addition and subtraction

So, we are planning on putting an addition on our house. As everyone else is screaming save your money, we are in a recession, we chose to ignore and sink alot of money into more space. More space to spread our junk. More space to live. More space to clean. It all started innocently enough. Our back door (which we use as our main entrance) is about 2x2 feet. Off of that landing are the stairs which children plummet down (honestly, I've witnessed it), the small 1/2 bath and the stairs to the kitchen, which children have plummeted both down and up. After watching Sophie do a summersault once she reached the bottom of the steps, I knew we needed a mudroom. And really that was all I wanted - just more space to get in the door and put our stuff. Why not expand the kitchen while we are at it? I said innocently once more to Eric. At this point we were off and flying - reallly if you are going to all the work, you might as well go up and create an entire master suite.......so there we are. Plans are made in Adobe and we are seriously going to put an addition on our house.

Sophie is excellent at addition in school. She routinely scores well on her timed math test - for addition. Subtraction - not so much. I mean, who really does want to take things away? Human nature makes this an uncomfortable act. Apparently if she doesn't score 90% or above at the 6 minute mark, she will have to go to a special math class. She taught herself multiplication. She is a whizz at fractions. She scored very well on her standardized testing in math. Yet, she can't figure out 6-4 in 6 minutes.

The concept of taking away is hard for everyone. Let alone an almost 8 year old. I think we have to give the puppy away. Eric's allergies are horrible. He has spent the last 2 weeks trying to live with it, but can't. I think I have found her a new home, where she will be just as happy. But Sophie is devastated. She really bonded with this dog. And we are taking it away. Not my finest parenting moment. I am starting a savings account for the therapy now. I know in time she will be okay. She gave me a sign to believe this - "Mommy if we give Sadie away, can we get a webkinz?". Yes, I will let her get a new addition to her collection.