A good friend of mine posted this Q&A thread from Apartment Therapy on Facebook this week and boy, was it exactly what I needed to read. Cause we’re in the big, gorgeous house now and it feels empty and cluttered with boxes and we’re holding off on blinds (sorry neighbors) and other purchases until we get some questions answered about hubby’s job future. So, it was good to hear that I’ve got seven years to piece things together. Deep sigh of relief. Pretty much, that lil’ Q&A took a load off my type-A self. It was the chill pill I needed to sluff off the gloom and revive our ugly-as-sin oak dining table with a fresh tablecloth. Medium wood – like oak – is my absolute least favorite stain/color of anything … trim, cabinets, furniture, etc. Medium wood is also what seems to constantly find me. I suppose medium wood is just what’s in my budget these days. Boo. Andalso, I will paint everything as soon as time and babies allow.
More on all this moving stuff … Dominic keeps telling me I’ve made great strides after the first week in our new digs. I’ve unpacked all the necessities – yay for finding bath towels and the silverware! – and we even have curtains up in two rooms. The kid’s closet is functional and I have kept up on a new goal of mine … no dirty dishes in the sink at the end of the day. I’m hesitant to start pounding things into the walls until we arrange furniture and we’re hoping to slowly add a few new pieces here and there so I’m not exactly sure when that will all happen. It may be a year or two. I mean, I have seven to get settled so why not wait until it’s just right?
Oh, and amidst the whole moving and unpacking … I’ve managed to get a nasty cold, Max cut his first tooth (read: cranky baby + awful sleep) and Jemma had her first fever/accompanying rash out of the blue :( And my car made a huge POP sound on Tuesday and had to be towed to the shop by trusty ol’ AAA. Yeah – still waiting on that diagnosis/bill.
On a happier note … I found an awesome naturopath (it has been on my list for eons to get established with someone new), I was NPN’s featured blogger this month, we visited Jemma‘s future preschool and Jem graduated herself to her very own bed/bedroom for the majority of most nights! So, yes, although we have slept little (thanks to Max) and worked much (thanks to the house), life is good and we are mightily blessed to be where we are.
I have so many posts and ideas to blog about in the coming weeks, but I usually get my writing done in the late evenings and I’ve been crashing early so I can kick this cold. So you’ll just have to hold your breathe, not really … lol, for things like “Why We Waited 5 Years to Buy a House” and how we said “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” to our fellow cul-de-sacians. It’ll be sprinkled with some Dave Ramsey goodness, relationship advice and a DIY that even the most frazzled mama can handle. I should know, my picture is next to the word, FRAZZLE, in the dictionary!
P.S. This week on Baby Gizmo I shared one of my favorite pasta recipes, Vegetariana, and 5 Ways to Support a Nursing Mama When She Visits Your Home – check them out!
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Oh I definitely agree that it takes quite a bit of time! maybe not 7 for some, maybe longer for others. We have lived in our house going on 8 years (9 for Charlie this summer) and its still got things that need work but I would say it is the way we want it. Did you see my recent post with all our remodeling projects? I forget how much we've done until we look back through the pictures! So our house is sold, pending inspection/appraisel…we will probably be moving into an apartment for the summer so that we don't have to rush finding a house and we can save up some money to fatten up our down payment budget. I'm so jealous that you got your dream home! So happy for you. Pray for us that we'll find ours and the stress will be minimal :) Megan
I will definitely be praying!!!
Please give me advice on how to get a toddler to sleep in her/his own bed! Hannabert is just a few months younger than Jemma and while he likes tucking his baby into the toddler bed (complete with covers and kisses) he has no interest in spending time there himself. The real kicker is that he naps just fine ANYWHERE when at daycare. What did you do? Also, how did you find your naturopath?
Blessings… we've been in our new house (that we built from the ground up) three years and I still don't feel "settled" and there are things still in boxes in the garage. *sigh*
I'm thinking we'll have boxes in the garage for a long time too! Then again, we're planning to have a garage sale this summer so hopefully I'll be able to sort through a good chunk of it. We'll see :)
The easy questions first :) To find my naturopath I asked for recommendations on my personal Facebook page so I could get some insight on options in our new town. Turned out to be a fast, easy way to find someone good! With bed transitions … I don't really feel like we did anything special. I think the new house helped. Everything was new and I'm guessing in her mind it just made sense that she would sleep in a new place. Even now we've made it clear to her that she can come to our room whenever she wants to. Some nights she does, but most nights she's happy to stay in her room. Other than the new room we kept everything else constant – same music she always listens to, a white noise fan and her favorite blanket. I wish I had more helpful advice! Don't give up, but also don't be afraid to give it a break and try again in a few months :) That's what we're having to do with the potty – she has potty hatred right now and I don't want to turn it into a battle.