The worst they could say is "No."

I think I've mentioned before that we applied for open enrollment for Colin to go to school in Somerset. The first application was due in February and you bet your booty I turned it in on the first day I could :)

Then the wait. From February until May, we waited for the decision from the school board. Turns out, all new open enrollments got denied (the OEs that got accepted were new students who had siblings currently attending, and students who were switching buildings). The reason? Lack of space.

I cried. I asked my principal what I could do. He said I could appeal, and he's only known of two previous appeals--one got accepted and one got denied again.  I cried in his office. Blubbering mess. I talked to the superintendent and asked him what I could do. He was sympathetic, but he's also a rule follower. There's no grey area with him--it's all black and white. He told me to sell our house. "It's a buyers market! You can find a good deal on a new house in the district!" I cried some more. I emailed a former district employee, who is now a school board member, who asked if I had considered the appeal process (and by doing so, kind of got the impression that she was saying we should appeal).

A co-worker of mine, who is a JK (Jr. Kindergarten aka 4K aka 4 year old preschool) teacher also got denied. We decided to appeal the decision, thinking the worst they (Dept. of Public Instruction, aka DPI) could say is no. We had to get all of our ducks in a row, stating why the school board's decision was arbitrary or unjust. We knew, as teachers, that lack of space was a lame excuse. The JK classes had been moved to a different building on campus just a few years ago. There were 3 rooms for 6 sections of students, and so far only 2 rooms (4 sections) were planned. We filled out some paperwork, wrote up an explanation, and crossed our fingers.

Then we waited. In the meantime, I had another conversation with the superintendent who told me that I could apply for an open enrollment exception, which is usually reserved for cases of bullying, a military family, etc. but there's an "other" box you could choose, and submit your reason why attending school in Somerset was in the best interest of your child. He also told me we could sell our house again (sigh...). But overall, he was sympathetic. I told him I hope he took my appeal as a compliment, that I believe in our district and I want my child to go there too. He said he did.

My co-worker and I applied for the Open Enrollment Exception. We wrote up our reasoning and submitted it for the school board to read (they make the decision over these, not DPI).

A few weeks ago, the boys and I were having a lemonade stand. Kevin was home and had gotten the mail, and an envelope came from DPI. He called me and told me the news that "by the order of DPI" Colin was approved to go to Somerset. I was unbelievably excited :)

So, of course, the next day I pranced into the office where I declared, "MY KID IS OFFICIALLY A SPARTAN!!!!!" and got his registration information. Since then, Colin has gotten his backpack and school supplies, he has met his teacher (the co-worker who also appealed) a few times because we've had a few playdates, and he said he's ready for her to be his teacher. We will see if he feels the same way next Tuesday!

Sometimes, you gotta fight for what's right. Just because someone says no doesn't mean someone else will too :)

Photo Dump

(I also posted another post before this if you want to check that out)

I've been very neglectful again. I'm still having a hard time wanting to write. I make no excuses. I just don't wanna. It makes me feel bad because I wrote so much when Colin was little, and now I'm writing so sparingly. I hope that Ben doesn't look back on this and feel neglected. Sorry, Benny, you guys wear me out. By the time I sit down at the end of the day I'm too exhausted to put a coherent thought together. I love you the same amount as Colin. I promise.

Let's cut to the chase here. Pictures of summer. Go.

We met baby Josie, and Ben loved on her. He loves to hold her and can't get enough of her.

  

 Ben's favorite books are: Ten Little Ladybugs, books about diggers, and The Very Hunger Caterpillar

Ben rode in the Boba and helped Daddy mow the lawn.

Sleeping on the floor after we took the rail of his crib off

 Building

 On the train at Como Town

 Playing with water, one of his favorite things to do.

 Eating a hot dog at the St. Croix County Fair. It was all of the boys' first time. I was the only who had been there! Can you believe that?

 Colin and I riding the bumper cars at Como Town

 He told me, "You go in and make supper. I'll watch Ben." Okay then...

 Playing with the sled

 Colin reading a book to Ben

We went to watch Kevin's grandpa fly his model airplane, but it was too windy for him to fly it. All's well though, because I got this picture out of the deal.

 Sitting on a motorcycle at Como Town (I adore how Ben is holding on so tightly)

 Fun Fest parade. He was in a funk, so I told Colin that they don't pass candy out to kids who smile.

 Riding the Scrambler at the St. Croix County Fair

 Doing the ice cream truck dance. We love the ice cream truck!

 Grandma J. bought him a kangaroo at Como Town. He loves that thing.

 More water fun, thus the toplessness.

Whew. I know pictures are way more fun to look at than words are to read, so there ya go! Summer's not over yet. Maybe I'll find another opportunity to share some more pictures soon.

WAHOOOOOOO!

If you've been following our credit card debt pay off, you know that we took charge of the situation way back in June 2010. Since then, we've lived on a strict budget and have spent very little on "entertainment" and other extras. In the beginning, it was a little rough not getting what I wanted when I wanted it. But with that, we've learned some great lessons.

We've learned to live frugally. We've learned to entertain ourselves for free or very little money. We've learned that it's not about "stuff." We've learned we can make ends meet even when life throws us huge curve balls. We've learned not to rely on credit. We've learned that in the future, it is truly best to save up and pay cash.

Kevin woke up on Saturday morning and one of the first things he said to me was, "I'm going to pay off the last credit card today." I mean, I knew we were going to pay it off this month, but I thought we were going to wait for our DMP payment to go through at the end of the month and pay for the rest after that. Nope, Kevin decided he wanted to pay it now to avoid a service fee for the DMP. So he did.

Today is the day that we can officially say that our credit card debt total is....(drum roll please)....$0! Zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nothing. Nuffing (<--colinese p="">
I emailed the lady at Family Means and told her our last credit card was paid off. She's sending us some closing paperwork in the mail and that's that. We're done! I was hoping for a little more fanfare, but oh well. It doesn't matter. :)

Next steps:
Pay off the Explorer. Goal end: November
Pay off 2 student loans. Goal end: January

Then we can officially be truly debt free (except the house...). But this? This is a great start.