We're Staying Put

After many different ideas came and went I finally decided that we will stay put in our current house for at least awhile. I think the universe was sending me signs that I needed to pay attention to. After the house we had originally planned to purchase had passed on to another bidder and a try at a few other options fell through, it started to become clear that there must be a reason for all of this. I also recently had the opportunity to visit with a family of six living in a house smaller than ours, no garage and with a half-bath less than we have. The mother's only complaint was having to pay condo dues. That helped me gain some perspective as well.

With the economy only getting worse and my car being ten years old it's also a little scary to stretch myself too far financially. The girls have no problem with staying put. Their number one priority is staying close to our current neighbors and their granddaughters so they were happy with the news that we weren't "changing houses" as Lydia puts it. Lydia also didn't want her own room at least for sleeping - she is afraid at night and definitely prefers sleeping with someone else.

It was kind of an expensive learning process as I paid for the house inspection and appraisal for the house I didn't buy as well as the resale certificate for this condo that I didn't sell. But, still it's less than the cost of a new house and all the fees that go with buying and selling. And, the girls have gotten good practice with making their beds in the morning and keeping the house picked up so it can be shown at any moment.

Now that I'm staying here and feeling like I saved a lot of money, I decided instead to finally move forward on some home projects that I've never felt I could afford or attempt - like replacing the white carpet which, after three years is no longer white. It's really bad. I definitely won't be replacing it with more white carpet. And, maybe I'll do some painting. I'll also try to figure out some more space saving techniques in the girls' room and continue to purge things we don't need around the house.

The girls finished basketball camp last week and are in soccer camp this week. They have a two-week break, then tennis and at the end of the summer, gymnastics. We had our social worker out today for the three-month visit (even though it's closer to four months). It was nice to hear from her how far we've come. She said, "Now, last time when I was here you were having this issue. How's that going?" and almost every time I could say it was either better or gone. When you're living the day-to-day struggles it's harder to see the big picture of progress that's going on.

In between swimming, basketball, soccer, parks, and house stuff I've been doing some school work (my choice but I think it will really help me next year to have a few things prepared ahead of time) and am reading the book Beyond Consequences, Logic and Control by Heather Forbes and Bryan Post. I also joined the corresponding Yahoo group and it is helpful to be reminded of what Lydia is feeling when she is exhibiting some behaviors and how I can better help her work through those. It's also nice to read and learn from others' personal stories online. Not having to worry about moving now really opens the summer up a bit for me so I'm pretty excited about that - well, after I move back several boxes and bins I moved to my mom's to declutter and those that I had started packing when I thought I was moving in less than two weeks.

So, to counterbalance the pictures on this blog of my new house which is no longer going to be my house, I thought I'd post a few pictures of my current condo from the house listing which will be coming down. So, here is our lovely home where we will be staying put for awhile.