Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

Live from the new house

October21

The move went as well as moves can go.  We still have too many a few car loads of stuff to get from the old house and then I have to go and clean it.  I’m contemplating making a fort from all of these boxes instead of unpacking them.  But the kitchen and bathrooms are fully functioning at this point so we have the important stuff covered.  (Also?  Friends sometimes bring you dinner when you have just moved.  I never used to let people do nice things like that – I didn’t want them to go to the trouble but this time I smiled and said thank you.  So incredibly wonderful.) I catch myself looking around the house and thinking it is so pretty that it can’t possible be ours and the bank’s!

My camera, its cord, and my computer all live in the same house now! Here is a hodge podge from the last few days.

The first thing Steve always hangs when we move into a new place – my Believe sign.

Our nanny this week. Seriously, it has been bad.  They’ve watched way too much TV.

Ready for all of the fun gatherings we now have room to host!

Ummm…I might have a small problem with spices and vinegars and oils and herbs.  I can’t stop buying new ones.  Has anyone else with this type of affliction found a good way to store them?  I have one of those staggered shelves and it doesn’t work as well as it should.  And I don’t want a spice rack on my counter – besides they wouldn’t fit.

Do you think they like the new playset?

Even the dog tried to get in on that action

And why do all children decide that slides are meant for going up instead of down?

Tandem

Success! After several days of trying, Sabrina finally made it all of the way up the big slide.

I think this is called a butterfly bush (feel free to correct me) but ours seems to attract moths.  Lots and lots of moths.  It kind of freaks me out because I walk by and they all come flying out into my mouth face.  But the girls LOVE the “butterflies” and try to catch them.

The girls did great sleeping the first night in their beds.  They both seem to be adjusting fine.  Steve and I need about 3 days of uninterrupted sleep while elves put away all of our belongings but are enjoying the new house too.

To Do List Trumps Blog

October8

My week has been consumed with errands and trips to the new house.  Yesterday, I had 14 items on my To Do List.  Unfortunately, only 6 were completed because I received a call that Sabrina got sick at school.  Fortunately, she is fine.  Apparently there were cupcakes for snack and they didn’t agree with her tummy.

Target and I hadn’t been speaking much for the past couple of months (such a bad influence…a trip in for a bottle of shampoo turns into $75) but we’ve kissed and made up.  I’ve been there 3 times this week. I’m hoping to have to go back today – I’ve promised Sabrina that if we have a day with no time outs, we can go buy Beauty and The Beast.

I’ve been obsessed with finding a cute little black and white bath mat for the powder room.  I don’t know why this small detail has become such a fixation – probably a combo of the fact that I can’t find one and that it is a detail I can actually afford unlike the new couch and chairs I would like for my living room.   But between online retailers and brick and mortar retailers, I’ve found a grand total of 3 options.  While telling Steve this, he begged me to let him paint the ceiling white.  He really dislikes the black ceiling.  In all honesty, if he had said it after the first time we saw the house I would have held the ladder…but it is really growing on me and I’m starting to dig it.  I told him that I want to keep it for a little while but in 6 months or a year  if he still hates it I’ll let him paint it.  This is the photo from the MLS listing.  Thankfully, they took the bad magnolia art with them.  Everyone else – hate it or intrigued?

The girls…well let’s just say it hasn’t been the most stellar week in the behavior department.  Sabrina has really ramped up the torture of her little sister – mostly be refusing to leave the poor child alone.  She follows her around in order to be bossy and take toys she deems to be hers.  Constantly.  Tessa has been clingy and screamy.  And this is the week I’ve made a serious resolution to stop yelling.   (Monday was  failure but the rest of the week has been a success in that way at least.) I know there is some anxiety for them – suddenly our things are being boxed up and taken elsewhere.  Hopefully, once the move is done and we are settled they will feel a little more secure.

I haven’t had the camera out all week so I’ll try and take some photos soon for the Grandma types out there.

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