I made it through nursing school, I am a few days from taking my boards.  What a hectic and life changing two years.  This has certainly not been my daily life, but what hasn't changed? Same house, same kids, same pets, same shorts I am wearing on a June day.

I have a garden, I am doing more with the MN art therapy association. I still love evenings, slowing down. I am so grateful to God for blessing in my life.

It's been almost a whole academic year since I posted.
Graham moved out April 19, although he still has tons of stuff here.
The kids are starting to spend the night there, with his first full weekend this past one. However, Tasha did graduate, so we were together for graduation and dinner.
True has adjusted excellently to his new exciting high school. He does everything, plays, student council, Y R U Up, a show that runs early Saturday am, from 12:30 to 2 am.
Ivy has been okay. She is better prepared for Jefferson next year.
Violet has been sad about the divorce. She started Concerta last week to see if it will help her ADD.
Promise is hanging in there, wants to sit on my lap when she comes home.
Cherish is even more emotional, and Capri doesn't know what to do.
I got into nursing school in the fall, Tasha will finish one last college class.
Lots of change, and yet, we still sit down to dinner, still give the girls baths with a bath tub full of girls and toys, still make too many cookies and go to book sales at the library.
I am hoping for a calm summer.

I just have a chance today to post-
Some positives this past month- the kids have all adjusted to schools, with less anxiety than I had! They are enjoying new people and classes. My fifth grader is avoiding homework, an old problem of hers. My college daughter continues to try to find affordable health insurance. The four year old, with the assistance of the pastor's family and the secretary at church, is attending preschool for no charge to us. This has been a real blessing. The little girls go to school at the community college I am attending on Wednesday afternoons, and occasionally another day so I can get lab and other lectures in.
Other than that, we are getting closer to having some things done on the divorce. I will be done with pre-nursing school classes in mid-December. Tasha will hopefully graduate from college this spring or summer. There are changes on the horizon, and I don't know what they will mean in my everyday life. I can only hope for the best outcomes and do my best to keep things as much the same as possible, if that will be best for the kids.
So, in the meantime, I try to make the house run well and make sure that everyone has warm dinners, clean school and football uniforms, and is where they need to be. I am averaging seven to nine trips a day to get everyone where they need to be, but we do have one carpool. Football season is about another month, but then Ivy is trying out for Hansel and Gretel dinner theatre at school. Promise and Violet really have no activities, but they have needed to concentrate on school work, so it's been good.
This week Ivy starts confirmation. I am glad we will take a day on Sunday and go to the farm we get our CSA veggies and raspberries from. It is about a 3 hour drive, but I think it will be a lot of fun. A potluck and a pumpkin picking outing sounds like just the ticket for us right now.
Just had to include this picture, life is sweet when your little girls decorate your patio chair.

Fall seems to be starting tomorrow- I will go back to school, True is in his second full week of football practice, it is chilly in the morning!
Fall seems to be the time for new beginnings, I am hoping that we can get some legal things done, and get settled in as a family with two households.
Things that didn't get done in the past seven weeks- I didn't get my house all organized, I got a start and quickly got bored. With the house, custody, etc all up in the air, I don't feel at home anymore, it is hard to stay motivated. I have yet to file my property tax refund. Violet didn't get to have friends sleep over this summer. I didn't de-clutter- see previous comment. We didn't do much toilet training with Capri, I am just happy she is staying on her growth curve. She is now the big 25 pounds.
Things I did- started a book group with Ivy, then had school board meeting for two of the meeting times. I went to one, and Tasha went to one with her, I think she didn't care that we didn't finish, it was kind of a big, younger group at Southdale. Violet and I went to book group, at Penn Lake, for the first time together! We had a great time reading fun books together. We went to the pool several times. Promise read lots. I found a job I hope to continue this fall, at our church's daycare. I read tons of good books, and I got a tan, and talked to the kids. Cherish has fascinating things to say. I got True registered at Jefferson, his sports physical, and signed up for football. I got Ivy registered and counseled at Olson. I got the paperwork done for to transfer Promise back to Seven Hills. I got everyone at three schools signed up for free lunch. I have Capri and Cherish signed up for daycare while I have Nutrition class. I got the paperwork done to modify mine and Tasha's financial aid. I took out a student loan and registered for class. Ivy had friends sleep over. I canned pickles, froze zucchini, onions, peppers, and more pickles. I have everyone's back to school nights on the calender. I found tomatotes I can get on food stamps to can, from our farm share. I grew herbs this summer. Everyone has school supplies. We got to church with at least some kids most Sundays,
I keep thinking I should be setting more goals, but I think we all need to just adjust to new schools and schedules this fall. I got a very nice offer today, the pastor's wife and the secretary at church, both good friends of mine and fellow members of the the Ladies Bible Study group, Bad Girls, have offered to send Cherish to preschool. She will profit a lot from this, it is a very nice thing for them to do. With that, and Tasha having lots of credits and work and needing rides, we will have a very full schedule.
In the meantime, I am hoping to be patient and able to study and get awesome grades, and not forget anything in my schedule! I am hoping Capri and I can go somewhere and study while Cherish is at school. I suppose home. I wish there was still a playplace like there was at Eden Prairie Mall, that big area full of climbing things, or a playspace that was open, like Edenborough used to be. Any and all suggestions are welcome!

