Fall is here, and since our last post was almost a month and a half ago, I thought it would be good to update on the last few weeks.
The kids' passports arrived the end of August, we continue to get all the little details that are so important to getting ready to go cruising done, bit by bit. We have someone here agreed to be our designated power of attorney, to take care of any money matters that may need to be dealt with while we're away. Most of it we will be able to do over the internet, but for a few minor details we need someone to be able to access our account. We continue to clear out the house, it's getting emptier by the week! Home schooling has begun. The kids are doing well, for the most part. Mom's hanging in there! Bridget's in 7th grade and does very well picking her own work for the day. Micah, 1st grade, really enjoys doing school work, as long as it's fun! LOL! He's not content to just sit and do math problems, which is no surprise coming from a Montessori background the past 3 years. I have to be very creative to get him involved in work. The other day, the only way I could get him to do 5 simple spelling words, was to race him. The catch, I had to write them 10 times, he only 5! That worked, he got right in to it. Doing math, we use either the Montessori stamp game, which uses single place, tens place, hundreds place, and thousands tiles, to either add, or subtract with. Or we'll use small natural wooden blocks and he starts with a set amount, then tosses them into a bowl, then adds what went in the bowl to the ones he missed. Or if I want him to subtract, then he counts the amount he starts with and after tossing the blocks in to the bowl, he subtracts the ones that either he missed to get the amount in the bowl, or vise versa. It's challenging for me to continue to come up with fun ideas for him, but it also makes it more interesting for both of us. Jenaya goes with the flow. She likes doing just about anything, and often wants to get involved in what Micah is doing, but since she is 2 � years younger, struggles a bit actually doing or completing some of the work, but still learns while trying. Other times, she does her own work, especially tracing letters.
Our realtor came out Friday (28th) to redo some pictures of the house to update the virtual tour on the internet. He has had that work magic on a couple other homes recently, redo some photos, and a couple weeks later, viola! Sold. So who knows, maybe that will do the trick. We always have the option of renting it out over the winter too, and then re-listing it next Spring, maybe in a bit more seller friendlier market. But our #1 goal is to sell it now, and not have that to concern ourselves with while we are away. We talk to Santos almost weekly. He hasn't done much more since it's raining quite a bit lately. We have been struggling over the fact that we're not there yet, but then I had a light bulb moment a week or so ago. It IS still rainy season down there. And even though it's obviously much warmer there and it'd be a warm rain, rain is still rain. And to have it so often, the kids would be quite antsy to want to get out and explore their new surroundings. They and therefore us, would be miserable if they had to be cooped up inside the saloon for days on end. We want to go, more so to begin our adventure and not be here where it is cool. But we have actually been blessed with quite a nice fall- so far. But that could change on any given day. Santos said that during October, it slowly winds down, but then almost never fails, that the first full week of November, it will rain almost non-stop, and then be done. So all in all, it's okay with us that the buyer hasn't come yet, and not having any more showings in the past 2 months has given us just all the more time to keep clearing it out, and finishing & touching up some minor areas. Instead of having to stop from all that, to straighten everything up and get ready for needless showings that may not have been the real buyers anyway. The right time, the right buyer is coming, and we'll be ready for them!
Some might say we're being naive to be so faith-filled that God will come through for us and bring us the buyer over this next month. And may be so. But for us, that's all we can do at this point. We are doing everything we can on our end. Rather someone comes to view the house and buys it, is out of our hands at this point. It's no secret the market is extremely slow, but even more so here in Michigan. But if you don't try, you'll certainly not make it. Sometimes putting faith in God when everything else is against you, and having that much faith, is sometimes ALL it takes.