Home is where the For Sale sign is

It was a sad, sad day to return home from our relaxing, beautiful, energizing trip to La Jolla last weekend. (Fun Fact! When I was growing up in my NO SPANISH SPEAKERS New Jersey suburb, I noticed the ads for weight loss camps at the back of the New York Times Magazine which all seemed to be in La Jolla. And since I pronounced Jose Cruz's name "Joze Cruzz" in my head, I think it was years before I figured out that there weren't actually hard "j" and "l" sounds in La Jolla. I don't think I learned how to actually pronounce it until college. Or possibly after. I still have "taking an intensive Spanish class" on my list of things to do before I die, even though I SUCK at learning languages. [OBV!])

While we were packing to come home, Zoe kept saying "I don't WANT to go to Pasadena! I want to stay here!" and "When we move to Virginia, can we live here?"

Um. Yeah. You and me both, kid.

Though I like to think she was appreciating having two relaxed parents around, the glorious beach close by, and the complete lack of CHORES and WORK for her parents to do, I'm pretty sure she was mostly sad to part with the carpeted staircase complete with railing and reachable light switches.

The term "simple pleasures" sometimes mean different things for kids and adults, doesn't it?

But now it's back to reality here. We've had no offers on the house in the first week and already our agent is asking us if we'd consider moving into temporary housing if we were to get an offer that had a firm 30 day escrow. To which I say: "WTF? Didn't I initially say this was weird, to list our house long before we're capable of moving? Do I really have to rehash why it is impossible to move into temporary housing a week before my baby's due? With a toddler and a dog? Are you crazy?".

Well, okay, what I actually said was: "Um, no."

We're trying to keep our home constantly clean and organized and it's surprisingly hard and surprisingly NICE. I am shocked at how many horizontal surfaces are currently completely uncovered right now. I do NOT normally live like this. I think I'm constitutionally incapable of doing this without the gun to my head of trying to sell the house.

Normally, I'm the one with piles of laundry in constant circulation. Now I must try to schedule all my laundry on one day and PUT IT AWAY RIGHT AWAY. What a concept! It's hard! But FREEING. It gets done for the week!

Normally, I'm the one who "tidies" by shoving things in drawers and closets and drawers and freezers and hoping and praying that they close. Now that we've organized all our closets and built in drawers and kitchen pantries and freezer and THEY ALL OPEN AND CLOSE EASILY AND EVEN HAVE SOME SPACE IN THEM, I find it a pleasure to put things away. (Though I often have to remind myself to put things in there properly and not just shove.)

I hope that I can learn from this and make my next home a little more organized from the get go. (Hahaha. After moving across the country with a newborn and a toddler and a dog and... oh well, a girl can dream, right?)