The Roof!

We have a ROOF!

I know that no one else might think of this as the least bit exciting, but for some of us who have been waiting almost a year and a half to move closer to work, it's pretty thrilling.

Even more thrilling is the pile of bricks sitting beside our house. We still aren't sure which exterior package they really gave us. The salesman said that we got our top pick . . . it looks a little off to me.

Pile of bricks.

Our colour scheme choice.

Interior view. (Now that's A LOT of wood!)

They are already insulating the exterior and soon the bricks will be laid! Depending on the weather, I would think that maybe early next week we will see some brick action.

Hooray!

Now, if only we could get an appointment to sign off on our interiors!

A Harsh Reality

Everyone had a different dish for any given meal.

None of us ever had to clear the table or wash a dish.

When towels were dirty, we'd throw them on the floor . . . and magically by the evening they would be clean and hung.

Messy beds would miraculously be made in a blink of an eye.

Days spent touring NYC and an amusement park felt so carefree.

For a few brief days I could forget about the house stress, work, school day routines, and a messy house that seemed to only get messier.

None of that seems to happen any more.

Returning home from a vacation is never fun. Besides the harsh reality of how the dryer and laundry baskets are still as full as I left them, we hit the ground running right into school. (What a treat it was to figure out what kind of first day of school outfit could be made with 3 pieces of clothing not fit to bring on vacation. Or what kind of food items were still okay to eat in our house, since grocery shopping did not get done.)

On top of all that, there is the unpacking and laundry to do. It seriously looks as though every drawer in my house has thrown up.

It is a harsh reality. But at least I can day dream back to our carefree days and escape even if it's just for a few minutes.

Full Speed Ahead!

Amidst all the turmoil with the sales staff and our indecisiveness regarding appliances and interior finishings . . . one thing is going very smoothly.

The framers are making some great time with our house! It is almost completely framed!

Enjoy the first "tour" of our house! Here is the front (right half). The living room will be where the large front window is, the stairs will be more curved when they are done too.

This is the view in the backyard, and also from the breakfast nook (left) and family room (right).

We took out the wall here between the family room (left) and the dining room (right). I hope we won't regret it when we see our furniture in there! Past the dining room you will see glimspes of our office/study.

Looking down the hall from the breakfast nook. Dining room is on the left, office further down on the left.

Family room left, dining room right. Brad tried to get photos from the upstairs too, but his phone died. Next time.

It's exciting to see such progress on the house. It helps us remember that all this stress and frustration is going to be worth it . . . and pretty soon too by the looks of things. I am interested to see which exterior package they end up using on our house. I guess we'll find out in another week or so.

The Appliance Crunch

My goodness.

Who would have thought picking out appliances would be such a headache??

Particularly since I am so well organized. I was out searching for appliances last May. I had everything picked out within one visit.

All five appliances. All Samsung. All good reviews. All stylish.

Easy peasy.

Until we got into the colour charts with the interior designer.

"What do you mean you aren't going with gas?? It's SO much better."

Naturally Samsung didn't have a gas range. And even though their appliances are stylish, they are very distinct. (Read: they will not go with any other company's appliances.)

So, back to the drawing board with three kids in tow to all the appliance stores that I could find.

Kenmore, Kitchenaid, Whirlpool, GE, LG . . . the names dizzily circled through my head.

In the first appliance store, the salesman directed me to a package of Kitchenaid appliances, and seeing that they were great looking appliances, I was interested. A visit to Sears taught me that they are all made by Whirlpool, who also makes Kenmore. And inspite of the fact that I had to agree that Kenmore stuff was great value, I knew that with price matching I was more apt to get a deal on Kitchenaid (that other stores actually carried and marked down).

Sifting through reviews online was boggling. (Who makes such a large investment without any research? Certainly not us!)

Days went by where my poor children were neglected and replaced by new children named "Whirlpool," "GE," and "Top Ten _____ Appliances."

The conclusions from reviews? No one likes their appliance, what ever the brand. But everyone seems to buy Kitchenaid . . . or at least a lot of posters. Hardly any other reviews were up for Kenmore or GE.

