unpacking

Missed a whole week…first fail

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Me, the girls, and Mushy

I just realized today that I didn’t post last week. Non-stop action packed fun, that’s what’s been happening! Ok so there’s been some fun but a lot of schooling, organizing, unpacking, cooking, and general momming. Again, I have to ask, why are the boxes multiplying? If you saw how much I threw out, donated, and sold, you too would wonder how I am still unpacking. We even had a dumpster for two weeks.

With the holidays upon us we have really been trying to savor this time with our little ones while they’re little and not stressing over house stuff. That being said, the day after we savored, there’s moments of insanity and throwing boxes out of the garage door in an “effort” to organize. Our annual holiday party is approaching in less than three weeks and all of our guests are family or like family so much that I am in no way worried that they’ll judge what our new home looks like. However, I would like them to walk in and love it as much as we do! I’m so excited for all of those people to be with us celebrating (extra so for ones who moved away and we miss so much).

Homeschooling is still going splendidly thank God. The girls are still loving it and I think I am still doing a great job of helping them. We added Bible and Geography to the subjects they are learning. We eliminated as much Science as they were doing. Occasionally I’ll throw in a fun science project but what they were doing was not necessary. Natalie keeps insisting that she wants to continue homeschooling next year and start fresh in middle school/6th grade. I guess I’m doing something right?!

In the past few weeks we had lunch with Santa with some of our besties, went to Rockefeller Center with Mushy (aka my mom), cut down our Christmas tree (not completely decorated), met more nice neighbors, mailed our official letters to Santa and Christmas cards, welcomed back our Elf on the Shelf, Sprinkles, had a Junior Girl Scout meeting, playdates with the girl’s new, sweet neighbor friend, donated to a local foundation and two families in town, surprised the girls with Annie tickets with Mushy, and more!

It’ll probably be the day before our Christmas party that’ll be the day I finally take some good pictures of the house to post for you all to see. If it gets hectic, you might just get to see a whole bunch of pictures filled with our loved ones having a jolly time…bonus for everyone!

During this season I hope that everyone is taking time to give a little to those less fortunate, those who serve our country so we can have our freedom, and those who just need a little cheer! Enjoy the little ones, enjoy the elderly, enjoy the happiness from those who don’t always have it and enjoy enjoy enjoy!

Lunch with Santa
The winning tree
Rockefeller Center Lego Store
American Girl NYC
Revolving door fun!
Waiting for Annie to start

One Day To Just…

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Thankful on Thanksgiving!

Let me preface this post acknowledging that I live a very American-Dream like life. But…yup here’s the but…I would just like one day to just sit and be. You feeling me moms out there? Sitting, drinking copious amounts of coffee, snuggling my girls and dog under the blankets, reading a little, taking a too long hot shower and just being. We’ve been purging, packing, in limbo with the closing, living out of boxes, moving, reflooring, painting everrrrrything, still semi-living out of boxes, attempting unpacking, and it’s never ever ever ever ending.

Today is Thanksgiving and today of all days I shouldn’t be whining like a toddler. I am beyond thankful this year for my incredible family, my new, lovely home and what is to come in the year ahead! This weekend I will continue to enjoy our home by finishing painting the girls closets so we can unpack their boxes. Shaun will install all the new moldings so we can then put the furniture where it should be. We will unload the bins and bins of RV stuff that are in the garage and should be in the basement. And on and on and on…

We are so blessed to be able to move into our home and be able to make all of these changes but it’s a bit more overwhelming and time consuming than I ever dreamed. Shaun’s grandmother said to me today that moving is exhausting and would be if you moved just across the street. Truer words couldn’t be spoken!

Along with trying to assemble a life in our home, the girls and I are homeschooling all morning long. Normally they’d go to school and I would power through getting stuff done around the house and errands but it’s a group effort to do those things now which is delayed by about 3 hours of learning/teaching. Thankfully the girls have expressed how much they are loving homeschooling, phew! The only thing that they miss is seeing their friends every day. I get it, because I’m missing my day-to-day life a bit too. It’s an adjustment and a short life phase. Next September they’ll go back to public school and we’ll be right back into the life we had this past September and those before it. I’m sure when that happens we’ll all miss homeschooling lol. Double edged swords we so often carry.

I know that once our house is settled and we get into more of a rhythm of our new day-to-day we’ll acclimate. With the holidays coming, my absolute favorite time of year, we have a lot of fun to look forward to. Our annual Christmas party, a few shows my mom and I are surprising the girls with, a Santa lunch, opportunities to help others, Christmas service, Christmas music and more. In our new home, it’ll be a magical time most definitely.

Long Live the Valley of Empty Boxes

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The key to it all!

We have officially moved in! We are sleeping, eating, waking up here and all. Thanks in part to my high caffeine intake provided by San Fransisco Bay Fog Chaser coffee, it’s happened! Once the coffee maker changed addresses, then we were officially home.

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It’s happening!

The floors were done! I know you’re happy that I’d stop talking about them now lol. However, we’ve decided to keep the footprint of the kitchen for a few years and have the cabinets painted. So now the flooring, as of Monday, will be throughout my entire house YAY!! So, the glass half full, there’ll be one more floors post.

The painting downstairs will begin in about two weeks. Shaun started painting the girls’ rooms. I, with Shaun’s help, painted the master closet and the new closet system is going in this week. Shaun is finishing up the flooring on the stairs. I am still figuring out where I want all of the furniture. Settling never felt so good!

Thank God for NJ Teachers Convention because the art studio by our new home is having half day art camp and the girls are super pumped to go. During those few hours, I am fitting power box emptying time in, probably clothes because I miss my clothes. We packed most of our clothes about a month ago before the closing was pushed up almost three weeks. Since, we have had limited items that have been washed a lot since, choices will be very welcome. Now that the girls are going to be homeschooled we’ll have A LOT of time together but time to unpack by myself is going to be time well spent.

Homeschooling the girls has always been a dream of mine and I can’t wait to get started. My favorite hashtag is #noschooliscool because I love having the girls with me! It is going to be priceless, quality time together. The girls and I are making excessive lists of topics we want to learn, science projects we want to make, outdoorsy activities to keep us physical, and more. The lists just keep growing and expanding and it’s so exciting!

Last breakfast in BT
Last public school day of the year

I do have to say that I am already missing our home, friends, neighbors, and general everyday regular life. On the flip side, I am loving our new home, looking forward to walking the sidewalks, enjoying the view of the beautiful surroundings out of my kitchen window, shopping the local farms, and more! It’s such a change of scenery but totally loving what we are enveloped by. I also found an amazing coffee shop called The Coffee Potter! They make my coffee to perfection and that’s no easy feat.

We are all sharing much love of the office space. The girls and I love when Shaun is home so much and this space will allow him to work at home with more ease! Even if he’s busy working or on the phone, it’s just better having him share space with us. We will also be able to do lunch together, take early morning walks together, and more often than not be together for dinner.

We are truly four solid corners that completes the square shape. The feeling of goodness, happiness, and an exciting future is definitely in the air and I am so excited for it!

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Cheers!