Handfuls of updates

Lets do some updates shall we...

Jordan starts school on Sept. 3. All his good friends have moved away from last year so he is not to excited about going back to school. That's one of the hard parts of being a military kid, you see lots of friends move away or you yourself will move away. Its the same for adults, but Its harder on him. I have all of his clothing and shoes bought, after spending a small fortune and having some serious buyers remorse on the 700 plus dollars I spent on clothing for a 9 year old I am now in need of a winter coat and school supplies, both of which will wait till we are back in WA. So why did I buy the clothing here, in MN? well to save myself the 8.6 percent sales tax we have in WA. Though now I am hoping and praying it all fits in the van for the ride home, God help me, please let it all fit or else we are in for a very cramped, long ride back and that is not something I want. Jordan needs a tong of school supplies, I guess it makes sense, the higher the grade, the more you need. I don't get the super nice stuff seeing as everything you buy goes into the community class pile and is distributed every day, so why spend 3 dollars on scissors verses 1 when Its not my kid who will be using them. Yes, I know, how mean am I? And of course I am still looking for a lunch box, and even though my kid really does not want a lunch from home he will have to deal because I refuse to shell out the 2.50 for a lunch that isn't even made in the school, sorry, but no.

As for Hannah who should be going into pre-k but isn't because the state of Washington doesn't have mandated pre-k like Georgia did means if I want her in a class I have to shell out big bucks, so this year I will be teaching her all the things she needs to know for Kindergarten all by myself, and may I add that since Jordan was in Kindergarten they seem to need to know a whole lot more now then back then? I am looking at putting her in dance class, she loves dance and needs the socialization, but that too we will see, it all depends on the price. I am so looking forward to her being in school next year, though it will be a shock. I mean both kids in school till 3:30 Mon-Fri. a house to myself, being able to go shopping or out to lunch with friends minus the kids (and the cost of a babysitter) I just don't know what I will do with the time. Hannah has developed this habit of going to the potty and as she flushes the toilet has to turn and wave to her poop/pee and say "bye poop/pee, have fun down there, Ill miss you" Ive gotten snickers of laughter out in public when she does this. I'm not sure where she learned it from, but hey, at least she is no longer afraid of the big potty and that's all that matters.

Ive mentioned the job offer Chris got in my last blog, and I am quite OK with the idea of moving there now. Living in the DC area would be very educational for the kids, and I have found a bunch of nice apartments on the metro line and within walking distance to the schools/shops so that means maybe, just maybe we can get ride of a vehicle and save money. As I said the apartments are pricey but huge, and lots have garages attached. We forgo a backyard, but even if we chose to live in housing we would forgo a backyard, and lots of space. So Ive even gotten used to the idea of living in an apartment. DC still isn't my first choice, but I know Chris would be stupid to turn this opportunity down, so more then likely off to DC we go, but not for another 2 years. Did I mention how very proud of my husband I am? To bad I cant talk to him. I should have been able to last night and tonight, but no, as life in the navy goes things change at the drop of a hat and because of those changes I wont be speaking to my husband for a very long time. The last call I got was a quick one saying "hey, I love you, talk to you in a few months" Trying to plan anything in the military is so hard and frustrating and I know that's the way it goes, but damn it, I wanted my one last phone call.

As for me, well nothing new. packing for the trip home, planning for the trip home, going over our money and freaking out on what we need to buy when I get home. Dealing with the kids, the dog, and that's about it. I have a list going of all things we need to buy and it just grows. So far it contains new twin mattress for Hannah's room since her mattress is way old. New dog kennel for our dog who outgrew the old one. Glasses for Jordan, Contacts for me. Groceries for the very bare pantry and fridge since no one has really been there in a few months which in itself will be a small fortune. The school supplies I need to buy. Yeah, it really does go on and on and its quite depressing really. There really never is enough money.

Its funny, how I go to Costco with a budget and never stick to the thing, spending usually way more then I intended. I think that's how they make their money. Just the other day I saw a three map wall set that I wanted for Jordan's room, and a great Christmas gift idea for him as well, plus many other things. Thankfully the thought of "I have to drive 28 hours in a car with a dog and 4 other people and have no place for that stuff" hit me and I refrained from buying anything (yeah for me, though I have a dreaded feeling I will be hitting up the Costco nearest us to see if they have the same things there and if they do then buy them spending even more money) to be fair the maps were very cool and very educational.

So anyway in 4 days I will be on my way back home, and life will get back to normal (somewhat, remember the missing husband)