I figured it was as good as anything else so I packed up Brad with print outs of all the appliances I wanted from a competing store and sent him on his way to Sears to hammer out a deal . . . while sat at home and finally subscribed to Consumer's Report. (I had no idea it was so inexpensive!)

He hashed out a great deal, and in the middle of signing all the paperwork, he thought he'd double check the manufacturer's numbers with me. Wouldn't you know it, but with the endless print outs and various models I had been contemplating, I had sent the wrong range with him?

Upset that I wouldn't be more careful, and steamed because the range I wanted was more expensive and forced him to fork out an extra $150 that he wasn't planning on, he came home simmering.

I didn't have the courage to tell him that upon reading Consumer's Reports I found that the range we had faught so hard for, was the worst rated, and most repair prone.

If I had told him, I was sure that he would have cancelled all our appliance orders and I would have been cooking over a fire pit for the next five years. Yet, at the same time, if the range was in deed a lemon, I would have been having to deal with a broken range and cooking over a fire pit in secret for the next five years.

I read more of what Consumer's Reports had to say about the Kitchenaid brand and it didn't look great. Not horrible, but not great. I just didn't understand how if it was Whirlpool's flagship brand and Whirlpool, Amana, and Kenmore were all getting rave reviews . . . how could Kitchenaid not?

Desperate, I subjected my poor children to yet another appliance store and asked the salesman to recommend a good brand for my kitchen. His recommendation? None other than Kitchenaid.

I asked about the repair history, and particularly about the range. He said he rarely gets them back in and that the range has been redesigned and is fantastic now.

Okay, so maybe he was just trying to sell me . . . but with all the other brands he could have recommended, it was reassuring that he chose Kitchenaid.

He beat our Sears' package by $100 and for an extra $300 he offered to throw in a $900 vent hood.

Even though we do need a vent hood (and were planning to purchase one for $200 later), Brad was exhausted from the appliance drama and so we passed on the offer.

Ironically, the vent hood he offered was the only appliance of Kitchenaid that Consumer Report not only had good things to say about, but recommended.

Ceilings: Smooth or Popcorn? One of Life's Pressing Questions.

It seems silly that for the past two weeks we have been tossed about with gut-wrenching, life-changing questions.

Eventhough there is an obvious sarcasm in that statement, we truly have been stressing over all these tiny things that make up a brand new house.

What will make life easier? Maybe an electrical socket in the garage? A custom pot drawer or two in the kitchen? What will help our house sell faster: a stunning fireplace mantle or smooth ceilings (instead of the dreaded popcorn)?

The colour charting appointment was anything but fun, like I thought it would be. I mean really, how exciting would it be to be able to pick out all your tile, flooring, carpeting, and interior finishings? Unless, of course, your builder has very few options. For instance, tiles: greyish white, white white, beigish white, aquaish white, and barfy brown. And for countertops: puke, puke, barf, and tolerable.

(Suddenly I had a new prospective on walking through houses earlier with questionable colour schemes, wondering "What were they thinking??")

Fortunately we solicited the help of an interior designer and found some things that we could live with. And, once the colours were out of the way, designing the kitchen became a very fun event. As did designing the rest of the house . . . until we tried to have the builder do anything we wanted.

Adding to all the confusion and stress is that fact that our builder/salesmen/whoever can't seem to get their act together (after 30 years in business and several developments later) to get out a price list to their home buyers BEFORE it's too late to choose options.

(Namely, the cold cellar we would have LOVED to have had, but no one told us about it until AFTER our foundation was poured and framing had begun.)

Then there is the fact that no one has answers to any questions you might have: could we replace these doors with another style? How much are _______ upgrades?

And then the flat out "No, we're not even going to look into that," responses to "Could we move the laundry room?" "Could we exchange exterior lights for exterior potlights?" "Could we maybe have some say about our exterior brick choice?"

Or, how about, "When is the deadline that all of our colour choices and upgrade requests need to be in?" and then given an indefinite answer . . ."Hmmm . . . soon." "Oh, you have time . . . end of September." "Oh, this week but I'm not available to help you. I have other people to do right now."

(No doubtedly, those people are the owners of the semi's that are fully built and bricked.)

Sometimes I wonder if it would have been less stressful building ourselves?