Okay, you know I am behind times when I am posting a Halloween photo on May Day- but isn't this beautiful, my son kissing his littlest sister?
Things have been rough around here in the money area, and the marriage area, kind of an off-shoot of that, I think. All the issues of a retirement, but with a lot of little kids at home, and the need to find jobs as soon as possible, and very few contacts back regardless of so many job applications. I am not succeeding at my marital relationship right now, having lots of thoughts about what to do, what is best, what I can do-
Complicated by losing a baby in August, and then my neighbor having her first just when I would have had one.
Life sometimes isn't so dramatic, just a little sadder. Her baby was born with a bit of a cleft lip, and she was talking about how that was a little upsetting, and I'm just thinking, as I hold her sweet baby, I would have loved to have had an alive baby anytime in this time, this is so minor. She does know that, also, and is very grateful for her little precious.
I know that times are hard for lots of people, and my worries are small compared to some, but at the same time, just when I thought that life would be kind of a little bit smoother, the loss of a primary income for almost a year and a half, with part time work, has really rocked our family boat. Add to that loss, and my job loss, and me going back to school, and not getting into nursing school next fall, and the kids' school closing, and needing to do some school changes for economic reasons- it all has felt a bit like I haven't been able to relax much, or enjoy life, or be myself with the kids.
Not a very optimistic blog, hope to report some more positive changes soon.
Soon it will be warmer, and I'll have three weeks off of school, and I'll be able to clean the house, hunt for work, rent a movie from Redbox, and read a book without feeling guilty that it's not my anatomy book. Comment with a good movie to rent-
Some positives- We enjoyed a quiet Easter, Capri had a nasogastric tube on her second birthday, a few days in Children's hospital, and has finally put on some weight. The tube is long gone, and she is eating better. She will sit in my lap and drink her Pediasure with a straw. Cherish is smart as a whip, knows how to spell some words at 4 years old. Recently we took her to the ER for a little bead in her nose, she very seriously told everyone there it rolled off the piano shelf and bounced in her nose. Promise has been thriving in the Lutheran school, next year she'll go back to a charter school with Violet, who is having three friends for a sleepover tonight. Violet won first prize in her science fair, for the fourth grade. Ivy is turning teen-ish, we ordered a dress on the 15 dollar store site for a boy girl dance at school, her first. It is black, too grown up for my baby lady, as we called her when she was a toddler. True is grumpy but then affectionate, going to the giant high school next year, from a small class to a huge one. His basketball team went to Nationals, we took a bus trip to Indiana, it was a lot of fun. They placed 2nd! Tasha was the only one to stay home, she studied some. She is going to Iceland this summer, we are trying to figure that out financially. We are hoping she will be a college grad this time next year.
Sorry I haven't blogged recently, life has been very up and down, and I don't know what to say for myself much of the time. I think right now it's time to go and enforce lights out for these ten year olds, they are giggley, it is cute as the dickens. Good night!

Photo from this summer- Christmas photo?

Black Friday shopping

Thought I'd post my buys-

I went to 7 stores!

Oldest dd and I wanted to go, we slept, and went at 9:30.

First stop- McDonald's to the Redbox, pick up Wal-E for dh and kids staying home, $1.07 for a one night rental. Did not get food, had a coffee at home before I left.

