October 12th and counting...

How long does it take to pack up a house?  A week? Two weeks?  A month? More?  Should I have started already?  Technically we have yet to send in our 30 day notice so technically, even if we get keys to our new house in two weeks we still have 30 days until we have to be entirely out of this one.  So why do I have zero motivation?  I think it is a believing/trusting thing - until I have the keys in my hand and have signed all the paperwork, I still can't entirely believe that we have a house and the whole "house shopping" ordeal is over.  Too many times we were disappointed.  But that is not a good excuse to not do anything period! 

I think I need a list - that usually helps.   Ok......so what needs doing? 

It seems pointless to write "1. pack up living room 2. pack up bedroom, etc."  So where do I start?  I could start by cleaning.  But as those of you who have or have had toddlers know, something cleaned rarely stays that way longer then 1/2 hour at most.  I could work to organize and purge un-needed items.  But most of the un-needed items in this house have my husbands name applied to them and I don't dare touch those things.  After all - if I throw anything away, that is inviting Murphy to come along and ask specifically for that item within the week.  I don't want to be responsible for angering Murphy, he has too much power!  Organizing is also a difficult task while toddlers are in tow.  Inevitably blocks, baby dolls and perhaps a bra or two Ayla has stolen from a drawer will get packed along with whatever I am attempting to organize. Then we are back at square one where there are tears for lost toys and I am looking unusually deflated.  You can't successfully organize while deflated, it isn't possible.  It's true, look it up.

So my list has fallen flat.  Perhaps I need to come at this from another angle.  As the book I am currently reading often states "you must think on the solution and not on the problem if you wish to come up with a answer"  or something to that effect.  Alright - the solution is to have everything unpacked, and for us to be moved entirely into our new house...or is that the end goal?  I am confused!

I think I need another cup of coffee, hang on one moment............................................................................
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................................................Ah!  Much better.

Ok!  Now I am ready to take on my day.  First off?  Breakfast for kids and dressed for the day.  Next?  A walk, I always feel better after going for a walk.  Then I will make my list.  I may go room by room and see if I can make a prioritized packing list based on what I can do now, what I can do a week or so ahead of time and what needs to wait until the few days before.   Is this bad?  I need a list before I can make a list?  I think I have a problem!  Then we will have lunch...what should we eat for lunch?  I should put some bread on so we have that in case I need it.  Ok - mind just went blank.  And I was doing so good!  Perhaps that means I need to focus on what I have so far and the rest will fall into place.  This might take all day anyhow. 

On to my children!  What have I learned from Taylor this week?  That cleaning, especially cleaning on her own, is a medieval torture method.  We have tried making it into a pretend game, we have tried rewards, we have tried punishments.  Am I missing something?  It is an out and out battle each and every time.  Anyone have any ideas?  What has worked for your toddlers?  I know that some of it will come in time.  But I am sorry - when there are 4 blocks on the ground YOU DO NOT NEED HELP!  Not getting help results in hysterics and tears and eventually leading to losing toys that are not cleaned up or being isolated until she chooses to do as she is asked.  I know it is a power struggle, and I am proud to state that she has ended up cleaning each and every time regardless of the tactics she chooses to use to get out of it.   But it is usually a very long ordeal and we are both exhausted after.  This needs to change, I just have to find a way....we tend to go through stages.  For a few weeks she will be pretty compliant.  Obeying the majority of the time and rarely needing any sort of punishment.  Then the testing stage starts.  We get about a week or so of multiple tantrums a day...sometimes an hour.  She is hard to live with and the two of us are at odds almost constantly.  Then, I guess once she has learned I am not to be manipulated we go back to another peaceful spell.  Well, we are on day three of a testing period.  I wonder how long it will last this time?

On to a nicer subject, Pumpkins!

We went with Taylor's pre-school to the pumpkin patch last Monday! Her friends were there which she LOVED.  Both girls were in heaven and I could not have asked for a better morning.  Lots of space to run around, friends and of course, lots and lots of PUMPKINS!

The corn box was amazing.  It made me want to create one - though I was thinking that dried beans might be easier to get and would work just as well.  Perhaps we will create one someday, doesn't seem too complicated.  We would just need LOTS of beans and a way to make sure they stay water/bug proof. 

 

Taylor chose a pumpkin pretty quickly.  A very cute one with lots of promise for a nice jack-lantern in a few weeks!  On the way home, holding back tears she clutched her beloved pumpkin and shared with me her fears of it "getting decayed"   I promised her that it would not get decayed until we could make it into a face.  And after that we could bury it in the ground so it could turn back to dirt, just like her pumpkin last year.  She was ok with this - perhaps we will have a pumpkin graveyard/growing patch in the new house so "decayed" pumpkins always have a nice home. 

 

Ayla enjoyed the pumkins.  But also loved the fact that she was able to eat as much dirt as she wanted.   Taylor LOVED the hay ride.  Her face was a picture of sheer joy the whole time.  Sadly I couldn't get a picture of that since I was holding an Ayla who was clinging on for dear life!  She was not so sure of this thing moving under her.

Goodness!  Almost 9:30.  My poor patient children have had nothing but milk so far this morning!  Off to create a masterful breakfast of yogurt and banana's.  Love you all and say a quick prayer our house process will continue to move along smoothly.  So far so good - I feel so blessed and can't wait to move!