Things I think about when having to drive for an hour and a half on Saturday

Today was the day I take my oldest L to her grandmother's house so she can visit her father.  Not my favorite thing to do.  Even though she is sometimes difficult I would rather have her home screaming at me than somewhere else, but I digress.  Today I was thinking about where I am at in life and why I am where I am. 

Woah.  Deep thought considering I have had way too little sleep, and would be quite content going back to bed right now.  I am not the best at expressing my emotions, especially to my husband.  I have reasons, most of which stem from my poor decisions regarding who I shared my heart with earlier in my life and nothing to do with him. 

I have been thinking a lot about fitness and how I sabotage myself a lot and don't do what I know I should do.  See, I have gained twenty pounds since my lowest weigh-in, and I am not really happy about this.  This past couple of weeks I have been pushing myself to get back into a groove that will help me get out of this funk.  Little l is finally old enough that she will let me exercise and I won't have to run all over making sure she is okay, so I have been able to exercise during the day when I normally wouldn't have been able to.  She is not napping, so nap time is a thing of the past in our home. 

Overall though, even with the gain, I am still healthier than I have been in a long time, maybe even ever.  I truly don't feel I would be where I am without my husband.  Not because he makes me exercise or was disappointed in me when I was not fit, neither of which are true; but, because my husband makes me aspire to be a better and more fit person.  He represents for me, things I want to be and things I know I can be. I never had the motivation to be these things before. I can only hope that I somehow inspire him to be a better person in some way as well.

This is what I was thinking about this morning, because I was thinking and hoping that when my children start looking for a mate to share their life with, that they too will be smart about who they choose and will pick someone who not only causes them to be a better person, but who is a better person for being with my daughter.  It only took me until my thirties to realize that this is how you should truly choose a life mate, but I did, and I am grateful today for my husband, who I love more than I am able to express most days. In the meantime, I will work on expressing my feelings a little more, but maybe not today......

A place to sit and ponder....

 With the terrible two has come a large use of the time out chair.  We were using a table chair, but that sends a bit of a mixed message when you sit down to eat dinner.  So IKEA also provided me a cheap chair.  I decided to decorate it! 

I also decided to call it the family's time out spot, because amazingly the older L has been going to time out lately too.  Plus, I wanted the ability to sit there myself when I need a moment to pause before reacting, or when I just need a break.  

 Love, hope and patience are what we hope will grow as we sit. 

 I made it very colorful.  It is a punishment in a way, but I want them to think of it more as a place to think and calm down, not sit and scream because they don't want to be there. 

And so, I put, where I sit and ponder how my words and actions effect the ones I love, and those who love me, most.  So far they like it and it is being used....frequently. 

Busy/yet rough week

I have accomplished a lot this week.  I will have lots to blog about next week, but I have not had the time or ability to focus at all this week. 

Sometimes you have weeks like this.  There was a time when I would have beat myself up and berated myself in my mind for not doing enough, not being a perfect mother. 

The truth though is that I am a good mother, I do A LOT for my kids, as mothers should.  Last weekend was big L's dance recital.  She was wonderful and beautiful and has improved from last year.  Unfortunately, the Friday before she had to stay home sick from school.  She still has a lingering cough, but she was up on that stage enjoying herself on Sunday.  Then Tuesday afternoon little l got sick.  So hard for the itty bitty ones to be sick.  She cries out in her sleep at night when she coughs.  Of course, I followed suit and am sick, because I can't help but snuggle with my children.  The hubby came down with it yesterday afternoon.  It has been a rough week health wise. 

The fact is, I still managed to do a lot to nourish my mind (figuratively speaking of that part of you that exists in your mind, the thoughts that need to be fed but aren't really describable).  I made allergy friendly chocolate chip cookies for the end of year party at big L's school, that according to one child are the best cookies ever!  (patting myself on the back now)  As I said, I have a lot to post about, but merging pictures and words is a bit much for me right now. 

Instead I have been cleaning out the email box.  Taking surveys on next years Girl Scout cookie program; hard to believe my training will start in October.  Watching those things that you put aside to watch when you have time, but don't seem to find time for. 

