Amen

Every person with kids will appreciate this, and every one who ever wonders what those of us with kids do all day NEEDS to read it. Courtesy of a friend's Facebook post.

Random thoughts on a rainy day

I am so friggin' bored I think I have actually lost my mind. I haven't blogged because I have not much to blog about. But I'm so bored on this morning in particular, I've decided to share everything that's floating around in my head the past couple of days...

• Holy crap, if Congress doesn't pass this stimulus package WITH the $15k tax credit for homebuyers, Sweetie and I are totally screwed. Without boring everyone with the details, we did our 2008 taxes the other night, and that tax credit means everything to us. So much so, that we've had to postpone the closing on our house to make sure that if it does pass, we'll be able to qualify for it. We were supposed to close on Friday. Obama wants to sign the bill by Monday. Time is of the essence here people! How many times a day can I check CNN.com for status updates?
• What's the point in packing if we can't start taking boxes over to the new house this weekend? (See supra). It's not like we have that much to pack -- most everything is still in boxes in the basement. I have, however, reorganized almost everything we own, complete with printed labels from my label maker. Awesome.
• This morning, Luke was attempting to put a barette in my hair. After he finished, I asked him if he thought I looked pretty. He said no. Noah, from his spot on the potty doing his morning business, shouted, "You are pretty in my eyes, mommy." Awwwww.
• I can't wait until Luke starts preschool.
• Why is kindergarten in Minnesota only 2 and half hours long? They call it a half-day, but it's not. It's only a third of a regular school day. Idiots.
• When, dear God, is Luke going to be potty trained? He wipes his own butt when we change his diaper, so why can't he just go on the damn toilet?!?!?!?
• I keep losing to Matt Robertson on Scramble. This bothers me.
• I hate clomid. I hate having to be on clomid. I hate that clomid didn't even work last month. I hate that I have no idea what the hell happened inside of my body to necessitate the clomid. I hate that no one knows if clomid is actually going to address the undiagnosed problem, but that I'm on it anyway. I hate that I have no idea when or if we are ever going to have another baby. I hate that I have such control issues.
• How the hell did Jon & Kate +8 afford such a huge house? I want a tractor, too.
• Noah doesn't know what "cheat" means. Luke doesn't know what "that's not fair" means. Nevertheless, they both use them frequently and fervently.
• Is Harvest Brown the right choice for the kitchen cabinets? Or should I go with Parisian Taupe? And should I go with brushed nickel hardware or antiqued bronze?
• 10 years ago today Sweetie kissed me for the first time. 10 years: 6 apartments, 2 rented houses, 2 owned (almost) houses, 3 states, 5 cars, 5 jobs, 2 kids, 1 cat, 1 dog, countless moments of perfection and bliss. I love you Sweetie.
  

The New House!!

As many of you know, a couple of weeks ago Matt and I got completely fed up with renting this tiny, tiny house with its detached garage and lack of dining room. More than that, we were sick of not knowing what our future held. We were constantly on edge waiting for notification of a showing on our Charlotte house, counting the days until our lease ran out here, worried that our Charlotte house wouldn't sell in time. Preschools have their deadlines for applications coming up, and kindergartens are starting to host the open houses for next year's students. We couldn't deal with either one of those things because we had no idea where we'd be living. The life in limbo got too much for us, and we decided that we'd been living our life "on hold" for too long. So, we decided that come hell or high water, we were going to buy a house. Either we'd qualify for a mortgage (thank you Mom and Dad!) or we'd BEG someone with a vacant house to let us rent it from them pursuant to a contingent offer to buy. We drove our realtor crazy and scoured every single part of the city we'd want to live for anything we'd be willing to call home.

And we found it. In all it's 1960 ranch glory!

This house is NOTHING like our house in Charlotte, and I never would have imagined that I'd be willing to buy a "fixer upper," let alone be excited about it, but I AM! In fact, I'm ECSTATIC! Fortunately, the only fixing the house needs is cosmetic. Lots and LOTS of paint! But the bones are fantastic. It has almost 3000 square feet all together, including the unfinished storage. Four bedrooms and 2 baths upstairs, and a guest bedroom and bath downstairs. It has an exercise room and a couple of storage rooms, one that's already set up as a workshop for my carpenter-wannabe husband, and a big playroom and family room downstairs. All together it has 3 fireplaces, one of which has 2 compartments and is in the dining room/kitchen, so we can cook on it. It is on a quiet street on a huge lot, so I have lots of room and sun to garden my ass off. It's a short walk from a nature preserve with a nature center and playground and, in the other direction, a park with a lake. We close in a week and a half and having it painted before we move in on the 26th. And we have LOTS of room for visitors -- even more room than we did in Charlotte. So come on people!!