In the last decade, I have....

[OneRoomSchoolHouse]

In the past 10 years I:

 

- married at 19

- built our first custom home at 20 (fil owns homebuilding company & dh grew up building houses)

- gave birth at 21 to dd

- graduated from college with a Chemical Engineering Degree & dh with a Civil Engineering degree (when dd was 18 months old). Both of us were presidents of our socities and both of us graduated with Honors! Yes, I am bragging!

- lost my favorite grandfather to heart failure

- got a great job

- moved to a different city because dh got a great job

- began my new job

- thought the best things in life were a new, big house and new, big cars

- was pregnant with dd#2 and realized what I wanted most was to be a SAHM

- sold big, new house and big, new cars

- moved to another city to follow dh's career

- quit my 6 figure job to persue my dream job (SAHM)

- built another custom home in the beautiful hill country with a huge classroom

- began homeschooling

- learned dd#1 was dyslexic (wouldn't have found out if dd was still in ps)

- birthed ds

- currently preparing for another move and working to sell our home

- have been married almost 10 years and will have moved 9 times

- learned what the important things are in life!

- preparing to welcome baby #4 in 2010

- owned many pets - ferret, rats, mice, bengal cat, 2 labs and 8 lab puppies, a brittany, and 2 chiuahuas

[*Inna*]

In the past 10 years I have

 

• Married in Vegas
  
• Moved to another continent
  
• Had a culture shock
  
• Learned English
  
• Had 3 kids
  
• Gained a lot of weight
  
• Battled with depression
  
• Born again through Jesus
  
• Went from thinking that home schoolers are weirdos to homeschooling my own kids
  
• Bought a minivan and love it
  
• Bought our first house
  
• Grew up
  

[Granny_Weatherwax]

In the last 10 years -

-sold a house

-moved 1000 miles from home

-bought a house

-sold a house

-bought a house

-bought my first horse

-bought my second horse

-sold my first horse

-sold my second horse

-lost a wonderful dog to old age

-lost a wonderful cat to feline aids

-picked up a homeless barn kitten

-bought a purebred puppy

-rescued a dumped cat

-earned a Master's degree

-bought a brand new car

-sold the car to scrap after DD totaled it

-had a child diagnosed with a life altering condition

-watched my father die from lung cancer

-had breast reduction surgery

-gained and lost weight

-had more part time jobs than I care to admit

-became a tennis pro

-became a homeschooler

-found Christ, lost Christ, found Christ

-weathered DH's job loss and a separation

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

In the last 10 years I have:

 

Recovered from a nervous breakdown.

Born 1 child (in addition to the 4 previous)

Graduated 2 children and sent them to college

had a grandchild

married off my daughter

bought and paid off a conversion van

sprouted gray hair on my head

gained 10 pounds

Visited Rhode Island

[Luanne]

... married 1 time

... divorced 2 times

... moved 9 times

... had 9 different cars

... quit 2 jobs, laid off from 1 job, looked for work for almost 2 years

... homeschooled one daughter

... had one temp job

... acquired 3 frogs (which we still have)

... went through 2 major surgeries with 1 husband

... gained and lost weight more than I care to mention *sigh*

[Amira]

Moved 10 times

Lived in Kyrgyzstan for a year

Had two more children

Built a beautiful house and sold it two years later

Learned a lot of Russian

Forgotten a lot of Russian

Survived 18 months of dh's major health problems

Survived dh being laid off

Started homeschooling

Learned a lot about Central Asia

Blogged half the time

Had 4 miscarriages

Stopped driving and started walking

Quilted, spun, crocheted

Learned I love geysers

 

But mostly, I've enjoyed my family, read a lot, and am excited for the next ten years. I hope they're as good as the last 10.

[BMW]

Oh, wow! I just realized, I went a decade without having any children!!!!

I love being pregnant, I love my babies... I had 7 in the 90's... I respect those who would love to have a baby, please do not be upset, but I am so excited that I didn't bear any more children this decade.

 

And, the past 10 years, I moved from Alaska to California.

I worked part time and full time, when necessary.

I found the strength to divorce a controlling, manipulative, abusive man and stand up for what is right with my children... though they do not understand it yet.