This link will take you to a wonderful life story about a kid who was diagnosed with cancer at 14, died a few days ago at 18, and what he did with his life.  I think this weekend we will focus on taking care of ourselves and just spending time together being happy.  Because, really, that is how I know I am a good mom.  My kids like to do stuff with me, but they also like to just take time and snuggle up, maybe talk about something important to them, maybe just be near each other.  Watching what this kid did with his life makes me feel like the last half of this school year has left us sick and blah for a reason.  It is as if we were so busy going from one thing/place to another that we forgot to sit back, relax and enjoy what we were doing.  To enjoy each other when we could.  That ability was the point of me not working, and yet it seems to have fallen to the back burner these last few months, and honestly to have just been burnt beyond recognition. 

A break from school and activities is what we have for the summer, with the exception of little l's swim lesson, and big L's ceramics class which starts in June.  However, those are simple things that we can take the time to enjoy.  We don't have to feel rushed as summer is here, and it is too darn hot to move quickly anyway. 

I think that this weekend we will just spend time together, relax, and maybe listen to the album written by the kid who passed away.  Thankfully, my family is like me and we all need these down times to recharge and remember that what is important is the four of us. 

Father's Day

My husband has been asking me to make him handkerchiefs.  I just find the idea gross.  I like being able to throw my snot away.  He however, doesn't.  Being the good environmental steward I try to be I decided Father's Day would be a good day to provide him with this.  Of course, I forgot about it until the Monday before, so I was a bit rushed. 

I used an old pillowcase.  Soft, but fraying around the edges a bit.  Then I embroidered, which I don't do, an M in a different color on each one, so that he wouldn't use the same one for more than one day. 

The result:

I made seven, but he used some before I could get the picture.  Forgetful me.  I think they turned out pretty nice and I go to practice mitering a hem.


Fun times!

Crazy Mother-in-Laws: I am coming out!

Okay, I know everyone has a crazy mother-in-law story.  It is just a part of life.  We all grow up used to our own family's eccentricities (craziness) and learning to deal with other familial traditions (craziness) can be challenging. 

My mother-in-law is no exception.  The problem being that she has been picking at me for how I do things, do/don't treat her for months now.  No matter what I do or how far I bend over backwards to make her happy she is just not happy in my home.  No problem, she doesn't live with me, so she can just stay away.  But she can't.  Up until two weeks ago she would watch little l when I was at big L's school volunteering.  It was two hours during little l's nap time.  Easy peasy.  She would also watch her on Friday when I had girl scouts.  She would usually get to play with little l, as this has become a non-nap time period of the day (though it was for most of the year nap time).

The last time she took care of my little one she put her in the crib after changing her so she could deal with the diaper.  Totally unnecessary, but it was done.  Somehow she twisted her back, so my little one spent the next hour crying in her crib to get out (this is how I picture it in my mind).  Mind you she did not call to tell us that she was hurt or needed assistance of any kind.

All of this after she has stormed out on me a few times, and all in all tested my patience (as I am sure I test hers).  The real kicker though came last week when she told us she needed to unyoke herself from us.  It is basically my fault that she is making bad or ill-informed monetary/life choices lately, and this is all based on my religious beliefs.  If only I were a true believer her life would be going better right now.  I kid you not.

So here it is I am coming out.  I AM AN ATHEIST.  I have been for many a year now.  I am still an extremely moral and upstanding citizen, I simply choose not to have any form of god or religion in my life.  It is not like I came to this decision over night.  I was raised Methodist, my family is still religious, but I and my husband and daughters are not.  I have a religious studies degree.  I have tried on a lot of different religions and in the end none of them felt right or worked for me.  This is not to say that my children will not be exposed to religion, nor will I be angry if they decide that religion is something they need to make it through life.

I personally do much better without it, and truly have no need to pretend there is a higher power looking over me.  I am responsible for my life.  I make choices.  I live with consequences.  No amount of praying has every changed that. 

This is not to say that meditation does not help you focus your mind and achieve clarity in decision making.  Meditation is not religion.

As some other atheists have said (i badly paraphrase here), isn't it okay to to be a good person because you know it is right.  Because you feel that morally this is what you should or should not be doing, and not because some guy in the sky told you?

If you are religious I have no beef with you.  I only ask that you not push it on me or my children.  I ask that you respect my right to not believe as much as I respect your right to believe.  Perhaps someday instead of griping over whose religion is correct we can simply agree that there is one way we choose as a species to live because it is respectful and caring of one another.  Or maybe I am just dreaming.....

joy of children

l have been fairly absorbed with children of late. Friday was L's slumber party, followed by morning party with more friends. Sunday was her dance recital. then we decided to go for the first swim of the season. That doesn't even include little l who has started walking!

