Loose Ends Updates

Just after posting today.....two things started coming together.

I met with Mya's principal this morning and finalized plans for her next year. She will take art and music at the school and can join her first grade class on field trips.  They will also assess her at the end of the year. So I gave them the check to solidify that. I also found out that I can rent textbooks from the school for $10 a book rather then buying all of my own curriculum. That decision saved me a lot of money! I will purchase her reading curriculum, but will rent science, social studies and math. It was so comforting to see all of that come together. I am so excited to have this time with my girls. When I was first deciding to do this and had so much anxiety about answering questions from people who wanted to know why I would home school...I always thought I needed to have some deep, convincing argument to back it up. But you know what? Whether it works out or not, I am going to have this time with my girls, watching them learn and grow and even if it is for a short time...I know I won't regret it.  All I have left to do is actually purchase the curriculum for both girls and we will be ready to go. I already have an itemized list of what I need to buy.

And the vehicle situation is coming together too.  When we started looking at vehicles, I was asking for a van. But then I found an SUV at an used car lot in town and test drove it. I fell in love with it. But I took it to the car mechanic and found out how much work it needed. And the brand of car was questionable for us. So after discussing that with Dan, he and I looked at other models of SUVs and prices. The used car lot owner worked with us too to look at auction prices. The SUVs turned out to be out of our price range and not the brand of car that we felt comfortable with. So then we went back to the van. We are watching the auctions and waiting to find the one that has the right mileage at the right price for us. Dan is going to work with the car dealer on Monday to check out our options and hopefully make a decision. When weighing the pros and cons of the SUV versus the van for a family of five we decided that the van made the most sense. My SUV dream can come true when the kids grow up:)  For now, practicality has to trump a want and I am okay with that. It is a blessing to be able to buy a bigger vehicle to provide comfort for me and the girls. I am so pumped!