Hybrid Homeschooling

Gracie goes to this really amazing school. It is a charter school that is run by the school district, so it is a public school, but has that private school feel to it.

The school has two programs, well three actually.  The third being a full time homeschooling program where the student does not participate in a classroom. The other two programs are homeschool/classroom hybrids. The first program they offer is called Classical Minds. The kids in this program attend class on Mondays and Tuesdays and homeschool on Wed, Thurs, and Fridays.  The second program, the one we chose, is Montessori and meets in the classroom on Wed, Thurs, Friday and homeschooling is on Mondays and Tuesdays.

So, Gracie is in the first grade and goes to school three days per week. She has homeschool when she's home. Homeschool work is no different than homework. In fact, if she went to a five-day school, she would still have this much homework.

At home, she does Language Arts, Math, Handwriting, Spelling and a monthly project. It seems like a lot of worksheets to do, but she's managing to get them all done, so I guess it isn't so bad. It was overwhelming at first though. I got her a storage clipboard and I load it with a few worksheets at a time. She can take her clipboard with her in the van, or wherever we go, and work on her papers. I take out her finished work and put in fresh worksheets as the time goes by.

Last month her monthly project was a poster "All About Me" and this month her project is a history report. Upcoming monthly projects include a science fair project, art history, and a healthy recipe. They vary quite a bit, and you can put a lot into the project or a little. It can be tailored to the work level of the student too. I love how you can make it your own.

She also has to do two hours of online work each week. She spends one hour (all at once or a little at a time) on reading and an hour on math. The school provides the website information and keeps track of her progress. All I have to do is keep her on task. I'll admit, that's not always easy.

The only other thing we have to do for homeschooling is 100 minutes per week of physical activity. Per week, that's super easy!

In the classroom, she works on a lot of the same things plus she has music, art, French, science, history, and I'm not sure what else. She plays games, stands in line, socializes, and learns. They do all the traditional classroom stuff: say the pledge, calendar, weather, recess, lunch, wait for the bell...  They also have a behavior color coded chart. This is a hard one, she has to remember to stop talking! Some things are very hard to learn.

I'm so happy that Gracie is in a Montessori school. It emphasizes hands on learning and student lead learning, which basically means every kid can work at their own pace. No waiting for classmates to catch up and no holding others back while trying to catch up. The kids are very sweet about working at different levels and not making a big deal about it. Gracie is super competitive at home, so I figured this style of teaching might either work or be an epic fail. So far, pretty good. She's saving the competition for home I guess.

One of the best things about Montessori, and I don't know if they do this in the other program or any other program, but I love it: the classrooms are mixed grade levels. They have "Lower Elementary" which are classrooms mixed with kids grade 1, 2 and 3. And "Upper Elementary" which are grades 4, 5, and 6. Gracie is always surrounded by smaller kids, and in school she finally gets to experience being social with kids her own age and kids older than her. The older ones help the younger ones and I'm sure Gracie is learning more than just the curriculum with this experience. Plus, she's not the tallest kid in her class. She might be one of the youngest, but when you see the kids all lined up, there are a few that are taller than her and she doesn't stand out one bit from the other kids. She blends right in. I think the older kids also motivate her to learn more too. I don't know what it is like for the oldest kids in class, but I sure do like having her in class with some older kids.

The classroom doesn't have rows of desks. They have a couple of group tables, but mostly the kids work in small groups or pairs on the floor. They have little rugs that they lay out and work there, or on the big rug in the center of the room. Looks so casual and laid-back.

Another amazing thing her school does is they communicate! I know, that sounds like it should be a normal thing that all schools do, but no. Not true. Gracie is my third kid, I've been through the whole "oh, I assumed school and parents would communicate effectively" thing before. I'm always wrong about it. But this school, they really do communicate and they seem to enjoy it! One of the best tools we have is the syllabus. Yup, a first grade syllabus for the entire year. There is a curriculum map and a project outline complete with expectations, project details and due dates. All the way to the end of the school year. Guess how much this helps a mama plan? I love this!

The knowing ahead of time thing works so well, because you never know when inspiration for an assignment might strike. Gracie was inspired to learn about a piece of art, now half of her May monthly project is done. If we hadn't known about the assignment, we wouldn't have known which way to guide her learning about this piece of artwork and to save pictures and resources.  I am loving the communication!

