Ten on Tuesday.

Oh how I've negleted you, blog. Please forgive me. Things will return to somewhat normal soon. I hope.
It has been a little crazy around here. It's not that I've had a lack of things to blog about at all. Just lack of time and energy. Here is the abridged version of some happenings around here:

1. Moving date: aprox. T minus ten days. Approximately because the new house is having some work done before we move into it and we're not exactly sure when it will be done. I need to start thinking about utilities...turning off here and turning on there. Moving is such a hassle.
2. More about moving: We're going to have a fantastic view. I mean it's just breathtaking. I never ever thought I'd be living in Oakland. But you know...if I have to live there, I think we've got pretty much the best part of it, right in our back yard. Plus, did I mention that the house sits on three acres? Yeah. My kids are totally going to LOVE that. We all are! Our nearest neighbors? Some of our best friends. How lucky are we? Pete's commute?? Um...it's going from 2 hours to 30 minutes. FANTASTIC!
3. The house itself is a little funky. It's old and hasn't even been lived in in about 3 years. The owners are family friends and just happened to decide to rent it out right when we really needed to. I feel so blessed to be able to live in such a great place. Since it hadn't been lived in in a while, obviously there were some things that needed to be tended too. They've replaced all the flooring and put fresh paint in for us. The only thing I'm worried about is the kitchen. It's TINY. and old. And TINY. But I'll make due. :)
4. The school situation: Well this is the part where I say "never say never". To put it bluntly, the schools in Oakland are just bad. Horrible. Ghetto even. Not all of them, but the majority are. Though our home will be in a nice area, the school we are zoned for is not. I'm talking bars on the windows, bars on the corner, drug deals going down around the next street. And after the year we had in first grade...I'm just not willing to sacrifice anymore for Jake (or Megan's) education. So. We've decided to homeschool. It's not something I ever really thought I'd be doing. Not because I'm against it, or because I think it's weird or anything. Just because I never thought that I, personally, could handle it. Patience is not a virtue that I have. The program I've signed up for is technically an independent study program through a charter school. This means he will still be held to all the state standards and requirements, we will have a teacher to help us along the way, there are group classes and field trips, and best of all: FUNDING. In California, charter schools are public so each child enrolled receives funding for curriculum like any other public school student. (hooray!!) This is going to be a BIG change for us. And I assume there will be quite a bit of an adjustment period. But I'm willing and ready to take this on. And...I actually think it's going to be great.
5. This house is an absolute mess. There are boxes and paper and STUFF everywhere. I'm not sure how much longer I can take the mess.
6. Pete was in Alaska for a week. Yes, again! I'm so glad he's home so he can start helping me pack this stuff.
7. Pete's dad asked me the other day if I thought I'd miss this house at all. Without hesitation my answer was: NO. I really won't. Well, I will miss my kitchen. But not really anything else about this house. I found some stuff the other day from when we were first buying this place. The plans and specs, the options we picked out from the designer, the artist sketch of the neighborhood. As I thumbed through it, there was a slight pinch of sadness. Well...I'm not even sure I'd call it that. But it brought back the feelings of when we were first moving here. How excited we where. How great we thought it would be living here in this quaint "perfect" little neighborhood. But most of all, I realized how quickly that luster wore off. As I fill boxes one by one, I really feel no emotional connection to this house. And the more I think about it, I'm not sure I ever really had one.
8. This is our 2nd full week of summer vacation. Although, now with our decision to homeschool...does summer vacation even count? ha! Anyway. It just barely feels like summer. The last day of school it was so cold and rainy we needed jackets! This week has been a little warmer. Just warm enough for shorts. I guess I better get used to it. It doesn't really get hot in Oakland!
9. I've made a new goal for the month of July. Well I'm hoping anyway. I want to walk/jog 100 miles. Broken down, it's only about 3.2 miles a day. I think I can do that. I just want to keep doing what I've been doing. I still don't LOVE exercise. But I love the changes I see in my body. When I started all this all I wanted to do was lose weight. I knew I'd have to move more and eat less. I never actually expected I'd be physically fit. I mean, I have muscle! Even when I was super skinny, I never had muscle tone. :)
10. As of today I'm down 39 pounds from where I started at the end of January. One pound away from my goal. I'm the thinnest I've been since before Jake was born. My dress size only has one digit! Now that I'm staring my magic goal weight in the face, I realize it's more than just a number on a scale or some random number I picked out of the air. But more about a real lifestyle. I can't just quit now that I'm here. And I won't. I'm not going to take this for granted again.