Back in the game (Part A)

Originally I started this blog, last year, as part of an insane fantasy a grand idea that with homeschooling the kids we would have blog focused on what we did each day, or week, that was linked with my personal blog about being a homeschooling mum, and the older children's blogs about their experiences/feelings/assignments/resentment.  All interconnected and web like.  It would be grand and wonderful, and eventually I would get the hang of web design.  Then life rocked the boat and mocked the plans in the most amazing of ways.  More like I had a boat made out of newspaper, and it was hit with a tsunami.  Yet here I stand on the shore, with the waves still angrily lashing, thunder rumbling, and grey clouds, but the waves are falling back.  I am still standing, and laughing.

In the past year's time

Songbird had two severe mental breakdowns

My husband moved out

Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas

We decided to move back to Michigan

Smash had oral surgery to get baby root canals and caps on his teeth

We made the great trek across the country through blizzards in an ancient RV with no heat. They were literally closing down the highway behind us as we drove. And made it.

When the job my husband had didn't transfer and the lined up housing didn't pan out, we stayed with my in laws for four months.  FOUR MONTHS with people I had seen less than ten times in my life and not talked to in three years. 

We bought a house, and land, and more land

We got chickens and ducks, in duckling and chick form, and commenced several learning experiments.

Sunshine got to finish out the school year in regular school.  The rest were left to me. 

I started school again myself

My husband got a new job

My closest friend for the past 9 years quit being my friend.  And I was okay with this.  And my family and other friends threw a party to celebrate. 

After dealing with a moving company that was a complete scam and paying almost $10,000, we were able to get almost all our stuff back.  Almost, plus or minus 20 odd boxes of books, several boxes of holiday décor, lawn equipment, power tools.  Of course only half the boxes we actually did receive had items not broken, so....

We purchased two young Alaskan Malamutes.  They are awesome and amazing "fur babies" but we went from never having a dog to having two big dogs.  Still learning.

We (meaning the kids and I) informally left the church I have attended over half my life and the entirety of theirs for various reasons.  Each day is a new step.

We bought a used van.

Everyone except the baby enrolled in public school.

My husband moved out on his own again

Smash knocked out one of his teeth and needed emergency dental surgery

Zeus hurt his paw and needed stitches

The van developed an electrical short causing me to debate calling a priest and having an elaborate ritual done to ride it of demons

Which brings me to part B