We're Moved In!

It has been a crazy few weeks. But, we are finally moved into our new place. The kids have been SO helpful in packing, moving, and unpacking. I couldn't ask for more from Marly and Chris. They are truly learning the value of work and I am so thankful to have them in my life.

I want to thank EVERYONE who helped us move. We had so many arrive to help - family, friends, and ward members - that we were able to meet our goal to leave that night. THANK YOU! And - they did a phenomenal job on packing the truck. I can't believe they got so much in the truck.

We drove up Friday night with blowing snow and slick roads. We took it slow and arrived at 2am, fell into our sleeping bags and air mattresses, and got a meager 4 hours sleep. We awoke to bunnies in our front yard. We think they live in the bush out front since we see them nearly every day. Our dog is a maniac trying to get out to chase them, which she did for several hours the morning we moved in. She is an escape artist and we keep finding her outside the fence and chasing something - bunnies and cats mostly. Our new ward unpacked our truck in one hour! Wow! THANK YOU!

Chris - the Pyro Boy - is loving the wood burning stove. He has been able to light fires in the house...safely! The kids love their spacious rooms and are already unpacked and organized. If only I could say the same for Mike and I - well, Mike is unpacked, but I'm not. I focused on the kitchen, laundry room, pantry, computer nook and living room.

Marly and Chris have started a small farm. Yesterday they bought 9 chicks. We only had 3 last year and that was enough eggs for us most of the time. They are excited to get going with other animals, but we told them they have to build the animals their houses first...they have a shed already here for the chickens that needs just a couple renovations to be ready.

Thank Goodness for 72-Hour Kits!

With the mess and stress of packing for a move three hours away, meals have become a distant memory. I feel guilty that we are basically eating sandwiches and snacking our way through until we are moved. People have offered to bring meals, but I really wanted to just eat what we have in the fridge so I have less to move.

Then - my son reminded me that it is time to rotate the food in our 72-Hour kits over General Conference weekend. They are VERY excited about eating all the things they packed in their kits 6 months ago. SO - I had a brilliant idea and decided to let them eat the things that are expiring out of the kits now rather than wait until Saturday. I shouldn't be surprised how excited they are to open them up. This food is supposed to sustain us, not make us giddy with excitement. But, they are so happy to have Pop Tarts, Ramen (that was eaten up last week), Trail Mix, Capri Sun's, etc. to eat to day while we finish packing the last boxes today. I guess it shows how living on food storage for the last few months has made us excited for what we missed.

My Blog...on Technorati?

I did a search for LDS homeschoolers in Flagstaff and found My Blog on Technorati. How random is that?

Here's the link. Apparently it is a Blog ranking system. Is your blog on there? A little scary huh?

I don't like that other sites are posting MY BLOG. It keeps people from coming to my blog to read it. I have designed a couple of blogs for people for business and it would detract from their ability to earn a living. Frustrating and weird.

What do you think? Is your blog posting on someone else's website as if it is theirs?

Moving North - Well, Further North Than Here

Our trip to Flagstaff was successful in several ways. Not only did we get to see Sunset Crater Volcano and Walnut Canyon, but we found a home to rent. Mike started his new job and even though the hours are kind of long, he is happy with the opportunity. Being out of work for awhile had given us a new perspective.

The home we are moving to is close to 2200 sq. ft. (I think it is more like 2000 sq. ft., but this is what they list it as) and on 1.5 acres of land. There are trees around the house, but the back acre is un-treed making it great for animals. I'll post pics after we move in. Of course, it will be prettier in a couple months when it is greener.

The owners are very happy to allow us to have chickens and goats - they even suggested horses but that is out of our price range right now. There are breath-taking views of the peaks that made me catch my breath and think, "Wow! The Savior made such a beautiful world!"

We are so excited! The kids are already making plans of what they can do with that much space. Marly is planning a garden, Chris is planning a bike trail with jumps and some kind of pit that I'm not sure what he has in mind for it, and I am happy to have them run around outside as much as they want until it gets too cold. This is an answer to my prayers as far as homeschooling goes. I have wanted them to have four seasons and room to do as many hands-on projects as our budget will allow. They will have to work more to keep up the animals and property, which is another aspect I think will be good for all of us - less time to think about TV and video games.

Spring Break

We are having a truly awesome Spring Break! I wish I could post pictures, but Sam took the camera with her to her dad's before I could download the pics. Oops! The only huge bummer about this trip was that Mike was working the whole time and could not go with us.

We took off to cooler country...but not that much cooler! It was 70 degrees in Flagstaff while we were there. Oh well, at least it does not get over 100 there. We spent time exploring the countryside and visited the Sunset Crater Volcano and Walnut Canyon in Northern Arizona.

Sunset Crater Volcano - This was really neat, especially since we just read the book and saw the movie for Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne. Of course, the movie is NOTHING like the book. In the book, they describe the lava fields and entering the dormant volcano. We could totally picture what it was like since we could see it in real life. Very cool! If you ever get a chance, don't forget to take an hour out of your way to see it! We did not hike too much, but there is a 1/2 mile hike further up to see more. Oh, and they don't allow dogs on the hiking trails! :-( It was sad to lock Maggie up in the car.

Walnut Canyon - We have seen the turn-off for Walnut Canyon several times and never taken the time to go. It is right off I-40 and closer than I thought. Marly was not up to taking the 240 stairs down to see the actual cliff dwellings, but we'll attempt it another time when she is feeling better. There is a short Rim Trail that allows you to see the caves from the opposite rim. I wish I had known more about this because we would have brought binoculars. We'll remember to bring them next time! Again, a very cool place to stop and see. Dogs are not allowed there either.

We are so lucky that Marly has a Golden Access Pass that was given to her when we went to the Grand Canyon a few years ago. She was restricted to a walker at the time and we inquired about handicap services. The next thing we know, they are handing us this free life-time pass for her to get into ANY National Park for free. It is for her and up to 4 people. So, needless to say, we take advantage of owning this pass.

Mom has ALL the answers....

• Where are my shoes?
• Why doesn't the sound work on the laptop?
• Where is the pepper?
• Can I use the computer?
• When does "Lost" post online?
• Why can't I go___________?
• What happened to the remote?
• Can I have cookies?
• Who took my Nintendo DS?
• What's for dinner?
• When are we going to eat?
• Does my hair look OK?
  

Does anybody else feel like nobody says anything to them in sentence form? I could go on and on about the questions I answer ALL DAY LONG.

My "Weekend" Off

I have had the last couple of days off from work....yippee! I really needed the rest and relaxation of not going to work. My family allowed me to sleep in - ear plugs really help with that - and they did a large part of the housework for me. I'm back to work today while the family goes to a family party without me. :-(

We hardly had anything on the calendar the last couple days and that added greatly to my happiness! No running around for appointments. The kids did not have ANY events to attend (when does that ever happen?). I was able to stay in my PJ's for a long time on Thursday and Friday, which is always a winner to me.

We are waiting to hear back on a job for Mike. We are very hopeful it will come through. It is not the perfect job, but we need something. After two months, we need Mike to have something soon! My job has told me I can transfer to the store in Flagstaff if we get the job there. I've been busy looking into renting a house in Flagstaff and renting our home here. IF he gets the job, I have a lot of work to do to get everything settled. Mike keeps telling me not to worry about anything until it happens - that is not easy to do! I am planner, and I need to plan for all possibilities even if they don't happen. It is part of my nature!

I do not have a school post this week - even though we did get a lot done - I'm just taking a break from so much online stuff right now.