Not a Fan

While I am thrilled that Boo is so happy with her new room, and I recognize that we're going to have a lovely family room at the end of this, I am not enjoying the process.

We're all bone tired, and it occurred to me that Boo needs an orderly room to sleep in much more than I need a family room, so we've been concentrating our efforts on getting everything done in there as quickly as possible. We've made a lot of progress--all the furniture is in place, the books are on shelves, the gerbil has been relocated to another part of the room, pictures are on walls, and this afternoon we purchased cork squares and adhered them to one wall. All that's left to do is hang up one more picture that Boo just decided she wants after all and clean out the cabinets in the built-ins, which we left for last because they don't show.

But the family room is a MESS. It looks like it did when we first bought the house and used that room as a swing room. Today I went in and unpacked 5 boxes, plugged in a lamp, and moved some things around in the closet, but there's still a lot to do, including re-assembling the wall of family pictures that used to hang in the office, which is a big job all by itself.

Hopper got the WiFi relocated today, and hopefully tomorrow after work he'll be able to run the wire from the antenna in the attic and we'll set up the TV, although that's not really a priority. The rest is just work. I'm trying to do another round of purging as I unpack boxes because there is just SO MUCH STUFF. But with only one closet instead of two and no built-ins, we're going to have to figure something out. Some of the stuff is going (and already has gone) some can find homes in other rooms, but I think we're also going to have to purchase some kind of storage or put shelves in the closet to accommodate some of the stuff.

SO...MUCH...STUFF!!!

And the worst (or best) part is, purging this stuff makes me want to go through the house and purge even more. We have a bookcase in our bedroom that is full to bursting--maybe we can make room there. And the basement is a mess again with stuff that Boo took out of her room, so maybe we can get rid of more of that. And I know there's a crib in Hopper's closet, but I don't know if we can get it back out because we installed a support pole after we put the crib in there.

I don't like change. I find transitions unsettling and difficult. Also, I like to keep stuff and so does Hopper, so all this purging is hard on us. It's disconcerting having so many rooms in an unsettled state and I keep noticing the regular cleaning that's not getting done.

So I'm trying to focus on what IS getting done, day by day, and committing to doing something every day, even if it's just one box. I have found over many moves that as long as you keep moving, it all gets done more quickly than you think it will. And I'm also focusing on Boo, who stopped in her doorway on the way to take a shower and said, "Wait! I'm enjoying the roominess of my room!"

Because it's not often you can make your kid that happy.

Eyes on the prize! I'm going to relax this evening and get a good night's sleep so that we can make more progress after work tomorrow.