by Hope
No spend month has been uneventful money wise. But otherwise, quite hard. We are going through a number of adjustments on the personal level. And there are no easy days right now.
History Buff
History Buff has found a full time job. It’s hard manual labor and good on many levels. But it is also very hard for him to be up and out the door every morning having never done this. I’ve been supporting him by getting up with him at 4 or 5am and helping get him out the door.
He’s also had to borrow some money to get through these weeks with no income. He had to buy jeans (he ripped his) and keep gas in his car to get back and forth. (He will pay me back with his first check this week.)
Gymnast
Gymnast is struggling with being homeschooled again. (We both are, but I don’t know of any alternatives right now.) While this is mostly emotional and behavioral adjustments, it is taking a toll on the household. If you are a praying person, please pray both he and I can give each other grace and patience.
Sea Cadet
Sea Cadet is staying busy with his part time work and full time schooling. But he and History Buff are struggling with the changes and having to share a space after almost two years of having their independence from one another.
Princess
Princess is not happy with my decision to have her dual enrolled in the spring. She is loving the high school experience, and is sad that she won’t be on the high school campus full time. I did read everyone’s comments on dual enrollment piece, and we are only pursuing the core courses at the collegiate level.
Currently she will take English and US History, both required for high school graduation and guaranteed to transfer to Georgia schools. She is also registered for a welding class because she is LOVING welding and the courses at the high school are very hard to get into. (She has completed two welding classes at the high school and must complete three to graduate.)
Our cup really does run over with with emotional and physical transitions right now. Thankfully, the money pressure is off. And I start every day counting my blessings!
And one of my favorite blessings this time of year is the cooler weather and the chance to wear my favorite fuzzy socks…what are your fall favorites?
Reading Books
On the bright side…I’ve been reading a lot with our slower daily schedule and more downtime then I remember ever having! But I haven’t finished a single book. I just keep jumping around. Do you do that?
Currently, I’m reading:
- Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
- You are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
- Worth It: Your Life, Your Money, Your Terms by Amanda Steinberg
I’ve also been creating a list on Amazon of other books to read as I get the time. If interested, you can see my list here.
I would love any recommendations you might have.
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 5 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
Chin up buttercup; you are doing a great job and that many people especially teens/young adults in one house is a breeding ground for conflict so the fact that you are managing so well is a testament to your patience. I may have missed why gymnast is being homeschooled again can you share? If you would prefer not to share I understand.
Thanks, Misti! I keep reminding myself this is just a phase of our lives and will pass (hopefully sooner, rather than later.) And I don’t know about my patience, I definitely have threatened to sell one or more child on ebay several times!
You can read about our return to homeschooling with Gymnast here: https://www.bloggingawaydebt.com/2018/09/homeschool-again-and-then-a-twin-update/
I too can’t figure out why gymnast is being homeschooled again. That link just talks about History Buff and his return to the fold and the plans for his future. I had thought that gymnast was enjoying highschool. But, totally understand if you’d rather not say.
I recall sitting at the kitchen table with my mother as my three teenage siblings walked through the front door, each time with a hard slam, heavy footsteps, heavily dropping bags on the floor and huffing off.
I gave my Mom a look and she simply replied “I’m not even going to ask” as she turned her attention back to the newspaper and coffee.
Hope, I think you need to reconsider dual enrollment for Princess. I’m the one who posted that I did Dual Enrollment back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and just graduated from college after her doing her senior year of HS/first year of college as a dual enrolled student. Dual Enrollment IS tricky-organizationally, emotionally, socially. If Princess was gung-ho I would think this is a great idea. But she is a very young junior, she’s only now in her 2nd semester EVER of regular school, and she doesn’t want to do it. Do we make decisions for our kids because we think they are right? Sure, all the time. But this is a decision that doesn’t need to be forced. Let her enjoy high school. Let her finish her junior year. Your daughter is SMART. She has a compelling life story. She’s going to get amazing scholarship offers. I am more than happy to help you with that process. Don’t force her into something she doesn’t want. Let her grow up at her own pace.
hi, I totally get the appeal of the Dual Enrollment, but to do it at the expense of her high school years and experiences may not be in her best interests. If she wants to fully experience high school and not do the dual enrollment, you may want to consider supporting her in that. She may wind up resenting that she didn’t get a “normal” high school experience. Junior College is very inexpensive and she can still go that route. And she is clearly a VERY bright girl and will likely get many, many scholarship offers (merit and need based) to attend college. The kids I know who loved Dual Enrollment were kids who did not care for or care about high school social life, etc. She may not be a good fit for that if she is unhappy about doing it. Best of luck with everything, I hope it all settles in soon. You are a good mama!
I was under the impression with your last post that Princess wanted to do dual enrollment. If she doesn’t want to do it it probably won’t go well. Maybe consider letting her have this year in high school and start dual enrollment next year.
I also thought gymnast choose to be homeschooled again because of the bullying but it sounds like that is not want he wanted.
Another vote here for letting Princess have some input into the dual enrollment. You only get one opportunity for the high school experience, and for many it is some of the best years of their life. I would hate to deprive her of that once in a lifetime opportunity. She also would miss out on the social aspects of college life, as she is too young to participate in college activities.
Maybe a sort of compromise, where she can take a couple of courses, possibly after normal school hours, while still attending high school full time, would be better. I know you are looking at the financial aspect as well, but if she continues her excellent grades, she will quite likely be offered scholarships for college when the time comes.