 

I met a widower who lost his wife to cancer and became a stepmom... one of the most difficult jobs on the planet...

 

I became a parent of several teens... I do NOT like this part of parenting...

 

I have seen my first teen turn around from rebellion... though I still do not agree with some of her choices, she is very pleasant and enjoyable to spend time with... she is an adult now!!

 

Here's to the next decade!!

[Anne in CA]

Wow, I'm clear on page 6, but I'll post even though few will probably have the energy to read this far, lol.

 

In the last ten years I:

 

Turned 30 without much fuss

Bought my dream house (a little farm house)

Watched my step daughter graduate high school

Stayed married against all odds

Became the mother of a teenage boy, the hardest thing yet

Traveled to Nepal 4 times on mission trips

Traveled to Mexico 2 times on mission trips

Traveled to Mexico once for pleasure

Took the kids on a cross country trip in our conversion van

Fell in love with my job

Realized that my job is coming to an end

Taken up painting

Written 3 novels for NaNoWriMo

Led an Alpha course

Been a scout leader

Made at least 20 quilts

Got a dog

 

Wow, that's without thinking much. I wonder what I'll come up with later that should have been on the list?

[Aggie]

In the last decade, I

 

birthed our last dc, a son

 

became the mom of a wonderful teen

 

moved 5 times

 

sold 2 homes and bought 3

 

witnessed dh retire from the US Navy:001_smile:

 

gave up 2 dogs when we transferred overseas

 

rescued a labradoodle and adopted a lab who was dumped on our property

 

bought a small herd of cattle, dairy goats, bee hives, and am searching for a few horses

 

planted herb, vegetable, annual and perennial gardens and trees in 3 states

 

learned (well, attempted) to snowboard

 

traveled to several states for vacation

 

bought our first mini-van and Harley (for dh)

[Rosie_0801]

Ha ha Jean. Boring? Most of that "boring" stuff are the things us younger women are trying to work towards. The boredom of living in my own house! I'll pass on the back surgery though :001_huh:

 

;)

Rosie

[Osmosis Mom]

In the last decade I have.....

 

Bought our first home which we sold regrets?)

 

Moved into second home, supposedly for 2 years, still there 5 years later

 

Seen dh rise in his career and then plummet due to unemployment; but we're fine

 

Had twin girls after four kids, took five years to recover, got ds and is now expecting a little girl

 

Had a mini-crisis realising oldest dd was growing up etc. etc., got over the crisis and is now loving who she is and looking forward -truly- to seeing my kids become full persons/adults

 

Have since then gotten two more teens (still some blood being shed there, one being a girl much like her mother, the other a ds who needs his space too!!)

 

Homeschooled through it all; saw oldest dd apply and get into her our) first choice college which was beyond words

 

Become an initiativ-taker, making things happen if they weren't happening on their own. Definitely a 30s- thing.....!

 

Gotten over any inferiority feelings I might have had due to being a SAHM (free choice!) and feel empowered and basically loving my choice of lifestyle

 

I do look forward to the next decade. I do not feel old at all, nearing 40, but look forward to raising this last bunch of kidlets and enjoying it while taking a few more years to decide what I want to probably get a Masters degree in. Don't want my adult kids to see me as a passive person -because I am not- and I feel there is something else I need to do -after having raised and educated my kids. Lots of optimism here. Dh's job-loss will turn out to be a blessing; it already has refocused my goals in life and made me remember that materialism is not my own goal (which I had forgotten).

 

It's all good.

[Annabel Lee]

In the last decade I...

