The Countdown

We will be in our new house in 9 days.  Yesterday, we had a change of command to attend in the morning, and our final 2/10 KV meeting in the evening.  Today was Mick's preschool performance, and Tim is currently at the Division General's hail and farewell.  Tomorrow is Jack's transition ceremony from middle school, and tomorrow night is our hail and farewell.  Katie graduates Thursday night, and turns 18 the next day.  Friday morning is Tim's change of command, and Friday evening is the party.   Shane, Colleen and Mick are also taking swimming lessons every night this week from 6-7 PM.   Needless to say, we are very busy!  The packers come on Monday and Tuesday.  Before then, I have to prime all the walls I've painted/stenciled.  Patch various holes in the walls and paint the bunk beds Jack and Timmy will have at the new house.  The kids and I brought everything down from the attic on Memorial Day - pitched about 1/2 of it, and organized the rest and put it into the garage.  Molly, Katie and Jack have packed most of their stuff already (apparently they don't trust the packers/movers with their "valuables"!)  I have mountains of laundry and clothing to sort - part of me just wants to bag it and toss it! 

We had the pool fence materials shipped to our friends' house in Fredricksburg.  They called me yesterday to say it has arrived, and he has promised to help Tim install it before we get there.  In addition to the locks and alarms I have purchased for the doors at the new house, I ordered a pool alarm.  Can you tell I am a little paranoid about the pool?  The recent report of the 10 year old SC boy who died of "dry drowning" has not eased my fears.  Colleen and Shane are doing well in swimming lessons so far - Mick refused to get into the water last night with Katie, but he did get in with me tonight and participated some.  He is my biggest concern.  I have also ordered ID tags with all our new info for him to wear in case he wanders off in the new neighborhood.  Better safe than sorry.  Is it unethical to put an invisible fence up in the front yard and buy him a shock collar?  Probably.

I have really enjoyed the PT program I've been doing with my neighbor.  I've gotten to know a great bunch of ladies, and I have built some endurance, and lost 10 lbs and some inches as well.   I've had to miss this week's sessions because of all our other obligations, and the last class is on Friday, during Tim's change of command.  I am glad I had this opportunity, and I intend to continue to eat right and stay on track with exercise in VA.  It's really easy to make excuses about the exercise part when there is no one else to be accountable to!  I have a ways to go to my personal goal, but I've got a good start!

Katie will be spending her birthday weekend at a trailer we rented at the beach.  Her friend's family is staying out there in trailers, too, so while she is technically an adult at 18, there will be some parental presence nearby, which is good, since I am fairly sure we'll be too busy around here this weekend to get to the beach!

I have bought new fabric to have our Cargo couches recovered for the playroom at the new house.  The guy who is supposed to do it told me to call him today, and I really hope he'll be able to pick them up tomorrow and get them done by the time the moving van is here next Wednesday.  He does a good job, is reasonably priced, but he's a little old, and I am starting to worry that he's sick or something, since he hasn't returned my phone call.  I could probably recover the cushions myself, but have no idea when I'd ever have the time!  And if we could get them out of the living room this week, we could move some other things around which would make it easier to get Tim's bar area done before next week.  I have to take down the lattice, replace a screen, and figure out how to get the adhesive off the window frames where I had put plastic out there to weatherize the room two years ago.  Seemed like a good idea at the time......

We will not have Internet service at our new house until the end of June.  So, unless I find myself with time on my hands (not likely), I will probably not post again until July.  Here's to a successful move as we start the next chapter of our lives!

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Thisiswhathappeswhemilkgetsspilledothekeyoard

I got a call from our loan processor this afternoon. She was requesting photocopies of our social security cards (yes, I verified that she was who she said she was). My social security card has red magic marker all over it. This happened several years ago, I believe it may even have been Katie's handiwork when she was little. When it did, I laminated it so as to prevent any further damage. On the back of the card, it says, "Do not laminate this card". As I type this, Kiley is standing and holding on to my leg, with a brown colored pencil in her hand. Sigh. This is my life. I offered to replace the card and photocopy the new one later this week, but I just got an email from the loan processor saying it is fine. So, either she is not legit, or she has kids!

I also called our insurance company to get policy quotes for our car insurance once we move. Our increase will be $431.82 per year, and when we add Katie to our policy, her cost will be $81.53 per month. I've downloaded applications for Kohl's, Ross, Michael's, Borders, and TjMaxx. All are within a mile of our new house. Kathy and Malia will start filling out these applications tomorrow, and I am going to mail them asap! I think there are adequate job opportunities for them in that area.

I also filled the van up from empty today. Haven't done that in a long time. The total came to $105. I started talking with one of my neighbors in the parking lot of the gas station, and when I finally went in to pay, the cashier said, "Is that a government van?" Perhaps I ought to try and make some money myself, by starting a taxi service.......wonder how much someone would be willing to pay for the chance to ride in my lovely, car seat-filled van with the gummy bears stuck to the carpet?! Or the goldfish crumbs on the seats? At least the a/c is cold!

Bugs and stuff...

The doorbell rang at 5:00 this afternoon.  It was a neighbor girl, just turned 13.  She was frantic, and asked me if I would get the ticks off of her.  She had been in the woods, and riding her bike home, she saw ticks crawling up the leg of her jeans.  She said she stopped at my house because she knew I had a lot of kids.   I think I flicked about 12 ticks off of her, and told her to have her mom do a tick check before she goes to bed tonight.  The bugs in Camp Lejeune are BAD.   I pulled no less than 9 ticks from Sean's boy parts not too long ago.  You'd think that he'd start wearing underwear after that - but no.   Apparently, he'll risk ticks to make it harder for his older brother to give him a wedgie.  Mike has fire ant bites on one foot, and I was bitten, on each arm by fire ants during my workout session yesterday.  My left wrist and my right elbow are swollen, red and itchy.  I won't miss these bugs in VA!

Home buying for Dummies....

We are in the final throes (I think) of mortgage approval and all the rest of the stuff that needs to happen so that we can buy our home.  Our mortgage broker (Tim calls him "Skippy") seems like he knows what he is doing, but he wants to give me a class on interest rates, and the stock and bond market, every time we speak.  I think he loves his job and gets excited talking about it, but all I want is the bottom line:  How much will our mortgage payments be per month, so I can budget!  I couldn't care less about the rest of it!  I think his enthusiasm irritates my husband, but at least my husband is asking questions!

I have, however, started educating myself on pool care, and ways to reduce electricity costs.  And how to remove wallpaper.  And how to open up a wall between the kitchen and the dining room.  I need a "Home Ownership for Dummies" guide.  Good thing there is the Internet!

My next-door-neighbor is a personal trainer.  She and another pt have started a 6 week workout program - 1 hour of cardio and 1 hour of pilates/yoga, three mornings a week.  I can't find a reason not to go - it is held at the field across the street from my house, and they are providing childcare.  And it is only $7 per session.  Yesterday was the first class.  Today I feel like I've been run over by a truck.  But, 6 weeks is just about what we have left before we check out of here, so I intend to stick with it, and hope for significant results.  I am neither the most fit, nor the least fit in the class, so I am fairly comfortable.  Except for doing any jumping exercises - take pity on the woman who has had 9 children!!!!

Age and eyesight....

You know you're an older mom when you need reading glasses to cut your baby's nails....

Step on a crack, and ............

When we were walking around at Busch Gardens last week, from behind me, Megan asked "Mommy, does your back hurt?" I had been having some back pain periodically, and blaming it on a bad mattress, but I said to her, "Actually, no. It feels fine. Why?" And she said, "Because I've been stepping on all the cracks!".

Nice...........