One down, so many to go...

Today, we found out that Alex got a financial aid award. I'm so relieved. We have spent so much time trying to prove that we don't have any money for college, that if you paid Alex and I $10 an hour, it seems like it would just about add up to the amount he needs. I sure feel like we've "earned" it, anyway. Now, we only have to worry about the ticket he received in the accident he had, how to get him TO the school, since he no longer has a car (the van was totalled in the accident), and finding him a job. Personally, it's one less thing in my boat. Which, by the way, is FULL. I've been trying to get my daycare license. It's been a sort of saga...first, I decided to get a sort of 'lesser' license, called a residential certificate. It's what I've had in the past. I needed a state licensing orientation certificate, cpr/first aid certification, a health dept inspection, a fire inspection, a city business license (which came with an inspection), a food handler's permit, and background checks for everyone over 12 in the house. While I was getting all of these things, the orientation apparently expired. So, I went to another orientation. Which is where I discovered that in 6 months, they have CHANGED some of the rules to get a license. Including the one where it is more difficult to get a residential cert. and there are more perks associated with getting the full license. So, now, I'm writing a 10 page Procedures and Disaster Handbook to turn in with my application. Also, I now have to prove I'm a citizen of the U.S. This feels like a big carrot out in front of me...my daughter said, "Try to think of it as a brownie, Mom!"