Designed to Sell (Out)

We are working on getting our house on the market. This sucks for many reasons. Despite the fact that I think we have an adorable house with lots of lovable, wonderful features, it still needs some shine. So, in addition to taking a huge hit, we also have to make our home even more appealing to prospective buyers (cue the $$$):

• Yesterday the yellow laminate counters and (actually very nice stainless) sink came out. Today the granite goes in.
• I spent an hour wandering around Kohl's seeking out the perfect 'bed in a bag' to make my bedroom look more like "a master". The result - my bedroom is still small - but now there are throw pillows on the bed that coordinate with the valances I bought last week! Doesn't it seem more luxurious already?
• Pan to Bed, Bath and Beyond several hours later. There I am buying a bed in the bag for LP's room. She really only needed a bed skirt to hide mask distract from the fact that she doesn't have a "real bed" - just a frame, but when you are spending $20 for a skirt, why not pitch in a little more to make the room even more girly. And it will save me from buying this stuff once LP moves into her next room. Of course the set included throw pillows.
• Today I will spend my lunch at TJ Maxx trying to find a bed skirt - or bed in a bag - and throw pillows for the little munchkin. Otherwise she will look like the only one in our house sleeping on just a bed frame. And who would want to buy a house haunted by that?
  

My shopping raises a question - WHAT IS UP WITH THROW PILLOWS?! From my perspective, they are useless not at all practical. Do people actually lay on them? In my (all be it short) experience, they are thrown to the floor (or for the first few nights gently removed to the dresser) so people can actually sleep in the bed. Am I missing something?

Paging Sleeping Beauty

Waking up the girls on weekday mornings is a chore. I don't want to get out of the bed in the morning - so why should they? And even worse, as I have discussed previously, the Hoos does not want to get out of bed in the morning. About twice a week at least one of the girls is up and moving well before Daddy.

This morning it was AK, "Mommy! Come lay with me and snuggle."

After snuggling for a minute she sat up and said, "I wake up Sleeping Booty. You wait here."

A few seconds later I was her creep into my bedroom calling "Sleeeeeeeeping Boooooooooty," and kissing the Hoos awake. I totally thought she was going to wake up LP, but apparently her daddy has her hoodwinked.

The Hoos, of course, totally plays into it, "I'm only a little bit awake, I need another kiss." and "Oh wait, I fell back asleep, I need another kiss." So, he gets extra loving from an adorable little AK AND he gets to stay in bed for an extra five minutes.

I guess he just needs more beauty sleep.

Baby Steps, Big Steps

Ack! We are putting our house on the market. This is incredibly scary for so many reasons:

1. We have never sold a house before - new complicated process to learn.
2. That whole housing market business? Yeah, it impacts my home value. And my pride.
3. We have two more kids than we had when we moved in. And about 50x more stuff.
4. Yes, I have watched many an HGTV show about putting $ into a home that you are getting ready to sell. Yes, the results are always amazing and transformational. Does that mean I want to make even more upgrades to my house before moving? No.
   

Ack! We are looking to buy a new house. This is also incredibly scary for so many reasons:

1. Finding the right house.
2. Worrying - for real this time - about schools and school logistics! In Norwalk, where we live the bus picks up at 9:05! In one community we are looking to move to every Wednesday is a shortened day for kindergarten! Apparently no matter where you live working parents are darned!
3. Finding the right community. We have established some roots and friends in Norwalk, but we never joined a synagogue or any community groups. We didn't really "have to" since LP wasn't in school yet or needing to attend Hebrew school. This move sort of feels like the start of being "real" grown-ups.
   
4. Ummm...moving?

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Yes, I Love You More When I Am Well-Rested

Last night for no apparent reason, LP showed up in our bedroom at 2am. The Hoos somehow convinced her to go back to bed.

At 2:30 she was back at my bedside, "Mommy? Aren't you getting up to shower soon? can I snuggle with you until then?"

Alas, last week she showed up at 6:30 and I let her in because my alarm was going to go off at 6:40 anyway. My bad.

"No," I explained, "It is the middle of the night. I have a lot more time to sleep."

And I took her back to her room and laid down with her for 10 minutes. I was practically sleeping but I could just tell she was staring at me. I love her, but anytime someone stares at you while you are sleeping? CREEPY.

At 3 she returned.

It was the Hoos' turn. He returned her to her room.

And yet she showed up one more time at 3:50.

If you are keeping track, 75% of my family was unnecessarily awake for TWO HOURS in the middle of the night. TWO HOURS is a really really long interval. In fact it is 75% of the amount of sleep I would LOVE to get.

And, when I woke LP up this morning to go to school she told me, "But mama, I am still tired."

So am I, sweet pea. So am I.

