I thought this post would write itself. I thought, easy peasy. We’ll get home and I’ll write about how great it is to be home.
We officially moved home yesterday evening. HOORAY! We had just enough time to get everyone into their own beds and get to sleep. It was glorious. I took today off as a “moving day” (which is a really lovely thing for my employer to offer). The day went mostly like this:
Um… have you seen the measuring cups?
Shoot! The mugs are still at the apartment! Maybe you can use a glass for your coffee? I’ll use the travel mug for tea.
How on earth did you shower with no soap in there? No, nevermind, don’t tell me.
I can’t find my long-sleeved shirts. Do you have any idea which box they might be in?
Oh my gosh! Boys! You have to get out of here! It takes 10 minutes longer to walk to school from here! You’re going to be late!
Wait – where’s the hairbrush?
Not long after the kids were off, the builders arrived. Bang! Bang! Bang! Tssssst…. tsssst….zzzzz… BANG! They were finishing up the siding. And they still had to cut the dryer vent… and we can’t put anything against the walls or in the closets yet because the painter has to do touch-ups on Friday. The final drawer pulls for the master bathroom aren’t in, so we can only open two of the drawers. There is a giant orange work trolley thing in the corner of our kitchen.
All day long, I was looking for a moment to write about that showed gratitude or humour or just, you know, my-new-house-is-great-and-also-I’m-appropriately-humble. I couldn’t find anything because, honestly, I the only thing I was feeling was overwhelmed. Every time I tried to sit down to write, I thought of something else I needed to do. I spent a lot of time opening the computer, scrolling aimlessly through social media, realizing I had forgotten something important, closing the computer to go do the suddenly important thing, realizing I hadn’t written anything, and starting the process over again.
The kids came home and scotch-taped saran-wrap to the freshly painted walls. I cannot explain this. A neighbour came over with his dog and the dog pooped on the new carpet. He was mortified (but it was perfectly easy to clean). I lost the phone handset in a pile of bedclothes and put blankets over the windows since we don’t yet have curtains or blinds. Finally, I had to take a walk to clear my head. There is an awful lot going on.
Today was a glorious mess, and guess what? We are home.
Persistence and Pedagogy 
💩 on the rug?! Oh no!
Yes, you are home!
Welcome home.
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Yup. DAY ONE. This is my actual life – good thing it makes me laugh my head off.
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I love the real-life honesty of this piece. My favorite part was where you described opening your computer, getting distracted, and then suddenly jumping up to do the very important thing you almost forgot. That is a familiar behavior! It was comforting to know I’m not the only one who does that! Congratulations on your new home!
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Welcome home! Unpacking is always a challenge. I hope you found the soap for the shower.
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Welcome home! You’ll get it all sorted. In the meantime, here’s hoping you have lots of time for brain-clearing walks. ❤️
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You made it! And perfect timing with March Break around the corner. Will your boys be at home taping things to the newly painted walls, or have you find a day camp for them so you can unpack? I needed a walk tonight, but decided against it in favour of a lot of bouncing around from tab to tab on my computer as I worked on my final paper for this semester. Sigh. I should have taken the walk! You really captured the feeling of a crazy morning – the frenzy of finding things and settling for a “good enough” solution.
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Be it ever so chaotic, there’s no place like home. I’m terrible. I laughed at the shower w/out soap line, the dog 💩 in the carpet, the kids taping the wall. They all made my mouth fly open in shock and a little jealousy because I miss that chaos. It is what makes a home.
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I should t have laughed. Karma just bit my ass. Snug just puked all over Ken’s chair and the carpet. Gross.
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hahahaha – I mean, I laughed when all this happened in my house, so I feel totally justified in laughing at yours. Karma is a bitch. heeheehee
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Welcome home — with all that entails today and for the next however many days. One silver lining: I’m suspecting plenty of slicing fodder for the balance of your March.
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Hooray for being home. I hope things settle quickly and you can take it all in. I felt the to do list here. I know that disjointed feeling of doing one thing and abruptly stopping to do another.
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I’m really rooting for “Moving Week”! Is that a thing? Maybe tape and saran wrap your boys to the wall while you get organized? Kidding! But, really, that part really made me laugh! I’m sorry. Chaos feeds chaos, doesn’t it? I wish I could come help you! I hope things calm down, and yes, you are home.
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“a glorious mess”–the perfect words! I did laugh aloud at the taped Saran Wrap and dog poop–really!?–but mostly felt those warm and fuzzies coming through. What a glorious mess indeed! Welcome home!
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This is funny, although not in the way you would want it to be. Glad things more or less worked out and you could laugh at the incidents that occurred unexpectedly! Must feel good to be home.
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“my-new-house-is-great-and-also-I’m-appropriately-humble.” I think this came through loud and clear. Moving in is only easy on those home shows where they walk you in and you go, “Oh my gosh. I can’t believe it.” It’s nice that you got a “moving day,” and that you have a weekend coming up. I don’t know which I liked better, the dog’s christening or he kids with the plastic wrap and scotch tape. Here’s hoping it all settles soon…impressed that you’ve kept up the slicing!
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A glorious messy day allows you to remember, home is where the heart is, Amanda. Good luck with your new home. Enjoy it!
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