Happy New Year?

We are days from the beginning of another year, a time when reflection on the past and how to improve the situation are top of mind. I bought a lottery ticket for the first time in 20 years, and of course didn't win last Tuesday, jackpot is now over 200 million, do we need another? Is one dollar the price of hope today? One simple buck and dreams and miracles play in one's brain until the smiling lotto lady dashes them a day or two later. It would be nice, my siblings all agreed to share their 96 million if they won, but holding that ticket would certainly change my life.

Number one my husband's and daughters' anxiety would diminish to the point where I bet we could discontinue therapy within 2 months. Or would all that available cash just cause more worry? I might just have a heart attack when I read off the numbers and realized I had won, and then how in the world does one turn the ticket in without revealing oneself so as to avoid the whole publicity thing and potential thieves. It is beginning to sound complicated. I have to think about this trade off.

I could vastly improve my living conditions, here I see no drawbacks or complications I could even tolerate continued housing within the arctic circle so my daughters could keep their friends as I could actually jet off the warmer climates on a weekly basis if necessary. We would call them "geography lessons" on our homeschooling transcripts.

I could fund our little theatre enterprises including space for whatever we need. Now the only drawback here is I already need a business manager, an accountant, and someone for property management. I think I could handle these complications with the right people in place. This would also allow time for the whole creative aspect of the theatrical business that I do like. I would hire drones as needed too, or maybe just one full time specialist for each technical area that came with the space. That could work, privately funded of course so I don't have to deal with unions. Or wait... will that happen too. Another concern.

We would move but do we change churches? We are a bit entrenched in our current parish, maybe a large donation earmarked for something special before we leave would make departure easier. We should really have moved on three years ago, before we hit the high school problem. Daughter #1 is pretty well schooled in the tenets of her faith, her sisters lack a bit in that area making them less able to defend their faith as they will need to at their current home church, or with their friends. Leaves them much more open to heresy problems. O K this question deserves its' own post and I don't know if it is good or bad so I will just move on.

We would get the cash discount on the dual braces, which would be lovely, and have all the dental nonsense taken care of with nary a concern. Here again no drawbacks it would just make it faster and less painful for the parents. Thinking about this, is insurance necessary for those who have mega millions? I mean does Oprah carry any kind of insurance? And if so why? When all those bills are just inconsequential to your personal budget, wouldn't eliminating the hassle of insurance companies be a dream come true? No pretreatment permission, no referrals, no arguing over what is a medical necessity and what is not, this would keep my mail box much emptier. I guess the car thing you would have to continue, I would push for getting rid of laws that make insurance a requirement, if you can pay your own way why bother.

I could give people jobs, this would be very cool, I could even employ my children if needed. And my special needs girls could go to Landmark for as long as they needed. This would be way fun, we could also visit Vermont and family on a more regular basis, plan family events twice a year, travel, etc. Only challenge here is homeschool becomes more difficult. This shouldn't happen but the fun option sometimes interfere with certain academics. More choices can be overwhelming, I know they learn from all sorts of things but touring Ireland would put algebra on the back burner, and rightfully so but, when do we schedule that math?

Time is running out and this is getting wordy, and I need a lottery ticket. If I win...well, we will live with the consequences tough as it is. And if we don't it will be a good new year anyway.

Happy New Year 2011

Christmas is here! We are settled in and looking forward to an evening with 34 celebrants, lots of laughter, card playing and food. Well I guess Christmas eve is here, but we are celebrating anyway.

We managed to leave town within one hour of our plan, and the house was only a partial disaster area. Thanks to the bigger folks in the household. Number one daughter and co-blogger made herself most helpful, vacuumed and scrubbed so I didn't have to do quite so much. Spousal unit was also in on the house saving mission, we managed to get enough done, leave calmly, without forgetting anything of major importance. Except some make-up, folks will just have to live with the real face this holiday season.

Holiday choices

Christmas rushes to meet us, and frantic activity keeps the house humming. Of course it creates more disaster too. We closed our theatrical season for the fall last weekend and I was sure I would have time to correct the lack of housekeeping that has occurred because of costuming three shows back to back. I was wrong, we leave town in just a few days and holiday tasks keep forcing vacuuming to the bottom of the list. I do have a couple of good excuses, I was under the weather for a couple of days after the last show, and our 20 year old water bed sprang a couple of leaks. Leaky beds cause extra laundry, and cleaning tasks one just doesn't keep on a todo list. The bed is full and quiet, tonight the real test of patched seams begins.

Now for decisions, I need to decide what is unnecessary in the next couple of days because I really want to participate in all the social events on my calendar before we leave town. Said social events will eat up all evenings prior to travel and force gift purchase and prep into the earlier hours of the day, which in turn forces housekeeping into the very early am hours, which I really hate. I guess this means we come home from Christmas break to a dirty house.

I could become a raving lunatic and turn off all electronics until we leave town but that would certainly put the kybosh on holiday spirit, somehow I have failed to instill the need for order in one's surroundings to any of my offspring. While I feel the clutter strangling me they are one and all oblivious. "Mom it's just gonna get messed up again" I am regularly told. We also are in the home stretch of gift creation and construction, each and every homemade gift leaves a trail of craft materials in its' wake. So surrender seems the only sensible thing to do, I will just have to close my eyes and take long slow calming breaths as I trip over tasks in my house.