Just Finished Moving

[thejohnsongang]

Just finished moving over the weekend. My husband and other family/friends did all the work...I got to sit and tell them where everything went. What a week. We started on the 20th and the last car load was moved last night. Everything that we could live without was packed and moved during the evenings and slowly unpacked. The furniture was moved on Saturday...before our snow/ice storm and then odds and ends still coming in until last night. This has been a hard week for me. Just adjusting to the new house and new layout of it.

Due to my health conditons we found a very large house that is a rancher with 3 BR upstairs for our family and an in-law apt with 3BR in the basement. My mother and uncle moved in downstairs. Between us all the kids will be well cared for. My mom is 70..but a real kicker for her age. She helps with the kids and with me on my bad days. It's nice to know that when my husband goes to work that my mom and uncle are downstairs if I need them. I have had to call on my kids in the middle of the night a couple of times and it's just to much pressure for a 15 and 11 year old to deal with sometimes. The plus side of it is I get my mom's home made bread and rolls more often...yum!!!!!

Haven't been on the site for about 1- 1 1/2 weeks...but slowly reading and catching up on everything. I've missed you guys.

[Guest tearose]

Good luck in your new home.

I am sure the ranch will help you have more energy for daily life instead of using energy for stairs!

It is also wonderful that you have help close at hand.

Our kids are resiliant and the fact that you moved to help make life better will inspire them to see that even though their mom has challenges, she kept trying to make improvements.

Take it easy with the unpacking.

Do share any tips on how to streamline...I have such problems with knowing how to get rid of things! I just think that someday I may "need this thing" so I have way too much!

best regards, tearose

[thejohnsongang]

Thanks tearose. Our unpacking is all done. My husband and alot of family members and friends moved and I got to sit and tell them where it all went. It was actually nice to sit and not have to lug all that stuff around. Our kids were responsible for their own rooms. They carried, unpacked and put everything up. The older one helped the younger one when needed. My husband did everything for our bedroom and living room and I did the kitchen over the course of 3 days. MY DOMAIN !!! for as long as I can keep it that way. We ate off paper plates and used paper cups until I got it unpacked. My mom cooked dinner for us on those nights. Over all it was a nice transisition. The rancher is nice...no more steps and it saves alot of energy as well as helps keep the tach down.

For keeping things and throwing them out....our rule of thumb is 1) if it is not used within 1 year it goes out... 2) our kids rooms get the once over by us every 3 months to clean out broken toys, lost pieces to games/puzzles etc. 3) My husband is a stickler for the rules and 4) I am a neat freak and everything has it place. If it doesn't fit..we get rid of it.

We belong to a website call Freecycle.org They are a worldwide internet site that you can post things on to keep usuable things out of the landfill/trash. It comes in very handy. I got 2 beautiful corner cabinets that someone no longer wanted and they were in beautiful shape. They are my favorite things in my LR. You should check it out for your area. It's easier to get rid of things when you know someone else can use them instead of knowing it is in the trash.

[nadine]

It sounds like your move maybe a wonderful thing for everyone. I grew up in an very extended family household and so did my daughter- there are many positives for all. Gives a real sense of family. Privacy can sometimes be an issue ,but the benefits for us were well worth it. My daughter has wonderful memories of living with her grandparents, especially grandfather as he was in the same household for 16 yrs.

"It takes a village to raise a child" --

I grew up in a village and a true believer of this. We are often missing that sense of family and community to help so many these days.

[SunsetParadise49]

Glad it's all finished!!! (((hugs)))

[thejohnsongang]

Our household has always been a village. Even when we did not live with family, family was always around. I did not have the privilege of knowing my grandparents..they died when I was very young. My mother and uncle are what is left of my side of the family besides siblings. It has always been very important for me to make sure my kids spend alot of time with grandma. She has also taken on the role of always being there for them, either in person or by phone. My mom lives for her children and grandchildren.

Privacy isn't an issue. The basement is an in-law apt with it's own kitchen, bath and laundry so we do have seperate "houses" per say. It's just nice knowing that they are right down stairs whenever I need them or the kids need them. My husband loves my mother to death and it is working out very nice. He lost both of his parents to cancer within a 6 month period a couple of years ago and my mom has filled that void for him. We are a very close bunch and eat dinner together every night. It makes me feel like I did when I was a teenager with everybody home.

And yes IT does take a village to raise a child. My mother has insite into things I don't and the kids get to hear stories of way back when as well as many photos to look thru so they are very rooted in their own family history.

It has been the best decision of my life so far I think. Everyone working together towards the same goal...to give the kids the best we can, while we can.