Question & Answer

I copied this idea from Helen over at Three Times The Giggles.  Every so often she will post a Question & Answer blog, and I loved reading it so much, I decided to do one myself.  If there are any other questions you have (about our family, our experience up here, or really anything at all) just leave your question in the comments and I will be sure to answer it ASAP!

Here goes:

Question #1: How do you shop? 

Do you have to fly to the stores or just call them for the bush orders?

We order {almost} everything online.  We use Amazon & Target (both offer free shipping) the most, but have also used Old Navy (for clothes, obviously) and Fred Meyer (for groceries).  

We were not impressed with Fred Meyers' packing efforts, as a lot of things were busted open, dented or ruined, but this is the risk you run.  I used them because you can e-mail your grocery list, which I really liked for its convenience.  Our next large grocery order we plan on using Walmart in Fairbanks where you call in your bush order.  Shipping on these takes anywhere from two to four weeks.

A flight out of here, just to Bethel, costs $662 right now, so we don't fly out to get groceries. That said, when we happen to be out, say in Anchorage, we do shop while we're there. Josh did a HUGE trip in August when he was there for training- he shopped & had Fred Meyer ship it- and we did one at Walmart when all five of us were in Anchorage in January.  We bush ordered some of it- had them pack & ship our carts- and brought some with us in a tote & cooler.

When Josh's parents come at the end of the month they offered to grocery shop for us while in Anchorage & bring it with them.  So they will pick up things for us, like lasagna, lunch meat, ham, chicken nuggets, etc. that we can't ship out here and don't have at the store.

And finally, the things we can't order online or have people ship us, we buy at the store.  We buy eggs, cheese & butter whenever they have it (which is not always) and recently got sour cream & yogurt-- very exciting!  But the cost is crazy.  Tillamook yogurt, single serving? $1.50  One pound of cheese? $14.00

Question #2: How far away is the school?

I am terrible with distances... I will refer you to this post by my husband, which has a picture. In the third picture down there is the school & underneath it, at the bottom of the photograph is the teacher housing. We are in the set nearest the bottom of the page- you can barely see our roof.  You can also see the school & teacher housing in the last picture, as well as the tundra my house faces.

What's insane to me, looking back, is that I walked halfway across that river with my three little kids. I am not getting Mother of the Year this year... Maybe next year?

Steve, Brian, Mary, Cody, Flora, John, Hope, Nichole & Susan

Question #3: Have you met any friends/neighbors?

I have met some people, yes. Not as many as I would like, but the weather is prohibitive.  I have met all the teachers, and quite a few Natives.  I have met Natives both at the store, and at the Eskimo dance we went to a few weeks ago.

Kids table: Julia, Jack, Logan, Kayle, Kevin, Evan, Megan & Jenna

Josh is pretty close with Mary & Brian (two fellow teachers) so they come by every once in a while and I love that.  

Joe & Krista are another couple here, who have four kids (4yo, 2yo and 8 mo. old twins) and when we can, we have hung out or visited, but since they are both teachers, and have four kids, time is a hot commodity!

Susan & Wyatt

 Everyone that I have met has been so warm & welcoming.  "You like Alaska?" they ask. Even Josh's students asked me that.  I am hopeful that as the weather warms up, and I spend more time outside, walking to the store or post office & letting the kids play at the school, I will make more friends.

Flora & Kayle at the Eskimo Dance

In terms of neighbors, our only neighbors are fellow teachers.  On one side of us is Flora & her husband and son, and on the other is Nichole, a sweetheart who teaches kindergarten here.  They are all great, and tolerate our obnoxiously loud children with grace & understanding.

 Question #4: How can I pray for you?

If you could only pray for one thing for me, it would be patience.  Being home with the kids is challenging. Perhaps more so than I thought it would be.  It's hard to be stuck in the house, and it's hard to keep the twins entertained while also caring for the baby.  And when the baby is napping, it's even worse cause I have to keep the twins entertained and quiet! 

I also pray for our future.  Josh has been considering what kind of masters degree he wants to get, and has applied for acceptance to University of Alaska.  These are big decisions.  So I pray we are making the right ones.

