Archives for the 'Things to do' Category
Move to #600 Status Report
We are about 87% moved. The remaining items at #604 are as follows: some of my clothes, most of my shoes, my desk, some kitchen stuff, some toiletries, and our art. I plan to complete the migration by EOD tomorrow. I’ll take the weekend off to spend time with the in-laws while they’re in town and then clean the empty apartment on Monday.
The new place looks absolutely fabulous (before and after photos will be posted soon). I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this new apartment. We already feel so at home here despite the controlled chaos of the move. With Mitch’s folks in town, we have 5 people occupying this apartment and it still feels so spacious. Mitch thinks it’s a bit decadent. I disagree. At 1,000 square feet, I believe it is an appropriate size for our small family.
Murky adjusted to the move easily. She has always had command of the public hallway in our building since back in the day when she used to take daily walks with Joey. She loved running between apartments during each round of moving stuff over. We never had to worry about her getting lost while she was out and about. If she got spooked by a sound or an unexpected neighbor, she would just run into one apartment or the other.
Kirby, on the other hand, did not handle to move well at all. Once we deposited him in #600, he would dash out the front door and run back to #604 and hide in a closet. He also doesn’t know the layout of the entire building as well as Murky, so if he got spooked for some reason, he might end up in the basement. I was also a bit worried about him getting lost again. He was lost last month for a couple of hours and it sucked trying to find him because he can’t hear us when we call him on account of him being deaf. This is our third night in #600 and Kirby finally seems to be mellowing out somewhat.
One of my favorite things about moving is the purging that goes on. Usually I leave unwanted but usable items on the street for someone to discover or I drop them off at Goodwill. The problem with leaving things on the street it that bags of stuff get rummaged through and leave a mess on the sidewalk. I don’t really like to send stuff to Goodwill either. I am not convinced that my stuff won’t end up in landfill somewhere. For this round of purging, I’m using Freecycle, and it is awesome!
Freecycle is a network that lets local people offer up stuff they no longer want to people who want it. I’ve been reviewing the list and this is truly a situation where one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. So far I’ve gotten rid of a handful of diapers that Izzy outgrew and some Ketostix that I had to use while I was diabetic. Tomorrow, someone wants to come by and pick up the old shower curtain hooks that were left behind by the previous tenant. I’m also going to try to get rid of my father in law’s digital camera that no longer works. Well, it still works; it’s just not predictable with the images it captures. I think an arty person could have a lot of fun with the camera and take some intriguing photos with the camera. I’m half inclined to keep it myself, but alas, I am in purge mode.
We’re finally moving!
July 19th is the big day. The place looks gorgeous. The walls are painted a nice creamy white with a bright white trim. The hardwood floors were refinished. I am a little disappointed with the kitchen. The flooring is very institutional and is kind of a grey color. It looks dirty already. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the teal Formica counter top and the original railroad tile they left as a back splash. Normally, I love the railroad tile, but this stuff is damaged and ugly. The two things I am excited about in the kitchen is that they left the old Wedgewood stove and I am going to get a full sized refrigerator (haven’t seen it yet). There is a vanity in the bathroom now, which is great for additional storage.
Our plan for moving is to empty the closets first and move our stuff over. Next, we’ll move the kitchen. We’ll leave the big furniture items in the living room and bedroom for last.
I hope this process works out okay. When I moved in with Mitch seven years ago, I brought my stuff to his apartment a little bit at a time over the course of a month. It was an absolute nightmare and I never thought I was going to finish. I vowed I would hire movers the next time and have everything packed for me and moved at once. With that said, I had a good experience when Doug and I were roommates. We moved from our original apartment to the one next door. We moved closet by closet and room by room. I think we completed it in one weekend. We both had much less stuff back then.
We have some cross over time with our apartments, so we’ll have two weeks to move out of and clean #604. I’m so excited to finally be able to nest. I’m also glad I’ll have a full month in the new place before I go back to work and during a time where Isadora is sleeping for longer and longer periods through the night.
Wish us luck!
Eight week check up.
Isadora is growing like a weed! She’s 23 inches long now and weighs 11 pounds 13 ounces. She was very brave today when she got her vaccinations. Four shots! I think Mitch cried harder than she did. The best news I received is that I no longer need to set the alarm and wake up to feed her every three hours at night. I can put her to bed and wait until she wakes on her own to feed her. I just might get five hours of uninterrupted sleep tonight. Wish me luck!
