Moving Update

How's the New Year treating you?  Its a few months in, but I'd say 2015 is turning out pretty well for us.  We had a fresh start right off the bat with a move to a new city, a new job, new schools, etc.  It could have turned out badly, but instead, it feels like a breath of fresh air.

I started my new job right before Christmas.  Which means we moved into an apartment rather quickly.  Space is tight and I've given up on keeping it clean.  I've only unpacked 4 place settings and limited other things, because I know we are moving again!  Shortly, hopefully.  We are on the hunt for our forever home.

A started a new school, and although there have been a few hiccups, she is doing well.  She's in a regular classroom!  She still goes out for speech and gets some resource help as she needs it, but for the most part she on a regular schedule with everyone else!  I'm so proud of her.  She tells us she has fun, and she's a good listener.  I am happy with her progress!

H is ready for school, he wants to go so badly.  Unfortunately, he has to wait until the Fall for Kindergarten.  Instead, he gets to explore our new town with Daddy.  He also really likes lazy mornings watching Dinosaur Train.

And I am loving my new job.  I am still doing retail pharmacy, but switched to a different corporate boss.  It was a bit of a re-learning process.  I had to learn a new computer system, a new workflow, and of course different expectations.  However, the key is I have support staff.  I no longer work alone.  My boss is supportive, the schedule is great, and I work less hours!  Overall, I'm under less stress.

I'm surprised how much my quality of life has improved in a few short months.  I knew I was unhappy and stressed out before, but golly, I can't believe I waited so long to make a change!  I'd say I was depressed and emotionally taxed out.  Not only do I feel more satisfied in my work, but I'm enjoying more quality time with my family, especially my husband.  Life is good!

Character Witness

Are you ready for the Holiday Season?  Its already begun in case you haven't noticed.  My six-year-old has informed me.  Actually, she won't let me forget.  I haven't brought it up with her much, so they must be talking about it at school.  A has told me what she wants for Christmas, when Christmas is, and ALL about Santa.

It bothers me a bit.  I feel as a parent, I should be truthful with my children.  I expect them to be honest and I want to model that for them.  Santa is one of those parenting issues.  Either you believe or you don't.  What do you tell your kiddos?

Personally, I wasn't a Santa believer as a child.  I knew other kids where, but we knew gifts were from parents and relatives, not a character.  I don't feel like I missed out on anything magical.  Christmas was and still is a special time of year.

I want to be honest with A.  So I sat her down and we talked about Santa.  She told me how he comes in a sleigh, down the chimney, and has a bag of presents.  I listened and told her that is a really nice story.  

She looked at me and said "Santa is a person."

Obviously, she knows about characters and people.  We've talked about  characters in movies, books, and games.  She knew what I meant.

"No, honey, Santa is a character" I replied.

"Mommy, Santa is a person.  Mario is a character.  Princess is a character.  H (her brother) is a character." she smiled.

I have my work cut out for me.  She know's what I mean but she is choosing to believe Santa is a person instead of a character.  I can tell by her facial expressions.

So a a few days later, my hubby took the kiddos to the mall.  I was at work, per usual.  Apparently, they looked around that their favorite stores, but the kids wanted to see Santa.  My hubby tried to dissuade them, even offering to go to the arcade, but to no avail.  The line was a hundred feet long, so I heard. Amazingly enough, the kiddos waited patiently for their turn to see the fat man.  When their turn arrived, A asked for a princess doll.  H asked for a dinosaur-dragon.  Obligatory picture was obtained that looks decent!

Once I got home from work, A and H were elated to tell me about Santa.  Of course, being the realist person I am, I asked what kind of Santa they saw. "Did you see a character?"

  A looked at me and said smugly, " I saw a person Santa, Mommy."

I am thankful

This is the time of year we are more mindful of giving thanks and I am no exception.  We didn't do a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year, as our house was on the market and I didn't want an unnecessary mess to clean up in a rush.  To Medieval Times we went!  The kiddos had a blast and I didn't have a mess.

That turned out to be an amazing decision, as we had showings every day that week, with two on Wednesday.  Wednesday night, we heard an offer was imminent.  Friday it came and Saturday we were under contract!  I am acting surprised, but I shouldn't be.  My husband and I asked God to sell it for us.  I have a job offer, but I couldn't accept and move without selling the house.  We decided to pray it in.  We asked God to have the house under contract by the end of the month.  We asked for a specific dollar amount.  We thanked God for answering us.  He is good.  The house sold in 10 days and the buyers want to close on the 29th of December, so we have lots of work to do!

So tomorrow, I discuss with my future employer the timeline of my start date.  It might be tricky with the holidays coming up.  I'll have to consider school letting out, giving my current job notice, moving four hours away, setting up a new apartment, oh and Christmas!

Next on my prayer list: job negotiations, new living arrangements, finances to fall in order, firm closing date without hiccups.  And of course, giving thanks for the goodness of God!

Changes

Some months feel fly by swiftly and drag at the same time.  This is one of those seasons.  A few weeks ago I took my MPJE for NC.  I was a nervous wreck, its been five years since I studied for my SC MPJE and I was afraid I forgot how.  I had loads of odd questions and felt like I failed, but 4 days later I found out I passed with flying colors!  I started the process 5 months ago and it will be a relief to have it completed. Tomorrow, I travel to Chapel Hill for my license and I'll officially be able to work in NC (read: find a job in NC and expand my search criteria).

Meanwhile, I've been had interviews and (another offer!) that came faster than I expected.  Too fast, I suppose, as I'm not in a place to accept them just yet.  We decided to list the house and sell before moving to avoid the two-mortgage/rent-per-month hassle.  Its the wise thing to do, but I'm so done with current work drama/issues its terribly difficult to be an adult and suck it up.  I don't want to talk about it on the Internet, especially while I'm still employed.  Maybe a juicy post will come later.  All I want is to complain, whine and storm out, but I'm trying to think of my family and the long-term solution.  The last few weeks we've tackled painting, yard work, de-cluttering, and packing up unnecessary things to ready the house for showings. Tomorrow, the house goes on the market.

And of course, my kiddos continue to grow and blossom.  My baby boy turned FIVE.  My daughter is talking up a storm and doing well in school.  My husband keeps me grounded and nurtures our family.  We have positive events despite the storms we are weathering.

The few years have been rough, but there is a change coming.  I pray it will be a good one for myself my family, and my career.  Please pray with us that our house will sell quickly.  Please pray a job opens up in a location that is best for my family.  Please pray I don't lose my mind before either one of those come to fruition.