I still can't get used to school beginning before Labor Day. But here in Iowa, ready or not, school begins the third week of August. TopDad teaches woodshop, drafting, keyboarding, small engines, and an eighth grade exploratory class at the local Middle/High School. (Our town is smaller than the high school I attended in San Diego) Our two youngest boys are in ninth and eighth grades. We had breakfast together today, read a chapter in the New Testament, had family prayer and they were out the door.
HOWEVER! I am not alone as I had been looking forward to. No, I am the caretaker of two very little boys, ages 4 and 2. Sons of the neighbors across the street. This came to be because I had prayed for a way to earn a little money to fill in the gaps of our budget; the neighbor prayed to find someone close and dependable to tend her two boys. So here we are. I get a chance to use all the patience I've developed over the years!
Jet, the recent HS graduate, is working in Council Bluffs and preparing to begin college on Monday. He's getting his wisdom teeth out tomorrow and hoping to be hired for a different job at a extended-stay hotel which includes a room, so he can move to CB and live close to school, work and play.
Noble is at Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California studying Korean. She's doing well and very happy.
Elder PW has been sick with a cold this week, but otherwise in good spirits, and pressing forward.
Yesterday was my first day tending Little Boy and Cutie Bug, and it brought back all the suppressed memories of how time consuming and exhausting having little ones around is. Wow! The best thing about children is that they grow up! They learn to dress themselves, feed themselves, wash themselves, entertain themselves (boys are always better at this than girls, in my opinion), converse intelligently, etc. So any mothers of young children reading this, press forward with steadfast faith--whatever stage you are in--it is not forever.
Along with all the usual household chores, and the new responsibilities for little people, I am an early morning Seminary teacher! Am I crazy? This will be a challenging year, but my mantra is "I need the money."
Sometimes it is impossible to cut expenses anymore, so the alternative is to raise income. I'm thankful I can do something at home, allowing me a modicum of freedom to get things done.
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