Step-dad love

My husband has been a part of our lives for about 2.5 years now.  I say our life, because big L and I had a life before him.  We had almost a year without her father before my husband came into our lives.  It was slow going at first.  Hard going at times.  Big L did not like men, and to this day still has some trepidation around grown men she does not know.  We have tried to provide her with positive male role models, and lots of love to help her trust again.

Apparently we have been successful, and I am relieved and happy about this.  A few weeks ago she decided it would be okay to admit that my husband is her step-dad.   This has taken a lot of work.  I told her when she started school, that it was okay if she didn't want to call him step-dad when talking to others, but that adults will naturally refer to him as such.  She would simply get mad when someone else said step-dad.  After her sister was born (we never call them half-sisters, just sisters), my husband became dad to little l, and big L has slowly become aware that she wants in on his fatherly love, not just his mom's husband who loves and takes care of me love.

She and her sister crawl over him like a jungle gym, they struggle to both fit in his lap for snuggle time, and even if she won't say it, and doesn't like to admit it, L and I both know that she truly loves her step-dad and feels safe and secure in the home he and I have created for her and her sister.

Take Saturday for instance.  I need more sleep than most.  Just something I need, so he lets me sleep in most weekend days.  He entertains both girls, gets them breakfast, and tries to keep them from screaming at the top of their lungs.  Usually when I do get up big L velcros herself to me and won't let go.  Today she would rather spend time outside with step-dad, exploring and watching him work on the yard.  I went out for a bit, but my eyes started itching and nose started running, so in I came. Allergies, ugh.  She stayed out for a bit.  I asked if she wanted to water our plants with him or me, and she said him.

The next big development is the Girl Scout father/daughter dance for our neighborhood.  I explained to L that she could go with whichever male family member she chose.  We discussed the options and she said that step-dad is more fun, and she would rather go with him, not her father.

Needless to say I am thrilled by this development.  I am so happy that she finally feels safe and secure and willing to share me and herself with others.  We must be doing something right!  However, after almost seven years of having L attached to me, there is a little sadness in the happiness. 

Half-Clean Clothes? A man's world.

I don't like to smell unpleasant things.  I don't know anyone who does, but I really don't like to find the smells unexpectedly in my home.  For the record, my husband thinks that I have an overly sensitive nose.  I don't think so.

As I was putting away laundry this morning, I noticed a scent in the closet, a non-pleasant scent.  I quickly tracked it down to one of my husbands shirts, which he obviously wore, but felt was clean enough to rehang in the closet.  I guess I should give him praise for hanging it, as I know others whose husbands have piles, but honestly, who wants that smell in the clean clothes area?

I have tried hard to get him to just put his clothes in the laundry, but he just has a different idea of dirty.   I personally can't seem to ever have an outfit I consider clean enough to re-wear.  The minute I get dressed I seem to end up with some form of kid goo on me.  I changed my shirt three days one day because I didn't want to go out covered in little l's lunch, and I still had cookie or dinner or some other unidentified substance on me.  I know my husband also has these things on him, so can someone tell me how his clothes are still clean enough to re-wear?

Maybe I am just being a bit weird and compulsive about this.......thoughts?

Learning to Communicate

When big L was this age, I was working, quite a bit.  More than I wanted to, but it was necessary.  I don't remember watching her learn to communicate the way I can with little l.

Little l is pointing, her way of saying, "what is that", or "i know what that is!".  Today for the first time she told me she wanted a nap.  Not normally something she volunteers for, but she laid down on the floor, wiggled around and cried until I laid her in the crib.

Babies are amazing.

Mother's Intuition-Asthma

Little l has been coughing.  I think since Sunday, but time is difficult for me. 

I know the cough, truly I do.  I get it, Big L gets it.  It is a particular kind of cough that I was hoping little l would not have, but there it is.  Being a panicky mother I took her to the doctor yesterday, and much to my dismay she confirmed what I thought.  Little l is pulling hard to breathe, and likely has asthma.  While I like to pretend this is not a big deal, and it is nothing we can't handle, it kind of is.  I can handle it no problem.  I can give her a normal life and make it so that she can do whatever she wants, no problem.  We have an excellent allergy, immunologist, asthma doctor that has been treating big L since she was nine months old.  All of that I can deal with. 

