Flop Flip

Jim and I talked last night and this morning. We decided that we won’t do anything about the house, but will just concentrate on our own home and the additions we want to make to it. Moving can wait a few years.

I’m fine with that.  Really! I was getting that panicked feeling when I remembered all that we still have to do on our house–all those unfinished projects that we can live with but someone else wouldn’t want to.

Like the toilet that is  currently sitting in our master bedroom. Yeah, I don’t think a home buyer would be too impressed by that.

Flip Flop

While looking at houses on Craigslist, which is something I do for fun, I actually found something that looked somewhat interesting. I just came home from seeing it with our realtor.

More than a month ago, we walked away from the idea of moving, instead going the route of adding onto our current home and staying a few more years. We’ve talked to four contractors and are in the process of picking one of them.

Jim thinks I’m crazy. Certifiable. I don’t disagree. But the house was really  nice, had a good lot and even a fully finished basement with a viable in-law suite (full kitchen and full bath) in the basement. That would actually be a problem because we really use our basement. But if you pretend it isn’t an in-law suite and just a finished basement, it’s a good price. It’s a nice house at a good price, something I couldn’t find when I was looking before. Even in our current school district, which is not the greatest.

I just talked to Jim and the agent. He’ll do a drive-by and see if he likes the outside (which he probably will, since it’s very nice). I’m shaking my head at the mere idea of going through this again when we had decided against it, but I don’t want to be dumb, either–we can buy this home for cheaper than we can add onto ours.

Any words of wisdom?

Welcome!

I just came over here from another blog and wanted to welcome you to my new home. I hope you find something that interests you, be it a funny story about my kids, what I’m learning about the bible as I study it, or just life in general. Feel free to comment, as I read every one. Thanks for stopping by!

Sleepy Monday

My eyes are at half-mast this morning. I went to bed a little later than normal and just didn’t get my full 8 hours. I can survive on less, but it’s not a pretty sight.

I’m thinking caffeine is in my very near future.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1. Wow, another week has flown by! Sorry posting has been so light….I’ve been in and out a LOT with working and the IEP and doctor appointments.

2. Speaking of work, the job at my current client’s house is just about wrapped up. We’ll finish next week. It’s been a lot of hard, physical work, but I have really enjoyed it! And the client is very pleased, as well, which is a satisfying feeling.

3. Ethan’s IEP went very well. Lots of good goals for next year and lots of measurable progress from last year’s IEP. I truly love and admire Overbrook and have nothing but high praise for the teachers, therapists and staff there.

4. We had our monthly elder/deacon meeting and somehow I ended up with 6 things on my to do list. That spiritual gift of “helps” won’t let me keep my mouth shut! 😀

5. I got on the scale this morning and much to my delight, saw a new number there. I have broken into the 140’s! As of 6:10am, I was 149.6, which means 5 pounds gone!

6. I was supposed to work today, but the client canceled, so I have an unexpected whole day home to accomplish a lot. Especially laundry…I am SO BEHIND on laundry! I will repeat this: laundry is the bane of my existence. And the kitchen floor. They’re partners in my hate triangle.

7. It’s been in the sunny 60’s all week. It has been AMAZING. Like coming back to life after being buried in the snow. LOVING IT. Next week we’re back to our regularly scheduled spring, but this has been such a blessing.

Emtpy House

The home next to mine is empty. For almost 10 years it housed a wonderful, godly woman, her mother and her two daughters. They were my friends. They rented the house. Both of the older women were widows–one my age and widowed when her girls were very young. I loved having them as my neighbors. I depended on the wisdom of the mom and the babysitting of the girls. The mom and I could talk for hours about anything and everything. But the owner of the home let the house go into foreclosure. So, through no fault of their own, they were forced to move by a bank that didn’t care. Into a much smaller home that is about 45 minutes away.

Each day, a truck with a trailer in the back pulls up in the driveway and leaves with more of their things. The man driving it is in charge of cleaning out their house before the auction. He feels badly for my friend, but he is just doing his job. I’m sure he’s a nice man, but I cannot help but resent his presence. The items he removes are just that to him–things, stuff–not treasures that just couldn’t fit into their new life, or things they just didn’t have time to pack. I don’t know what he does with their things–if he takes them to a thrift store, or to friends or just to the dump. Yesterday I watched a life-size Frosty the Snowman get driven away. One more reminder that my friend wouldn’t be here next Christmas.

Someone nice may move in. Someone with small children that my children could befriend. Or a teenager who could babysit. Maybe even a nice woman that I could be friends with as well.

But it will never be the same.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1. I’m sick. Jim has a sinus infection. I’m pretty sure I have one.
2. I’m so busy with getting ready for Catie’s party, cleaning, making a meal for a church family, and going to Catie’s school that I cannot get to the doctor’s today.
3. I’m hoping to make it there tomorrow during their “walk in” hours of 9-1.
4. I’m being productive today. I have no choice. There’s a lot to do and the party is tomorrow.
5. People coming over forces me to have a clean home. It’s actually a good thing. I love how the house looks when it’s clean.
6. The Byetta is working. I’ve lost two pounds so far.
7. We’re still waiting on two bids from contractors. I’m starting to get slightly annoyed, as one of them was our favorite guy.

May you all escape this sinus thing. It’s rotten.

