Getting Rid of Facebook

EEEEEKKKKK!

I've been wanting to get rid of Facebook for a loooonnng time.  I've tried putting limits on it, but think it's the closest thing I have to an addiction (well, and chocolate).  I love it for some reasons, but overall...I think it hinders my life by taking me away from my family too much!  I want to remember what life was like before Facebook came along.  A friend of mine got rid of her FB account, and guess what?  She is doing just fine!  I admire her for doing it (you know who you are!)  

So...I have a plan.  (I always have a plan about something!)  Once we make the move to FL, I plan to take a FB break.  My goal will be to try it for one month.  Don't they say that it takes 30 days to break a habit?  (Who is 'they'?)  We will keep everyone updated by this blog, Sage's youtube channel, phone calls, emails, and face-to-face visits.  (SO...if you want to stay in the loop, you should subscribe to this blog!  I won't be posting links to it on FB forever to remind you to come read it!)

I just hope I can really do it!

School Plans for 2014-2015

As some know, we homeschooling moms like to plan our kid's education way in advance.  Here it is barely into 2014, but I'm already thinking of what our school plans for next year will look like. Sage has been homeschooled since Day One of Kindergarten.  He's now in the middle of his Third Grade year.   I like homeschooling him.  He likes being homeschooled.  Therefore, we will continue to homeschool.

The big question has been, "Will we send Scott to Kindergarten next year?"  This year, he attends a special needs preschool for his language delays (expressive and receptive delays).  Last week, we had a parent-teacher conference.  I asked the question, "If a decision had to be made right now, do you think Scott would qualify for the special needs preschool next year?"  Both his teacher and speech therapist said that no, they do not feel he would qualify for special services next year because he has been doing amazingly well.

Academically, he is right on target, if not still above average (he was given two tests before the school year started, and he scored 'Above Average' on those).  Shockingly to us, his teachers/therapist say that he is very pleasant at school.  He is very social, walks into the classroom each day with a smile and a greeting for his teacher, follows rules, reminds others of the rules if they break a rule, is friendly with everyone, loves to share his 'Share Item' each day.  What a stinker!!  Oh, if they could be a fly on the wall in our house right before the bus comes each day to pick him up!  He fights me every day saying that he doesn't want to go to school, he hates school, etc.  So based on his language progress, his academics being on target, and his social and behavior skills, he will not qualify for the special needs preschool next year.

So...the next question is, "Will we send him to kindergarten or homeschool him?"  IF we were staying here in Ohio, he might have sent him to kindergarten.  (Although, they are considering changing to ALL DAY kindergarten here, and I know I would NOT send him if they do change it to that!)  However, we will not be in Ohio next year.  We will be in Florida.  So the answer is pretty simple.  I will homeschool BOTH boys next year.

I'm excited to getting back to the more hands-on, real world learning that homeschooling provides. This year, we haven't done a lot of that because of Scott being in the preschool which is five days a week, half days.  He goes to the afternoon classes which doesn't allow Sage and I to go and do fun learning activities because of the time restraint of having to be home to put Scott on the bus and get him off the bus.  Next year, we will have a whole new state to explore.  And I'm excited to go to all those theme parks in the middle of the year with a Florida resident discount!  Disney World in September?  Islands of Adventure in October?  Legoland in November?  Sea World in January? Animal Kingdom in February?  Universal Studios in March?  Epcot Center in April?  Yes, please!  

If we feel that Scott still needs speech therapy next year, we will seek out a private therapist for him.  Personally, we feel he has gotten better in his receptive delay (meaning we feel he 'understands' the spoken word better).  We, however, feel like his expressive delay is still pretty strong.  His biggest issue is sentence structure and verb tense usage.  Hopefully, we will continue to see improvements since he has 4 more months of therapy.  Also, he should improve as he gets older.

So, there you have it.  Both boys will be staying home with their momma next year!

OUCH!

