Life goes on...

Quick updates:

--The bank finally came back after the underwriter's investigations and said our home was, wait for it, valued at exactly the amount we had left on our loan! What a coincidence! Too bad housing values in the area won't support that valuation and the offer on the table is for significantly less than that! I am incensed that it took them all this time to basically look at our loan papers and say "yep, that's what it's worth!" So ridiculous! Don't even get me started!

--The rental "inspection" turned out to be a 15 minute chat with the realtor during which she recommended places for me to live next, took some pictures of the missing kitchen cabinets, and discussed the relative merits of two nearby schools. She didn't even look at one of the two bathrooms or the boys' room because Toddler E was napping. All that stress for naught but a clean house, which is now, umm, not as clean!

--The husband went to Tampa on Monday for an overnight pharmacy-related errand, but the company he was meeting with turned out to be unprepared, and he had to stay an extra night. He's not back yet, actually, and will go straight to work from the airport. It's a good thing he drove himself and parked there this time, something we never do, AND brought along the extra pair of underwear and shirt my constant paranoia and real travel disasters have trained him to bring!

--It's mid-year feedback time at the preschool, which meant I spent part of the weekend tweaking the survey form and then delivering it to the other parents. I'll collect them all tomorrow and then read and report the results to the co-op board. My co-op job is communications, which responsibilities appear to be somewhat broadly defined, but at least I don't have to do something aggravating like grounds keeping or hospitality committee!

--I finally got a primary care physician! I see him for the first time on Friday. One doc down, a gazillion more to go.

--I actually did get my room clean, though it happened by the first week of February, not the last day of January, but hey, for 24 shining hours or so it was clean. Mission accomplished!

--We have decided that we really only want to live in one neighborhood here in Shaker Heights, largely because of the school since J starts Kindergarten next year. Which means that we will be renting (because, to review, in theory our home will be a short sale some day) in the most expensive and least available area here because everyone else wants the same things we do: a great, small school in which every home in the district is within walking distance to school. We did get a line on a house at the very edge of our budget, through back channels at the preschool (our friend found out that her neighbors across the street bought a house and are renting and got us the landlord's info before the house even came up for rent officially). We're going to check it out tomorrow, but on paper and via pictures online it looks perfect, price notwithstanding: 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, large master suite on third floor, completely renovated, two car garage, 1.5 blocks from the elementary school, 1.5 blocks from the preschool, available in April, etc., etc. We shall see.

--Toddler E's third birthday is coming up. We're having a small party after the fact (since I'm going on an IKEA trip on the actual day of--mother of the year, right here!) with just a few family friends. I went through the ward list looking for kids his age and discovered...there aren't any. Not for many months in either direction. And all but one of those are girls. No wonder he only wanted to invite J's friends! I think instead we'll invite our friends and their kids, none of whom happen to be his age. There's always next year to get the poor kid some actual peers!

And that's a wrap!