We visited a new homeschool group that meets at a park in our own neighborhood.  As it happened, winter arrived at about the same time and not many moms were there.  However, a couple of the moms went out of their way to introduce themselves to me, and my kids recognized a couple of other kids from AWANAS and our church.  We'll visit the group again next Wednesday to see how it feels.  In the meantime, there's another group that meets on Friday, and I'd like to check them out, too.

I'm not sure why, but I feel like a new wind is blowing through our lives.  We joined a nearby YMCA last night, and our whole family went tonight.  I loved it!  It was great being able to do a resistance training circuit with dd and dh.  Ds was in their child center which is managed by grown women -- moms!  Other gyms, even very expensive ones, always seemed to have teenagers.  The Y's child care center is free, and Andrew loved it.  Our family loves to swim, so we tried out their pool.  It was a warm 84 degrees and felt great in spite of the chilly air.   I swam several laps.  Today my daughter commented that I was fat, and that hurt!    She felt bad for hurting my feelings, but maybe it was a wakeup call for me to start focusing on my own health and fitness.  It's about time.  I've never been this fat and out of shape.  :o(

Dh has agreed to attend a Sunday School class at our church geared for people ages 40 and above.  They are a VERY active group with many social activities during the month, including a home Bible study.  I suggested that we try it for two months beginning in January and see if we feel comfortable and at home there.  Dh is an introvert, but he also needs to be around other Christian men.  That is one of the things I have been praying about.

So, between taking steps to get healthy via the Y, looking for a homeschool group and joining an active Sunday School class, I do feel optimistic that GOOD things are happening in our lives.