We had a representative come tonight from North American Moving Services to give us an estimate on how much it would cost to move.  Are you ready for this estimate?!?!

$6,340.58

Definitely getting more estimates.  We just might have to sell our boys to afford the move!  (kidding..of course!!)

So it begins

I had told myself that I wouldn't start decluttering, packing, or doing home repairs until February.  I just wanted January to be 'normal'.   That plan didn't last long.  I've already started collecting boxes from my neighbors.  Thankfully we have some online shoppers like me in the neighborhood!  We also have someone still unpacking from their move into our neighborhood so I'm getting their boxes too.  My goal is to NOT buy any boxes or packing materials.

I've also started the 'decluttering'.  I cleaned out some kitchen drawers and cabinets and got rid of some stuff.  I have two very clean drawers so I teased Henry when he got home saying that I don't want to move anymore because my kitchen drawers are clean.  I never have clean and organized kitchen drawers!  

We were supposed to have a moving company come by tonight for an estimate, but I rescheduled due to the nasty weather we got today.  I didn't want anyone risking their lives coming to our house...especially for a move that isn't happening for months.  (We got a few inches of snow very quickly today causing some hazardous driving conditions).  

Moving Options

We have no idea at this point how we are getting from Point A (Ohio) to Point B (Florida) with all of our stuff...and it's a lot of stuff!  When we moved into this house, we didn't have a whole lot.  In the past 5 years, we have FILLED this house which is almost 3000 square feet!  Moving is expensive.  Moving 3000 square feet of stuff almost 1000 miles away is VERY expensive!

OPTION #1

Good 'ole U-Haul.  The load it yourself, drive it yourself, and unload it yourself option.  Ugh.  I'm not sure if even their biggest truck could hold all of our stuff.  I do not want Henry to have to drive a gigantic truck down through the WV turn-pike.  We would have to probably make 2 trips with 2 trucks at 2 different times if we went with U-Haul.  Estimated cost is around $3000.



OPTION #2

A moving company.  There are soooo many moving companies!  Here's a warning to you:  Don't make the mistake that I made and fill out an online request for a quote from a moving company. You will have about 8 companies calling you 1-2 times a day plus emailing you about twice a day.  We have someone coming out this Friday to give us a quote.  We used United Van Lines years ago when we moved from Columbus to Chicago.  Back then, Henry's company paid for our move.  The movers packed up our whole house, loaded the truck, drove our stuff to Chicago, stored it on their truck for 6 days, and then unloaded at our new place in Chicago....for a grand total of $13,000!!!  We have since learned that if it's a 'company paid move', the moving company will jack up the price.  This move to Florida is not a company paid move so I'm interested to hear the quote.  I, of course, have been reading reviews online on different companies.  They are all terrible!!  Scary things like damaged goods, lost goods, stolen goods, jacking up the price once they get your stuff on their truck, etc.  None of this sounds fun.  Pluses, though, would be that they do it for you!!  AND all of our stuff could be moved at once.  AND Henry wouldn't have to drive through the mountains.


OPTION #3

PODS moving containers seem promising.  You have a POD delivered to your driveway.  Then, you can load it up as you find time to do it (not all in one day like a U-Haul!).  The price is the same if you have it for just one day or 30 days.  Then, they drive it to your new location for you.  Then you can take as long as needed to unload it.  I just got an over-the-phone quote.  $4700   Ouch.  I was told that each pod only holds about 3 rooms of furniture so we would need at least 2 (2 pods, 2 drivers, 2 trips down to FL).  I just saw on U-Haul's website that they now also have something similar called 'U-Box Pods' so I'll have to get a quote from them too.  

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There's no way around it.  Moving to Florida is going to be EXPENSIVE.

To soften the blow...

(For blogging purposes, I will be using our middle names because when do you get to use your middle name!?!  -unless you are in trouble? This blog post is about Sage, our 8-year-old).

