Journal: Sick days

Out my window: 70 and cloudy in the middle of the afternoon. It's supposed to get up to 86 tomorrow. So this is just a random cool July day.

Around the house: Oh my. Scariness. I didn't get as much accomplished last weekend as I had hoped and I have been laying in bed with a virus since Tuesday afternoon.  I mean, really, it isn't awful. But it isn't clean.  I have fairly high standards for house cleanliness, at least comparatively.  Who boy, if you knew me when I was younger, you know I am not a "neat freak". But the more kids I have, the more chaos they create and the more need I feel to keep it under control on a regular basis.

Clothing myself in: Black sweatpants. Black tank top. Black Cardigan.  Super cheery.

Kiddos: Honestly, I have hardly seen them, in order to keep them from my germs I miss them.

Bringing me joy: Sweet cards and lettuce garnish by my toast when Issy brought me food.  Our counteroffer being accepted!!!! Being in the mountains in possibly (probably?) just a couple of months. The way George talks with his hands when he is trying to explain something.

Thinking about: Tons of things! Since I have been laying in bed the better part of three days, I have had a lot of time to think.

As previously indicated, we found out on Monday that our counteroffer was accepted.  The contingency is that they sell their house, so we are hoping that happens sooner rather than later.  As long as they are able to sell their house, the potential closing date is September 26th.  My last day at Catholic Word is August 8th, and August 9th, we will be leaving the kids with the relatives and heading West to find a place to live.

I am feeling somewhat ambivalent about being done at my job. Well, maybe ambivalent isn't the best word- conflicted is probably better.  I am excited to be at home with our children once again. After a loosey-goosey summer, I really need to rein them back in. I am excited to homeschool them. I am terrified to homeschool them because I honestly don't know how George's boisterous behavior is going to affect their studies.  I really like working- I like talking to adults and I like bringing in a paycheck.  It is a sacrifice to leave that.  A necessary one, at this point, but a loss to be sure.

So yeah, in the event that our house actually closes at the end of September, I need to find alternate homeschooling material for the kids.  We are currently enrolled in a virtual school in Wisconsin, but obviously, you need to be a resident of Wisconsin to be eligible.  I emailed a virtual school in Idaho (in case that is where we land) to see if they serviced the area we are looking to move, since they use the same curriculum that we will be using here.  God's hands.

Also, packing. Some purging left to do. A garage sale.

I've also been thinking a lot about knitting. It was one of my favorite things to do when we lived in Idaho.  I miss not having the time (or when I have the time, I don't have the energy) to do it.  I am really looking forward to going into my old favorite yarn store and dreaming of all the beautiful things I can create.

So yeah, sorry for the brain dump.  Thanks for hanging in there :)

Journal: Life!

Out my window: Cloudy and 71.  Supposed to rain tomorrow and then be coool the next few days. I can't complain about the lack of obscene heat, it is just weird. If I go outside in the evenings, I often wear a jacket. Sometimes I still feel cold. Yay, Wisconsin!

Around the house: Just a fair amount of cleaning to keep things maintained and tidy. Oh dog fur, my nemesis.

Clothing myself in: Jeans, fuzzy slippers, navy and white stripey tank top with old sweatshirt on top.

Toddler: Very pleasant lately, for the most part.  He's been sleeping past six most days (THANK YOU GOD) for the past month? Two? I have almost not wanted to mention it because even though I am not superstitious, I am superstitious about his sleeping habits.  Whatever it is, it is magical and I hope it continues forever.  He says adorable funny things and I can tell he is on the cusp of being three- just starting to act more like a preschooler than a toddler. Potty training is going well. His only thing is that he often waits until he is up in the morning, but before he comes to his door to have a BM. He is so not ready to night train, so I guess I'll just have to deal with that until I can convince him otherwise.

Kiddos: Since getting the house on the market, we have been making a concerted effort to have lots of concentrated family time- lake, took them to see a movie, just a lot of family fun after the craziness of getting the house ready.  Issy is going to Schoenstatt girl's camp this week, which she is reeeeeally excited about. She was packed a week in advance. I am nervous because she's my baby but happy she gets to do this with her friends. I think it'll be great for her.

Bringing me joy: My big boys giggling at bedtime, I love that they love each other. My silly puppy on the kitchen floor when I am making dinner. The adorable, joyful couple I served that had been married 64 years. The enthusiasm that the kids greet us at the door with after work. A tidy house. House dreamin' with the hubby.

Thinking about: Whoa. Big week for us. We showed the house on July 4th and again yesterday to the same family. They are very interested and are going to put in an offer. It could likely go very quickly from there.

I am trying not to get my hopes up even though it is very likely headed in that direction. We really thought it would take a while to sell the house, so we are still trying to decide exaaaactly where we are going. Apparently, narrowing it down to somewhere in the Rocky Mountains isn't enough. It's a blessing to get to choose, but holy wow, it is overwhelming. Pros. Cons. What are needs, what are wants? We want this move to also be about a bigger vision for our family- yes, living in a beautiful place, but simplifying. Being good stewards of what we have, what we want to impress upon our children.

Like I said, Whoa. Prayers for patience, peace and guidance.