So a lot has happened in the past couple of weeks…

You already heard last week, that the Listen to Your Mother 2012 videos are all online. I’ve watched all of them (seriously – all ten shows) and highly recommend that you do too. But I’ll warn you…these shows are addictive and you may find yourself up very late at night watching “just one more.”

In other news – everyone went back to school and we’re settling into a new schedule. This is a major milestone for the twins since they started Kindergarten!

And as you can see, they hated it.

I don’t remember ever being that happy about going to school… But after watching their brother get on the school bus every day for the past couple of years, they were ready.

We had back to school night last Monday and it was my first time trying to juggle three classrooms. It was so rushed that I missed the projects on display until the very end. I didn’t get a picture of Oliver’s since that room was locked by the time I thought of taking any (how is it I’m still such a rookie after seven years of motherhood!) But George and Eleanor’s were out in the hallway. Here is Eleanor’s:

That says, “My name is Eleanor. I like ice cream.” I love how she chose to portray herself waving. She’s friendly like that.

And here is George’s contribution to a “Hopes and Dreams Class Quilt”:

At first we thought that was a yellow tree, but then I realized that it was probably his take on an easel (a picture of him “doing art”). Turns out I was reading far too much into the drawing though, as George explained that it’s a “golden rocket.” Of course!

Poor Oliver isn’t getting much attention in this update, but don’t worry – he’s very happy in his new class and his teachers are thrilled by the work he’s doing. I don’t have any good images since he wasn’t very enthusiastic about the idea of a back to school picture, but my neighbor took this one at the bus stop:

That is her two year old photo-bombing the shot. It may be one of my favorite pictures ever.

Now I have hours of the day all to myself – no bickering sidekicks. And I’ll admit, it’s weird. Eleanor asks, “Mommy do you miss us SO much while we’re gone?” Of course I say yes. And it’s kind of true. But in all honesty, the day goes by quickly and I’m back at the bus stop soon enough.

A year ago, I would have used those hours to really focus on the work I was doing for Style Key West. But that’s another big announcement: my parents are closing their shop! So that includes the website and the online store – otherwise known as “my job.”

By the way, if you are in the market for a beautiful house in Key West…

…they’re also moving to Oregon so they can spend more time here:

That’s The Rillerah, a family river house that my Dad and his brother inherited. I’ve only been there once when I was nine months old. But I guess I now have some incentive to make that loooong trip. So I’ll be trading in a southernmost second home (where your parents live is always “home” right?) for one in the far northwest.  New is fun – but I’m no good at goodbyes. It’s bittersweet.

And of course I’m out of a job.

But here’s some other big (for me) news: I got a new job! Literally, just this second. Okay – maybe a couple of hours ago, but close enough. I’ll write more about it later, but I can tell you that I’ll be working for CertifiKid, a popular “deals” website for families in the DC-Baltimore area (and now expanding to other regions). My focus will be on the special needs community, a recent addition to their site. This is particularly exciting for me since I know first hand how hard it is to research special needs resources and how valuable word of mouth recommendations can be. I love the idea of helping special needs families find out about vendors and services that could literally CHANGE THEIR LIVES – and get them a good deal at that (this stuff is expensive!) And I owe it all to my friend Lara who told me about the position and made the introduction. Yet another example of the opportunities that I’ve found through blogging…

So wish me luck (and send me contacts).

Hope your transition into fall is going well!