Our first week back to school was...rough.

I love the beginning of a new school year. Crisp paper, fresh school supplies, sharp pencils, eager minds.

After our 5-week break from homeschooling, we were all starting to crave more routine in our lives. So on Monday of last week, we cleaned up the kitchen after breakfast and wandered up to the schoolroom at 8:30 sharp. Kaylin had spent Sunday resting and recovering from her raging fever Saturday night. She still wasn't 100%, but she was well enough to join us. 

I thought back to the first day of school in a traditional classroom. The teacher spends the whole first week acclimating to her new students and helping them get to know each other. They don't dive right into grammar or math facts, but instead everyone eases back in with "fun" types of learning. As much as I wanted to pick right back up where we left off in May, I restrained myself and took a different approach.

I welcomed the kids into the schoolroom individually, opening the door one at a time and asking, "Who's ready to start 4th grade...???" on down through Kaylin for 2nd and Jason for pre-school. Jason loved it so much, he asked if I can do it every day? I agreed to repeat this simple greeting every Monday morning until they're sick of it.

I began the day by reviewing our school rules and going over some goals for each of us. I explained our new curriculum and how our schedule will change a bit. Then we got into a short Bible lesson.

Getting through this brief introduction was torturous. Everyone was interrupting, everyone had an opinion, everyone was asking to add this or change that...I had absolutely no control of my tiny class. 

The rest of the day? It was a joke. At 11:30am, I texted my best friend: "Today is the epitome of why people say they could never homeschool." All three kids had been in sobbing tears at different points of the morning, I was stressed beyond belief, no one was cooperating with each other (or me)...it was a disaster.

Tuesday, I vowed, would be a better day. I was prepared for the worst and hoping for the best. It didn't take long for me to realize that Jason was acting funny. Not funny haha, funny...calm. Turned out he had a raging fever. I felt a little better knowing that on Monday, he was "off" because he was getting sick and Kaylin was off because she was getting over it. Maybe I'm not such a failure after all?

I plopped Jason in a bean bag chair with his best friend Cocoa and set out to continue educating the big kids. As the day wore on, I noticed my throat itching and my nose feeling stuffy. I popped some Ziacam and trudged on.

(this is not Cocoa's best angle)

Wednesday I woke up officially feeling sluggish and horribly congested. No fever, just a messed up nose, which is difficult to bear when you only have one free hand to use a tissue. I pulled out Mary Poppins and told the kids that while watching the movie, they were learning about music (which totally coincides with our lesson on the ear and paying attention) while I passed out on the couch. It still counts as "school" when the teacher falls asleep, right?

That night, Ryan complained of an upset stomach and hung out around the toilet, convinced he was going to be sick. Our family was falling apart...one person at a time!

By Thursday morning, everyone was better. No fevers, no nausea, my nose was even clearing up. We went to our weekly summer movie, then finished the school day strong. It seemed that things were falling back into place.

Until 2am, which was technically Friday morning. I woke up with severe stomach cramps, convinced I was hungry because I hadn't eaten much for dinner. After some almonds and a half a banana, I still couldn't fall back to sleep. I spent the next hour running back and forth to the bathroom, begging God to help me throw up because I was convinced I would feel better. Finally, for the first time in my life, I stuck my finger down my throat, as far as possible, and made myself vomit. I felt a little better, but was still in too much pain to sleep.

I finally nodded off around 5:30am...just in time for Mike to get up and go to the gym. As he rolled over to turn off his alarm, I grabbed his arm and asked him to call in sick to work so he could take care of me and the kids. He's never had to do that before, but thankfully, he was easily convinced.

My sweet husband then spent the next 10 hours being...me. Well, the old, two-handed version of me. He cooked, he cleaned, he served me meals in bed, he even followed my lesson plan and homeschooled the kids. I think he surprised us both! By 3:00, I was finally feeling better. 

So here we are on Monday and I am completely unmotivated to be productive. Which is a shame, because we have several social things on the calendar this week that require us to stay on task during our at-some school hours.

Here's hoping that everyone stays well for more than 24 hours! And that maybe I'll be more motivated to homeschool after lunch...?

My Husband Rocks - All about us

1. Where did you meet? At a 4th of July party for our singles group at church. I overheard him talking about the Plaza in Kansas City and stopped dead in my tracks since I had just moved to Phoenix. He thought I was hitting on him. We didn't run into each other again for 7 months.