I just feel a little guilty at times that both of my children developed this and it is because of my genes.  Not something I can control, I know, but still, it is a big deal to me.

I also felt bad yesterday because I don't seem to trust myself.  I knew the cough for what it was the first night she had it.  I was just hoping it would go away.  I also doubted myself, thinking, well it is just a cold.  The same thing happened last week with big L.  She fell and had a very bad (read would not stop bleeding) scrape on her chin, plus scrapes on her shoulder and knees.  I didn't think she needed stitches, but couldn't stop second guessing myself, so I took her to urgent care. 

I realize it will take some time for me to trust my instincts after big L's father, but this is getting a little ridiculous!  Any ideas?

Gardening: First post baby's birth attempt

When I am pregnant, and after my child is born, is not the time for me to grow plants.  Any other time, I am good, or at least not bad.

L and I hit the garden center the other day and went crazy.

Flowers, flowers and flowers

That is a picture of strawberry and broccoli plants, intermingled with the sunflowers my husband was not supposed to plant.

Yes, I know there is a weed.  I thought, however, that I had killed my mint plant.  Yet look at that!  It is coming back!!  A nice little surprise.

This is all very exciting.  Big L is looking forward to eating her own strawberries, as she loved the last batch she grew.  Tomorrow I may show you what has moved onto my windowsill!

Little l's habit...

Little l has a bad habit.  She picks up everything and puts it in her mouth.  Every little crumb, every thing that we drop, pieces of the grout coming out of one of our tiles, you name it.  

I don't remember having this much of a problem with big L, and when she was an infant, I had dogs and all that comes with that experience.  

I don't know what to do about l's issue, I know she will eventually outgrow it, but it worries me that she will choke.  Yesterday I was chopping carrot for soup and dropped two little circles on the floor.  I immediately looked for them to pick them up.  Finding only one, I thought maybe I was wrong about dropping two.  Twenty minutes later, I noticed that l was chewing on something, only to find my missing carrot.  Thankfully she did not choke.  

Other than trying to be careful I am not sure what else I can do at this point to protect her.  She just seems to like chewing on things for long periods, and she will chew on whatever she finds.  Our house is not dirty, but I do have a six year old fond of leaving crumbs everywhere.  What does everyone else do?  

Purging, cleaning and reorganizing

We have lived in our home for about a year and a half now.  I love my house.  It works well for us, but after living in it for a year, I have begun to rethink how I have things laid out.  In my opinion we have way too much stuff.  Big L disagrees, but she doesn't miss things when I purge toys from her pile.

We have a room that was added on to our home and is not connected to our heating/a/c ducts.  This is the room we currently spend the most time in.  I think this is a bit silly.  In the summer I am hot, in the winter I am cold.  While I like that the TV is in this room, and that it is the only room with natural light yearly 'round and day long, I want to switch things up.

Thus begun the negotiations.  I can't do this myself.  There is a lot of heavy furniture that will have to be moved, so my hubby has to be on board to help me.  What I want to do is move all the toys/crafts etc, out of what we call the "sunroom", and into the great room of the house.  The great room is currently a sitting area/dining room.

Pluses to making this move include:
1.  The ability to regulate the temperature in the room we will be spending more time in/not having to use the wall A/C in the summer.
2.  The children's toys will not reside in the same room as the TV.  We have been watching less TV lately, but I think we could reduce the amount further.
3.  The children can play while I cook, and my run when someone screams will be MUCH shorter, plus I will be able to see them from the kitchen.
4.  We can eat in a room that has windows, watching the weather/sunset, etc.
5.  I think it will be a more efficient use of the space we have.

The minuses:
1.  It is going to be a pain to move all of this stuff.
2.  I have too many books, moving them is a pain, but it is unlikely I will get rid of many if any at all.
3.  We may have to use lighting more throughout the day as the center of the house is only light at certain times of day, and those times depend on the time of year.
4.  Big L may notice if I get rid of as many toys as I want.  Mind you she rarely plays with these toys and I consider most of them junky, but you know.....  Big L is bordering on being a hoarder.
5.  It won't be as easy to dump everything on the dining room table.  Wait, that is a plus!

This is my currently very messy dining area.  Can you believe we find room to eat here?