Now that we have come to terms that we just take what the builder offers and try not to do anything interesting, we still cannot sign off on our charts. Apparently only one person in the office is capable of entering codes into the computer.

Urgh. The frustrations.

I will be happy when our house is done and we no longer need to deal with these people.

At least I hope I will be happy. ;)

An Update

So I felt it important to follow up the last post with a more positive entry.

In a day where opening Jackson's long-lost drink container resulted in an explosion of week old strawberry milkshake firing at the kitchen ceiling . . . and consequently was one of the better moments in my day . . . it was nice to end off on a good note.

The boys did clean their rooms. Spotless. Organized. Finally.

Snuggling down with Avery is always a high point in my day, but it is even better when I tell her I need to help the boys to bed and she asks, "Mom back?" And then patiently waits in bed for my return.

Jayden spent the rest of the night thanking me for all the things I do for him and asking if there is anything else he can do for me. Like clean under the couch??

And Jackson, finally taking some time to sit still, fell asleep colouring in his Thomas the Tank book . . . but not before he drew a red curly crayola mustache on his face . . . and several other crayola tatoos on his arms and back. How can you not tenderly smile at a site like that?

ANOTHER child?? Really??

Today was one of those days.

It started when my babysitter fell through 10 minutes before I had to leave for a midwife's appointment . . . that was an hour away. Wrestling 3 kids to get dressed and somewhat presentable out the door in 10 minutes is really not a great start to a morning.

Four times I asked, ordered, begged Jackson to go potty. Four times he said, "I don't have to go."

My watch showed that we were already 10 minutes late and I figured that maybe he really just didn't have to go.

Out the door we went. About 20 minutes into our drive ON A HIGHWAY . . . WITHOUT rest stops . . . an urgent scream came from the back seat.

"Mo-om! I have to go pee REALLY badly!"

I desperately looked for a brick wall to slam my head on before answering,

"I told you to go before we left. There is no where to stop so you will have to hold it or pee into a diaper. I do not want pee on my car seat."

20 minutes went by, with intermitent cries for relief . . . mostly from Jackson, but there were plenty of silent ones from me. ;)

Finally we got to our exit, and since Jayden hadn't been able to find a diaper for Jackson or an extra towel, I thought it best to stop at the side of the exit ramp.

A three minute pee went on and then some gazing at the scenery before I got Jackson back into the van.

As we got out of the van, I couldn't help but notice the intense smell of urine radiating from Jackson's still sopping pants. Fortunately, we still had some swimsuits in the van and were able to get him to change into a pair to help mask the smell, and hopefully avoid the complete appearance of "white trash" that we undoubtedly exuded. (Especially since in the morning haste out the door Jayden found the only socks available: barn red that didn't match a single article of anything else he had on. And Avery--in spite of my best combing--stick had maple syrup molding her hair down in various places. Then there was Jackson, in a long sleeved yellow shirt with paisley swim bottoms and shoes on the wrong feet.)

30 minutes later we arrived at the office where Jackson was jumping around, holding himself once again.

"Jackson, go pee."

"I don't need to go."

"Jackson, go pee right now. Wipe, flush and wash your hands."

We went in for the appointment and spent 20 minutes being interrupted by children who couldn't figure out how to play side by side with a doll house, Jackson began jumping around again, holding himself.

I sent Jayden out to help Jackson battle the potty, once again.

Finally, it was time to leave. We stopped at Micky D's for a break . . . and hoping that the toy in the happy meal would provide enough happiness to allow a quick stop at an appliance warehouse on the way home.

No such luck. The kids were wild, running all over the showroom, throwing their toys all around. Hiding in empty dishwasher and range spots.

I got as much information as I could, as quickly as I could, and then promptly left. On to the next stop . . . the mall to look at some mirrors that were on sale.

Besides the stress of being in a store with lots of breakables with three now very restless children, I had to deal with Avery cutting loose out of the door and down the mall hall at least five times while trying to pay for a single purchase.

At last we were on our way home for a much needed nap, when Avery (whose diaper was now soiled) decided to "body paint" herself. And her car seat.

Again, I wrestled the kids into their rooms for some "down time" (and of course after giving Avery a much needed bath), I sat down to work out upgrades and price out plumbers to decide what we want to do with the builder and what we'd rather do on our own.

