by Hope
With the exception of History Buff, who continues to work full time as an “essential” employee at this time, all the kids were home all weekend and the weather was beautiful. We put it to good use!
Princess spent the bulk of her time cleaning the inside of the house…even vacuuming and wiping down window sills. She washed dogs, cleaned bathrooms and swept and mopped floors. (Due to her allergies, she most always does the inside work.)
Gymnast was on Grandmama duty for the most part although he helped with a few other things as well.
Sea Cadet and I planted our first gardens of the season, created an outdoor living space and rearranged furniture to give everyone a space and a closet. History Buff is the only one in the house with his own room and closet.
We moved all our outdoor furniture to our side driveway and created an outdoor seating area complete with lights. Once our tree leaves come in, it will be shaded. It’s nothing fancy, but it does work for us. I enjoyed having my breakfast and hot chocolate there yesterday. And while we tried to have dinner there last night, the rain caught us and sent us back inside.
While we typically have a car parked there, we decided with the unknown length of the quarantine, this would give us some much needed separate space. We’ve got 3 hammocks (kids have them from years at camp,) one picnic table, one lounge chair and a grill. It has become my new happy place.
We won’t be able to leave it like this forever because we will need the parking back when we start going places again. But for now, this will be a much more practical use of the space.
(Speaking of that, the younger kids’ dad did confirm, when he was here dropping Gymnast off, that he plans to give Princess a car for her birthday. So we will see if that happens…two months and counting until she can get her license.)
On the financial front, I am paying bills as they come in, but am not paying any extra on debts at this time. Just feel better with the uncertainty of the times to keep more cash on hand. I plan to do a debt update at the end of the week.
I hope you are well and not going stir crazy or driving your “quarantine” family/friends batty. At this point, we are still enjoying this time. Lots of laughter, good food and now that we all have a “work place” kids are more content to get their school work done without screeching at one another.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
