Longest post ever.

Labor Day Weekend…

So far we have had a nice weekend. Some pleasure, some projects, some relaxing.
We spent Friday night at our friend’s house drafting our fantasy football teams. I have always wanted to be in fantasy football, but I have never done it. The closest I came was getting in a league that my former brother-in-law ran, but they decided that I was a girl and they couldn’t let me in the club. Mike and his friends let me in their club. J
Saturday was football practice, in which we had a really good turn-out for. Saturday afternoon Mike and I went back to the park so that I could pitch softballs to him and he could play around with his bats and decided what he wanted to do. Then we met up with another couple and had Mexican at a new restaurant. Very nice.

Sunday I slept in until 10am. We went out for our customary Sunday breakfast, went to the grocery store, the hardware store and then back to my house. We ripped out carpet in Grace’s room, moved furniture around the house (all in the hopes of making it perfect! Cause we really want to sell it. Soon preferably, before we’re married.) Then we headed to see World Trade Center and to a fondue dinner afterwards. I think, or I am certain that the fondue dinner was well over 3,000 calories. But it was fantastic…four courses including melted cheese, a platter of assorted meats and customized chocolate fondue (we made dark chocolate, peanut butter, marshmallow with amaretto and it was fabulous).

Today is it. Summer is over. I am back at my house avoiding finishing the upstairs bedroom carpet project. Mike and I have a family lunch to celebrate September birthdays. And then tomorrow is the BIG day.

Tomorrow the girls go back to school, which is a blessing for me. And for them really. They are bored with summer, bored with me, bored with each other. It will be nice to reassemble a routine in the household that includes homework and bath time and getting to bed by ten o’clock. This year Grace will be in 5th grade and Margaret in 2nd. It is amazing to me that my baby is going to be in 5th grade. It is amazing that I am old enough to have a child in 5th grade. This was the first year that she really got into picking out school clothes and I think I spent over $500 on both of them. They are getting expensive…But it was adorable to see Grace pick out matching clothes (this from the child that for the past 3 years has worn nothing but sweat suits and t-shirts and looked like a huge slob!). We bought fitted shirts with embellishments, several pair of gaucho pants, two pair of fancy jeans with gold chain belts, brown corduroy pants, henly shirts, polo shirts, and hoodies. I gave her a budget and she figured out how to get the most for her money. Then we had to buy shoes because she had outgrown all her school shoes. She picked out black loafers with a wedge heel and silver charms, a pair of grey tennis shoes with the fancy Velcro (the ones that look cool and are trendy, not the ones we wore in the 80’s) and a pair of back dress shoes that she can wear to both of the upcoming weddings. My little Grace is no longer a little girl. She is sophisticated and smart and funny, she has mostly outgrown her awful mouthy stage (although I am thinking that it will return again) and she is independent. I vividly remember being in 5th grade and I know she now doesn’t need my help with most things—she can (and should be) self-sufficient. But, it is sad too. My little girl is growing up. Next year middle school and then high school and driving and leaving. It wasn’t that long ago that I was getting her dressed for kindergarten. The wonderful thing about seeing Grace grow up is that it reassures me that I wasn’t the worst mom ever. That I have raised and will continue to raise a good kid. And, as I get older I am certain that I am not done having children…that I am not ready to pack up all the small people things. I like small people, so it is a good thing that Mike and I will have more babies. It will be really neat to have two older children when we do have more kids. I’m looking forward to it tremendously.

I should go upstairs now and pull some nails out of the floor. Doesn’t that sound fun?
But my house is still for sale. The market is for shit. And we are ready to put in another offer on the third house (this one is IT though) and need to move on with life. We’ll be married in six weeks and we are refusing to talk about “what will we do if we don’t sell a house?” I am fairly sure the answer would be that we would still live in our own houses (too complicated and too expensive to move stuff). But, mentally I am not going there yet! My house looks the best it has ever looked. It is priced at an amazing price. And ready for new people. So. Let’s get on with it already, no? Arg, I am sure the world is sick of hearing our woes, and we are sick of the same conversation that we have been having for 6 months now.

New House: The house that we found is perfect for us—it is another 5 bedroom house including a master suite that has vaulted ceilings, two walk-in closets and our own bathroom with two sinks and a vanity. The main floor has a living room, an open concept kitchen, dining room and family room. There is also a mud room off the garage with cubbies a bench and coat rack and a huge room that would serve as a de/playroom. The backyard is gigantic and has a large cement patio off the family room and another huge deck with pergola (I just learned what that is). The basement is mostly finished, all we would need to do is put carpeting in and it would be ready for Mike’s arcade games. The only thing that we are worried about is some water that has seeped into the back corner of the basement. We think there can be an easy solution to fixing it—so we’re making another offer (third time is a charm?) and hoping that we sell at least one of our houses. Something’s gotta give.

Ok, this might constitute the longest post ever. I guess this is what happens when you neglect your blog for too long…happy weekend everyone. And happy back to school to parents everywhere!