As many know, our house is on the market and we found a house closer to Dave’s job that we can call home. We’ve been going to open houses since before Camille’s birth, but never found one that made us feel like we were there. See, we love our house now. We made this house from a beautiful bag of bones, shrouded in burst plumbing and cloth wiring. We built the walls back up, kept the integrity of the era of the home with all the modern things to keep it safe and functional and comfortable. And home.
My biggest stress isn’t really the house though. I mean if you know me, you know my biggest stress is trying to provide more for my children than I had. I am, at this point, failing. They will not go to private school, or on fancy vacations. J.Crew, Gap, and Abercrombie are just not in the cards (or the cash). But, I have married the right person. The man who reminds me so much of my own father and all the love he had for us. We love on the girls like there is no tomorrow. They have all they need and some wants, too.
It’s really just the home. I want to give them their forever space. And with that gift comes having their Daddy home more. It comes with a big driveway for riding bikes. A yard made for growing a garden. Space for everyone to play and learn- and craft- a place for my sewing machine (perfect for the alterations I need to get to for the Fall). The place we see bringing another baby home to (yes we want a 3rd, no I’m not pregnant), celebrating birthdays, going trick-or-treating, hanging the stockings, prom pictures on the front steps… I’ve even imagined the girls getting ready for their weddings in the house… the limo pulling up to take them to the church, surrounded by the beautiful trees on the large front hill… the grandkids and kids all coming home to celebrate the holidays with us, as I do now- bring my kids to my parents’ house in Philly. I imagine this as the New England home I started dreaming about 2 years ago.
This is me giving my kids what I had growing up. I had what my parents dreamed of, now I wish that for my girls. I wish that relief for Dave.
There is a lot in motion for us, and we are working day in and day out to make it the reality. Dreams really do come true, I hear. So we’re doing all the work we can!
…but what about the fun times? Those we got to enjoy last weekend at the Newport Kite Festival with friends. I’ve loved this family since the moment we were connected through the LPA. Their oldest daughter has achondroplasia, their second daughter is average height- and so after the birth of Millie, I felt more in sync. I love that the festival has become our little tradition, and that we have been welcomed into the fold of this family celebration as though we belonged there. I love when I feel like I belong with friends.
My favorite stress reliever, besides being in beautiful Newport, was when we tried to get pictures of the kids. One of the girls got a hold of a camera and tried to take pictures… they came out as works of art- some funny, some perfectly composed.
What is your biggest stress? Are you close to reaching a dream? Share your link below!
Now that I am semi retired my biggest stress is just keeping up with the bills and bit by bit finding ways to reduce those bills. It is an on going process and the reality is I’m really getting some of those expenses down down down–now if only I could pay off my credit card debt faster–but it is not in the cards.
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It sounds to me like you are making a great decision! And so what if the kids can’t wear Abercrombie or go on expensive trips? They have great parents who love them!
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To some degree, we share some of the same stressors; we are working on selling our home and moving on and making sure our young adult children are settled into work they like and plans for the future. I love what you shared as it does come down to the love shared not the things we can get.
For some strange reason, my name never seems to appear with my comments on your blog and I’d forgotten about it. The comment above is from me. 🙂
Eliz Frank
That is a tough question for this mom of three. I think my biggest stress is similar to yours. We have a home, its not huge, but its comfortable and its ours. We have a huge yard for the kids, a safe neighborhood and the town we live in in PERFECT for raising a family, but my husband drives an hour one way to NYC for work. We live in one of the three most expensive areas in the county and living any closer to the city is NOT going to happen. So, daddy leaves for work before the kids are awake and comes home when they are asleep at least 3-4 times a week. I try not to let it get me down, but sometimes the days are long and lonely. We can’t just jump in the car and meet daddy for lunch.
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