2. How long did you date before you were married? Hmmm...this is a tough question. Mike thinks we started dating a couple of months before I considered us "dating." (I'll save that story for another post) According to his idea of our first date of March 27, 1999, we dated just under 11 months. My idea of our first date was in May, so by my time-table, we only dated for 9 months. 6 months after my first date, we were engaged, then 3 months later we were married. I know, I know. That explains a lot, doesn't it?

3. What does he do that surprises you? As much as he hates helping me with household chores, he takes great care in doing a good job.

4. What is your favorite quality of his? His integrity and his commitment to our family. Oh wait, that's two...

5. What is your favorite feature of his? His beautiful blue eyes

6. Does he have a nickname for you? Honey and "Hon" (which the kids have started calling me, especially when calling up the stairs)

7. What is his favorite food? all things Mexican

8. What is his favorite sport? college football, by far

9. When and where was your first kiss? Mike took FOREVER to kiss me. The poor guy - I totally freaked him out by admitting that I've laughed during 100% of my first kisses. I don't remember when it was, but we were hanging out at his house talking and I remember thinking, "Just KISS ME already!" When he finally did, I didn't laugh. That was his goal, the little stinker.

10. What do you like to do together? Hike, watch movies, work out at the gym, hang out at an outdoor shopping center and people watch, we're pretty relaxed.

11. Do you have any children? Ryan, 4 and Kaylin, 2.

12. Does he have a hidden talent? Yes - in an argument, he can completely change the subject in a single bound! I call him the most subject-changingest person ever to walk the earth. (I know that grammar was nails on a chalkboard to some of you!)

13. Who said "I love you" first? Me

14. What is his favorite type of music? Christian music, more Air One than K-Love, but he listens to both.

15. What do you admire most about him? His commitment to our family. He

16. Do you think he will read this? Doubt it - he doesn't check in on my blog very often anymore! If you're reading this...HI HONEY! (and I'm sure I'll get a comment arguing about the definition of our first date)

If you want to play along with this Q&A about your husband, attach the link to your blog below. It's a great post topic, just in time for Valentine's Day tomorrow!!!

My Husband Rocks - So Handy

My husband rocks because he's so handy. Not only did Mike spend last weekend putting up hooks all over my garage, he spent half a day (seriously - like 5 hours) putting together this dresser for our bathroom. It was a surprise Christmas gift from his parents and fits perfectly on the open wall in our master bath.

Within 5 minutes of helping Mike move it into place, I had it filled with spare toiletries, extra tissue boxes, make-up samples, you name it. Every drawer and basket is stuffed full and now the cabinet under my sink only has toilet paper and cleaning supplies. As it should be!!!

I love my new dresser. Now I just need to move that towel rack above it and put pretty decorative things on the top. Projects for another day!

My Husband Rocks - Job Update

Today, I'd like to report that my husband rocks because...HE GOT A JOB!!! Not only did he land a job in this horrible economy...before we had to touch our emergency fund...or think about selling a rental house...he is SUCH a great employee, that he is going back to work for one of his old companies. In fact, it's the company he left to accept the job working with our church. He left on good terms, gave 3 weeks notice, trained the new person they hired, and his old boss valued him so much that she called his new boss (at the church) to rave about him and say how much he would be missed at the old office.

This old boss was one of the first people Mike called to put a bug in her ear that he was available for work again. She is also a Christian (around our parents' age) and completely understood why Mike left that company in the first place. There were no burned bridges when he left.

SOOOOO...she called a couple of days ago and said that they are paring down their staff, but would like to hire Mike back to replace the CPA that they are laying off! I know we should have jumped at the chance, but there are definite concerns with this offer. No health benefits - everything's out of pocket (hel-LO...no maternity insurance for baby #3 someday), plus the pay scale was a little less than he was ideally hoping for. Also, it's a small real estate company. Small in this economy is unstable. The real estate market in this economy is unstable.

As we were praying about it the other night, a small voice inside of me said, "WHY are you praying about this? There have been NO tangible job leads other than Make a Wish. There are a gazillion people looking for work right now and hardly anyone is hiring. Mike was considering applying at Starbuck's in a few months to help pay the bills. This is a good job with a good company in a nice part of town with a great staff. Are you seriously that greedy to consider holding out for something better???" I shared those thoughts with Mike, he took the day to continue making his decision and he officially called and accepted the job yesterday afternoon.