Moving almost 1000 miles away from all he loves is really, really hard on Sage.  He does have his moments of being really excited about all the possibilities.  He's excited about visiting all the theme parks and hanging out at the beach.  He's old enough to know, though, that our normal everyday life will not consist of those things.  He will miss all his friends like crazy.  So I had an idea...

Sage has been dying to have his own youtube channel.  He wants his own video camera so he can make his own little videos.  (Both of our boys LOVE Evantube.  A boy gives reviews of different toys, games, and theme parks...with the help of his dad).  Sage's 9th birthday is coming up in March so I thought the perfect gift would be his very own video game (Again!  We bought him one when he turned 6, and it was broke within 2 weeks.  Ugh.  Lesson not learned).  I already told him that that is what we plan to get him, and that he could then make his very own youtube channel.  He is so excited now that he will get to do his own reviews!  Also, I will be implementing a 'homeschool project'...making youtube videos about our year adventure in Florida so our friends and family can not only read about our adventures on this blog, but see them too on youtube!  He will have to shoot the videos, edit them, and publish them.

So questions for you...

1. Any advice on starting a youtube channel?
2. Any recommendations on a good camera for a 9-year-old?
3. Any recommendations for editing software?

Checklist for Home Repairs

Before our house is ready to rent to someone, there are quite a few things that needs to be done to it.  I'm a 'list person'.  I'm even that person who will add an item to my list even if I have already completed just to get the satisfaction of crossing it off.  I like that feeling of accomplishment.  I'm sure we will add to this list.  We have 5 months to get these items crossed off our list:

1. Buy and install new tankless water heater
2. Caulk and grout upstairs bathrooms
3. Tile basement bathroom floor
4. Paint any wall that has our youngest's artwork on it which includes...living room, master bedroom, and half bathroom.  Upstairs hallway needs some paint too.  Laundry Room.
5. Clean oven
6. Buy year supply of furnace filters
7. Buy fridge filters
8. Replace light bulbs (kitchen/front porch)
9. Replace blinds in kitchen and living room.
10. Stain mailbox

Pros and Cons

What should anyone do before making a life-altering decision?  Make a pros and cons list, of course!   We keep adding to each column.  (These are in NO particular order!) Can you guess who added what?

Life is Short

On December 6th, 2013, my husband's brother passed away very suddenly and very unexpectedly.  He died of a heart attack at the age of 43.

His death really affected me.  I knew him for a short 15 years, and he was my brother-in-law for 10 of those years.  He, from day one, welcomed me with open arms.  He was an awesome BIL, and and an amazing uncle to our two boys.  It is still really hard for me to wrap my head around that he is gone forever.

I have known my whole life that 'life is short', that you can leave this Earth at any given moment.  His death reminded me of these truths.  My husband said it best about his brother, "He didn't have ambition to have a good job and make good money.  He was all about building strong relationships with people."  People were important to him, not money.  No mother (parent) should lose their child.  My mother-in-law lost her first born.  I silently feel her pain.  Having us down in Florida will hopefully help my grieving in-laws.  Our boys have the tendency to make you laugh and smile...and I want to share that.

Moving to Florida is a way for our family to live our life, to be in charge of our own life.  It's so easy to get comfortable with your daily life and get set in your ways, to lose sight of what is important.  I love, love, love the life that I am living right now.  However, I want to show our children the world, teach them things that can't be taught here in Ohio.  We'll do some different hands-on learning in Florida.  (I swear moving to Florida is like moving to a different country to me!)  My older son actually wants to be an 'Adventurer' when he grows up.  He wants to travel the world and be like a nomad.

 Our year in Florida is our way of taking a leap of faith, taking life by the wings and holding on for dear life.

Family in Florida

In my previous post, I mentioned that my husband and I both have family in Florida.  He grew up in the Port Orange / Daytona Beach area.  His parents still live there, as well as some of his high school buddies.

