Another Mundane Post

Had the A/C & heating unit serviced today, just routine maintenance, nothing to get worked up over. Trying to keep everything in working order.

I'm going to go work on the loft now. The downstairs is pristine as is my bedroom/bathroom and guest room. Hannah can take care of her own room and bathroom, I pick up enough everywhere else. Her stuff's not horrible though. Anyway, once I have the furniture figured out in the loft, I can sit there and fold laundry while watching TV.

In the process of cleaning and shifting I found MORE MAGAZINES. Probably another 30?! I came across someone who wants them and I'm hoping to see her tomorrow so I can pass on the two box loads. If not, yes, I will get rid of them and not feel guilt.

Hannah LOVED karate. She said the instructor was very nice. It ticks me off because she is so burned out on tae kwon do because the instructors at the facility were largely "mean", shouted and yelled at the kids, embarrassed them when they did something wrong... What a difference attitude makes. She could be the black belt girl at tkd, but she would rather be a white belt and start all over in a new martial art than put up with the humiliation and I don't blame her one bit. I told her we could look for a new TKD place, but she is just that upset. With this karate at least, it's included in the flat rate I pay for the cheer and tumbling stuff, it's only offered 1/2 hour each week, and it will keep her skills up in martial arts. No complaints from me whatsoever on that front, I just wish she could have had a better tkd experience since coming to North Carolina. She loved the grandmaster she was under in Florida.

In addition to LOVING karate, she had a great time at stunt practice on Wed. She said she was told that she did very well and they would consider her for "flyer" this year. She is SOOOO excited that I hope it works out for her. The flyer is the person that gets picked up and thrown a lot, so that sounds like Hannah, doesn't it? They said she's small and "tight" enough to do very well with it.

Yesterday she went back to tumbling and stayed for both level 1 and 2 classes. It was a lot for the first time, 2 hours of constant practice, so I think in the future she will just do the level 1 class. When she has mastered that 100%, we will then just have her attend the level 2 class. Even though the instructor said she can do both, I just think it's too much.

Today is rock climbing. The two other kids in the neighborhood that started doing it with her in Feb have dropped out so she's back to doing it solo. It's hard to believe that she started that a year ago. She loves that though. I think she will enjoy being there on her own again and getting to socialize with some older climbers. The age difference between her, "L" and "M" is really starting to show. L because he's 2 years younger, and a boy, and M because she's just entering the 3rd grade. She still hasn't written them off and I don't think she ever would, but like I said, you just can tell she's getting older.

She and her two BFFs from 5th grade have discovered the excitement of sliding notes written on post-its through the vents of their lockers in between classes. Hannah also informed me that she does a lot of her homework in between classes (when walking down the hall?!?). She really is thriving in 6th grade and still goes in a good mood and comes home in a good mood. I was helping her get ready this AM and put her binder in her bookbag this morning and saw she got a 90 on a social studies test. She didn't even think to mention that she got a good grade. She just does her thing. She has been reading the book I got her from the library on Tues (a biography of Paul Revere) and keeping up with everything. Next Friday, progress reports will come out as the mark of half the first grading period ending ALREADY. The return to school uniforms makes for an easier morning as far as getting ready is concerned. Not that it was a BIG deal, but sometimes I would be taken aback by her clothing combinations.

Work has been nuts. The college has shelled out some money to advertise my program on the radio and on some of the bigger job search websites, but that hasn't increased my business. I am still getting a lot of work through word of mouth referrals though and the students are keeping me busy on the two days I handle drop in appointments.

With Hannah getting home so late, I am considering the possibility of a full time job, should the right one come open. It doesn't look like we are going to pack up and leave within the next week, so I am trying to see beyond today at this point. I LOVE what I do, but the logistics of it do not really make sense. It is just silly for me to drive 40 minutes each way for a part time job, when, if I worked closer, I could actually be putting that time towards my paycheck. It would have to be an ideal situation for me to leave, I couldn't work until 5 pm and then have a huge commute on top of that. I won't leave Hannah alone to be a "latch key child" at this stage in the game, yet she is a little too old for after school care.

If I worked full time locally, very little would change with Hannah's activities. We would just have to change horseback riding to Saturdays, which is something we are considering anyway. So, say a little prayer for me while I leisurely check out options in the future. As I said, I'm not quitting and I'm not miserable, I just got spoiled getting to do some of my work 2 miles from my house over the summer...

I need to get moving here. I have my little "to do" goals mapped out in my head for the afternoon and I want to finish while I have my down time.