Archives for May 2014

Coffee Date

May 30, 2014 10 Comments

Well, everyone, I definitely need this coffee date. It’s been a hell-uv-uh week. Perhaps I should spike my coffee with a bit of Kalua this time? Baileys?

Hmm. How shall I begin?

Our house is on the market. I have 15 tips to share with you all tomorrow, but it’s exhausting, this “make-your-house-look-like-no-one-lives-here-except-4-boys-and-2-adults-do” stuff. We’ve had around 6 showings so far, no offers yet. Fingers crossed!

We don’t quite have a definite plan of what we’re going to do when we get to TX. Buy? (Where?) Rent? (Where?) We’ll probably end up renting, at this rate. Our timeline is a bit scrunched, especially if our house takes a few weeks to sell. If we rent for a few months, we give ourselves some breathing room, you know? But then we move twice, which isn’t my favorite idea.

We got back from Spokane, and I got a NASTY sinus infection. Like, nose tripled in size, ears about to burst, throat so sore it felt like strep. I eased my pain slightly with all of my essential oils, but after 5 days of no improvement I dragged myself to the dr. and got antibiotics. Sigh of relief….until it gave me a yeast infection (TMI? Sorry. Nope, not sorry), despite all of the yogurt and probiotics I ate. And then you add that to the nasty sunburn I got on ONE shoulder last Monday….I’d like a day of feeling normal, please?

Before I’m done complaining (yeah, right!), I want to tell you that our foster boys are back with us for the foreseeable future. They will no longer be reuniting with their family due to an incident that occurred, and my heart is just breaking for them. All these precious boys want is to be with people who love them, and the very people that should be protecting them are the ones they need protection FROM. I can’t go into any more detail than that, but their story is gut-wrenching, kick-you-in-the-face sad. It’s very hard for me to care about normal, everyday things lately, because all I can think about are these boys and how they’ve been so very wronged in their short lives.

On a more positive note, I’ve had so many wonderfully perfect moments with Gregory and AJ this past week. Moments that make me want to take pictures and hold them close forever. Reading books together, laughing at all the funny parts, feeding the ducks today, playing doctor with one another (their new favorite game), singing little songs (AJ’s little 2 year old voice is the SWEETEST!). Being a mom is the best job out there, hands down.

Speaking of my boys, they have had a hard time adjusting to all the stress surrounding our foster care situation. Last week, when Gregory got in trouble, he started sobbing uncontrollably, “DON’T SEND ME AWAY! DON’T SEND ME AWAY!”. He didn’t understand why our foster boys were leaving (visits with their family) and thought we were sending them away when they were bad. It breaks my heart to think that he doesn’t know he’s mine, that he fears being left somewhere. It’s hard to realize and come to grips with the struggles and scars we all get from caring for the big and hurting world around us.

I felt so loved after I posted about my fears last week. I received so many sweet messages, it was like one big virtual online hug. You have no idea how long I’d been sitting on those thoughts and fears before writing them. I think that’s how it works– we fear it until we talk about it.

I held a piano recital two Sundays ago for my 18 piano students. It was fun, but also sad. One kid played Auld Lang Syne and I felt like crying. They all did so marvelously! My 5 older kids (junior high and up) played Pride and Prejudice and David Lanz songs. It was like listening to a cd that I helped create! So fulfilling!

We are chaperoning for our school’s Prom this Saturday. It’s on a boat. I REALLY hope I don’t get seasick and puke!….

How has your week been? If you’d like to join, post in the comments!

5 Things I’ve Learned While Staging Our Home

May 29, 2014 4 Comments

Our house is on the market as of Sunday!

I was unsure how we were going to do everything needed, especially since staging our home also means that we have to make it look like 4 boys DON’T live here. We started in April, selling big pieces of furniture that made the room smaller, giving away carloads of stuff to the thrift store, cleaning annoyances that we’ve somehow learned to live with.

Along the way, I’ve learned a couple valuable lessons. Prior to all this, I read about many people who hated living in their staged home because the space felt so empty and devoid of personality.

But let me tell you, I LOVE it. L.O.V.E.

I’ve fallen off the reservation.

I am in deep smit with minimalism.

Here’s why:

1. Our space is so empty and clutter free that it’s a cinch to clean. In just 20 minutes, I’ve picked up the toys, vacuumed, swept, put away dishes and wiped off surfaces. With another 10, I can also make the beds, throw in a load of laundry, and wipe the sinks down. 30 minutes to tidy the whole house? What’s not to love?

2. Now that our house is clutter free, my mind somehow feels clearer. In the past two weeks, our foster care situation has gotten VERY stressful. I can’t go into detail, but let me just say that these last two weeks have been more stressful than the past few months combined. And yet, somehow, I feel a little less ready to fall apart. A little more gathered. A little less crazy. Instead of looking all around and seeing projects and tasks, I see all the nicest aspects of my home. My favorite things are showcased instead of being surrounded. And it makes me feel safe. It makes me feel like I have a harbor of cleanliness and order to come back to.

3. Our 4 boys have gotten more creative. With fewer toys, they are actually happier! We have exactly two small baskets of toys out, and they have been playing with them non stop. Instead of whining and getting bored, they are using their imaginations. Our 3 year old put two sticks together and pretended they were a pair of scissors and “trimmed” all the bushes (aka, couches) in the house. They used to the same sticks to build railroad tracks since their huge train table is packed away. I love seeing what they come up with.

4. We have way more than we need. Maybe I’ll feel differently once we do a purge of the kitchen, but things like office supplies? Furniture on every wall? Even books (gasp)? We don’t need them. Not only that, but I really don’t miss my stuff as much as I thought. Right now, Jesse and I each have 2.5 drawers each, plus a small amount of closet space for 10 or so things. It’s so easy for me to find exactly what I want to wear in the morning, simply because I don’t have a lot to choose from!

5. I enjoy being home more. I actually thought I’d feel the opposite because I wouldn’t want to mess anything up, but home feels so much more peaceful now that it’s clutter free and easy to clean. And, even if we mess it up, I know it can all be clean again in around 30 minutes.

Don’t get me wrong– I know that if we lived in a staged home for more than a month or so, we’d start to get tired of it. The clutter would once again accumulate. Our children would probably get bored. I’d probably shop too much because I’d miss the variety of having lots of clothes.

However, I really am glad that we are getting to experience this time. I’m hoping that we can remember how good this feels and make some of these things permanent habits within our future homes.

What I Wore Wednesday– Floral Tunic for Summer

May 27, 2014 1 Comment

Floral prints are everywhere this season, have you noticed? I actually picked this tunic up from our local thrift store, and I just love wearing it. The lightweight fabric makes it the perfect spring-into-summer top

Would you believe it? These BRAND NEW shoes were also from the thrift store! And they’re SOO comfortable. I wore them all day, and they were more comfortable than my running shoes.

Top: Vintage/ Tank: Target/ Belt: Fossil/ Jeans: Gap/ Shoes: Naturalizer

I have a feeling this was some kid’s dress, way back when, but I love that it still works 🙂 What vintage items have you repurposed lately?

Memorial Day at Moonstone Beach

May 26, 2014 6 Comments

We decided to spend our Memorial holiday at Moonstone Beach in Cambria. Just a half hour drive away from us, this beach is one of the best. Beautiful views, rarely crowded, sand and tide pools for the kids…plus, the weather was a perfect 70 sunny degrees with a breeze.

Jesse and I also love this beach because it’s partly responsible for our relationship. We had a youth group gathering here 11 years ago, and there was something about the way he was playing guitar in the sunset…we started dating less than 3 months later…and the rest is history, or something like that.