His sister, who has lived in New York for many years, is also moving back to Florida in February.

About a hour and half south of Daytona, my cousin and her family live in Palm Bay.

About an hour south of Palm Bay, my grandparents live in Port S. Lucie.  (Picture is of me, my boys, my grandparents, my cousin, and her 2 girls).

About an hour south of Port St. Lucie, my mom and step-dad own a condo in Boynton Beach.  (Their home is in Texas, but they go to their condo in Florida as often as they can).

My aunt and uncle, who live in Colorado, are moving back to Florida as soon as they can too.

I have extended family that also live in Florida that I don't even know!!  (but would love to!)

We have family who live in Alabama that we could see more too.

I'm excited to see what living near family looks like!

New Adventure!

New year, new adventure!

Those of you who know me, know that I.do.not.like.Florida.  Like...really don't like Florida.  That's a tough thing because my husband and I both have family there.  When I say I don't like Florida, I don't mean I don't like the people (our family and friends), I mean that I literally don't like the state of Florida.  I don't like the sun.  Well, I like the sun and all it does, but I don't like it beating down on me all the time.  I don't like the headaches and sunburns it gives me.  I don't like wearing sunscreen.  I don't like sweating.  I don't like being hot.  I don't like getting in the ocean.  I don't like not seeing what is around me because the water is so dirty.  I don't like the sand.  I don't like the way it sticks to your sunscreen.  I don't like how it gets in your bathing suit and your car.  I don't like fire ants, I am convinced we are all deathly allergic to them.  I don't like alligators in my back yard that will eat my kids.  I don't like hurricanes.  I don't like sink holes.  I do not look at a palm tree and think 'oh, how pretty is that!'  I do not like the grass...can't believe that those sharp blades of straw are even considered grass.  I don't like driving in monsoons.

So why in the heck have I decided that we should move to Florida?!?!  And yes, it was me who decided that we should do it.  I've known my husband for 15 years, and I've known that he would move back to Florida in a heartbeat because he could easily type up a list like the one above, but it would be 'Reasons I don't like Ohio'.  (He is from Port Orange/Daytona Beach).  He has stayed up north for me.  For 15 years.  He has sacrificed so much for me and for our boys.  I have been a stay-at-home mom for almost 9 years.  He has worked his booty off supporting us.  He has worked 2 jobs for the past 2 years, working 7 days/week, up to 90 hours/week.  For us.  His happiness has suffered.  His health has suffered.  I want him to be happier and healthier, and I think a big of dose of Florida sunshine might do the trick for him.

The thought of moving to Florida permanently paralyzes me.  Makes me feel like I'm being suffocated.  Seriously.  (I really don't like Florida!)  However, I can do it temporarily.  I can leave the house I love, the neighborhood I love, the city we live in, our church, our friends...everything we know and love...temporarily, knowing we can return to our exact house, our exact neighborhood, in 1 year.  I can do it because I do love my husband dearly.

Our plan is:
1)  Do not sell our house here in Ohio.
2)  Do not buy a house in Florida.
3)  We will rent out our house in Ohio.
4)  We will rent a house in Florida.
5)  We will wait to move until June, end of school year.
6)  We will decide where we will live based on where my husband finds a job.
7)  If I end up hating it within that year and want to come back to Ohio, we will do so.

There are 2 major variables to this plan working.  1)  Will my husband be able to find a job in Florida??  2)  Will someone rent our house for the monthly rent we will be asking?
I'm handing it over to God.  We will go forward, making our plans to make this move happen.  If this is not the path we should be taking, I trust that God will make that apparent.

As I type this, I'm looking out the window to snow falling wildly.  The ground, including the road, is completely covered.  And I love it.

Our Big Announcement!

We're moving to Florida...for a year!!  We don't plan to move until June.  We are not selling our house here in Ohio.  We are not buying a house in Florida. We're renting so if we don't like it, we can come back to Ohio!