Now in Door County.

We made it up to Door County (Egg Harbor, to be precise) late yesterday afternoon.  It was a pretty easy trip, besides having to make a number of stops for Ada who was battling an intestinal virus. 

The house we are staying in is nice, for a rental cabin.  Not sure I would pay as much money as my parents are paying for this place since it is obviously not cleaned between rental weeks very well (bug parts on comforters and our feet are black after walking on the tile floor for awhile).  It is, however, big and it is apart from other cabins which is good for the 5 dogs now in the house.  There are also two huge whirlpool tubs that I will enjoy and the girls have already enjoyed during this trip.

This morning was errands to get things we forgot and trying to find the places that we will be renting boats from and where the boys will go fishing from Monday morning.  This afternoon, after an unsuccessful nap time, we went to the beach.  What a nice beach Egg Harbor has!  Much better for little kids and feet compared to our two trips to MN and to NC.  Sandy, not many rocks, and shallow for a ways out.  The water in Green Bay was also nice.  A little cold to begin with, but all the kids were enjoying themselves.  Well, all the kids for the most part.  Hazel, minus a nap and not sleeping well last night, did not understand why she could not walk as far out into the water as everyone else.  Even putting her life jacket on, so that she could float and we could pull her, did not help.  She did not want anyone holding her, wanting to be the big girl and walk herself, even when it was too deep.  So, she only calmed down by digging in the sand.  Ada enjoyed attempting to swim with her life jacket on.  This attempt I was very happy about though because it means that she is gaining confidence in the water, which will work out well for their next set of swim lessons this winter.

We're definitely looking forward to the rest of this week, with more beach time, a fish boil, fishing and boating trips, light-house tours and shopping with the girls.

It will be a busy week.

Well, to start off my busy week of trying to get work done, plus other appointments and plans and preparing for our trip starting WI, I am of course doing many other things instead of working!  I always seem to do that, finding lots of odds and ends to accomplish besides what I really need to do.  Oh well.

My added accomplishments last night and today, instead of working, have been to sign the kids up for activities for the coming months.  Ada decided she really wants to try soccer.  So, since the deadline for signup is the 1st, I signed her up for a U5 team through Ames Soccer Club.  She's excited and we'll see how it goes since John volunteered to be a coach if they needed one.  This morning the whole signing up for stuff thing was getting to me, so I went onto Ames Park and Rec and signed up the older two for gymnastics (which will hopefully not end up on the same night as soccer!) and all three girls for swimming in January.  In fact, because Hazel is so little but wants to do swim lessons, I will be doing them with her for a parent-child class.  Guess it's a good thing I bought some new swim suits earlier this summer.

This past weekend was good.  We got some mild cleaning done and had a great dinner last night with a couple of friends of ours.  Adult conversation is always good, though the girls were trying to get all attention on them and show off all night, like usual.  Sat., I did some errands and ended up at Borders since it is closing it's doors.  I walked around overwhelmed for 45 minutes, and between the majority of the sales only being 10% off and looking up prices on amazon on my phone, I left with nothing.  I might try to find time to go back Thursday night to see if their percentages off have up, or maybe they'll still be open by the time we get back from WI.  I would like to get some new books for the girls to put away for Christmas, but we'll see.

The main anxiety this week, besides working and getting ready for the trip (and doing bills Thursday, I hate bills) is Ada's doctor's appointment Wednesday.  She will get her cast off and pins out.  Thankfully John is coming with us so I won't have to calm Ada and wrangle the other two myself, but I'm sure it will be a stressful day.

Well, back to work I go, after this nice brain vacation :-)

Well, we'll see how my second attempt at a blog goes....

Over this past year or eighteen months, as our lives has changed from me working as a high school teacher to me staying home and working as an adjunct faculty member so I could stay home and homeschool the girls, and as we moved from rural Gladbrook to Ames, I have starting enjoying looking at different people's blogs.  Especially homeschool blogs.  So, this will be my second attempt at blogging.  I probably won't do it every day, but I am planning on documenting some of our personal and homeschool lives as we embark on our first year of homeschooling.  Ada will be a kindergarten!  I can't believe it that my kids are getting so big!  Maddie will be doing preschool type things and Hazel will continue to work on being a growing and learning toddler.  With our schooling career starting in about 4.5 weeks, the anxiety has begun on my part, but I'm sure it will all work out and am thrilled that we have decided to homeschool the girls.  During these past few weeks I need to start planning (though I will try to only micromanage my plans a week at a time) and I need to get in a good schedule of getting up early so I get my 4-5 hours of work in a day, get time to school and play with the kids, get time with my husband, get time to do household stuff (including cooking and eating meals) and get time to work out and shower each day.  I've been meaning to get this schedule going for the past year, with no luck, but with a month to go my deadline for myself is looming.

Besides my plans and schedule needing to get together, our upcoming big events are Ada's cast and pins coming off/out next Wednesday and our WI vacation starting next Friday.  Then it is a few doctors appointments, the Iowa State Fair and going to Sugarland with my mom after coming back from WI.  Then school starts.  This past year has gone by fast and I'm sure life will only speed up as we become busier, but I wouldn't change being able to spend these next years with my children for anything!