As I was on the phone, I heard jumping and crashing upstairs. I went up to investigate and found that the boys were in my room, jumping from my bed and swinging off the curtains. Only to have pulled down the curtains, the rod, and the bracket holding them. (As furious as I was, I had to be grateful that at least this time the casement on the window was still in tact.)

So now I have them upstairs, crying, because I have threatened to throw out all of their toys and belongings if they cannot clean their rooms spotless tonight.

I think bedtime (for all of us) will come very early tonight.

Very early, indeed.

Before I publish this post to my business blog . . . again.

Someone's Been Baking . . . Again!

Baking With Avery

Some pics of our baking experience.

Avery thoroughly enjoyed baking banana bread. Actually, I think she really just liked pouring ingredients in and taste-testing them. (Particularly the chocolate chips . . . and sprinkles. Sprinkles? In banana bread?? Yes, when I turned my back she had found the sprinkles and dumped them into her "mini bread" mold . . . then ate them all.)

Avery's concoction.

"Don't touch! That's MINE!"

Our happy little baker.

Ambition

I have lots.

I have lists and lists of things that need to get done, that I want to get done, and that should be done.

I have high hopes of being great. Of being superb. SuperMom even. Home baked goodies everyday, a sparkling clean house, finely tuned and organized boxes in the basement--ready for an impending move. Potty training and completion for both Avery and Guillermo. (The thought that we will not have a YARD, let alone fenced yard, for Guillermo has lead me to look into retraining him to be litter trained--indoors.) Oh, and letter, number, science, music, and cooking days with the kids, you know, to keep them sharp and ready for school.

These are some of the many goals I had for this summer. And certainly especially the two weeks the boys were in camps.

Unfortunately, I either lack initiative or life just consumed me in different ways.

Guillermo was surprisingly untrainable. It really shocked me since he was so easy to train in the beginning . . . and since he started on training pads, I didn't think it would be so hard to get him back to using him. However, the lure of grass was too much for him, even with my super tasty doggie treats.

Avery was doing fantastic potty training. She was almost done at the beginning of the summer. Then we went to Cottage Week, part 1 and it all went out the window. There was a lot going on at the cottage, so we took a break, but upon returning home she had a case of the runs . . . that lasted about three weeks. After throwing out 3 pairs of underwear and badly staining our carpets in several places, I decided it best to put things on hold for a while.

Now that Cottage Week, part 2 has passed, I was hoping to get onto the potty train again, but we've come down with some nasty colds. Of course!

Somehow all the fantastic organization and pitching of junk that lurked in closets, basement boxes, and under countertops that I had planned just didn't materialize. (I blame it on laundry and the excitement of watching Lance in the Tour de France.) I did manage to get Brad's closet done, and Jackson's, but their toys lay in heaps in the basement. I suppose I still have many days in the fall to get around to it all, especially now that Jackson will be at school every morning.

And as for enriching the kids' lives, well, I've managed to have Jayden practice reading a couple of times each week, Jackson is sitting with blank paper and markers--being "creative", and I actually baked banana bread once with Avery.

Thank goodness for their great day camps and for the fun they were able to have at the cottage. We've also set up a kiddie pool, slip'n'slide, and sprinklers in the backyard and been to visit friends with pools. Oh, and swimming lessons. I guess the summer isn't a total bust.

Some big photography work came my way as well and that has kept me busy. But it reminds me of the photoless baby book of Avery's that was on my list, and the lack of photos I have of my own kids for this summer.

Fortunately we still have three weeks left of summer so I can try to redeem myself. As soon as these illnesses go away, potty training will resume, and I have at least looked up "how to organize a stress-free move" online. ;)

I think that Guillermo might be a lost cause though. Too bad. It would have been GREAT to have a house-litter trained dog.

Things I Can Look Forward To . . .

(because the foundation is already done!)

1. Having a side door on my house so the kids don't have to cut through the kitchen and drag dirt in every time they play outside.

2. Having a full pantry to hold all my food supplies.

3. Space in my kitchen: both on the countertops and in the drawers!!

4. Living closer to Brad's work.

5. Living in the country.

6. More interior space for living . . . and storing our large furnishings.

7. A walk in closet for Brad . . . and one for me!

All these things are coming closer to our reach now that they have poured our foundation! I expect that they will start framing late this week or early next week. Other houses in the area are already bricked and the landscaping near the road and around the pond has already been done and looks fantastic. (When I get those photos, I'll be sure to post.)

