Downsizing

Always seems to have a negative connotation. But guess what? There are perks:

1. I like the eat in-kitchen! Since I spend most mealtimes retrieving items for the children (I need a spoon! May I have more milk?) and not actually sitting, I'm only 5 feet from the fridge, drawer, etc., rather than the 15 perhaps I used to be.

2. The playroom is truly its own room now, rather than the bonus area type room it was before. So I can theoretically close the door! That leaves me just the kitchen and (1) living room to have to clean after bedtime and can be done rather quickly. Don't get me wrong, I didn't clean the playroom much before, either,but now I can't even see the stuff.

3. After the first few nights, the boys settled into a new bedtime routine and they are going to bed well and falling asleep quickly. Since the move, they seem to have reset themselves when it comes to bedtime behavior. In two months, we have removed naps entirely, moved 800 miles, and started pre-school, so it's hard to say exactly what caused the change, but I am ever so grateful to God for the miracle of mostly smooth, easy bedtimes. They were difficult for a LONG LONG LONG time.

4. I have the biggest utility/mud-room ever! Everything that I don't want to look at but need to have close goes there: washer/dryer, broom, coats, boots, recycling, plastic bag holder, it's great. You know how you (and by you I mean me) come in carrying a baby, a diaper bag, purse, two kids and their backpacks and coats and boots, and everything just gets dumped in a huge pile? well, now we have room for little shortie coat hooks and the kids have learned to hang up all their stuff and put the boots in the boot tray. no kidding! I even have plans to organize and decorate. (We will have to see about that one)

5. We have a huge garage that is currently storing a bunch of our junk (with room to park of course) but it's not quite as swanky as our last one, and I feel comfortable spray painting all my shabby chic Pinterest projects in there...could be the lovely graffiti in there that makes it so homey;) but seriously, once that gets organized (read, WARM outside) it's going to be a very useful space...you might be surprised how few rentals have two car garages!

6. We are within walking distance of a state of the art library! I know it has nothing to do with downsizing, but because of our location, we will be able to walk there and spend lots of time in the children's area. (I already like it better than our old one.) Except the kids won't have the self checkout machines anymore. Small price to pay.

7. We have lost our beautiful view of the woods in the backyard (but that means we've lost the mosquitoes, too, praise The Lord!) but the view out my kitchen window receives the morning sunrise (I've never had that) and two big bushes (I hope they are lilac) filled with sparrows all day long. They tweet and sing and there is a cardinal couple who often joins them (how appropriate, Hubs and I were SVSU cardinals) and their red red feathers stand out against the white of the neighbor's house.

8. We have one bathroom. Okay, it's not a perk. But it's worth mentioning because God has a sense of humor. He knows how much I hate cleaning bathrooms, and He must think I need a lesson on appreciating them because you don't know what you've got till 3 of your bathrooms are gone! So now I'm Clorox wiping and Lysol spraying every day because I have to use it, too! One of the first things Hubs did was install a new toilet seat...and he's always thinking of me, friends. He bought one that removes easily for cleaning. Did you know they existed? They do. Kohler. Guess what? It works like a charm and now I know why I couldn't get the boys bathroom to smell clean before! Thanks, honey!

One bathroom is bringing us closer together, too, literally. Oh, so literally! On Tuesday, there was a moment when C was in the tub, I was using the commode, and N was sitting on his little potty. I'm pretty sure M was in there, too.

Tonight it happened again, me and all 3 kids in there...but maybe I'll write that story tomorrow. I think it deserves its own post!

Downsizing...so far, so good.