Summertime, Summertime, Sum-Sum-Summertime!

Golfing on a glorious July day!

Well, well, well....if it isn't the crazy missing blogger!!! Yes, I'm afraid so! I suppose I should apologize for not posting very much lately, but at the same time I feel as though those of you enjoying the summer and spending much less time online will appreciate my absence!

Here are a few pics to sorta catch up what we've been up to this past month (or so?)....

My in-laws are currently visiting from Australia for their Annual Summer Month-Long Visit (tm). One of the benefits of this lengthy visit is that my mother-in-law does quite a bit of cooking, including this DELICIOUS meat pie.

My in-laws also brought a decent supply of Promite for my husband.

My husband found this adorable horse at a a yard sale a couple of weeks ago.

I made this chalkboard drawing for my mother-in-law when she was sick with the nasty stomach bug that ran through the house (it looks like one of her favorite dogs).

Nothing says summer quite like having jigsaw puzzles on a card table.

A summer bonfire at our place that included sparklers.

This is a pic of the Super Moon, taken last night.

A summertime mandala chalkboard pic I did back in June.

This is Multiplicando and his Magic Numbers

I've been busy slowly gathering resources for September and beginning some preliminary curriculum planning. I decided to purchase Waldorf Essentials Grade 2 (digital copy) along with using several online sources for other pieces I plan to add in.  I just did the Multiplicando chalkboard today, because my son absorbs a lot from the chalkboards long before we work on a lesson about them, so I figured if I keep it up for the rest of the summer, it will help keep those factors fresh in his mind 

so we can jump right back into skip counting.

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In other news, let me just state that trying to organize an international move is *NOT* an easy or fun task at times. Trying to get a shipping company to give you *ALL* of the fees associated with your move is like pulling teeth, apparently. It is near to impossible to get someone live on the phone, and then even harder to get someone who knows each piece of information you need for your international move - such as dimentions of the containers available, all fees, any weight limits, how long the shipment will take to get to the destination, etc.  We haven't made a decision which company we'll settle on just yet, and thankfully we have plenty of time before we need to pick one.

The next step is sorting out everyone's passports and then getting visa applications started (preferably sometime before the holidays). It is an expensive proposition for partner visas for the kids and I, and then of course are the flights. I did a preliminary search for flights and was a bit taken aback with the sticker-shock of the price. I'm hoping for some kind of cool deals to spring up on us as we get closer to the date.

I am finding myself feeling a bit disconnected from people and events here, as though part of me has already moved away. I am trying to remind myself that we still have to get through this year. We still have a lot to do around the house and lots to get ready. My kids need my full presence HERE and NOW, so I need to find a balance. Certainly, I find myself pulling away from my local friends quite a bit (or have they pulled away from me? It is probably a bit of both).

I have become friends with a couple of lovely online ladies, which has really nourished me in many ways. It is heartening to know that these ladies will continue to remain my friends no matter where I live, since our friendship was created online and exists completely online. It is nice to know there are people who don't care where I go in the world....they care about me just as I am and wherever I am. It feels as though it is something I have been missing for a long time - that connection with others that is not conditional upon membership to some group, attendance at meetings I don't have time or childcare for, or attending gatherings where a majority of the people barely acknowledge my existence.

I hope to meet new and wonderful people in my new locale overseas, but it is great to know I can still confide in girlfriends who have my back. It has been far too long since I have had such friends in my life, and for that I am incredibly grateful.