The Good, The Bad, and The Cold

Our desktop is still in a box, so no pictures yet. :( We've been here a week, and life is good. Mark and I have been talking about it a little the past few days, and I feel that our lives are very peaceful and we are at peace in our little quiet community. This small town mid-west thing feels pretty good on us. Mark completed his first week of work, and he seems to be liking it. He isn't saying much yet, so I have to read between the lines. He did make his first appearance in court this week. The kids & I are trying to get into a new normal. I'm raising my expectations of the kids, and I think we are responding really well. Jonah even had his first official math lesson Friday. I was trying to hold out, but he is doing a lot of math on his own, and I don't want him to have bad math habits. The Good (in no particular order) so far: 1. The breakfast bar in the kitchen! We eat there for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. Anna does her schoolwork there too. 2. Having Mark come home for lunch. 3. Mark's 2 minute commute. 4. Having our bedroom downstairs & the kids upstairs. 5. The old fashioned wallpaper and beautiful woodwork in our house. 6. Living in town. 7. The town. Madison is nearly self-sufficient. They even have a bakery on main street. Here's the Bad so far: 1. Poor quality updates to the house. 2. The garages aren't attached. 3. Carrying groceries and kids up a full flight of stairs to get into the house. 4. Miniscule water heater. 5. No lighting in the living room(s) 6. The ick factor- The house is dirty since it hasn't been lived in a long time. 7. It's hard to meet people in the winter. The Cold: Well, it's just plain windy. That wind is a killer.