Thoughts on Moving

Mike asked what we were having for dinner tonight. We had just picked up the groceries, which meant there were options, and I proudly announced "Waffles." [It was another soccer to hockey Saturday where we ate lunch at 2pm and a lighter dinner was just the ticket.] Mike said, "didn't we pack the waffle maker already?" And then there was about ten seconds of awkward silence. Maaaaybe ... Thankfully, my decluttering self had long-game vision and the waffle maker was still on the shelf next to the crockpot (which we also need this week). Whew!

***********************************************

We close on the new house on Thursday. Last weekend, we took the kids to the store to grab paint cards so they could start to pick out colors for their new bedrooms. That was an interesting experiment!

Fiona picked out the most delightfully Fiona aqua color immediately. Then completely doubted herself, decided her room would be "too blue" (is that a thing when your favorite color is blue?!?!?), and talked herself into bubble gum pink. I vetoed that choice, taught her about accent colors, introduced her to pinterest, and think we are back on the aqua train. With aqua and hot pink curtains. And a pink crystal lamp [Auntie and Auntie, you may get an itemized list of room decor when you ask her what she wants for her birthday!]

Quinn has decided she wants "bumble bee yellow" on her walls. I don't know why. The colors she's leaning toward are very bright. Perhaps like the sun has taken residence in her room. However, she is dug in on it and neither Mike nor I have the will to argue with her. So it will likely be in-your-face yellow. And she will rock it. I also taught Q about accent colors and she's delighted that she can bring additional bright colors to the mix. My suggestion about a yellow and grey room - thanks but no thanks. 

Turns out, six year olds have no idea how to pick a room color. Dec grabbed fire engine red, I told him it was too aggressive, and then he grabbed pretty much every color available. "Mom, will you grab me the light purple?" No. You don't want a purple room, bud. So I'm going to pick and then talk him into it and that will be that. 

***************************************************

For the past two weeks, it has felt like the fights around room access and privacy have been escalating. We don't actually think they have. It's just that we had to make the daily fights about "I can't get my pajamas because someone is changing in the bedroom" or "Stop touching each other and just grab socks" or "don't climb in a bed that is not yours" white noise because otherwise Mike and I would be bat crap crazy. Now that there is an end in sight, we are so over sock and pajama drama. As are the kids. We are literally counting the days [for real. the kids made a paper chain] to life where they can get their clothes and get dressed in their own rooms. Without touching each other. It sounds magical.

Summer 2020 Is a Wrap

It's officially the final post in what will be known as The Blog Collection for the Weirdest Summer Ever. The kids and I were home for almost exactly six months before we went back to work and school. Mike had a three month "vacation" where he ran a home school and did all the outside house projects. The children will read Lord of the Flies in high school and be like "hey, this is like our summer vacation that one year." And I said on multiple occasions, "I'm on an important meeting - so if there isn't blood or a bone sticking out, don't bug me." The standards have not been high.

Our poor camper is still sitting in the driveway - and other than Gpa V using it a couple nights when he visited - it's been quite neglected. We are close to canceling our annual fall camping trip as well, so I suspect the whole camping season will be a bust. [However, that means we won't be doing our usual stressful scrambling to pack up the camper for the winter and Mike and I are thrilled about that.]

But the summer did inspire us to try things that we normally would not have done. We have a shiny annual pass to Minnesota State Parks and have built up our hiking skills. We've rented a couple cabins and taken longer summer vacations (thank you, furloughs) than we ever have before. Simple traditions like Ice Cream Friday or evening walks around the neighborhood are new family favorites. 

The last six months (and let's be honest, the foreseeable future) have forced into focus the things (and people) that are truly important to us. And highlighted things that we are okay to give up. I don't know that any of us want to fully "go back to how it was before." Of course there are things that will be wonderful to return (like live theater!!!) - but we also hope to make a few of the changes more permanent. 

We all agree that the Weirdest summer ever was definitely not the Worst summer ever. Sometimes different is just different. And prepares you for what will likely be the weirdest fall ever too!

Family Labor Day bike ride. Followed by ice cream

Because that's how you end a summer

I'm With Us

I've decided the best way to deal with the election results coming in tonight is alcohol and Doritos. This year's presidential election has been incredibly divisive to our country. My hope is that we can all wake up tomorrow morning, accept the results, choose kindness and respect, and celebrate the fact that we get a vote and a voice in our country's government.

Mike and I are fiercely private about our voting tendencies. In general, we lean the same way. One of us leans farther than the other. But neither one of us is opposed to crossing party lines for the right candidate. We have talked about the election in front of our kids in general terms. Like what the president does. Why voting is important. Yada yada. I'm positive that none of the children could have told you who was running.

Bugs got to vote at school today and was so so proud. She voted for Hillary. Because "I got to vote for a girl to be president, mom. A GIRL!" Her class elected Trump 10 votes to 9 votes. We got to have an amazing conversation tonight with her (and Q listening intently) about how every vote counts and if one person had voted for Hillary in her class instead of Trump, Hillary would have won. And how even if you vote for the person who does not win, it doesn't make your vote less important. She asked who we voted for. We told her. And told her why. As we tucked her into bed tonight, she told Mike to be sure to tell her who won when he gets her up tomorrow morning.

Hanging chad-like debacles aside, by morning the election should be over. I have a preferred result. But more than anything, I hope we can heal the divide of the election as a country and move forward with love, tolerance, and respect for each other. Even if they disagree with us. We have that right.