...celebrated my 1st wedding anniversary w/ dh

...did a lot of growing up w/ dh, the hard way of course

...entered and exited my 20's

...birthed 2 children and had 1 miscarriage

...moved from AK to CA to AK to TX to AK (to stay, finally)

...bought my 1st home

...have gone through 4 vehicles, from an old, rusty, edge-of-death little car (it was old & rusty then, I mean) to my current reliable mom-mobile

...gone through huge parenting changes

...gone through huge marital changes w/ the same man

...had a child misdiagnosed w/ multiple mental disorders

...went through that child having to stay at a RTF

...saw that child finally diagnosed correctly, which explained everything and voided the need for the RTF (which had already been done)

...see that child now very successful in school, social life, and doing well emotionally too

...went to my 2-yr. old nephew's funeral

...took care of another nephew for a summer

...went from being immature, selfish & irresponsible to someone who embraces personal growth

...went from not caring a hoot about politics to being very involved

...have changed my playlist from Smashing Pumpkins, Nirvana, & Pearl Jam to Vivaldi, old hymns, and once in awhile still Pearl Jam :D

...have held jobs as a bank teller, CNA, receptionist, & engineering assistant

...have gone from working FT to SAHM

...have gone from expecting that my kids would go to ps and thinking I could never hs to being a homeschool mom

...and dh went through multiple times the army sent him off, esp. at the beginning of the war

...went from being a military wife to a civilian wife

...helped my youngest son hang onto life for the 4 months that I knew something was wrong but the military Dr.s where we were at wouldn't listen - fixed immediately as soon as Dr.s at new duty station saw it

...learned how to garden for food, hunt, & fish

...learned how to really cook

...went from having virtually no direction to having so many interests that I have to pace myself

...found out that I AM a great mom

[Friederike in Persia]

For those who are still reading on page 7, the last 10 years for me:

 

> learned yet another language (the 5th) and culture

>had 3 children

>moved once

>survived an anaphylactic shock way up in the mountains without any medical care

>started to hs unenthusiastically (due to where we live the only option) until I found the WTM, then took to it with a fury!:D

>got med. evaced out of country once, due to an explosion, which burned dh

>got so fed up with some people that I wanted to chuck everything, but am starting to realise that if God puts up with them, I need to learn to do the same:001_huh:

[nd293]

In the last decade I...

 

... moved from South Africa to Oman

... emigrated to Australia

... had 2 children and 1 miscarriage

... went through secondary infertility and infertility treatment (successful!)

... had 1 homebirth and 1 emergency C-section due to complete placenta previa - both incredible experiences

... owned a car I loved (Mercury sedan, in pristine condition, pre-owned by a single male)

... lost my car (and 2 other family cars) in Cyclone Gonu

... lived through a cyclone alone with 2 kids while dh was overseas & waters rose to 1.5m outside

... learned to see the positives in living in a double storey house with raised foundations ;-)

... learned to see friendships as transient - and not to mind as much

... went from working full-time to part-time to SAHM

... learnt (and forgot) basic Arabic

... bought, paid off and sold a house

... saw the invested house profits severely eroded by the financial crisis

... lived in 6 homes (plus 2 temporary, 1 month each)

... lost my sense of purpose, self & motherhood

... realised with sadness that my dc will probably never know the joy of extended family as I did (emigration)

... lived in or visited 10 countries

... realised I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up

[jujsky]

...bought our first house

...did a billion renovations to our house (vinyl siding, new roof, new windows, new tankless water heater, new carpet, new kitchen, updated both bathrooms, installed ceiling fans in the kitchen and 2 of the bedrooms, finished our basement from basement into a huge family room & fully functioning office, installed a fake beam between the LR and DR, installed hardwood floors in the LR, DR, and playroom, installed tile in the hallway, kitchen, and both bathrooms, put in a new fireplace mantel and hearth with nice slate tiles, painted and redecorated every room in the house, and probably a bunch of other things that aren't coming to mind now). It's practically a new house and has been our labor of love. DH and I work well together. :001_smile:

...got 2 dogs to go with the 3 cats we already have, plus we got some fish.

...dealt with the heartbreak of unexplained infertility and an early miscarriage.

....adopted DS from Russia.

....became pregnant w/DD right before adopting DS, and became a mom twice in the span of 7 months.

...didn't sleep for 2 years or so due to DD's constant crying.

... decided to homeschool

... learned that DS has SPD and mild FAE and went through 2 years of therapy with him several X/week.

....lost my dad and my grandfather.

... got to the point with my MIL where we mutually respect each other.

...made some amazing friends and lost some not-so-amazing friends.

... learned to make my own jam and improved my sewing skills.