For now, enjoy the concrete blocks that are the bottom of our house. ;)

Our basement.

Side basement window.

Garage (to be filled).

Our basement and back yard.

Cottage Week 09 (Part One)

Every summer 12 adults, 13 kids, and six dogs cram themselves (willingly) into a 1200 sq ft cottage for a week's worth of lakeside fun.

This year, family vacations, country-wide moving, and two little new family additions have made a "week" in 2009 for the entire family to be under one roof almost impossible.

The solution?

Four Parts to Cottage Week.

The first part was held in early July, including Canada Day and Independence Day. Besides our family, Greg and Suzanne's family was up, and so was Drew and Kelly's.

The kids had a great time getting to know their American cousins a little better. (With fewer cousins to share them with, it guaranteed them more one-on-one time.)

Jayden and Emma played famously well together and quickly became experts on the paddle boat, towing other siblings around (namely Avery).

Jackson, Lydia, and Nadia terrorized the frogs that Uncle Greg found hiding under an old row boat. Jackson carried his frog EVERYWHERE . . . on the dock, on the beach, in the boat, while he was swimming. We watched in sympathy for the frog, as we saw that he was no longer moving (at all) and figured that he was a goner. Only to see that when Jackson had let go for a split second the frog came back to life and started madly swimming to shore.

Avery learned how to "whim." She would back herself into the water, lay down and kick her feet. Once she got it down, she had to have everyone's attention. "Dooo, Wah-tch. Wah-tch!" (Drew, watch!)

The weather was a little depressing . . . being cloudy, cool, and wet but fun was still had. A bear walk with Uncle Greg was cut short because of the vicious mosquitoes as was a camp fire. Brad set off the remains of our fireworks for a little display for the kids.

Cottage Week is officially starting next weekend, but since Greg and Suzanne won't be there (since they just had a baby yesterday), it will feel a little empty. And now that Kelly had her baby early (again, yesterday), it will be even more sparse. But at least Justin and Sarah and their kids will be there, and Megan and Ted will be done their cross country drive so we'll have plenty of people to play with. We're just praying for good weather.

Wow, July 8th??

Has it really been close to a month since I last blogged??

We've been busy, going to camps, trying to get the house organized, visiting family, and going to the cottage.

I have loads of posts to do . . . it is just going to take some time catching up. (Like on posts from birthdays . . . last June!!)

Stay tuned . . .

It's Started!!

A week ago I took the kids out to sneak a peak at our lot, but from the road I couldn't really see much. And since there were several excavators and construction workers all around, I didn't dare walk onto the site.

However, I did see good progress on the semis--many were framed and even had roofs!

At our site, I could see a pile of dirt . . . but since the street they were supposed to be working on with our house didn't have a single hole in it, I wasn't hopeful that our house even had a shovel in it.

Yesterday we thought we'd take a ride to go see the site since the workers would be all gone. It was fun to drive around the construction site and see the great progress other houses have made: shingles and windows!

The best was to drive up to our lot and find that the footprint is all in place . . . it just needs to be poured now.

If they really work hard, I think there is a very good chance we could still be in by December 1st.

We're keeping our fingers crossed!

Jackson's Home

Jackson has been telling us for months about his home "in the ocean." But lately, he has really started getting detailed.

He tells us that he lives in the ocean with his family of kids . . . all boys. Their names? Ikea, Costco, Camper, and Ford.

They are pretty good kids but he claims that they just eat all of us food all the time.

"I keep buying more and more food . . . and they just eat it all!"

"Is that why you are living with us? Because we have food for you to eat?" We asked him.

"Yeah."

Then we asked about how clean his house was.

"Really clean."

"Do your kids help you clean it?"

"Yup. I just ask them to and they do it."

"Jackson, could you help me get MY kids to clean my house for me? Maybe you could even clean it??"

"No way!! You have too many toys at your house!"

Hmph. I guess that is the go-ahead to get rid of 85% of our toys. Guess what we'll be doing this week?