I have spent the last few years running myself into the ground trying to give my large family a small family lifestyle. Which is why I didn't blog regularly. Facebook was faster. Smart phones are easier and portable. It's just the way it was.
When the end of February approached, I was already giving myself pep talks for surviving the spring activity line up. Ian was approaching high school graduation. I was helping him apply to universities. He did the applications, I did the financial aid forms. Ian also got a job at the YMCA as a lifeguard and worked every shift he could. He and Shane were both finishing up their driving hours for driver's ed, so neither one could drive independently. Shane was involved with Sea Scouts and needed a ride to Tacoma every Friday. Genna was vaulting three days a week and picked up a job at the arena, so she needed to be dropped off and picked up five or six days a week. Shane, Fiona, and Daniel all had orchestra twice a week. Fiona started attending youth group at the church one night a week. All the kids and I attended a homeschool co-op one half-day a week and I taught two classes there (preschool and knitting). We had Boy Scouts for Shane and Cub Scouts for Daniel. Scouting in the spring means Pinewood Derby, the spring camp outs, Crossover ceremonies, and Shane starting to work on his Eagle project as well as continuing his role of Junior Scoutmaster. Last but not least, Mark still taught two Taekwondo classes per week at the YMCA and Shane down to Lula participated. Spring also means the beginning of the vaulting competition season, which meant lots of travel for Genna and I. We were planning trips to California, Oregon, Canada, and Massachusetts.
How did I pay for it all? I had a bunch of side jobs. I worked the nursery at church two nights a week. I taught outdoor environmental education at Sound View Camp. And I balance the books for a small publishing company.
Mark and I drove a LOT. Little kids spent time in front of the TV while older siblings were in charge TOO MUCH. But what else could we do? Every month or so, I would sit down and make a list similar to the one I wrote out for you and try to cut things out. What could we live without? What could we get rid of and still be meeting our kids' needs? The answer was always nothing.
Until the pandemic shut everything down.
Six months later....
I'm home. I'm rested. We are five weeks into the best homeschool year I've had in many years. I rarely drive anywhere because Shane and Genna go up to the arena together every day. Ian drives himself to work in his own car. Fiona goes to youth group still. Daniel is thriving at home with nothing but schoolwork to do. He is flourishing in a way I've never seen with him. It's nothing short of a miracle. I make breakfast like I used to. I cook dinner more. And maybe I will dust off this old blog and get it going again. Who knows?