... became a little more selfish, which for me was a good thing. I used to think too much about other people to the detriment of myself and my immediate family. I've learned that it's not necessary or good for me to spread myself to thin and take on other people's problems as my own.

 

That's all I can think of :001_smile:

Edited December 31, 2009 by jujsky

[lauracolumbus]

These are really interesting...

 

I didn't realize I had become so stable compared to my earlier decades when I moved and changed jobs w/way too much frequency.

 

So, in the past ten years I,

 

moved to my first home and am still in it

had 2 more children to add to my first

3 miscarriages

lost my father

tried to work part time as an attorney in the best job ever, but couldn't bear to be away from my kids even for a little bit,

started 2 kids in private school

was looking to spending some time alone w/youngest

was looking forward to going back to work

ds asked to be homeschooled and thought he was nuts

started homeschooling

published 2 (almost finished w/my 3d) book-

gained more lbs than I care to admit

found this message board and have bought more curriculum than I care to admit

am starting to learn Latin

preparing to send dh off to a deployment

only owned two cars--wish there were a better alternative than mini vans

lost one dog

recently got two new puppies

am loving the person and family I'm (we're) becoming

 

Laura

[Aubrey]

-married dh (1999, technically)

-had 4 children

-earned 2 degrees

-finished 4 novels & started 3 more

-finally been published

-been paid to write

-been paid to paint

-begun hs'ing (a lifelong dream)

-lost my dad, unexpectedly (49 yrs)

-lost both of my great-grandparents, surprised & incredibly grateful they lived as long as they did

-began writing music w/ dh & got to hear it performed

-watched both sibs marry

-welcomed first niece (no nephews)

-taught my own classes for the first time, one at the post grad level, one yr in ps highschool

-lost dh's niece inexplicably (2yo died in her sleep)

-lost my gf--dad's dad--heart disease, but still younger than I expected (63)

-lost an uncle to cancer

-bought, remodeled, & sold my first house

[MomtoCandJ]

in the last ten years I have

- Graduated high school

- met dh

- great grandmother died (was last grandparent)

- attended college, did not graduate

- married dh

- lost my dad to a massive heart attack

- moved to Georgia from Michigan

- started to attend school again

- Gave birth to dd

- had to quit school, for now starting back in March, had to quit July of 2009 due to classes being messed up.

- moved a bunch of times in Michigan and Georgia

- have owned Lord knows how many cars, current car we have had for 4 years and still going. Have had lots of others before and during.

- have been mistress of one cat for 6 years and have owned 3 dogs.

 

-

-

[amyable]

These are really interesting...

 

I didn't realize I had become so stable compared to my earlier decades when I moved and changed jobs w/way too much frequency.

 

 

 

Here too! My list seems boring now... ;)

 

In the past 10 years I...

 

- had 3 kids to go with the two I already had

- had 2 miscarriages to go with the two I already had

- had two kids diagnosed with multiple life threatening food allergies (...to go with the one I already had :tongue_smilie:) and went on 3 major elimination diets

- had a dd diagnosed with dyslexia/ADD and alopecia areata

- had a dd diagnosed with a hearing loss

-fallen ever more deeply in love with my dh

-stayed in one house after having moved 12 times in the 10 years prior to that (shock to my system! esp in this house)

-started homeschooling

-had 3 bouts of bad postpartum depression/anxiety (say it with me: to go with the two I already had ;))

-survived dh going to night school for his MBA

-lost FIL

-lost both surviving grandparents

-had a skin graft and facial surgery for an advanced non-malignant skin cancer, while wide awake and the local wearing off (the shots of novacaine hurt worse than the stitching! I didn't want to go through that again :001_huh:)

-am surviving having my parents live close after being 1000 away :lol:

-became completely debt free

 

...my mind is blank. Is "lost my mind" a good one to add? ;)

[4kiddies]

In the past decade I have graduated college, gotten married, moved 8 times( I think?) worked for 3 governors, meet a President and Vice-President, quit my job to be a sahm, had four children, become a homeschooling mama ( never saw that coming!) and washed countless loads of laundry and changed countless diapers. It's been a great 10 years! :001_smile:

[Ginevra]

In the last decade I have...