And last, our safety.  It is easy, in my cozy home with the boys, to forget where I am.  The land is very unforgiving. When the power goes out, it does not take long for the temperature in the house to reach 60 degrees.  We have been, at times, without power, without heat and without hot water.  It really forces you to get back to basics.  I worry not only about our safety in terms of the weather, but also illness. We have been so blessed to be healthy the majority of our time here, and I pray for that to continue.  A visit to the doctor could be very time consuming, not to mention costly.  With no one else to watch the kids, only one of us could travel with whoever was sick, and that would mean Josh would miss work... basically it could be a real nightmare. One I am hoping to avoid. I pray we make it to May 18th!

 Question #5: Who takes over for Josh is he's sick and can't go to work?

If the kids, or Josh himself, were to get sick, and he couldn't go to work, he would put in a call to the principal, make lesson plans, and a substitute (someone from the village) would come in his place.  The substitutes are not trained teachers, and do not carry certificates.  Occasionally a teachers' staff assistant will fill in as the sub, if need be.  But Josh's staff assistant quit, so he would need the principal to call someone from the list.

Question #6: Is there a church in town?

There are actually three churches in town.  

• Russian Orthodox
• Catholic
• Evangelical

Post-nap Jack

Question #7: Do you eat frozen veggies? 

Or do you have a store when you can get some fresh fruit and veg?

We do not have any frozen veggies.  Shipping anything that needs to remain frozen or cold is exorbitantly expensive, so we do canned fruits & veggies.

There are some fresh fruit & veggies at the store: I have seen potatoes, lettuce, apples, grapes, carrots & bananas.  Some things, as you can imagine, look better than others by the time they arrive.  I have only bought carrots myself because the cost is so high that it's hard to spend it on a semi-decent piece of food.

I did ask Josh to look this afternoon for some fresh fruit for me.  I would kill for an orange!

We have been blessed with care packages containing apples, lemons, onions, & potatoes, and for that (and all grocery items sent to us) we are eternally grateful!  Logan was so excited he told me he was going to eat the lemon!

Question #8: Do you ever get cabin fever because you have to stay inside all day?

I have not experienced cabin fever until this week.  Normally we go with Josh to the post office & store on Wednesday; occasionally visit his class at school on Fridays; and play outside once or twice in the afternoons, weather permitting.  But we have been in the -20's the last ten days or so, and haven't left the house.  It's starting to make me crazy!

I do a lot of journaling, to keep my mind organized, and let the kids get pretty rambunctious- sliding down the stairs, racing with their stools, playing soccer in the living room- anything to get the wiggles out.

Tomorrow they are having basketball games at the school, and I told Josh I don't care what the weather is, it's a short walk to the school, and we are all going!  He has to go because he's the school photographer.  He looked happy that I wanted to go, too.  So that should help my cabin fever subside until we get better weather.

Question #9: Is there a gym anywhere in town where you could run on a treadmill or use an exercise bike (or do you have these at home)?

The only "gym" is the gym at the school.  I have heard rumors of a broken down treadmill in the shop, but it's out of commission, so no. No treadmill, no exercise bike.

I was invited to play basketball on Wednesday evenings with the ladies in town, but with the baby nursing, and it starting near bedtime, I just don't see how it would work. (Not to mention the fact that I am 5'4 and about twenty five pounds overweight...) 

I have a lot of Tae Bo workout videos I could use, as well as a set of weights. We also have a Wii and an X-Box that have workout games if I wanted.  And the boys just got jump ropes that I have been using. Man, that can get my heart pumping like crazy!

But currently I have been using my Mama Wants Her Body Back DVD, which has full body workouts, as well as ab & booty workouts.  So in terms of exercise, I am pretty well set. 

But I will tell you that the best workout, is trying to walk in the snow while wearing the baby!  I come home all sweaty under my hundred layers from struggling to stay upright in the drifts!

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Thank you so much for playing along. 
Keep the questions coming.
I would love to share more insight about our life with you!