Since we only have to send her to school three days a week, we have two weekdays to play! We try to do the homeschool work on the weekends so that we have Mondays and Tuesdays to run around and have fun. I prefer to go places during the week to avoid the weekend crowds and traffic. Plus, weekends are "Daddy time" and I like the kids to be home when he is so that they can get all of his extra time that they can. He works a lot, so we might as well go on our outings while he is at work rather than when he's home.

We go all kinds of places. Museums, parks, Seaworld, the zoo, beach, shopping, playdates, just anywhere and everywhere. Gracie usually brings her clipboard and gets a little bit done on the go. Three days of school: four days of fun! Love that class to homeschool ratio!

Poop Covered Psycho

Three adults in this house and we all have colds, the three kids are just fine: energetic, playful, hungry, etc. 

Ten minutes before time to leave and pick up Gracie from school, Lexie was fast asleep on the recliner and since she feels the worst of any of us, I decided to let her sleep and I would take Charlie with me on my mom-taxi run. He was only wearing a diaper though, so I had to first find him something to wear. I grabbed a clean shirt and pair of shorts from the dryer and chased him down. 

He just finished lunch (which was why he was naked, who eats with clothes on?) and he was covered in gooey macaroni and cheese residue. He had it on his face, neck, arms, chest and belly.

I reached for him to clean his face and in doing so, I twirled him around to brace him against my legs and get a good firm hold on him while wiping him down with baby wipes. I yanked his fresh shirt over his head in the process. After twirling him around and clenching his little body with my legs, I realize he stinks. Oh, Lordy, he stunk!  I finished wiping his face in a couple of swoops and then stepped back only to find that his diaper wasn't holding it all in. 

I got poop all over my capri jeans, legs and a dollop landed on my foot. It was on his shirt, so that had to come off already too. I then realize he has it on his hands which he is using to hold onto my arms, which are now also slimed with fecal butter. So I scream at Lexie to wake up and charlie gets away. This makes me scream louder, like a poop covered psycho. In an instant he is standing on the bathroom counter and trying to wash himself in the sink with soap and toothbrushes crashing to the floor. Now I'm ramped up and start screaming at the little poop monster and Lexie finally comes to. 

Poop covered Grandma and poop covered toddler, both yelling at the tops of their lungs to Lexie for help. She's in a sleepy haze and the clock is ticking. Gotta go get Gracie from school!

I threw a towel on the floor and laid Charlie on it with instructions to STAY, and let Lexie clean him up, then I ran upstairs and cleaned myself up. 

I managed to calm down and pick up Gracie on time and without any leftover poop or mac & cheese smears on me. What a crazy ten minutes! Remind me to buy bigger diapers next time.

Live Blog - My thoughts as the candidates debate

I don't know who I'm going to vote for. No idea, and this is because I do not feel like either Romney nor Obama are the right guy for the job. I'm tempted to vote for Rosanne Barr. 

1st Question was from Jeremy and he is asking the same thing I want to know: Are college graduates going to get good jobs after graduation?  Romney was all positive and smiling, but didn't say anything concrete. Obama says he wants everyone to get a great education, and control energy so we can build more roads, bridges and schools.  I'm not hearing anything about how they are going to create decent jobs. I graduated with a BS in 2009 and haven't once felt like there will be a job out there for me. I'm going to have to beg for employment and probably end up underemployed. College is more expensive and classes are harder to get into, kids are wasting a year or two of their adult lives just trying to accomplish that freshman year of college. And there aren't any jobs for graduates, very few anyway. I'm not seeing either one of these guys offering a resolution. I'm not going to build bridges with my Literature degree.

2nd question. Who is this guy and why is he mumbling? I have no idea what he asked.  Obama is babbling about oil again. I just want to fill up at the gas tank and pay my winter heat bill without declaring bankruptcy. Holy cow it's expensive!  Romney, what's he saying? North Dakota? What? Oh, now he wants to be energy independent in 8 years. And he's talking about a pipeline, creating jobs. I think he thinks middle class America are all construction workers. Obama is talking again, with his back to the camera, and poking holes in Romney's love of coal. haha. And he's touting that America's energy production is up and cars are more efficient. Guess he doesn't know that I'm paying more for gas in the same vehicle I owned when he was elected.

Libby needs a crayon.  Obama and Romney, discuss without me for a minute.