It’s IEP Season again

I just had Laura’s IEP (individualized education plan) this morning–40 minutes–and will have Ethan’s IEP next week (about 2 hours). If Bennett or Laura make it into the gifted program, they will have GIEP’s (gifted individual ed plan), which I will also attend. With all the paperwork going back and forth, it makes for a busy March each year. I like the IEP’s, it’s a great time to spend with the teachers and therapists and get a real feel for how the kids are doing. Sometimes it’s harder for me with the other two who don’t have IEP’s because I just go on report cards, which are only every trimester.

At the meeting I talked to the principal about putting Laura and Bennett together next year. We’ve done it “their way” for three years and now I want to try it “our way”. I’m sick and tired of the different homework, different expectations, different everything and just want some “same” for them. He wasn’t happy about the request, but we’re not budging. And this time around we finally have the law on our side–Pennsylvania passed a law that the parents get to decide placement of their multiples instead of the individual school districts. Thank goodness!

Hodge Podge

I am vertical again after being weak and feeling R-O-T-T-E-N on Sunday. I literally stayed on the couch all day, missing church and everything. Laura and Catie were both coughing so they stayed home. Since it was easier (let’s be honest!), the boys stayed home as well. Thankfully, with the exception of Ethan, they can pretty much feed and clothe and potty themselves at this point, so it was ok. They pretty much left me alone, knowing that if Mommy was downstairs on the couch, IN HER PAJAMAS, laying down, she had to be sick.

One the few things that Flylady really impressed on me that stuck forever more, is getting dressed to your shoes every day. Every day. If I don’t get dressed, absolutely nothing happens, which is completely fine if I feel horrible.

But, thank goodness, I’m not there anymore. I’m here, upright, and working at about 90% capacity (although fairly happy that bedtime is in 2 1/2 hours for me).

The wonders of Facebook presented themselves anew today when I found my old youth leader from about 1984. The fact that I was even able to come up with his last name was fairly impressive, to both me and my mother. I asked to be his friend and was duly added within a few minutes. We caught up on the last 26 some odd years and now I’ll be able to follow his status updates. What did we do before Facebook? We had to hire private detectives to find old friends/flames/teachers/pastors etc. Now we can just “search” their name and boom, hello!

Have you ever “unfriended” someone? I’ve done it to two family members (of the dramatic kind). Usually I just opt not to see someone’s status updates. After the initial catching up, sometimes there just isn’t a desire to know what that person is having for breakfast, or thinking of the weather or whatever. If you aren’t into minutiae, Facebook is not for you.

Laura has misplaced her DS. This, people, is catastrophic. Even Jim and I have looked for the sucker. We don’t generally let them play with them anywhere outside the house (for this very reason), so it has got to be SOMEWHERE in the house. But I’ll tell you, I have no idea where! I’ve really searched all the good “maybe it’s there” places. Also currently missing: Ethan’s book “Sadie Can Count”. Small enough to be able to fit into an easily concealable place. Important enough to cause crocodile tears when it’s asked for and still missing. Sigh.

I’m making dinner for the mom and dad of the twins this Friday. I’m not much of a meal-maker generally speaking. But I think I have a pretty good dish for them, so I’m less overwhelmed than normal. Their baby has a heart catheterization tomorrow, so if you read this please keep Nathaniel in your prayers. And mom and dad, of course.

7 Quick Takes Friday

1. I deleted the post I originally put up here. While I use this blog to vent, it is not my intention to ever dishonor my husband or my children by what I say. I wrote “in the moment”, which was wrong. So Sarah, I ask that you wipe what I said from your memory. The offending child and I made up before they left for school. All is well.

2. I worked two days last week, two days this week and will work three days next week. Sweet! We decided to put what money I make into savings. If Ethan ends up attending the Hershey Feeding Clinic again this summer (or, actually, in any way), we’re going to need some extra money for child care for the others.

3. Speaking of, I am thoroughly enjoying working! My client and I attended church together years ago, but she was a teenager at the time so our world’s didn’t intersect much. It’s been a lot of fun catching up, working hard and nuzzling her baby in between. Baby fix!

4. We have two bids in for the garage/mudroom additions are awaiting two more. We already know who we want to go with, but if he’s $20k more than the others it will have to be second choice!

5. I’m currently listening to a series by Dr. James MacDonald about God’s Will. It is interesting and extremely challenging in what it is making me re-look at. If you want to hear more, you can go to walkintheword.com and type in God’s Will.

6. We had one of those incredibly awesome moments this week. Ethan is speech delayed. While he can and does talk, his L’s sound like W and his th’s sound like F (making Laura sound like Waura and Ethan sound like Efan). At dinner a few nights ago, for whatever reason, I thought to tell him to stick out his tongue and put his teeth on it and then try the L. IT WORKED. He said his sister’s name correctly for the first time! And then yesterday the lightbulb went off and I told him about doing it for th and he said his own name correctly for the first time in 8 1/2 years! Happy Dancing all over the place!

7. Catie’s birthday and party are in 9 days. Have I gotten back ONE RSVP yet? NOPE. Now, that, my friends, is annoying. And inconsiderate. We only invited three little girls, because with our four that will be 7 giggling voices. That’s enough for the first kid party in our home, thankyouverymuch.

8. It’s 50 outside. Spring is on the way, Halleluia and Praise God Almighty!