CONGRATULATIONS MIKE!!! And thank you to everyone for keeping us in your prayers, supporting me emotionally through this tough time in our marriage and for checking in with us to make sure we weren't ready for straight jackets. (I loved the calls and emails from friends who said, "No seriously...how are you REALLY doing? Give it to me straight." I have the best girlfriends in the world.)

I really enjoyed the time Mike was home with us these last couple of months. Well, most of it anyway! We had a couple of really hard weeks before Christmas, but I think it brought us closer together and strengthened Mike's faith. It took a bit of time for us to develop a new routine that included him, but once we did, it was nice spending so much time together. For those of you going through a layoff or a recent job loss, I will tell you that Mike's lowest point was at about 4 weeks, and I've heard that 4-6 weeks is a common rock-bottom for men. Continue to support your husband, pray for him, encourage him and build up his confidence, especially during the rough times.

The kids have gotten used to the four of us being together all the time. Not only Daddy being home during the days, but all of us together. I took Ryan hiking last week, just him and me, and he said he missed Kaylin and Daddy over and over until he was almost in tears. Last night when Mike and Ryan went to a friend's house to watch the final college football bowl game, Kaylin asked when they were coming home 100 times. Even when I have the kids alone at the grocery store for under an hour, they complain about missing their daddy.

Mike returning to work full time is going to be an adjustment for all of us. Personally, I've become quite comfortable being a little lazier, sleeping in a little later together and enjoying a more laid back, simpler life. They'll let Mike know his start date next week, so in the meantime, we're going to lavish in these last few days together, without the financial stress looming overhead.

We're really excited that God has given him this opportunity. I'm so grateful for my husband and proud of him for getting a new job!!!

Family Interview - What Brings You Joy?

Mike's had his highs and lows recently, but yesterday afternoon, he was pretty down. After he read the Bible for a bit, I gave him a homework assignment: I pulled up my list of 100 Things That Make Me Happy on our computer and I asked him to read the whole post. Then he was supposed to start a list for himself. The idea is for him to read through the list when he's in a mood and if just reading it doesn't cheer him up, we'll try to do something on the list. Nothing on the list really surprised me, but it was nice to see him come up with a list of 30 things that make him happy. When he went through the string of vanilla ice cream, homemade chocolate chip cookies, chili, pizza, hot wings and Mexican food...I realized that he's a typical "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach" kinda guy. Good to remember!

During dinner, we asked the kids what makes them happy. Ryan's list was sweet: "When you don't yell at me or put me in time out...when Daddy plays games with me in the play room...chocolate chip cookies...and eating pizza." Kaylin just mimicked him, "Pizza and chocolate chip cookies" since we were eating chicken pesto pizza and cookies were baking in the oven.

Today he volunteered at Ryan's school for the first time. Ryan was SO excited and I think Mike actually enjoyed himself. I'm so thankful that he's getting to experience some of these things during his "time off."

My poor husband

Okay, seriously! I know I just posted about "my poor kids," but there is no better title for this post.

Mike had an interview today. I KNOW! Less than a week after being laid off. He came home from work, in his t-shirt and shorts, and changed into the sole suit in his closet. He drove 40 minutes, with no traffic, to the job site for his interview. We just keep reflecting on how great he's had it these last couple of years working at the church - 5 minutes from home, working in shorts. Um, yeah, life's gonna be a little different!

He called me on his way home from the interview in a great mood. The guy who interviewed him also went to Arizona State, so they bonded, plus he knew one of the uppity-ups at one of his former employers. Mike was talking a mile a minute, feeling really excited about the interview and encouraged about the whole job-search process, even if this particular company doesn't extend him an offer.

Mike walked in from the long drive home, in traffic, and the kids were intrigued by his suit and tie. (they were napping when he left for the interview) They begged to put on ties, too, and everyone wore their ties "like Daddy" through dinner. I haven't seen Mike so cheerful and full of life in weeks.

After dinner, we all walked down to get the mail, as is our nightly routine. In the mailbox, was a letter from the company where he interviewed this afternoon.

Let me back-track and say that he submitted his resume to this company twice: once on his own and a recruiter also called him about it. He got the interview through the recruiting company.