Question #3. I think. Mary someone. What's she saying? Education credits? I missed most of her question because I am trying to admire Libby's drawing. Romney says part one is that he knows expenses are up. Oh good, he does know what's going on in America. Good. Middle income people are going to get a tax break? Lovely.  No tax on your savings. Whoopdy doo. People are living month to month, great, just when I thought he had a grasp on how America is living, he lets me know that he doesn't. People aren't saving, they aren't making any money on their interest that they are getting on the little they can save. Really?

My kids are now fighting over a piece of paper. Gotta referee!

Obama is saying the economy is going to grow with the tax credits he gives for sending your kid to college. Hey, buddy, people can't afford to send their kids to college. Not when we can barely afford to fill our gas tanks and it is taking a college freshman 4 semesters to get into 12 credits worth of classes. Nothing helpful here.

Jackwagons!  Tell me something that will put a smile on my face and  give me some hope!

Obama, "The math doesn't add up".  Yeah, I agree. And that goes for both of you.  Once again, I'm distracted by my loud children. Yes, Gracie, do your math! And make sure it adds up correctly!

Next Question from Katherine. Why on earth can't I ever hear a question? My husband just walked by and I missed the question. The kids are arguing again. One of them doesn't want to do her homework, she'd much rather pester her sister.

Obama says, and this is completely out of context since I'm only half paying attention, "cut out the middle man".  Oh, man, that's what Walt is doing in Breaking Bad. Keith and I have been watching an episode or two every night. We're totally addicted! (catch that pun? heh heh).

Oh, yeah, debate... Romney is talking. He says he needs family friendly employers who will be anxious to hire women. And his flex time will allow women to run home from work to make dinner on time!  HAHAHAHAHAAAA!  Oh, this guy cracks me up!

Had to take a short break and wipe a butt. My 4 yr old just peed on her shoe this is a major crisis! No worries, I am the mom and I know exactly what to do to make it right. Bet Romney and Obama would both be stumped.

I also had to explain the proper use of a comma to my 1st grader. Fish eat spiders, worms, and flies.  Yes, that is a correct use of commas. Ducks, geese, and squirrels, also visit ponds. Incorrect. I think there are college graduates who could not decide if these sentences are correct or not. 

Where are we with this debate now?

Romney is saying if we elect Obama we are going to get a repeat of the last four  years. Well, that is true. And the last four years have been harsh economically.

Oh, immigration talk. I missed more of the comments in the debate because we were discussing more proper uses of the comma.  This is about as devoted to tv as I can get.

Back to the tv, "We can fix this system". No clue what he is talking about, not that it matters, there are so many systems that need fixing!

Still on  immigration. My kid needs to get her homework done, and I'm keeping her on task. I still don't know  who I'm going to vote for.

I've declared that the kid is done with her homework. I just checked facebook and one of my friends wrote, "I think the Presidential debates could be greatly improved if the moderators were permitted to shoot the candidates with a squirt gun when they speak out of turn, ignore the moderator, and disregard the time limits. It works for ending misbehavior in naughty cats. Just an idea."  Oh, that'd be a great idea! 

Now, where are we?  Guns? Yes, I'm all for guns. We should shoot bad guys. 


What the hell? My husband just sent the kids in here to tickle my feet!  I HATE that! They wouldn't stop until I went psycho. They want me to bake brownies. No way am I going to be persuaded to bake brownies on a hot night when the kids are torturing me and he's encouraging them to be naughty! Ugh. I'm trying to watch the debate. 

How are we supposed to teach our children not to bully each other when the presidential candidates take every opportunity to bully each other and the moderator too. Can't they debate without everyone wondering if it would end in a fist fight? Adults, leaders, and they need to act like it.

Are they talking about education? or guns? I'm lost. I think I'm going to give up and vote for Roseanne Barr. That's it. She wins my vote.

Monster Blankie

I made two "Monster Blankies". I saw the cutest panel for a baby quilt at the quilt fabric shop in old town and I just had to have it!

The panel already has a quilt printed on it, this promised to be easy-peezy! The preprinted blocks were the alphabet letters in monster style. Cute baby pastel colored monster letters! Too adorable to leave in the store! They only had two yards left and none in the bright colors meant for a boy quilt. I went home with the remaining monsters.  I had to pair it with something for the back and I thought something soft and snuggly would be best. Off to Hobby Lobby  for something soft. I found a  hot pink with white polka dot minky. It feels so soft it makes me want to snuggle!  They didn't have any satin blanket binding that matched, so we went to Joann Fabrics.  They didn't have it either.  Walmart, and our last hope, they had hot pink! Score! Grabbed all they had (3 packages, hope that's enough).

