Life After Home School and the Move
Tomorrow is Daniel’s very first day of kindergarten. To me he still looks like this:
How can I send this sweet Bama boy to kindergarten??
But, believe it or not, the Dan Man is 5, and he is extremely excited about going to school with his brothers. They will all be at the same school together. I had planned it differently, but at the last minute Daniel was awarded a scholarship, so that worked out beautifully.
It’s hard to even focus on how much is happening.
Our heads are still spinning. In June, we trekked across the U.S. of A. In July, we hurriedly unpacked. (So now I need to go back and re-organize everything.) Then we headed off to one vacation after another. We did Disney. We saw friends. We went to Destin. We visited family.
I feel as though all along, our life keeps improving more and more. Happy things keep happening to us, and I’ve been so much in recovery from the dismal beginning of 2016 that it’s taken me awhile for this new thing to set in to my head.
I’m not stressed anymore!
Wait. I don’t have to make lesson plans? Nope.
I don’t have to do any teacher training? Nope.
I don’t have to even feed everyone lunch? Nope.
I can be at my parents’ house in two hours? Yep!
The big boys are already in school, and they LIKE it?? Yes!!!
They actually like their new school a LOT!!!
I keep thinking about those Christian song lyrics, “He set my feet upon a rock.”
Of course, that is also in the Bible, but it’s so much easier to pop in my head when it’s set to music. In my head that’s me. I was sinking in my misery, and I have been lifted and set upon a rock. Amen. Amen. Amen.
I think we’re on the verge of loving it here. I made my schedule for tomorrow, and it doesn’t sound hard! I didn’t even have to color-code it!!
Praise the Lord, y’all! I have found relief!!! Now we just need to make a friend or two, and we’ll be all set.
We aren’t off to a great start on the makin’ friends bit.
First off, we’ve lived here over a month and we’ve been out of town for most of that.
Secondly, we have a son whose Southern accent impersonation is down right hilarious. I only hope the locals will think so, instead of feeling like they’re being made fun of. I haven’t heard him do it in public though, so we should be good. (Ask Joshua to talk Southern next time you see it. You will laugh!!)
Then there was the doctor’s office incident.
Alan took all four boys to the doc on a Saturday by himself. (I was out of town again.) We just needed to get school and sports forms filled out. Moving is such a pain when it comes to health care!!! (That’s another reason our company should let us live places a little longer.)
Well, they were all there for HOURS, but everyone was well behaved, thankfully. But right at the end, the doctors refused to sign the sports forms for ALL the boys! Can you believe that!!?? And it was because of my heart problem! Ugh. Way to go, Me!
Alan tried to convince them that the boys do not have it, and even I am fine. I could play sports even. (Not well, but I could do it.) He failed to convince Doc #1, so he asked to get a second opinion from one of the other docs there that day.
Doc #2 also denied us. We all have to go to a cardiologist before they will be cleared to play sports. Doctors totally freak out about the v-tach thing, but I’m telling you mine is benign. It’s monomorphic, non-sustained. I’m good.
So today we’re sitting in Sunday School, and Alan whispers, “That doctor that wouldn’t sign the boys’ sports physicals is right over there.” Yep. Doc #1 is in our Sunday School class.
No way.
Yes way.
We chatted with him after class. He didn’t budge any on the issue, but hopefully we are all on good terms. I’m sure he’s a very good doctor. It was just a little embarrassing.
Oh, yeah, that’s us. We’re just making friends all over the place.
Won’t you be our friend??
I am seriously, for real, truly going to take a “1st day of Kindergarten” picture for Dan tomorrow. And a “3rd day” pic for J and C! I don’t know why I’ve had so much trouble remembering.
Have your kids/grandkids started back to school yet? Share with me in the comments!
I, myself, am doing college online. I tell yah, traditional classroom totally advantageous when it comes to socializing. Your boys are the adventurous, be it naughty or nice, they’ll be great socially. 😉
In the 2 years I have “known” your family April, it is really incredible to se the growth in each of the boys. Daniel does look like such a lovable boy that would just warm anyone’s heart.
So glad the boys are adjusting well to their new school environment. It is a big thing. New home, new school. A lot of this confidence they would get from the wonderful home environment you and Alan provide for them.
I am sincerely sorry about the way things turned out with the sports forms. With my dad dying at 47 of a heart attack (as well as 3 of his brothers) I am told this could very well be a hereditary thing and supposed to be getting an ECG every year, but it ends up being every 3-4 years (and that is with my wife’s insistence). My doctor knows that I run, but I don’t think he realized I am doing the distances I am now! 🙂
Oh 47 is so young. I remember reading your story about that, but I didn’t focus on his age. Yes! Get your ECG every year then! And I bet the running is doing you good. I went jogging the other day. I’m going to do it again tomorrow!
Thank you for this April. I know I should be getting that ECG every year. Running has helped lower my blood pressure big time. So happy you are getting some runs in. That is awesome! 🙂
It sounds like you’ve moved to Florida (I grew up there)! The southern accent thing was a big clue. 😉 That and your doctor being in your Sunday School class! That made me chuckle. Yesterday I was at the grocery store and saw my new gynecologist walk in — he saw me, too, but I quickly disappeared and hope to never run into him in public again, haha! As for making new friends, if you are in fact in the south, just smile at everyone you see and it will happen quickly! And enjoy your new state of “less busy”! This is the first fall in 14 years I haven’t been making lesson plans (first homeschool, then teaching at a private high school), and I can’t tell you how FREE it feels! 🙂
Close. Very close to Florida. In, fact we went to Destin and to Disney this summer. I loved it. I ran into my gyno at the grocery store once too. Of course, he also went to my church. Congrats on your new freedom too!! Enjoy it!
Can’t wait to hear about day 1 and day 3! I am sure the boys will have some good stories. I know Daniel will find some friends today.
It is a little tough to get details out of male people. But you’d better believe I will try. Joshua came home last week excited about his reading class. His history is also ancient history, just like last year. Of course, he assured me that he “remembers nothing.” Grooooaaaan. So I got out Timeline cards and started reading them to the boys. Alan told them, “Your mom worked hard teaching y’all this stuff last year. You’ll save yourselves a lot of trouble if you just say you remember something!” So stinkin’ true. Dan looked so nervous going inside today. So adorable though!
Hi April! We’ve got till after labor Day here as you know. We are just feeling now that we have time to just relax though. Swim, dive and two trips to visit family have kept us hopping.
That sounds like our summer. I hope you get to rest a little before school starts back!!
Yay! All good things. I hope the year continues to go smoothly and that your love of your new home, school and life only grows stronger!
Thank you so much! I hope your school year goes smoothly too!