V.I.P.D,

Today is a very important day (VIPD) Today is the first day ALL my children are out of the house on a full time basis during the day. Today is the day I start for real on getting a house of our own for Christmas.

Decision: There is a beautiful house in town, that we could probably manage to get if we waited long enough and worked hard enough, and were willing to go into debt enough. Asking price is just under $200,000 and we qualify for $150,000.

There is a fixer upper in town. A foreclosure for just under $100,000. It needs work and we'd need money to fix it up. If we got the nice house by the park, I think my kids would destroy it. Not to be mean but my family can be hard on things. Some families tread lightly but my family is energized, curious, passionate about things and active. They just do things. I could see them carving their name in the perfect oak woodwork, writing with Sharpie markers or other implements of destruction and all manner of mayhem. I don't think they would appreciate the house by the park. I'm pretty sure if they have to help fix this other house up they will appreciate and value it more. It's hard raising kids. I'd love to take the "easy" way out. Just go to work and help pay the big mortgage but I can't. I love my kids enough to do what's best for my family not what's easy for me.

Soap takes time. I have some time but it's getting sucked away left and right. My Quiet Dolls are almost ready. I just need someone to polish them up into an e-book. I have ideas for about ten of these ebooks. JP was right they need stories. One of those stories is about how they are going to help us get our house for Christmas.