So we have begun the discussion.  My hubby has remeasured all furniture and rooms, put all the numbers in his computer, and we will be playing around with the furniture configuration for a little longer, then hopefully the change will happen.

Making it a good day....with sewing and baking.

Yesterday morning was very busy.  I had a doctor appointment, big L had a dental appointment, and we had to stop at Costco on the way home because I did not want to drive all the way out there again this week.  I did not expect it to be a productive day other than accomplishing the above mentioned tasks.

I did not receive good news from my doctor, so off to the ENT I go. Normally this would have put me into a spin an I would have used it as an excuse to relax for the day.  While I have a horrible headache that does not seem to end, and a cough/sore throat that have been around since October I can't justify just sitting any longer.

So I got productive.  This weekend I decided the pile of scraps waiting to be sewn together to make a rag rug, a la, Amanda Blake Soule and her book Handmade Home, would be sewn together.  They are not equal, but hey, I am sure it will all work out in the end.  Okay, I HOPE it will all work out!

That project will be going forward with the help of Big L, so it is on hold for a few weeks as her schedule does not give us time for awhile.

I was going to make diaper covers this weekend, but it just didn't work out.  Instead my hubby and and I cleaned out our closet (really cleaned, he even took the boxes to Goodwill already), and I made bread and muffins.

Yesterday afternoon I decided I was going to take the leap and make the diaper cover.  So I started.....and FINISHED!!!!  I am not the greatest seamstress.  I would say I am an advanced beginner, but I did okay for the first try, I think.

I know, my legs need the elastic stretched tighter.  Working with elastic is new to me, so it is taking some practice, a little cursing, and a good stern talking to (the elastic that is).

One thing I like about making my own is I can combine the aspects I like from both types of diaper covers we use.  Little l is a big soaker.  When I use a G diaper, which has the center snap in liner surrounded by a cloth cover, she soaks right through.  When I use a flip diaper it doesn't always catch everything on the diaper, and I can't always get it to fit snug against her.

Did I come up with this all on my own?  Heck no.  I happened across it at Joanne's before the holidays and planned on making them before the end of the year (HAH!).  It is a line called Babyville Boutique. I like it okay, and if you have a coupon it is quite affordable, or at least less than buying a pre-made cover.

To top it all off Big L requested we make the cookie recipe out of the cookbook I gave her for x-mas.  How could I say no?  So we have pretty heart shaped sugar cookies in our home as well.  Yesterday was a great day.  :-)

Sleepless in our home...

I will admit that I got to sleep in yesterday, though that little bit of catch up was not much help.  Little l is sick again, and I am exhausted and not feeling so good myself.

While I admire my husbands work ethic, sometimes I just want him to stay home and rest and help take care of us when we are sick.  Alas, I am off to nap, for the baby seems to be resting for longer than 20 minutes now, and I am sure she will be up and going soon.

Errands with Baby...

The last time little l and I went to Costco it was a nightmare.  She kept trying to stand up in the cart, fussed unless I was holding her, no small feat when trying to push a very heavy cart. I swore that was it, never again. However, today I had no choice, we needed costco items, and my babysitter is sick.  Today I timed it differently, I let her nap fed her lunch, then loaded her up and off we went.

She did well this time, thankfully, other than the crying on the way home because she was tired.

I don't know how other mom's handle this, but sometimes I don't have a choice.  I have to take little l. Not sure what I will do next time, because sometimes we have to go at a specific time, so that big L can go for allergy shots. When this happens little l misses a nap and is difficult. Perhaps I will try to remember my wrap and just wear her from now on.

I guess I have learned to never say never.

New Year, New Budget....

I have always struggled with money.  I am not a good money manager.  HORRIBLE!!

Last year we tried to just keep track of money monthly.  It did not work that well.  It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't great.

This year we are doing this a little differently.  Namely, we are going to talk about the budget a lot more.  Money will be tracked based on how we spend it.  Not whether or not we spent more than we made a month.  I am actually a little excited to see how much I can save on different categories.  Of course, I know that some categories will always be maxed out, but I am hoping to save in other areas.

Hopefully it works out well.  I think I mostly look forward to realistic conversations with my husband!  I am also thinking about using this to teach big L about money and budgeting. Her version will be smaller, but I think it is time for her to start learning about saving money to buy things you want.

A new school!!! Exciting!

