Where did all the boxes go?

I feel like I'm constantly breaking down boxes to be recycled. My house seems to ooze cardboard boxes. Until, of course, I need some. I don't need just one or two, but enough to do some serious packing. And now, amazingly enough, the only surplus boxes I can find are from Cheerios or Rice-A-Roni (lot of good that does me). Oh wait, what's that I see happening outside?

The Art of Overscheduling

This is something I need to learn. I am simply not a natural at keeping myself and my family busy outside the house. I admit it, I am a homebody. Back in the days when I had 3 children we experimented with soccer and t-ball. Now don't get me wrong, little kids in uniforms running on wet grass falling all over each other is one of the cutest sights you'll ever see. But if you aren't inclined to play or watch sports, and not predisposed to early morning activity, it takes a significant amount of dedication to join the cheering and jeering on the sidelines. Especially if your son is the one sitting down in the field picking the grass. (I love you Andrew!) That experiment didn't last too long.

Honestly, I was just fine with that. Andrew and Melinda were getting good exercise at school, and Timothy enjoyed skiing, biking and hiking. They were getting plenty of exercise. Enter development 364,798. Tahoe Montessori is closing their elementary school, which is timed perfectly with our decision to give homeschooling a go. Great! I'm excited, everything is under control. I know what Tahoe has to offer and how to take advantage of it.

Enter development 365,799. We are moving the family to Long Beach. This is a much needed development. The last 18 months or so have taken their toll on our family with Chris working 500 miles away 3 weeks out of the month. The kids are (oddly) fine with it, and we seem to be in escrow with a house in Long Beach, so I guess this thing is actually happening. Okay, cool. Oh, so wait...how are we going to do all that hiking and skiing that I was planning on doing? Hmmm...guess I need to think of a Plan B for physical activity. Well, the new house does have a pool, that has got to count for something.

This all got me thinking that it wouldn't be a bad idea to find some things in Long Beach for my kiddos to do besides hang out at home with me (they aren't all homebodies like me, you know). Simple, right? Enroll them in activities. After thinking a bit, locating my local libraries, talking to the kids, and pestering Google with endless searches, I've realized that perhaps it isn't as simple as I'd thought. I'm so activity-inept that I don't even know where to begin. I hear people complain that they are overscheduled, and I've come to the conclusion that it's not as easy as it sounds. At least not for a homebody like me. (So, if anyone has a suggestion on how to find an art class for Melinda, a chess class for Andrew, and a computer programming class for Timothy, I'm all ears.)

Hmmm...I'm noticing some similarities

You may or may not know that Chris and I have decided to make a temporary (I hope) move back to Long Beach for the sake of a healthy happy family. Work is getting crazier for Chris, and the commute is wearing us out. We spent a lot of time looking at houses, and weren't surprised that there weren't any as great as our house here in Tahoe. We did end up putting an offer on one (and are in the middle of offers/counter-offers etc.) this week. I've just realized that the exterior of the house has some similarities to our home in Tahoe. What do you think? Was it an attraction in my sub-conscious that drew me to the LB house? Or am I just unable to see past the wood shake roof connection?

My attempt to prove I'm not getting old

Everything seems to be working against me. Time keeps ticking, my children keep growing, and at the end of the day I cannot deny that I have been out of high school for quite some time (thank goodness). I am finally beginning to understand what it means when people claim that they don't feel old. That in itself, I suppose, offers proof that I'm getting old. My feelings on the matter swing like a pendulum. One month I'm grateful to have the amount of experience that I do, and thrilled that my children are no longer babies. Other months (including this one, apparently) I am taking stock in the fact that I really have very few grey hairs, and am perfectly capable of figuring out this whole blog business if I want to.

So here I am. I've convinced myself that with all of the imminent changes in my life, and all of the varying interests I have, the best thing to do is add another project to my plate and start a blog. I have told myself that this is really the best way, the most efficient way, to keep everyone up to speed on what is spinning around me in this tornado that is my life.