Change of Plans

Anyone who knows me well, knows I am a planner.  I am a list person.  I like to know days in advance what I'm going to do.

I realize that sometimes that's not possible, especially during cold and flu season.  In fact, my plans have changed numerous times over the last few days because two members of the family had a nasty cold.  Saturday we were supposed to go to a birthday party for a cousin, but with 2 people in the house sick we didn't go.  After making that decision, I was asked by a client to show them a few houses Saturday.  Hubby (one of the sick ones) said he'd watch the kids, so off I went.  Today, I found out the offer we put in on a place we saw that day was accepted (Can you say hurray for that change of plans?!).

Everyone was feeling mostly better yesterday, so I planed to run some errands this morning that I haven't been able to do for a while (including grocery shopping).  But again, I had my plans changed for me.  This morning at 8:50, I got a call from the office asking if I was available to show a condo.  They had been trying to reach the listing agent but were unsuccessful.  And the buyer only had this morning available to see it.  So what did I do?  Change my plans.  I showed the house in the morning but was still able to get the grocery shopping and other errands done in the afternoon.  (For those of my friends who are coming over for the robotics class tomorrow, I'm sorry my house is a mess - that's the thing that didn't get done today).  And no word on the end result of that showing yet (they did like it so there's hope).

This afternoon I received an email from an out-of-town client who wants me to take some additional pictures of a place that was listed today.  The end of my week is already packed full of stuff and I'm pretty sure they will put in an offer if they like the pictures I take.  I don't want them to miss out on what on paper looks to be a great deal.  So what do I do?  Change my plans for tomorrow.  I will still be home for the robotics class, but again, the cleaning I would have done in the morning will be greatly abbreviated.

Oddly enough, I'm not stressing (too much) over these changes.  It's actually been a bit fun trying to juggle everything.  Another function of being a planner I think.

A Complete 180

A couple years ago when we were house hunting in Virginia, hubby and I agreed that we didn't want a house with a pool.  We were worried that the kids would end up sneaking into the pool area and would drown.  Neither of our kids were swimming at the time either so that was a bit of a deterrent.

One of the criteria when we bought our recent house was that it MUST have a pool.  So why the change of heart?  Our son can swim quite well on his own now and our daughter is almost there and that helps some.   We also realized that since our children were born, we've told it to them straight.  We've told them the potential dangers of falling into a body of water, running in the house, talking to strangers, and even swimming alone when you are a good swimmer.  We've also been sure to make sure they know that if their sibling is in trouble they are expected required to come and find us immediately to let us know.

One of the first rules we made once we started renting the house in Florida was that an adult MUST be in the pool area with them.  They can't even pass through the pool area without an adult at least knowing about it and watching them.

Although the pool at the new house is not currently usable (it's currently got an algae problem), they are definitely using the pool at the rental.  In fact, I'm pretty sure the kids have used the pool 5 of the last 7 days (the 2 days missing were days we were at the new house). 

Not only are my kids having fun and getting some exercise, but there are so many learning opportunities with a pool.  My daughter has made a K'Nex dolphin and my son made a K'Nex paddle boat.  Are you aware that one K'Nex will float briefly, but when you add a bunch together it sinks immediately?  Unless you attach an empty water or soda bottle to use for buoyancy.  And my son has also had to figure out how to make sure his K'Nex motor doesn't get wet.

The scuzzy water at the new pool has even given us opportunities to discuss why the water turned green, why we can't swim in it, and what the various chemicals do to help make the water usable again.

As hard as it is sometimes for me to find the time to sit by the pool while the kids are in it (it's still a bit cold for me right now), it has been such a great addition to this homeschool family and I'm so glad we changed our minds.

Role Reversal

Late Summer 2010

Our lease in Virginia was up and we were being told that a visa to move to Australia was in the works and we should be moving down under in about 3 - 6 months.  We decided to sell our furniture and move to a house in Ohio that had been on the market for a while but was furnished.  The price was right for us, and it worked out for the owners (people we knew from church) because their house wouldn't be sitting empty and we were both willing to work with 1 month notice.  This house was particularly convenient because Jon's best friend and his family lived 1 hour away.  We ended up in Ohio for only 2 months or so, but we were able to get together numerous times.  I remember a conversation we had about our plans to travel the country in a camper while we waited for the visa to get processed.

Fast forward to present day...Late Summer 2011

We are back in Ohio.  This time we are here to help Jon's best friend and family get packed and on a plane.   You see, earlier this year, he agreed to take a 2 year teaching job at an international school in Qatar.

I'm very happy for them to have this opportunity.  I just find it interesting that the roles have been reversed a bit.  We ARE living in a camper like we mentioned we were thinking about doing a year ago, but they are the ones getting on a plane today that is taking them overseas.