Fall is falling

The sick has taken over my house. Thankfully it isn't the big scary sick is lurking around every corner, but it is the sick nonetheless. I'm feeling better but the baby, the husband and the roommate are all feeling it. The big kid just got back from 5 days at his dad's house so it hasn't hit him. Hopefully it won't.

The weather and the time of year are trying to force a dark cloud over my head, but I'm trying to fight it off. We instituted a chore list and a meal planning schedule. Hopefully that will help keep things somewhat sane around here.

I'm watching Antiques Roadshow with the roommate. The husband and the big kid are in the kitchen. The big kid is getting a lesson in making adobo and, it is awesome to listen to. Home ec a la the Philippines. And I get to eat adobo at the end of it.

This week for "school" we are drawing a map, to scale, of the front yard. I got a neat little book with permaculture projects, including designing beds like mandalas and herb mounds using recycled tires. Pretty cool. I'm excited to get started. Of course I want to start planting all sorts of things NOW NOW NOW, but I'm going to use this gardening experience as a growing opportunity and do it the proper way. So, we're going to plan the beds and then prep the soil over the winter. I know it will pay off in the long run. In the meantime, I'm trying to keep myself busy learning how to make bread, sew skirts and curtains(I just ordered about 5 sewing books from the library), and freeze some meals.

Is this like postpartum nesting or something?

episode 1, season 2

oh my! it's been an action-packed three months since i updated. a lot has changed. we moved into the new house and are settling into the routine of 2 adults + 1 kid in the house. it's a huge change from what we are all used to, and i must say, i think we are all adjusting very nicely.

i have a full year of grad school under my belt and as i enter year 2 i'm also doing my practicum as as a guardian ad litem for kids that have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect. it's only just started, and i've already learned a lot about myself, the system, the kids, and a lot more. i don't know that child welfare is necessarily where i want to put the MSW to use, but i'm getting a lot out of it.

i'm still working with the boyfriend, but i'm also applying for part-time jobs in the social service field. i have an interview monday, in fact, so we'll see. i don't mind the retail but i want to be building my resume and i need to make more money. the irony of looking to the social service sector for "more money" is not lost on me.

the kid has started fifth grade, has his first broken bone (his wrist, a minor fracture), and is now part of the "safety patrol" at his school. he comes home from school and goes straight to a friend's house around the corner. he loves it. 10 is a good age and fifth grade is looking to be awesome. the other day, i got in the car after ga$$ing up and he was perusing the owner's manual of my car. when i asked what he was doing he said, "just finding out what lies within." it was awesome. have i mentioned that i love my kid?

the house is shaping up quite nicely, but we have had no time to work in the yard. we need to build a patio and we're formulating a plan but nothing has happened beyond that. i'm getting antsy.

now i need to go scare up some lunch.

dos cosas ciertas

whew! I have a week left with the children. It hasn't really sunk in yet, probably because this is a break I take every summer. I'm just not returning next year. It will be interesting to see who I keep in touch with from the school. I'm sort of crappy at keeping in touch with people I don't communicate with daily. I've known these people for 4 years. Tomorrow we are having happy hour with a big group, because it is the last day of one of our coworkers.

In other changes, The Boyfriend and I are looking at houses. Actually, we found a house we both love. The Kid loves it too. I don't want to jinx it, but I'm really excited.

And nervous. And wondering if we know what we're doing. I don't know. I don't do well with change. Yet I have a lot of changes happening in many arenas of my life.

Just thinking about it all I start to lose my breath a little bit. I'm excited AND anxious. Quite a combo.

aloe

The boychild spent the day at a waterpark with my mother and her boyfriend. It gave me a much needed breather and an opportunity to head up to The Junior High to visit with the secretary and my department chair about the coming year. I also had to re-enroll in health insurance and other fun work-related paperwork. It was a good visit. Many comments were made about my recent drastic haircut and a couple of people walked past me not recognizing me. (I also ditched my glasses and returned to contacts over the summer.) I think the reentry into my work life will be less severs now that I've stuck my toe in the water for a bit.

After collecting the boy and heading home I finished the first Harry Potter book. Yes, for the first time. Yes, I'm slow. I'm glad that I had the foresight to buy the first two books together so I don't have to wait for my paycheck to dive into the next one.

When I was done indulging myself with a good read I decided I should do something productive around the house today. One of the things I inherited from my mom's house was a very large flowerpot with a plant I know nothing about, and a huge mama aloe with two large babies and what appeared to be some grandbabies. I gathered all of my empty flowerpots, which come in all shapes, sizes, and colors, and started planting.

I left the big mama in the original pot with the unidentified plant and split the remaining nine plants into the seven flowerpots I had collected. I have some bare patches on either side of the front steps to my house which are currently covered by large pots but I'm thinking of transferring the two biggest offspring into the ground. I'm a little nervous because I think they may take over that area.

Now my front porch has been reorganized, taken over by aloe vera plants, and swept. I love my front porch. Minus the mosquitoes, that is.