Big L started her new school on Monday.  She came home so excited i was relieved!  I was a bit concerned that the switch from Montessori to public school would be a little bumpy, but so far so good!  I mean really good.  Her only complaint from yesterday was more of a statement than a complaint.  She informed me that she didn't get to pick her work, she had to do what the teacher had everyone doing.

She came home very excited because she made a lot of new friends, saw her girl scout friends and all in all had a good day.  She was so excited about the library, it is huge.  However, one of her favorite parts was the bus ride home.  It takes about 30 minutes for her to get here from school, even though we live a mile away, but she loved it!  Why?  She said she likes to be jostled about and not wearing a seatbelt.  hmph.  I loved it too, because;

Reason one:  I don't have to load the baby in the car, drive a mile to turn around and drive right back.

Reason two:  I don't have to deal with the zoo that is afternoon pick up at her school.  There are just a lot of parents trying to pick there kids up all at once, it is CRAZY!  Plus, the bus is a much more environmentally friendly method for pick up and drop off.  It is not one kid per car, there are quite a few kids on the bus.  My car's fuel economy suffers when I drive her to and from school.  Seriously, the hills here eat fuel quickly, so I am excited to see how much fuel I actually use (or don't use) with her riding the bus.

Reason three:  We get to walk to and from the bus stop together.  This may be my favorite part.  Monday, she talked non-stop about her day until we got home, this does not happen in the car.  I usually get the, "I don't know, I did nothing" today response.  While I will have to pick her up from the bus stop on Tuesday in the car, every other day we are walking.

Reason four:  After watching big L get on the bus and go in the morning, little l and I can go for our own walk.  I admittedly need to lose weight and get active again.  My health issues are screaming for exercise. This makes me get out there and do it.  No excuses.  Granted, I live in a very hilly neighborhood, so we are starting off slow and on the less steep roads, but I hope that in a month or so we will be climbing those hills.

Illness followed by illness

The past month has been a bit slow around here.  I have been sick off and on since October.  Big L got sick over winter break, shared it with her sister, who graciously shared it with mom and dad.  All in all, it has been a tiring month.  Add to that all of the holiday cheer and I have barely had time to rest let alone blog.

Thankfully little l is finally feeling better, and able to sleep through the night.  She was so congested my husband spent three or so nights sleeping upright with her.

Bronchitis is something we take very seriously in our home (not that you don't), as with two asthmatics it can quickly become a serious problem.  So our doctor had everyone except my husband on antibiotics (yes I know bronchitis is a virus, but the secondary infections are generally not).  Through all this we discovered little l's first allergy.  Penicillin.  A sick baby with hives is not a happy baby.  However, as I said we have all recovered, and started the new year, healthy (well most of us, hubby is still recovering), and happy with a lot of new exciting things to share.

Montessori

Since big L was three most of her schooling has been Montessori.  I like the Montessori method, and am generally pleased with how she is learning and growing.  However, this year her teacher is having personal issues.  Her school is not communicating with parents regarding what they are doing to find a teacher for her room.  To be honest, between this and the person who runs the school and feels it is acceptable to treat parents as if they are children who do not know any better, I have had it.

Her learning has stalled since October because there is no one challenging her in class.  She doesn't come home spouting off addition/multiplication problems she is so proud to have completed anymore.  Instead she tells me about how she taught this student this lesson and that student that lesson.  All of that is fine, it is Montessori, but it should not be the majority of her day, or at least the only memorable part of her day.

After many pained hours of thinking about what would benefit her more, we have decided to move her to the local public school.  We don't have bad schools where we live.  What I have noticed the most is that my girl scouts who go to the public school are progressing quicker than the girls going to the Montessori school (big L excluded: we "work" a lot at home on reading).

There are many plusses at the public school.  They have programs set up to work with children at whatever level they are currently at in learning.  They have computer labs, a real art room, a library, and other options we just can't get at a school with 150 children, K-8.

In the end, I think the change will be for the best, but sometimes I worry that she won't adjust to sitting at a desk.  She has so many friends at the public school I believe she will do fine.  Did I mention they have a nurse?  No more stressing about accidental ingestion of a food that could endanger her life.

Starting in January, after winter break, big L is going to be taking the bus to her new school.  The bus makes it more fun for her, and much easier on me!  I hope the excitement overshadows the friends she is leaving behind.  We live in such a small town she will be in school with her new friends all the way through high school.