Keeping perspective

In about two weeks we are moving from Michigan to North Carolina.  Life right now revolves around packing, purging, patching, and painting.  Our house is on the market.  In Michigan.  Need I say more?  We had our first showing today and the feedback was not encouraging.  As I sit here I'm fighting the urge to round off my salty-sweet pattern of stress eating. And because I'm out of ice cream, today's pattern is slightly less pathetic: chips, strawberries, chips, strawberries.  Someone will eventually like the house.  Hopefully sooner than later.

In the meantime, I'm doing what I usually do- swinging between angry and grateful.  I'm angry that we're losing money on the house; I'm grateful for Andrew's new job opportunity.  I'm angry that we have to go back to renting a smaller space with enough carpet to give my vacuum cleaner a heart attack; grateful that we get to simplify a bit and focus on things that aren't things.  I'm upset that we always seem to move away right when we finally have a great group of friends; I'm grateful for a fresh start.  You know how I am.  Neurotic.  Most of all this move is a reminder of how well Isaac is doing.  A year ago I would not have considered uprooting him from his special ed class and routines.  This year I'm confident he'll be fine.  In fact, I will be homeschooling him until he starts kindergarten in the fall.  Wish us luck.

Here are our educational and social goals by the time school rolls around:

1) Practicing conversation- asking and answering questions appropriately.

2) Solidifying sight and complex words so that reading level 1 books becomes more fluid.

3) Firming up pre-math and simple addition and subtraction skills.

4)  Make some friends!

I am hoping to find or start a play group for kids Isaac's age in our new town.  Of course, it will never be the same as our Okemos Play Group here, but it will be necessary.  Not only is Isaac a quirky kid with some room to grow socially, he's an only child.  Play group keeps his quirks and my biological clock in check. I'm choosing to believe that this move will stretch him more than it will shake him.  I'm sure Isaac will surprise me with his stellar adaptive skills, as usual.  Right now the idea of living so close to a beach and mountains overshadows any sadness he might have about moving away from everything familiar.  Let's hope North Carolina lives up to our expectations as much as Michigan has grown on us.  My guess is it will.