I put some batting in between and the little monster blanket was nice and cushiony soft. The edges of the panel were printed right up to the edges of the fabric, which made adding the binding a little tricky. I had to fold the binding all in half and iron it so that it became 1" rather than 2" binding. That's a lot of ironing.

I quilted all around each monster block to hold the layers together. That was fun because I spent so much time looking at each adorable monster. I really enjoyed this fabric!  Then I added the satin binding. I really do not know what I'm doing exactly, and it shows in the corners. Binding is the hardest part and so many people make it look so easy. Someday I will master this, but for now I just have to hope the babies who receive these blankets don't look at the corners too closely.

One blanket is for Gracie's teacher. She is having a baby girl in November and I think monsters and hot pink polka dots are going to fit her style just fine. She has a fun personality.  The other blanket will be for Katie if she has a girl, or for the neighbor across the street who is also having a girl. If Katie is having a baby girl (we find out soon) then I'll make another blanket for the neighbor, but I don't know if the store has more monster fabric or not. I should go back and find out. I am waiting to hear if Katie is having a girl or boy. Maybe the store will have the bright boy panel, and maybe I'll need that one. I'm dying to find out! In the meantime, I have one girl blanket ready for the neighbor or Katie.

Minky fabric isn't cheap and neither was the monster fabric. I wish sewing was a good way to save money, surprisingly, it isn't. But, I love doing it!

I am so happy that I made this blanket for Gracie's teacher, Ms. Andria. I could tell by the look on her face that she loved it. Hope her little baby does too.

Trying to Name the Baby

I had all four kids at my house the other day, and we all sat down with a paper and pen and determination to name Katie's baby.

Katie is halfway through this pregnancy and she'll soon find out if she's having a girl or a boy. She said they've already chosen a name for a girl, but they haven't selected one for a boy yet. And, they are waiting to discuss the matter until after they discover the gender. For their discussion and selection purposes, the kids and I made a boy name list. Just in case...

I hope they have an easier time choosing a name than my husband and I did. We had rules. Lots of rules. Very strict rules. I refrained from imposing my rules on the kids' list. These were their suggestions!

The kids involved in this suggestion process are:  Gracie, age 6.5 and in the first grade. She can read and write so she was the secretary for the meeting.  Libby, just turned 4 yrs old but has the wit of a middle schooler.  Charlie, age 2, terrible two. He's loud and knows how to voice his opinions.  Henry, or Hank, age 16 months. Hank is the big brother of this nameless baby so he has a special interest in providing a high quality entry on the list.

The kids were naming names faster than Gracie could write them, and each child added at least one name to the list.  The list, in no particular order:

(oh how I wish I would have taken a picture of the actual list)

1.  Thomas
       Gracie thought of this one. She insists that the baby should be named Thomas because it's cute and easy to say and she just likes it. I like it too; Thomas was our boy name for each of the girls but we never had a chance to use the name.

2.  Choo-Choo
     Henry's contribution to the baby name list.  Every time someone said "Thomas" Henry followed it up with "Choo-Choo".  Therefore, Choo-Choo made the list right behind Thomas.

3. Chicken Nugget.
      Libby's idea. Seems that the easy to heat and serve something the kids will eat type of dinner is also a baby boy name. Might even be fitting. Actually, I like the name for the fetus stage, but I'm not sure if Katie and Andrew will send this one to the top of their list. We'll see.

4.  Dolly
     Now, what's wrong with a boy named "Dolly"?  He might be adorable!  Libby thinks Dolly is a good name for any cute baby, boy or girl. Dolly makes the list.

5.  Fergus
    Gracie suggested this fine manly name for a little baby boy. Fergus is the King and father of the very popular red-headed Scottish princess in the movie "Brave" that the girls are all obsessed with this season.

6. Charlie
     Guess whose idea this name was? Yup! Charlie came up with this one. It's a good name and he likes it! He pronounces it "Chaw- Wee".

7. George
   My only contribution to the list. I was trying to steer Libby to suggesting more traditional boy names and gave "George" as an example.  Since it's the name of a cute little monkey, Charlie and Henry cheered for it, so it's on the list and now I can say I thought of one too.

There you go, kids, a great list of boy names for your new baby, should you need a list of boy names.  Hopefully you will find out soon so that you can choose a name for that little chicken nugget. In the meantime, the kids have come together and provided this list of their favorite names for you to think about. Ponder.