 

...given birth to two children and buried one

...had a miscarriage

...gained a few wonderful new friends

...weeded out some friends that didn't fit

...went fervently Christian, then Deist, now trying to go back to Christian

...built a wonderful house on ten wooded acres

...grown into homeschooling

...canned something like 250 quarts of tomatoes :D

...eaten more chocolate than necessary

...read a heck of a lot of books

...learned the math I failed to learn earlier

...started a blog

...went from a 28/8 modem to satellite internet

...said goodbye to "Nika" my dog of 16 years

...welcomed "Sergeant", our new dog

 

 

Too bad I don't have stats like, "Vacuumed 200 miles of flooring" or "prepared 9,674 meals and 58 pies." Maybe I should start a log for the next decade? :lol: That's my OCD kickin' in.

 

Anyone wanna start a "520 books in 520 weeks" challenge?

[mcconnellboys]

Not too much big stuff in this decade, but it's taken me that long to catch up with what happened in just the year prior to that, LOL!

 

So I have to go back to 11 Christmases ago, if that's okay:

 

My MIL had just passed away at Thanksgiving while my husband was in the midst of wrapping up an international job search. Her illness onset was sudden and the progress of it very swift, from about July to November.

 

My second son had been born a bit prematurely in March, under emergency circumstances, with club feet, and the docs were offering ominous warnings that he would have CP (he does not).

 

I went through weekly rounds of casting and soaking off casts, doctors visits, etc. for about a year....

 

My husband decided on a job in Lexington and we had to fly up in a weekend and decide on a house and school for my older son.

 

We moved less than a week before Christmas. Two and a half full trailers full of stuff - yeah. Boxes in the house for about 8 months afterward....

 

We had to have three elderly cats shipped via an airline, watching weather (because they can't ship under certain temps), and have them boarded at a nearby vet.

 

We had my older son in his new school only a month before we knew it would not work at all, and by March he had gotten into trouble and was hounded for the remainder of the semester such that he cried on the way to school many days.

 

No more casting, but I was now visiting Shriner's on a regular basis and attempting bracing, as well as dealing with baby glasses, etc.

 

I was also making the rounds attempting to get my older son's auditory and sensory processing problems diagnosed and properly treated (never did happen)....

 

AND, in August of 1999, I began homeschooling (something I'd never even heard of before coming to KY)! That was probably a saving grace for us, in keeping me focused on something other than all the other stuff in our lives at the time, in giving my older son a break from the problems he always seemed to come up against in school situations, and in giving us the flexibility to build strong family routines, take care of an infant/toddler with health problems, etc.

 

After 1998/99, everything else has pretty much been a piece of cake!

 

I've helped start a couple of coops, taught some group classes along the way, made notes for books to write someday, read, learned, gone to homeschool conventions, gone on great vacations with my family, engineered VBS several years, and gotten old.

 

I'm getting ready to graduate my oldest son and send him off to college. I'm currently homeschooling my youngest through middle school. Life is good.

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

graduated from high school

started college

got married

graduated with a B.A. in Biochemistry

gave birth to my oldest one month later

moved, so dh could go to graduate school

gave birth to two more children

moved again, for dh's first job

got pregnant with our fourth, due in 2 weeks

started officially homeschooling oldest dd

[Quad Shot Academy]

moved twice

had four kids

5 years of the 10 were miserable

3 years of bed rest

2 years of a very sick baby

went about 8 years w/o sleeping through the night :blink:

have been sleeping through most nights for almost 1 year :D

had two of my kids and hubby undergo 6 surgeries

got messed up with a cult like church

wanted nothing to do with churches

went on the great church hunt

wanted nothing to do with churches

found a church that we are very happy at for the past 1.5 years

found out I was allergic to most yummy foods :glare:

found out hubby and 1 son are gluten intolerant

went on many wonderful vacations

went on a 1 month vacation

drove 24 hours round trip, alone with the four kids

got a DVR and laptop, two of my favorite inventions

bought two minivans

ran or helped run 4 homeschool groups

I am celebrating my 15 year wedding anniversary tonight!

Went from being severely depressed to feeling like I am living the dream!

