Better late than never

Yes, it's been a month since I last posted.  Shame on me.

2012 is starting off with 2011's major renovation.  Go figure, right?  The bathroom addition in the basement (making us a legal operating "hotel" when finished) was supposed to be completed in November.  That didn't pan out so well, seeing as they're BEGINNING that project today.  Lesson #1 in living with renovations- their timeline isn't YOUR timeline.

It being the first day, I'm excited and hopeful that this project will be:
ON TIME
BEAUTIFUL
FUN (did I just say that?)

I'm realistic.  But I better not end up with an overdue, ugly, miserable project.

Here's what it looks like on Day 1:

                                         The guys get their own "space" while working here!

Thing 25

Small towns are great.
Surprises are great too.
Combine the two and you get a double whammy.

We heard the fire engine this morning, and the kids started looking out the window.  Lo and behold the truck was headed down our street, with Santa on top!  All of us ran outside to watch (and some of us were still in our pajamas), and waited while he made his way to our house.

It's an annual event according to the neighbors.

Thing 25 I love about this move, is that Christmas is a big deal.

Merry Christmas!

Routine

There is no routine for me as of yet.  Wait, I take that back.  I leave at 8am every morning to take the kids to school, then head back in the afternoon at 3pm.  It's not cutting it folks.

We've been in this house for four months now and I don't have a routine.  If you know me, I thrive on it.  I love predictability.  I love that I can wake up and know what I have to do, because that thing always gets done on that day of the week.  Are you with me?  But for four months, I've been humming along, doing things only as I see they need doing.  Call it a reactive mindset, rather than a proactive one.

For instance, I do the laundry when it looks like it's piling up too high.  The house gets cleaned when the gunk on the sink starts to grow fuzz (kidding!), and the grocery shopping happens when the milk has run low.  This isn't like me AT ALL.

So, I resolve, come January that my life is going to get back to routine.  A list of some sort may help me get it going.  A load of laundry a day, to keep it under control.  Grocery shopping and meals planned n advance.  House cleaned weekly so that no fuzz may inhabit our abode.  Everyone will be pleased, most of all me!

Maybe blog updates deserve their own place in this routine....

Thing 24

The greatest city in the world is right outside our door.  The last three weekends we've made trips into said city.  Does it get any better?

Today we met up with dear friends from Canada, and had lunch in Little Italy; a new place to explore for us.  We are SOOO going back for a return trip (or two or three...).  Great food, atmosphere to beat the band and steps away from SOHO and Canal St.

Thing 24 I love about this move is our proximity to NYC.  Years could be spent exploring this city, and you still might not scratch the surface.  Unending possibilities- that's the best part.

Come explore with us!  We love sharing this fabulous city with others.

It's gone!

For the past two and half months, our yard has looked like this:

Yep.  One hurricane and one freak snowstorm will tend to do serious damage to one's trees.  This pile bears proof of that.  The town was supposed to come and pick this up.  We waited.  Then we waited some more.  The town's contribution?  Coming by to place the cones in front of the fallen tree, so that drivers would be aware of the hazard.  I'll refrain from commenting about our ridiculously high taxes, and how that in itself should be enough to get this pile removed.

Enter professional tree guys.  Granted, they're all VERY busy around here with all the limbs littering sidewalks and yards.  A few extra phone calls of a the begging sort, proved helpful.  They showed up yesterday afternoon and this lady began to leap for joy.

Ninety minutes of chipping is all it took.  Another hour to prune and then they cleaned up.  Did you catch that?  They CLEANED UP THE MESS.  The leaves alone in this pile would have covered Texas.    They sucked up every last one and left my curb in perfect order.  And would you believe there was a lawn under that pile?

Here's what we woke up to this morning:

I'm pretty sure I heard the neighbors singing Alleluia.  We joined in with them.
Happy 1st of December!

Thing 23

Just a bit ago, I was looking out my front window watching my children play soccer in the front yard with our neighbor's kids.  Five kids in all, and everyone was involved.  From ages six to ten, they all managed to find a spot on the field and do their part to contribute to the game.  I love this!

They've figured out how to play together, boys and girls, siblings and friends- without any coaxing from us adults.  These kids are unique in that they find treasure in being outside, more than being in.  On a day like today, in late November, with temperatures hovering around 60, they're relishing every minute of outdoor time.

Childhood disappears in the blink of an eye, and the thing I love about this move, is that my kids are basking in their youth with simple games of soccer, exploring the creek, and games of chase.  They bounce from house to house, playing happily for hours on end, until one of us has to make a call saying "send them home!".  It's a good problem to have.

Here's to many more years of cheering from the sidelines- Go kids!

Thing 22

This post is long overdue, but I was waiting for the right time, and after this morning's event, I'm ready.

Thing 22 I love about this move is the kid's school.  That's right, I LOVE their school.  Even better, is that THEY love their school.  It wasn't coincidence either.  We looked at several schools out here, weighed the pros and cons of each, then we prayed about it.  Where we ended up is where God led us; this beautiful small campus (100 families K-12),  that takes a Christian education and combines it with a classical curriculum.

The better part of my morning was spent helping Charlie's 5th grade class make a New Jersey cake.  They've been studying the counties of New Jersey and today was the celebration.  Each child brought in a plain white cake, and then proceeded to cut out the shape of a county.  These counties were then assembled on plexiglass, forming the state.  Decorating the cake was the best part, as it had to include something "famous" in that county, forcing the kids to create with candy and goodies.  You'd be impressed with their ingenuity.

This was right up Charlie's alley- he's a cartographer already, at the young age of 10.  Seeing him in his element, enjoying the time with his classmates, brought pure joy to my heart.  It didn't hurt that the process involved plenty of sugar!

                                            The blank canvas, soon to be an edible New Jersey.

                                                          Can you say "sugar high"???

                                                            Charlie's addition to the map

                                                     It's almost done...

                                                     Ta-da!  Aren't they amazing artists?

If you've ever moved with children, you can appreciate how important it is to see your kids adjust and thrive in their new environment.  Somehow, we skipped over any "adjustment period".  Our kids seamlessly entered this place, as if they'd always been there.  That's not by chance, or luck.  It's what God does when you obey- he blesses you!

Here are a few other things I LOVE about our school (and the students)

- It's small; Charlie has 13 kids in his class, Audrey has 11.
- It's close to our house (ok, so we planned it that way, but still...)
- Uniforms!
- They expect the children to respect authority- and they do!
- The teenage boys are quick to open doors when they see me approaching- I really really love this.      
- Latin in 3rd- 8th grades.
- The way they keep my kids challenged and enthused about learning.

In short, our school is the perfect fit for our family.