My trip to BurningMan

which I realized I never got around to writing about! It was good. The artwork was definately better this year than the last time I went (back when I was pregnant with C.J.). I really enjoyed the whole maze under the Man. There was one room with long silvery stuff hanging down - it was like being in a dense, sci-fi-kind-of, forest. Good weather this year too - hot, but not overwhelmingly so. No major dust storms, no rain - playa mud is something you have to experience to truly understand. I saw a friend that I hadn't seen in a long time (Laurel) and that was good too. She and her friends had a little bar out on the playa.... good (strong) drinks! The drive there was a lot shorter from our home than from where we used to live, which was great since I do all the driving. I kept feeling guilty though that I had left the kids with my mom instead of bringing them with me, especially when I kept seeing other kids running around having a great time. Next year, if we go, the kids will go with us. For those who have never experienced it, here's a link - BurningMan.

I'm "on vacation" this week from work. Just hanging out at home. We'll do some cleaning and some yard work. My friend W gave me a lemon tree that I've got to get in the ground. Later today we might go out to look at a few things we hope to buy for the house soon. I want to price paint now that we've finally agreed on colors for our home's interior. Grey-green for the livingroom; a gorgeous soft blue for M's and my bedroom; a light, somewhat blue-toned gray for the master bath; a warm apricot-toned tan for the dining room and hallway; a darker green for the kitchen that will set off the dark cherry cabinetry nicely; C.J. chose 2 shades of periwinkle blue-purple; C.O. picked blue, red, and yellow for his room, so I will do the bottom 1/3 of the wall blue, then a wide red stripe and yellow for everything above that. The kids bathroom I'm doing in a mural of cattails, frogs, dragon-and-butterflies, etc. Lots of blues and greens. Still dithering on laundry room color (maybe yellow) and the color for the study. I'm sure that whole list made for some exciting reading! When I get a chance I'll post some before pictures, and hopefully, eventually, some after pics!

I'm free!!! Almost....

Well, I got the offer and all the details. It is actually better than I expected, so I sent in the acceptance paperwork today. We can bank 6-8 months of house payments and still have money to catch up on all our utilities, and have a little play money. I may finally get to paint the inside of our house something besides dirty-looking beige. I plan to take about 3 months of before seriously looking for a job. However, in the meantime, I registered as a secretarial substitute with the local school district - just have to go get a TB test and get fingerprinted in the next few weeks, and I need to bone up on my typing speed. I think that will make it easier for me to get a real job later, maybe even in the school system.

I've also been researching health insurance rates, mostly for the kids. Safeway is offering me continued coverage through Cobra, but it's hideously expensive. I can insure us for about a quarter of what they're asking if I do it on my own.

Wow, I will actually be home, if all goes well, for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas this year!

Too good to be true?

This is almost too much - not only may I actually have the opportunity to quit my job and look for something I'd enjoy more, something with regular (part-time) hours, but they'll pay me to do it. Basically, Safeway Corp is trying to buyout all the old contract employees, the ones that have higher hourly wages and better benefits. I think I may be the only person at work really even considering it. Maybe I am crazy to even think about it, but it's like a door that I thought was locked opening up in front of me, even if only a crack. I'll know the details Monday, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

I've been rereading Hard Times in Paradise - really good book. I find it inspiring. It instantly gets me thinking about how to make our home more self-substaining, and it helps me believe that unschooling is the way to go, at least for the most part.