The "Year Long Project" (Part 1)

I am starting a new blog with what I will refer to as the "year long project"  Why?  Well...long story if you want to stick around.

For those of you who don't know about me and my family we are originally a family of 8 living in Southern California.  San Diego County if you would like a more narrow area.

My husband travels a LOT.  Being a former military family, moving into a 100% civilian neighborhood, it has been hard for me to make friends.  So, I have very few; and none close.  Well, one very close friend...but she lives in NM!  And my family?  They are all in West Virginia.  My husbands family are in Arkansas.

So, virtually...I was alone with 6 children.  It gets kinda lonely!

So, my husband and I made the decision to move our family back to the beautiful hills of West Virginia.  We both longed for the quiet, country life we grew up in.  We wanted to hunt, grow a garden, raise our own animals.  And we wanted our children to have what we had as children...being surrounded by all of this and an extended family that loves them (and hell, who doesn't want to be with their cousins!  They are your second childhood playmate!)

And with the cost of living rising, and the deterioration of our neighborhood and community...we decided it was time to get out of there...fast.

Putting our house on the market we moved across the United States and moved in with my sister...who is currently a single mother of 4 (currently meaning there is a man in the picture that looks like a keeper!!! hehe). 

 

(Will he propose?)

Anyway, back to my story, we are all living under one roof for approximately the next year.  We have to sell our house and save up for our new place.  So, sis is helping us out by not charging us rent.  We are helping her out by...well, I take care of the kids, house, cooking, etc.  Hubby does odd jobs when he is home (just like my sis' man).  It is kinda like Sister Wives...but we don't share our men.  Ain't gonna happen.

So, that is why I call it The "year long project"...because we will be here for about a year and oh boy...this is a project...9 children and 5 adults.  I want to keep saying 10 children, but my oldest son just turned 18 and will be leaving for school soon...but that is another story.

(Did I really say college??!?! NO!!!!)

 

 

We have been here for 3 weeks today and it has been an experience.  I don't know what made me think I would be able to jump in and have it running 100% smoothly.  OMG...it has been insane!  I feel like I'm loosing my mind most days.  But, we are implementing new rules, schedules, and chore charts.  We are going to have this house running like an Army base...with so many kids we are basically raising a small army.  So, lets call our house Army Base Crazy House.

 

Speaking of Base Crazy House...we just had our first major casualty...a broken window.  ~sigh~  Boys are chasing zombies and the youngest boy put his Lego gun through the glass on the back door screen window (on accident).

 

And now it is dinner time and I'm off to feed the masses...I'll try to get to the rest of the story later....