The Great Conundrum

So here's what's facing us now . . . to buy or to rent. I know we are not the first family to face this quandary, but it is a real dilemma. Here's the biggest problem facing us: We can't sell our house until we're out of it, but we can't really be OUT of our house until we sell it. It's a vicious circle, isn't it? The thing is, this house needs a few minor repairs done before we put it on the market, but mostly it just needs to be "freshened" up: new coat of paint on all the walls and a GOOD scrubbing everywhere. But at the risk of repeating myself for the umpteenth time, may I remind you that we have FOUR kids? I jokingly told my friend Tracy that I guessed I would lock the kids up in their bedrooms for the duration, and her helpful advice to me was, "Remember . . . plenty of food and water when you chain them in their rooms!"
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I've been a little under the weather for almost a week, so I really having nothing more to blog about today. I'm not sure if I was suffering from a cold or allergies (or both) but I feel a little better today. On Tuesday (or was it Monday?) I thought that Darcy was coming down with the same thing I had, and yesterday Peyton was complaining that her head hurt. Fortunately, both are feeling fine now. Tyler, whose "apple a day" regimen keeps him healthier than the rest of us put together, has had no symptoms to speak of, but Sawyer did develop cold-like symptoms earlier in the week--no surprise, since he won't stop slobbering all over me! The other day when I was feeling particularly ill, I went upstairs to lie down but naturally, my shadow accompanied me. Sawyer had a couple of cars to play with so I thought I could steal a quick nap, but every time I would start to drift off, I would be jolted awake by a big, sloppy kiss being planted on me! Isn't there a song called "Butterfly Kisses"? Yeah, Sawyer's kisses are nothing like that!
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Well, my hoped-for recovery comes just in time for Tyler's and Darcy's participation in their first-ever Bible Bowl on Saturday morning! They will be competing with other 4th-8th graders in a competition to test their knowledge of the books of Galatians and Ephesians. Since they have never taken part in anything like this we don't know quite what to expect, but it is an ALL-DAY affair. Contestants are broken into four groups: Grades 1-3, Grades 4-8, Grades 9-12 and Adults. There are four rounds total, with the rounds for the lower grades lasting 15 minutes and the rounds for the older contestants lasting 20 minutes. So, for example, Round 1 for Grades 1-3 begins at 9:40 a.m., Grades 4-8 start at 9:55, Grades 9-12 are up beginning at 10:10 and the adults are on starting at 10:30. Then they'll immediately launch into Round 2 at 10:50 and it will go from there. Each group gets to break for lunch after their 3rd round completion, so Tyler and Darcy will be dining at approx. 12:30. But a lot of time will be spent sitting around and waiting, or I've been told there are "study rooms" available for cramming between rounds. Think about it: they'll have 55 minutes between their respective rounds with nothing but time on their hands. Anyway, the whole thing wraps up by 3:45 when awards will be handed out. Everybody will receive a ribbon, from what I understand, but the winning teams will receive plaques as well.

Now the bad news: This all takes place at the Streetsboro church of Christ in Streetsboro, OH. Never heard of Streetsboro? Neither had I, but now I know that it's up near Cleveland, so we're looking at a 2-1/2 hour drive both ways! We were originally planning to take the whole family but when we realized how far the drive was and how much time would be spent cooling our heels, I convinced Randy to stay here with Peyton and Sawyer--there is PLENTY he can get done on the house in our absence! And call me a wimp if you will, but I couldn't imagine getting up at the crack of dawn in order to get myself and the kids ready for a 2-1/2 hour drive--we'd need to leave by 6:30 a.m., for crying out loud, to arrive in time for Registration by 9:00! And considering that I hate being rushed, I'd need to be up by 5:30 in order to get myself and the kids ready and out the door. No thanks! So, I made reservations at a motel literally less than two minutes from the Streetsboro church building, so Tyler, Darcy and I will be hoofing it up there Friday night where we will arrive in leisure and might even have time for a dip in the pool!