It's a doozy!

I would truly like a boring life. I really would. But life is definitely not boring. Ever. At all.

After much discussion and weighing many factors, we decided that I need the full school day to go to work. This means that the youngest three need to go to public school along with the other four so that I can work during that time. We are financially backed into a corner.

I've been able to stay home with my kids for sixteen years. It has been an intense wonderful experience that I would not trade for anything. I count myself so blessed to not only have an opportunity to be at home with them when they were babies, but to be able to educate them as well. I would recommend by far homeschool over any other form of education, but it is not to be for us right now.

So, with great heaviness of heart, we move to another era of life. And it's a doozy!

The decision was made on Tuesday, so I called Tuesday morning to start the process. By Tuesday afternoon, I took the three prospective students to tour the school. By Tuesday night, I was completing the thousands of reams of paperwork, and by Wednesday morning, the kids were IN school. Yep. That quick.

By Wednesday night, at our usual church activities, I talked to a bunch of people about my job search and the need for a loaner car. And guess what! Someone actually had not one but two cars available for me to borrow. However, since I'm not Houdini, I opted for just one car, a 1996 Ford minivan -- quite possibly the most beautiful vehicle on the road today. It has been nearly six weeks since I've had a car to drive when Keith is not at home.

So, THANK YOU to the Shermans! Thank you! Thank you! They said I could use it for as long as we needed it.

I was so giddy about having my own car, that I drove all around town the whole rest of the day. To the Goodwill. To Burger King to meet a girlfriend. To each of the kids' schools to complete affidavits -- a requirement that everyone needs to do to prove that they live in their particular school district. And then finally home again in a deluge of rain! Then, a few hours later I was off again for a quick trip to the grocery store with Kade and Konner in tow.

And now begins the job search. I have one very promising lead from the same people who let us borrow their car. I would love to work for them. The hours are perfect -- I'd be home in time to meet the first wave of kids coming home from school at 3:00. The next wave comes at 3:45 and 3:50, and the final wave of tired teenagers at 4:25. Then, begins the marathon of homework!

Kylie, Kade and Konner were all initially thrilled to start public school. They are still happy about it, so I suppose that's a good sign. I put each of them one grade behind where they should be so that they could do well. They should be in 4th, 2nd and 1st, respectively, but instead are in 3rd, 1st and Kindergarten. The principal and I both decided this would be the best start for them. If they do well and continue to progress, then they can be easily moved up to their appropriate grades. As it stands now, they seem to be all doing fine. Kylie has already been on a field trip. Kade has reading to do every night that is hard for him now, but will get him reading well in no time. Konner is working on the letter "P" -- he needs to bring "P" things to class all next week. For all three of them, the best thing about school so far is a tie. It's either the Mayfield ice cream that they can buy for snack time or the bus ride!

I've now had three days of complete and utter stillness at home for nearly EIGHT hours. EIGHT hours! And it's the strangest thing. I'll clean up around the house and I'll come back to, say, the dishes . . . and (cue Twilight Zone music) . . . the dishes are STILL clean! I vacuum and sweep and the floors (except for the darling dog chewing on stuff) is STILL clean! I check to see if the trash needs to be taken out, but it's only halfway full. I open up the refrigerator, and leftovers are still in there!

Once I start work, then Kody will truly be destitute. I feel especially bad for him, because if I'm in shock for all the quiet right now, imagine how he must feel! He's resorted to bringing his ball to my lap in pathetic attempts at attention. He plops himself down in all of his favorite hang-out spots with the most dejected look ever seen.

Update on the washing machine: It's fixed (as of today) . . . sort of. The parts actually came in! The repair man came and put the parts in. The washing machine now does mostly what it's supposed to do, except that it still leaks. So I called back, and he'll come Monday to check it over again. In the meantime, I've joyfully done four loads of laundry already.

Kade and Konner were nearly murdered when they came in for the second time this afternoon with their clothes completely soaked from playing outside with their bikes in the rain puddles. They are each wearing their FOURTH set of clothes. They are fortunate they are still alive. I said, none to happily and none to nicely, "Do you not realize that Mommy has a lot of laundry to do already and now I have to wash more of your clothes!!!!!"

But I am truly grateful to put dirty, yucky, half-mildewed clothes into the washer and bring clean clothes back out some 56 minutes later! Oh, how I love the modern age!

So how is all of that for an update! Head spinning?

Please be praying for us as we plunge through this transitional phase! God is so good and we are so grateful for His provision.