So he opens the letter and it's a "Thank you for submitting your resume, but the position has already been filled" letter. Hmmm...um...really? Mike said, confused, "This letter is dated yesterday and it's not signed by the person who interviewed me. Too weird." I quickly deduced that the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing at this place. One person received his resume on line, decided he wasn't a fit and sent a letter while another person talked to the recruiter, liked his resume and set up an interview.

Regardless of what happened or why, this immediately let the wind out of Mike's sail. His whole spirit suddenly deflated. I tried to help him blow this off, because he interviewed and is still in the running for this job. Regardless, he's back to being apprehensive about tackling corporate America, looking for a new job. Dang.

Like I said: my poor husband! Just when he was feeling positive about things...what a bummer...

Stretching Our Faith

I have the gift of faith. (I even believed in Santa for way, way too long; I felt so sorry for the other kids who believed the lies that their older siblings and other kids told them.) My faith is rarely tested...I know with 100% confidence that God is in control of every aspect of my life, whether or not things are going the way I think they should.

But this week, we were blindsided.

Mike was laid off. It's no surprise in this economy that people are losing their jobs, and I'm convinced it will only get worse. But for some reason, this really caught me off guard.

Yes, giving at our church has decreased this year. (To my Christian readers - please continue to tithe, even through the tough times. The church still has a staff to support and bills to pay!) Yes, our church is very large with an equally large staff. But Mike is a great employee - works smarter rather than harder, doesn't chit chat around the water cooler all day, he is a man of integrity, and he's very knowledgeable in his field. But I suppose the majority of the people on staff at our church are all of the things on that list, too.

Somehow, I just thought my husband's job was more secure. He was a part of the meetings where they tried to trim any and every area in an attempt to not have to let people go. I thought that if they had to make cuts, it would be the lower men on the totem pole. But his job is being dissolved and the group remaining in his department will now have to share his duties.

Isn't that always how it goes? It's great to be one of the people still on the payroll, but when there are layoffs, everyone suffers. The people left with their same jobs end up with more responsibilities and longer hours. All because of this horrible, stupid economy. Ugh, don't get me started.

As for me? I'm doing fine. I should say that I'm doing better. Last night, I wasn't doing so hot. I tried to hide my tears from Mike and the kids, realizing all that will be changing in the coming months. We've had a pretty sweet deal these last couple of years. Mike leaves for work at 8:25 and arrives at 8:30. He comes home every day for lunch and has to drive through 3 stop lights to get back home in the evening. The only employers between our house and our church are in a grocery store strip mall.

Now I'm wondering where God will take him next? I know He has a plan. And just like a friend said: I know this happened for a reason, I know I'm not given more than I can handle, I know many people are going through much worse, I know we will survive this and I know I will come out of it a stronger person. It's just tough, you know? It hurts my heart that Mike has to go through this again.

The last time he was laid off was just weeks after I found out I was pregnant with Ryan. His department was being transferred to California and he was given 6 months to find a new job. That was a scary time. And, of course, God provided a great position for him. I am confident that will happen again, it's just a bit unnerving.

It's also frustrating to know that in recent months, I've tightened up our spending quite a bit. What will we have to do to scale back now? Will we have to pull Ryan out of school? Sell a car? Sell a house for thousands less than it's worth? We're locked into certain commitments like our cell phones and we have pre-paid discount plans with places like our gym. So our lifestyle may not appear to change much at first...especially because we've lived very frugally for quite a while! Or so I thought. I just learned the definition of a "spending freeze."

I am proud to say that I took some time this afternoon to plan our meals for the entire month of November using only what we have in the house at the moment! I will still get the produce co-op every other week and will need to buy milk and eggs, but I think that's the extent of our grocery needs this month. We'll see if it works out.

So girlfriends (and the few gentlemen readers out there) - I need your prayers. WE need your prayers. Men put so much stock in having the ability to put food on the table and to support their families. It encompasses such a huge part of who they are as a human being and a member of society. I don't want this to get my man down. He stresses out way too easily and I want this to be a time where we pull together as a family and look back with thankfulness. I want this to stretch our faith and deepen our relationship with each other and with Christ.

And a quick, shameless plug: if my local Phoenix friends have any leads or connections to Accounting or Finance jobs (preferably in our area of town) - please let me know!

Thank you for your support and prayers. I'll keep you posted.