Like Old Times

Last night I went out to dinner with three of the smartest women I know - my former colleagues. I don't miss my old job, but boy, do I miss these ladies. Sitting at the table with them reminded me of what a positive impact they had on my personal and professional development.

Laughing and swapping stories with the dynamic trio was not only a great opportunity to reconnect, it also helped me to appreciate me new job - even if I do have frustrating moments.

At my old job I was seen as the direct, tough cookie. For reasons I can't completely comprehend, I am seen as the mother hen at my office. My not-so-fancy corner office that is out of the way from traffic always seems to have a visitor pulling up a chair. And even though the people that invariably end up coming into my office for therapy are very different from those three ladies, it reminds me of our relationships.

Especially the dynamo of a 22-year old that comes in to collect herself a few times a week. She is a hard-worker, a smart cookie, and a real go-getter, very focused on growing professionally. She takes things personally and can be sensitive to perceived slights. While she is way more fabulous than I was at her age, I can relate to crying out of frustration and considering a job change because I didn't feel appreciated or that I could move up fast enough (the reason I left my first job out of school to move on to the dot com world).

And when she came into my office at the end of the day yesterday just to thank me for listening to her, it was really touching. And reminded me that I never said thanks enough to my mentors. So thanks, ladies, for a really nice dinner and a great leg up.

Wrapping Things Up

What do you call an anti-hoarder? A purger? That is me.

I really don't like clutter and am constantly trying to get rid of things. The Hoos and I are a good match, because cleanliness is crucial for him, so I get rid of the piles and then he cleans under them.

Never has this been more apparent. We are preparing to put our house on the market and I can't get rid of stuff fast enough. Bags of books are brought to the library for donation during my lunch break, boxes of crafts and baby books, deposited at day care when I pick the girls up.

I am also finding that I am making life decisions based on what I am willing to part with:

When I packed up my maternity clothes and handed them off to a neighbor? IT FELT GREAT.

Baby clothes? In a giant bag to give to my cousin.

Infant stuff? Still being used by my dear friend Kiki for her beautiful little boy. AND the Hoos and I discussed - when she is done? She can pass them on to the next friend in need.

When we gave another neighbor a baby backpack and extra convertible car seat? Liberating.

Diaper bags? Cradle bumper? College-era backpack? Goodbye and good riddance.

And this is only the beginning. I have been freecycling, donating, passing on and tossing things with reckless abandon.

I realize that getting rid of stuff is the easy part - packing up what remains and physically moving? Way more daunting.

Kitty Cats or Snuggle Bunnies?

One of LP's and AK's favorite and most frequent activities is to pretend to be kittens or puppies. About 75% of the time someone is either barking or meowing in our house.

Yesterday as I was cleaning out and preparing to FreeCycle a whole bunch of stuff, they decided to use a cradle bumper to make a cat bed.

I could live without being called "mommy Kitty" and being forced to carry one or the other of them on my back as I crawl around the house. I would also prefer LP not tell me that she is "zero years old and still needs to drink Mommy Kitty's milk" necessitating that she crawl under me and pretend to nurse...but I sure to love to see them huddled together.

Cutting Me to the Quick

LP: Mom? Do you keep that in there when you shower? (pointing at soap crayons suctioned cupped to the wall of the tub)
Me: Yup.
LP: Thanks, mom. That makes me feel comfortable in the house.

___

LP: Mom? I don't want to leave my family.
Me: Well, you don't have to. I don't want you to leave either.
LP: Yes I do! When I grow up!
Me: I guess you are right, but I didn't leave grandma's house for a very long time.
LP: Yeah, when you got married. I wonder what the person will be like that I marry.
Me: I didn't meet daddy until I was 19, so you have plenty of time to meet someone.
LP: Yeah, so when I get married when I am 19...

A Little Less Conversation

Saturday 1pm
LP: Mom,. I want to marry Jacob. But he said no.
Me: Well, maybe he has plans to marry someone else. Or maybe he isn't ready. Why do you want to marry Jacob?
LP: Because I love him. Isn't that why you married Daddy?

Sunday 8am
LP: [unintelligible mumbling from her room]
AK (from snuggled next to me in bed): On no! [LP] needs help! SUPER [AK] TO THE RESCUE!

Pop Quiz

Answer the following questions by picking the appropriate response:

LP and AK are:

1. Nutty
2. Awesome
3. All of the Above

In the picture to the right, LP's pillow pet, Pinky, is wearing:

1. A nightgown
2. Underwear
3. All of the Above

Last night while at MickeyD's (or Old MacDonald's' according to AK) how many bathroom runs did we have to make?

1. Zero
2. One
3. Two

Building on the previous question - What did LP declare while we were in the bathroom watching AK go for the second time?

1. I have to go too!
2. I want more chicken nuggets!
3. This is so frustrating!

If you answered 3 to all of the questions - Congratulations, View regular!