Happy New Year!!

I know it is a bit late to celebrate the traditional new year, but I am finally realizing it is January! Christmas was busy and crazy as usual. Then shortly after New Year's Day, we went on a family vacation to Florida. We have been back only just over a week and we are finally settling into a normal routine this week. Whew! (It was so awesome btw to experience SUMMER weather in the middle of Winter. I miss Florida already. The family time was really special too during this first vacation in many, many years for our family. I miss Disney World already and we are already talking about going back again next year!)



This new year brings a lot of exciting things ahead. This will be the year that my youngest will start Kindergarten in the Fall and my oldest will begin High School. This will be the year that I will get to decide on a new direction for myself in the Fall because with all of the kids in school full-time, I would truly enjoy a lucrative challenge outside the home. Did I tell you that partial day Kindergarten died in Indiana just this year? My Pre-K daughter will go to full-day, all-day Kindergarten next year whether I like it or not and wherever she goes to school. (I am not a homeschooling mom). It makes me sad that our options have been eliminated. She would probably prefer a partial day schedule. She gets worn out. But it is still months away.

This will also be the year that all of my babies will go (or go back to) public school. The girls don't need a unique school environment and it is costly to send them to private school. We are middle income people and school vouchers don't touch our income level. Those with a low income can now go to private school practically free, and wealthy people will hardly notice $6,000 off of their much higher income than ours I believe. But even so, I think the move is the right one for all of my kids. I continue to hear great things about our local public school (in the younger grades anyway) and my oldest might benefit from a specialized program where he could earn an Associate's degree upon high school graduation free of charge. (Please say a prayer for us that he gets into this program. It would be such an opportunity for him! We have to apply in less than two weeks ... yikes!)

One thing I look forward to with putting my little ones in public school next year is that I can meet them for lunch if they want me to. My youngest might really appreciate that next year because she is such a mommy's girl and full-day Kindergarten will be a big adjustment for her. Our private school really doesn't allow the meeting for lunch thing because the kids eat lunch right in their classroom in the younger grades. I also look forward to having lunch provided by the school next year! Our lunch lady this year quit (right after Christmas break) at the private school and I am TIRED of lunch-making everyday already. (And the kids have only been in school seven days in January thus far because of Christmas break, our vacation and Martin Luther King, Jr. day.

As much as I adore our private school for my oldest, I think it is just o.k. for my Kindergartener. I know that God is a central focus in this school environment and I can definitely see the benefits of that, but I think they go a bit overboard with the religious teachings. My Kindergartener was taught how it is all of our responsibilities as Christians to go out and share the gospel and bring people to God's word. She is 6 and that approach to religion is just taking it a bit too far in my opinion. Plus, she hates memorizing the weekly Bible verse and it is a weekly struggle. In first grade these kiddos get two bible verses a week. Seriously, no way!

But, the middle school is amazing and the girls might go there someday for middle school ... who knows. We do plan to stay members of and remain active in our church, the girl scouts there and church sports too. The girls recently started playing basketball there and we had such a great time watching them practice so far. It is fun to know people you are sitting with when watching your kids play sports or participate in activities. The public school does not have basketball, so that will be a nice compliment to the change in schools next year. We can still do so much without spending so much darn money.

So, I am already looking at job ads and making plans. I want something part-time so that I can still be here with the kids after school most days of the week. I want something interesting and professional in both atmosphere and payment. I am already on the countdown for Summer vacation. I want warmth and shorts and outdoor swimming pool time.