Fine Art at Sea World

We took a little trip to Sea World the other day; it was just us girls having some fun.  The main purpose of our outing was to get out of the heat!  It was 108 degrees at home. We could stay home and run the expensive air conditioner in the house, or we could "save energy" by filling up the gastank and driving to San Diego. As long as our comfort was going to cost us one way or another, we opted for fun. It was 76 degrees when we got to Sea World. What an amazing difference!

Since it was a homeschool day, it doubled as an educational field trip. Yup. 

Little did I realize just how great of an educational experience it would be! The kids are always learning things at Sea World; it really is a great place to educate in a fun way. 

We attended one show and it's one we haven't been to before. We usually like to see the Shamu show and the dolphin show, and then the kids are done with shows. This time we went to the sea lion and otter show, which was Halloween themed for the season.

The set was a haunted castle, and the animal actors put on quite a show! It was adorable and the kids were completely engaged in the antics of the sea lions and otters. I loved it too!

One thing that caught Gracie's eye was the painting on the set. She was pointing and pointing until I finally caught on to what she was talking about. With lots of excitement she was telling me that she's seen that painting before on a show on Tv called "Little Einsteins".  This show is a kid show on the Disney channel and they feature famous art and music, so no doubt this painting is a replica of something famous and here I am, clueless.

"Mom, what is that painting? Mom, who painted it? Mom! Mom! Mom! What is that painting called? Why are the lion and the unicorn having tea with that lady? Mom! Mom?"  Seriously, kid, watch the otter. She would not settle down until I promised that we would look it up online when we got home. Whew!

The next day...

I googled and googled trying to find information about this painting and couldn't find it. I'm obviously not much of an art googler. So, I sent an email to Sea World asking about it. So far, no response from them yet, but I'm hopeful that they'll reply.

In the meantime, and with some help from my facebook friends, I did find information about this painting. It is actually a tapestry in a series of six famous tapestries from the early 1500s. The lady is Mary Tudor, who was Queen of France in 1515 for a short period of time.  The lion represents her brother, Henry VIII and the unicorn is her husband (they are secretly married), Charles Brandon the Duke of Suffolk.  I believe Mary Tudor is the White Queen.

I was nearly brought down to the floor in a laughing fit when I read that the unicorn represented the husband. Phallic symbolism? And a lion for a brother, growling man eating big cat. That's hilarious!  I opted not to point this out to my six year old. The lady is married to a beautiful magical creature, and her brother is a lion; that is all.

We discussed how this piece of art is not a painting, but a tapestry. What is that?  It's made of cloth, sort of like a blanket that hangs on the wall. When I explained it, my little girl's eyes lit up and she made a connection to the new Disney movie, "Brave".  She's got it!

She also was excited to learn that the lady was the Queen of France. For some reason, she loves France and anything French. Her dream is to go to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower. She also enjoys French language lessons in school. Can you believe she's only six? What was I interested in when I was six? Dolls, red shoes, and picking dandelions.

This artwork has so many of her favorite things! Royalty, magical unicorn, France, a Disney connection too. How cool is this!

She goes to this fabulous school and is in a Montessori/Homeschool hybrid program. Her awesome teacher gave us a syllabus for the entire year before school started. Since we know what is expected of her, we know that she has an art history project due at the end of May. It's only October, but since she recognized this piece of art and it is part of a fun a Sea World show too, it's sticking in her brain. She wanted to know more about it and in doing that, she's got a good head start on her art project. I think we'll just go with it and do the art project early and keep it until May. Why not! For the project, she will not only have to explain the artwork, but make a replica of the piece. She drew it already and told me how she could make it out of fabric and glue. We're on a roll! May is always such a busy time of year, it'll be nice to get this project done and have it waiting in the wings.

Who knew an afternoon at Sea World would turn into such a great art history lesson!

*Update:  Seaworld responded to our email! There wasn't any pertinant information about the artwork that we didn't find already, but it was great to know that they researched Gracie's question and responded with an informative and thoughtful answer. This is the response:

Ms. Schumacher and Gracie,

      Thank you for your interest in Clyde & Seamore’s Spooky Adventure and Shamu at SeaWorld San Diego. The set of the Spooky Adventure show is a recreation of the original set from the show Spooky Kooky Castle that Clyde and Seamore performed in back in the 70’s and 80’s. The tapestry is a recreation of the one that appeared on that set and is called The Lady and the Unicorn. It’s a recreation of a French tapestry from the late 15^th century. As far as Shamu’s birthday, SeaWorld has never celebrated one official day as Shamu’s actual birthday. Thank you again for your interest in SeaWorld and we hope you plan to visit us again soon.