2nd stop- Grocery store, pick up Hancock for later tonight to watch with three oldest kids, and dog food on a gift card. Total out of pocket, $1.07, GRAND total- $2.14

We then went to Walmart, I got two pair of $8 jeans for ds, I will need to go trade for a different size, but he only had one pair of jeans and one pair of other pants. I think he has grown 4-5 inches this year. I bought 1 yo dd a cabbage patch baby for $10. I bought 2nd youngest dd, age 4, a playdoh set wtih 50 pieces for $10. I bought one of those flash drives that Ariana bought for $9, we have one in the house that 4 people share, it will be good to have 2. X men 3 double dvd for ds for $6. Time in a Bottle dvd for me for $2. 7 items, $55.55 Grand total $57.69 We were in Walmart one half hour, there was one person ahead of us in line.

Next stop- the bakery. A cherry strudel for me, custard stuffed chocolate glazed long john for dd. $1.95 Grand total $59.64

Then we went to Kmart, they were sold out of the knock em sock em toy for $8. I found a great toy for dd age 6, a toy dog with vet things that makes little doggie noise, she will love it, at $26.24. I bought boots for 9 yo dd, at $22.99 and then got school shoes, her's from a year a half ago are falling apart, I got these 50% of for a price of $4.99. She needs black shoes for her uniform. I bought dh 5 pocket t-shirts for $2 each. I bought flannel pj pants for ds for $6.49. Total spent on 9 items, $72.52 Total saved, $42.70 I gave dd her boots right away, I hadn't found any at Walmart yet. She was very happy. Grand total $132.16 We were first in line, no crowd. Three open lanes.

6th stop- Toy R Us. This is where it was crazy, a cop directing traffic, a long wait to get in. No parking, someone stole one spot. I sent dd in, to just get the rock em sock em's. I told her I thought there was a coupon, buy one get one free. She disregarded that while I circled the lot, to focus on getting the last one off a high shelf, she and the worker poked it off with board games, and she paid $19.23 for it. This is something I hope to find for a better price and return. I picked dd up, and we left that place. She paid in electronics, no line, vs long lines at the front. Total spent $19.23 Grand total $151.39

Stopped at home to drop off movie and things. Picked up ds, he wanted to get his present for his sister, who was with us.

7th and final stop- JC Penney's. Ds found a lip balm collection for his sister. I found a shower gel set for dd age 12 at the same spot. These were 50% off, for $10 and $6 after sale. Dd went shopping for clothes. She found a shirt for herself, $6.99 after discounts. I found a long sleeve henley for dh, $14.40 marked down from $36. Both the kids there wanted new pillows for Christmas, $3.99 after discounts. I bought a sleeper for youngest dd, $7.99 after discounts. I bought a set of socks for 1 yo dd, and a pair of tights for 4 yo dd. Everything had an additional 10% off, except the two bath sets didn't ring up 50% off, she took me back to the head of the line and credited and billed again, so I had asked about the 10%, but it wasn't credited. Good customer service, I won't quibble $1.71. Total spent- $66.14, then dd paid me back $7 for her shirt. Actually, I gave her $12.25 for the charge she made at Toys R Us. So I spent $59.14, saved 81.58. This was a good stop. Ds will refund me $6 towards his sister's present, money he made painting this summer. Total oop $53.14.

Total spent $204.53

I have a lot of purchases, and the vast amount of my shopping done in just a few hours, at very low prices. I still have a few things to buy, but it was very nice shopping! I think I'll go next year. I saved about $175-$200, I estimate. Each child now has something from us. Dh, ds, and some of the girls have some badly needed clothes.

Will have to go with dh to get things for his family, or he'll go. Will have to see what's on sale as Christmas gets closer, he is not good about shopping sales.

In a few weeks we will buy a tree. They are usually $20-$25.

Other news-

Just saw my sisters and their families, didn't get a whole lot of time with them.

CAPRI went to a pediatric endrochronologist, she has so far just some delayed bone growth, not as many teeth as she should have. She might go to a pediatric gastronologist next, for absorption issues.

TRUE did fine in his fall play, he didn't know his lines quite well enough. IVY was in the plays, also, she had fewer lines, is looking grown up.

TASHA is going to Colorado for winter break, Vienna for spring break.

VIOLET got an award at school for being empathetic and improving on her homework responsibility. She settle right into her homework after dinner.

PROMISE is enjoying her new schol, getting together with her best friend Grace from kindergarten at 7 Hills tomorrow.

CHERISH has one liners, like when Tasha asked her to stop something, she said, "Why, is it slowly driving you crazy?" Things you don't expect from a recently turned 4 year old. Luckily, both her hair, and Violet's bangs are growing out from being self-cut. We have talked now, several times, about not cutting your own hair, mom will cut it whenever you ask.

Have a good Advent season!