[Liza Q]

-lost our son to cancer

-gave birth to another son

-felt like two people at once - a grieving mother, a blessed mother - for a long time

-kept homeschooling steadily, some years better than others

-graduated our oldest, who is doing well in college

-gained, lost, gained, lost, gained about 45 pounds on top of plenty of *baby weight*

-hated God

-learned to admit to, and depend on, His Sovereignty

-changed churches twice

-turned 40

-found a lot more pleasure in making *tea* than ever before

-watched Farscape. And Firefly

-went to Disney World three times with my family, once with just my friends

-got cable TV

-went from being a one-computer home to being a five-computer home

-had to borrow money (from my brothers) for my son's funeral

-saved, saved, saved

-bought a van with cash

-still have some money in the bank

[Kissy]

In past 10 yrs I have:

 

graduated high school

got my first full time job

moved back in with my parents

went to community college and graduated

quit smoking

sent a child to kindergarten

got married

moved to a different state

started homeschooling same child 3 yrs later

had another child

quit working to become a stay at home mom

bought my first house

traded my focus for a minivan

went to California

went on a cruise to Cozumel

got pregnant again

[cin]

Well, my list is gonna be short.

 

Buried my FIL

Traveled to Vietnam to bring dd1 home

Travled to China to bring dd2 home

Put down 3 cats

Chose between my dog and DD (DD won, barely!)

Been to more Dr. appts than I ever imagined, trying to determine what is wrong with dd.

Discovered all that "Red Food Coloring' stuff isn't hype

Had 3 surgeries

Learned more than I ever wanted to know about Alzheimer's

 

The previous 10 years were alot more eventful :tongue_smilie:

[susancollins]

In the past decade I have

Graduated from Highschool 2000

Drop out of college to open my own business

Open an Antique Shop in Warrenton NC

Met my husband

Got engaged

Got married

Decided to sell my Antique shop so we could have kids, and I could be a stay at home mom.

Had three children. (Even thought the doctors told me I would probably never get pregnant after surgery and six months of Lupron shots. I have endometriosis.)

Managed a large Antique Shop after I sold mine.

Got my Real Estate License.

Sold houses.

My father got sick and lived with us for two years he has dementia.

I then had to place him in an assisted living facility.

I have lost some dear pets some who I have had since I was a Child.

I lost my dad's father.

I have learned to do alot of things for myself.

I started my 1st year of homeschooling Carrington 6, and Jackson 4.

My husband and I took our three children to Disney World twice.

I have become my grandmothers Guardian.

I am working on reading the Bible more and my relationship with God.

We can all things through him.

I am finishing my degree and I will graduate May 2010 :001_smile: !

Edited January 1, 2010 by susancollins

[caitlinsmom]

I have

 

...married the sweetest man alive

...lived at 14 different addresses in 3 different states

...bought our first home

...had 4 children (when 11yrs ago I wanted none!)

...lost my paternal grandparents

...rekindled my relationship with my maternal grandmother

...lost a brother to suicide

...gained a best friend in my little sister

...maintained important friendships from high school

...gone to college

...learned to garden and found that I love it!

...fell more in love with my husband in our rough years than I ever though possible.

[Jeanine in TX]

WTM homeschooled dd from pre-k to grade 7 and ds from pre-k to grade 5

 

When I lived in VA, I attended every seminar given by Susan Wise Bauer at the HEAV conventions. She was awesome!

 

Moved 6 times for dh corporate relocations (incl. 3x across the country)

 

Learned to enjoy Shakespeare.

 

Started reading classical literature and philosophy.

- the Iliad and the Odyssey by Homer

- The Histories by Herodotus

- Anabis by Xenophon

- On Christian Teaching by Augustine

- Beowulf

- Canterbury Tales by Chaucer

- Anna Karenina by Tolstoy

- selected works by Plato, Cicero, and Plutarch

I am currently reading Aeneid (Virgil) and Meditations (Marcus Aurelius)

 

Girl Scout leader and community volunteer

 

Had surgery, chemotheraphy, and radiation for stage 3 breast cancer.

Had burst ectopic pregnancy.

Mother passed away.