Ernie Scott  | Entertainment Creative & Performance Manager 500 SeaWorld Drive  |  San Diego  |  CA 92109 Direct: (619) 225-4281 |  Fax: (619) 226-3660

 


Thanks, Mr. Scott, we do plan to visit again soon. :)

The Big Blue House and our Questionable Future

We moved to California in August 2003 into the same house where we live now. We've been here for nine years! That's the longest I have ever lived in the same house in my entire life! While living here, we raised two teenage girls, had two more baby girls, hosted two exchange students, had two baby grandsons, and I got my Bachelor's degree. It's been great!

For years now we've been looking for a bigger better newer house that would better suit our large family. This search has been difficult and we only found one home that really fit the bill and our budget at the same time. We were totally in love with that house, still are, but right at the last minute before funding, the sellers backed out and we didn't get the house.  We haven't seen another one like it, so the search to improve continued but without much enthusiasm.

Earlier this summer, my husband was having coffee and checking things on his computer, just a sleepy summer morning around here. Suddenly, he was yelling for me to come quick so I ran out to see what was the matter and he showed me what he found online.

Our house was for sale.

Not the dream house here, but the dream house we built in South Dakota. The house we lived in before we moved here. The very same house! Our house!

Karma? Fate? God, is that you?

We decided to call the realtor and just inquire, find out what the story is, get the scoop, have a friendly chat. That phone call quickly turned into an offer. The realtor thought our interest in buying our old house back was pretty cool! She was a little surprised at first to have a guy from California on the phone who knew so much about the house and didn't need to see it to put in a firm offer. There was already an offer on the house and another offer came in after ours. Three total.  We were put into a wait-and-see mode, typical house buying game.

After being on the market for two whole days, the sellers considered the offers and accepted ours!

While on vacation, we stopped to see our new old house. The front door still had the knocker on it engraved with our name. Whoa! We met with the realtor and a friend and had a tour. The memories were good inside of those walls and it really felt like home. The people who bought it from us, and now selling it to us, finished the basement very nicely. They also added a back deck and finished the landscaping. In fact, they made all the home improvements in the same way we envisioned before we sold the house. Mind readers! How great is that!

Click here for photos and information about the house from nine years ago when we moved out.
Click here for photos from this past summer when we went to see the house.

We jumped through all of the lending and funding hoops, and closed the loan. The property is now ours again. Now what? Jobs?

We will need jobs! Keith has a pretty good shot at becoming employed at his previous school, but nothing is concrete right now. Plus, he has his job here. Keith is teaching here and teachers do not simply give a 2 week notice and move on. Job offers and contracts usually come out in Feb/March, which means job openings are posted in March/April; we won't know until spring if Keith can get a contract to teach at the school there (if there is a position available). I will have to work full time to live there, which means I need a resume and start a new career search.

We can keep ownership of the house as an investment or we can move into it. The decision  has not been made yet and won't be made until we have a teaching contract signed for either a California job or a South Dakota job next spring.

My guess is that his old school will make him an offer of some sort; I hope it is reasonable. If so, I imagine that we will move in June after the school year ends. Like I said, that is tentative until contracts come out. Such is the life of a teacher.

We don't want to give the impression that we think a teaching job will just be handed to us like we're entitled or something. We are realistic and we know the risk. But, we wanted to buy our house back just in case it does work out. We also do not want the house purchase to serve as a termination notice to his current employer. We don't want to count our chickens before they hatch, but it is nice to be sitting on a nest. We'll just enjoy keeping the eggs warm for a while and see what happens. Either way, we have a home to live in and an investment home. Win-win.

If we do move back home, it will be pretty cool to have our littlest girls living in the same house that we built before they were born. Their big sisters lived there and the little ones will go to the same school that their older sisters attended. Some of the same teachers are still there! We will live closer to family and we have lots of good friends there already. We will miss California, but we'll always have our friends here and a fabulous vacation destination! I will have to learn to drive in the snow again, yuck. Oh well, can't win 'em all.

In the meantime, we are done with our house search! We own a nice house in California where life is good and we own a nice house in South Dakota where life is good. We are very blessed!

I'll update you in March or April and let you know where we will be living and working.