of town. No sweat right? :o/

Well, evidently, she has been practicing "attachment parenting" or something similar. Because this kid would not let me put him down! :oP I had to either be feeding, playing with, or rocking him constantly. He even fell asleep in my arms after taking a bottle and givin' me a few monstrous burps. But when I tried to place him on his blanket on the floor,...WAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAaaHHHHHHH!!! I mean a screech like you would NOT believe.

Now, don't get me wrong; I held and carried my babies quite a bit when they were little. But they usually just played by themselves in th playpen or crib until they fell asleep, ya know?

I whole-heartedly agree that attachment parenting is a wonderful thing...unless you're the babysitter. ;o)

LOL!

Season's Change

This has just been a week of changes. For the last eight years, I've been working as a volunteer on the Five in a Row forums. We fell in love with that curriculum nine years ago, and I became active in the online community then. In fact, I can honestly say that FIAR has been instrumental in our lives in dozens of ways.

If it hadn't been for FIAR, our homeschool journey would have been far less adventurous and fun.

If it hadn't been of FIAR, I never would have met and become close friends with the most amazing and wonderful people in the world.

If it hadn't been for FIAR, I never would have met, Madeline, Albert, Henry, Babar, Sal, and many other fine works of literature.

And if it hadn't been for FIAR, I might have missed the countless times that I've seen the FIAR staff operate as the church in the truest sense of the word.

This week, I was approached with the idea of retiring from the staff, and I agreed that it was time. Steve didn't actually ask me to leave the staff, he just opened the door for us to think about it. So, I prayed about it, and decided that it was time. My children are so much older now, and I have so little time to really be helpful on the staff.

It's a sad time for me, though. I know I'll retain and cherish the relationships that have been built during these last eight years. But change is difficult for me. :-(

I've also been in the process of enrolling my oldest in public school. He's going to be coming home from some friends' house in the next few weeks. And we've decided that his homeschooling journey has ended. He's 15yo now, and ready to become active in sports. He's already taken the school assessment and will be able to start on "grade level" which I've never really paid attention to, but I'm glad he's really not considered "behind," ya know?

But the season of change doesn't end there. I'm also having my 13yod evaluated by the local special ed. co-op, to determine if she has learning disabilities that they can offer services addressing her lack of reading skills. Now THIS really does make me nervous. Although, the SEC director was very nice and said he would help me with all the paperwork and hoop-jumping that needed to be done. Still, it's closer to having "big brother" in my business than I've really ever wanted. LOL!

And lastly, several of the people I've been ministering to where we live, are moving. I am really not ready for them to go, and will miss them so much.

Remarkably enough, I have a great deal of peace about many of these changes. I know that God is working actively in my life, and in the lives of my family. Change is difficult; sometimes I feel like I'm being pruned and it's painful. But I also know it's necessary for growth to happen.

Lord, don't let me miss it.