Whew! What a whirlwind autumn it has been here at the Three-Acre Wood, as usual; but with the addition of another iron to my fire I’m further behind than usual. This seems to be a common (self-inflicted) problem for my falls. Does anyone else pile way too much on their plates this time of year???

Okay, so yes, the havoc in my home has been mostly on me this last month, but it’s all been for a good cause. . . I hope. After eight years as a stay-at-home mom I’m now in the midst of making a career change (as if my former lives as first a high school teacher and then a graphic designer weren’t enough). You see, I’m a little more than spoiled when it comes to spending time with my son. Yes, I’ve been a SAHM for eight straight years, but my only child is now in second grade. While it might be difficult to justify just who I’ve been mothering for the last few years, I’m still not ready to give up the precious days of winter, spring and summer breaks with my little man.

Although teaching would seem like a good choice for my circumstance, I apparently am too old or too dusty for that profession, because I came up cold in my renewed quest to be an educator. So what’s a girl who is looking for flexible hours, good pay and enjoyable work to do? Hmm. . . okay, we are going with the wholesome answer here — real estate!

Yup, I’m going to sell houses. This sounds like a great gig for a girl who likes people and loves open houses! Yes, I’m one of those neighborhood lookie lous who loves to see the inside of homes as they hit the market. No wonder this new profession has my husband quaking in his boots and buying stock in packing tape. No worries honey, I’m not planning to move us on to our next homestead anytime soon (unless, of course, that perfect farmhouse with a tree-lined drive lands in our laps). *wink* *wink*

So the first step in the real estate licensing process is a 48-hour, mind-bleeding course about everything from legal responsibilities to measuring square footage. See that photo at the top of this post; that is everything I had to cram into my brain during an online course that took most of a month to complete. That’s three plus inches of legal terms, equations and property listing tools. Ugh, it was tough, but it was also (mostly) interesting.

So after completing the course, I scheduled my licensing exam at a local testing center. After snickering about who really takes the four-hour allotted time to complete such a thing with a fellow test taker, I walked out three and a half hours later exhausted but victorious. Yay! With the hard part behind me (except knowing any actual logistic about selling a home), I’m on to the next hurdle in my real estate licensing journey.