So much to share : )
Lea Goes To School
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
World Down Syndrome Day 2018
March 21st, tomorrow, is World Down Syndrome Day. Three copies of the 21st chromosome. A lot of parents may visit classrooms to teach about Down syndrome, or about celebrating our similarities/differences at a more basic level. Many celebrate by wearing mismatched socks to again promote that while we share similar abilities, we can also celebrate differences.
I personally side a bit more with celebrating that those with Ds are more ALIKE than different. Some year I may gather my thoughts and find a way to educate my daughters’ classrooms when the time feels right. I just don’t think preschoolers will grasp Hannah’s differences - and why point them out?
However, tonight, the real meaning of World Down Syndrome Day hit me. Hannah and I were at her preschool celebrating Moms. We were gathering our crafts and about to get our coats on when another 3-year-old came up to Hannah and with a huge grin, waved and said “Hi Hannah!” Hannah said “Hi” and waved back. The little girl said she was in Hannah’s class. Her Mother came over and said she hears about Hannah all the time.
The emotions on the drive home hit me like a wave - THAT is what acceptance and awareness are. Simply acknowledging, accepting and welcoming those who are just a bit different than you. Granted, the girl was only three and probably didn’t even think Hannah WAS different than her - which makes it that much more pure.
So again, friends - simply educate your young ones, your friends, and challenge yourself; empathy, compassion and acceptance. Not turning a blind eye when you see someone could use kindness. I can only hope that Hannah continues to have friends who want to engage with her. THAT means more to me than mis-matched socks.
I personally side a bit more with celebrating that those with Ds are more ALIKE than different. Some year I may gather my thoughts and find a way to educate my daughters’ classrooms when the time feels right. I just don’t think preschoolers will grasp Hannah’s differences - and why point them out?
However, tonight, the real meaning of World Down Syndrome Day hit me. Hannah and I were at her preschool celebrating Moms. We were gathering our crafts and about to get our coats on when another 3-year-old came up to Hannah and with a huge grin, waved and said “Hi Hannah!” Hannah said “Hi” and waved back. The little girl said she was in Hannah’s class. Her Mother came over and said she hears about Hannah all the time.
The emotions on the drive home hit me like a wave - THAT is what acceptance and awareness are. Simply acknowledging, accepting and welcoming those who are just a bit different than you. Granted, the girl was only three and probably didn’t even think Hannah WAS different than her - which makes it that much more pure.
So again, friends - simply educate your young ones, your friends, and challenge yourself; empathy, compassion and acceptance. Not turning a blind eye when you see someone could use kindness. I can only hope that Hannah continues to have friends who want to engage with her. THAT means more to me than mis-matched socks.
Thursday, March 1, 2018
That Time We Almost Moved
So from about mid-January to mid-February we nearly moved – within Milford.
This wasn’t totally out of the blue. Over the past year or so, we jokingly (?) said we should move for a few reasons. 1. The yard is not great. There’s no level point. It’s probably half landscaped. Keeping up with mulch every year isn’t even an option. Trees are great for privacy, but when you have to cut them down or they fall on your house - no bueno.
2. The house has really been more of a fixer-upper than we anticipated. New dishwasher, new A/C, new water heater, lots of wall painting, and new siding. I miss having 1st floor laundry like our first home. The furnace will need to replaced in the near future. The larger patio slider needs replaced. Some day the decks need refinished.
So for all these reasons - less time and money on the house, more time and money for the family - we seriously considered moving within the district. We’ve got a lot of equity in the house and met with a realtor friend who said we could sell for a really good price. So it felt like if we were going to do it, now was the time.
So for about four weeks, we started getting the house ready, talking to lenders, and seeing what our options were. We quickly ruled out making a lateral move - there are a lot of homes similar to ours... and with two small children and a large dog, we weren’t willing to risk selling and not finding the perfect fit.
So then we thought about building - except... there’s no where to build in Milford. The newer neighborhoods are too far North or East. Our commutes are enough as they are now. We found one plot on a nice street, still in our elementary zone, but it was a corner lot with a 50-ft setback and the HOA looked like a pain in the ass.
The second plot we found was a different elementary zone, less desirable neighborhood. We even went to Schumacher Homes and “built” a home at the top of our budget and we still feel like we settled on some choices - not a “dream” home.
We drove around Milford an frankly, we didn’t really like anything. We realized how desirable our mature, private neighborhood is and we actually like all our neighbors; a mix of quiet retired people and families with young ones. It’s a pretty drama-free area.
And deep-down, Tim and I both felt like we would regret leaving our home and our location is prime.
SO - after tons of swirl, we’re deciding to Love It, not List It. Get a home equity line of credit and make some necessary repairs and updates and continue to build value. I think we’re just at a time where we’re very busy with small children and can’t focus on keeping our property top notch - and we have to be okay with that.
Plus, getting some fresh paint and updates makes you love your space more : )
This wasn’t totally out of the blue. Over the past year or so, we jokingly (?) said we should move for a few reasons. 1. The yard is not great. There’s no level point. It’s probably half landscaped. Keeping up with mulch every year isn’t even an option. Trees are great for privacy, but when you have to cut them down or they fall on your house - no bueno.
2. The house has really been more of a fixer-upper than we anticipated. New dishwasher, new A/C, new water heater, lots of wall painting, and new siding. I miss having 1st floor laundry like our first home. The furnace will need to replaced in the near future. The larger patio slider needs replaced. Some day the decks need refinished.
So for all these reasons - less time and money on the house, more time and money for the family - we seriously considered moving within the district. We’ve got a lot of equity in the house and met with a realtor friend who said we could sell for a really good price. So it felt like if we were going to do it, now was the time.
So for about four weeks, we started getting the house ready, talking to lenders, and seeing what our options were. We quickly ruled out making a lateral move - there are a lot of homes similar to ours... and with two small children and a large dog, we weren’t willing to risk selling and not finding the perfect fit.
So then we thought about building - except... there’s no where to build in Milford. The newer neighborhoods are too far North or East. Our commutes are enough as they are now. We found one plot on a nice street, still in our elementary zone, but it was a corner lot with a 50-ft setback and the HOA looked like a pain in the ass.
The second plot we found was a different elementary zone, less desirable neighborhood. We even went to Schumacher Homes and “built” a home at the top of our budget and we still feel like we settled on some choices - not a “dream” home.
We drove around Milford an frankly, we didn’t really like anything. We realized how desirable our mature, private neighborhood is and we actually like all our neighbors; a mix of quiet retired people and families with young ones. It’s a pretty drama-free area.
And deep-down, Tim and I both felt like we would regret leaving our home and our location is prime.
SO - after tons of swirl, we’re deciding to Love It, not List It. Get a home equity line of credit and make some necessary repairs and updates and continue to build value. I think we’re just at a time where we’re very busy with small children and can’t focus on keeping our property top notch - and we have to be okay with that.
Plus, getting some fresh paint and updates makes you love your space more : )
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| The busted-up corner where the 80s built-in lived. |
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| Meh putty color |
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| 90s (?) Pear Green |
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| Light grey in progress |
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| Tall ceiling = scaffolding |
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| Calm grey! Except now the trim needs painted white - DOH! |
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| Patched corner! Now my cozy chair looks baaaaaad. Haha! |
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| Much cleaner! |
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