Update: Izzy fell asleep around 10:30, and I put her to bed at 11:30 p.m. It is now 1:00 a.m. I am so excited about the possibility of sleeping through the night that I can’t go to sleep. Sheesh.
Update part 2: I finally fell asleep around 1:30. Izzy woke up at 2:00. Bummer. I should have gone to bed at 10:30. I would have had 3 1/2 hours of sleep. 
We’re moving on up.
Er…more like moving on over since we’re already on the top floor. We finally got word that we can have the two bedroom apartment down the hall. It has been painted, and they’re working on some renovations in the kitchen and bathroom. We’re also going to get a full-sized refrigerator to be placed in the giant pantry (Curses to the mini fridge we’ve been using for years).
Our building caretaker is currently on his annual month-long vacation to St. Petersburg, so most of the work has come to a halt during his absence. As soon as Andrei is back, he’ll finish up the work, and we should be able to move in late this month or early next month.
We’re so excited to have more space! We have fantasized about living in that apartment for years because it is the best two bedroom in our building. It is the only other apartment we ever could have considered living in because we currently live in the best one bedroom apartment in our building.
I would like to get in there and measure the rooms so I can draw the layout and figure out how I’m going to place our current furniture. I have also been doing some browsing online and found a few things that I want to purchase. I am just dying to nest!
I already purchased this Dutailier glider/recliner, but it hasn’t been delivered yet.
I don’t think our kitchen renovations are going to include a dishwasher. If not, I want to get this portable Whirlpool:
I picked this model over the Kenmore because the Whirlpool model has a locking system so it can’t be opened easily once it’s started and it has a food disposal system. It also has a butcher block counter top that will come in so very handy in my kitchen as it lacks counter space. It will be such a relief to not have to do dishes by hand any longer.
I also want to get this pretty awesome couch from Pottery Barn Teen for Izzy’s room:
I like it because it converts into a full sized bed. When we have guests, they can sleep on the fold out couch and Izzy can sleep in our room. It’s on sale right now, and it looks like they’re already out of the brown and black versions, which is fine by me because I did want the colorful striped version. I think the color scheme will go great with the painting that Dan gave us for Izzy’s room. I just can’t order it now since we don’t know when we’re moving in. I can’t have it arrive and try to cram it in to our current place. That just won’t do. I’m keeping my fingers crossed it will still be available when I have a place to put it.
The last piece of furniture I want to get is a dining room table. I am so excited that we’ll have room for a table. We have been eating our meals on the couch or at our desks because those are the only spaces available in our current place. I still haven’t found exactly what I want. I do know that I want something that is expandable, preferably with self contained extensions, but I’ll deal with leaves if I have to. I am looking forward to hosting dinner parties again!
Learning to accept how I have changed.
I am a perpetual list maker. I love lists. I have several different books of lists, each with its own theme. I have a book filled with lists of items to pack for various trips I’ve taken over the years. Another one for craft projects I’d like to work on (and have completed), and most recently my book of lists for things that pertain to Isadora.
I adore my books of lists. Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than crossing off my to-do items. I also love to go back through completed lists and review. It reminds me that I get things done. Until now.
I still make lists, but I no longer complete tasks. I don’t get to cross anything off. I can’t review and reflect on my accomplishments. It’s hard to accept, but accept I must.
I set three goals a day for myself these days, usually in this order:
1) Take a nap
2) Take a shower
3) Complete a household chore or an item from a To-Do list
I almost always complete the first one, occasionally complete the second and almost never get to the last. I know I can only do so much in a given day and I don’t want to delude myself into believing I can be Super Mom. That would just set me up for failure and disappointment. I think I can be Pretty Okay Mom, and I’m fine with that as long as the entire household is well fed, fully clothed when interacting with the general public (clean clothes optional) and happy.
Baby Shower.
As soon as the stamps arrive, I’ll get the invitations in the mail.
The shower is on April 12th at 1:00 p.m. at Cafe Royale.
Music Together
Mitch was saying the other day about how he would love to be able to find someone who will give both he and Peanut piano lessons. Well, look no further. I think I found something very awesome today.
Music Together classes build on your child’s natural enthusiasm for music and movement. We’ll help you provide your child with the basic musical skills needed to enjoy school and social musical activities, and to study an instrument should he or she choose to do so.
It’s not quite the one-on-one teaching of a specific instrument that Mitch as looking for, but there is a lot of musical interaction. These aren’t drop off type classes either–they expect full parental participation. And they take babies as early as newborn!