A better day

It was nice to wake up in my home this morning. Even though I didn't sleep a week on the (new) air mattress. It was just nice to have it be MINE.

I'm back at the hotel now, but we spend tomorrow night there also, and maybe all the nights after that. Not sure exactly.

Better day, though.

Rants and Whining (be forewarned).

It is very frustrating to not be in our home yet. It's not just that I'm tired of living out of a suitcase (I am). It's that there is absolutely no sense of routine. There is nothing routine to do, and being around the kids 24/7 is exhausting. The hotel room is small, and being outside of it is difficult.

I spent two days (one day out, one day back) visiting a friend in northern France. I was very proud to have navigated the ticket machine, until I found out that I overpaid for the train tickets (ridiculously so!)

And I'm frustrated about being able to understand things. Everything is so outrageously expensive already, that I feel like I'm being ripped off on every purchase. I don't have the discernment to know when it really is "normally" expensive, or whether it's exhorbitant (cheat-the-people-who-don't-understand-the-language) expensive.

I'm just having a tough time today. We will be sleeping in our home tonight, even without gas, because of timing issues. I guess we'll come back and sleep here (at the hotel) tomorrow.

They turn on the gas Tuesday, the intenet Thursday, and we've been told the furniture will arrive the following week.

Maybe then I'll be able to settle in to some kind of routine.

Playground outside of hotel

Not sure if this will work. Gonna try to add another. Evan & Ari at play...

In and out...

We spent Saturday night in our home. And then discovered that we did not have gas (heat or hot water), and the air mattress kept losing air all night. So we're back at the hotel.

We've made arrangements for the gas to be turned back on, but unfortunately it won't be until July 29. So I guess we're staying here at the hotel for another week.

I want to be home so badly! But I do need heat and a bed.

Apparently the ocean shipment gets in today, but we don't know how long it will take to get through customs.

Maybe by the end of the month, I'll have a home I can live in. I hope.

(Pray for me!)

Comments & Feedback

Just a quick note to let those of you who are commenting and/or emailing, I AM receiving them. Unfortunately, unless you post your email address (which I understand if you don't want to), I have to look it up to respond. Please keep dropping notes, and know how much I appreciate them!!!

Walking in Paris is Easy...

Walking in Paris with children is terrifying.

I am constantly afraid I'll lose one and won't know how to ask for help finding him.

I don't remember how to say "sorry," or "excuse my child, please," when they run into someone because they're not looking where they're going.

I can't say "watch out!" when they're about to cut someone off.

I'm terrified they'll knock someone over or get hurt themselves. My brain is totally fried with jetlag, and I can barely think. Let alone get around.

Like I said... walking in Paris is easy. Navigating will take some getting used to.

Hotel Living Bites

We have the keys to our new home. But it hasn't been painted yet. T wants us to go over as a family, and wait until the weekend to bring our stuff. But I want to go YESTERDAY! I am so sick of living out of suitcases!

The longer I stay here in the hotel, the more stuff I take out (and therefore have to re-pack).

In the words of E... "I wanna go home!"

Are we there yet?

It's been really hard to explain to the kids that while "Yes," we are in France, "No," we're not home yet. I'm not sure I get it either.

This morning E argued "NOT France! Hotel!" He's seen the pictures, and he totally understands that this is NOT home.

On the other hand, it would be really nice to establish some sense of normal routine. Which is hard to do when you are...

1) living in a hotel room;
2) don't have all the kids;
3) can't communicate very well;
4) can't get the darn DVD drive to work in the (new!) computer;
5) don't have normal foods;
6) not in school yet.

But we're trying. I'll post some more pictures soon.

So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish*

This is it. We leave my folks house in about an hour. The next post will be from the land of wine & bread.

So truly everything I own is now in a suitcase/box. Soon we will be able to begin the process of unpacking, learning about the environment and settling in.

I'm looking forward to having a HOME again. Bye y'all!

*with appreciation to Douglas Adams

Spas are GOOOOOOD!

I spent the day here. After having yet another conversation about "isn't it great that I'm going to France...," I decided I was TIRED of talking about it. In fact, I was tired of talking, period.

It's almost as if I've lost mySELF in the activity of what I'm doing. Yes, it's exciting. Yes, I'm looking forward to it. Yes, it will be challenging. Yes to all that.

But it's all about what I'm going to DO, and not about who I AM.

So today at the spa, I decided not to speak at all. I wrote a note that said as much, and handed it to those who spoke to me. Worked out just fine.

It's amazing how much my mind chatters when my mouth is closed. It took over an hour to finally calm down and feel the peace. But I did. And it was GOOD!

After my treatments, I went for a walk and had dinner overlooking Evergreen Lake, and took the scenic route home. Ahhhh.

The Problem with Downtime

I have nothing left to do for moving out. We have a buyer for our house, and everything I own is moved out. I am no longer on any boards or committees for any organization, and I've left my playgroup and bookclub behind.

And I don't have to do anything for our new home at the moment. Everything is already on its way, and I am not yet there to meet new people and figure out new routines.

I am therefore officially on "downtime." Supposedly I can use this time to rest and rejuvenate. Which is all well and good.

Except for the four little people around that tend to want me to feed them and watch them do interesting things (like jump on the beds and/or swing and/or hit a ball and/or etc.)

In addition to my four creations, there are also a few adult people in and around this house that desire my attention too. (In addition to my husband and my parents, my brother is here with his girlfriend (who is also a friend of mine)). Which makes for a pretty busy life.

It's not so easy to find the alone time I'm used to.

The good news is... I've made a spa date for next Wednesday! Yay me!