Adult Panties---Part 2

All our options in town and in Barneveld in our budget are gone. Creepy. or too small. or no closets. or squatters live in the basement. or it will forever smell like weed.

Time to expand our search to Black Earth.

We found 2 or 3 in Black Earth that we were really interested in. Asked Beth to set up a showing...and yup.
"accepted offer" "closing this week."

Sigh.

There was 1 I kept going to on accident and every time I opened it I would get annoyed. I think on one website I even hid it from my search. The kitchen was horrible, straight from the 70s with bad tile. The walls in the living room were stripes. I didn't know if it was paint or wallpaper, but either way it looked like a lot of work to fix. No thank you. 

I showed Thane a few choices in New Glarus and the bad kitchen one and he shrugged and say, "Mehh..may as well go see them!" Just so happens the bad kitchen had an open house on Sunday and so did a good one in New Glarus.

Even better, we had to go get Parker from Spring Green, so we could swing into the Open House in Black Earth on the way back, and then hit up New Glarus after. 

I didn't expect a lot. House Hunting is so hard. You are spending a LOT of money of it...and you have to put all your crap in it for years! It could be the perfect house and then boom....something little pops up that totally sucks. Its a big deal people, and so far our price range has blown.

So we walk in to the stripes/bad kitchen house....and I'm blown away.

The dining room is amazing. The woodwork is beautiful. The kitchen looks WAY better in person than it does online. The stripes in the living room are just paint, not wallpaper like I was dreading. The staircase? My god....beautiful.

Bonus...it already has a Pinterest coat area. You know..the lockers? Ya, it kind of has that but an old school version.

Another bonus? It has a shed out back from the 1800s...that isn't gross. At the open house Thane said it could be my scrapbook shed to quote "get all my crap out of the house." Done. I'll take it!

The backyard is all fenced in. Perfect for a toddler and a teenage dog.

It's a block away from a great friend...and Parker's cousin. ;)

It literally is our perfect home.

4 bedrooms. We could be there a while. Not that we are going to fill all these rooms. Cause we aren't.

We wanted it. 

Now talk about a stressful, anxiety ridden, ulcer inducing ride. He told us that we were the 3rd group through. One other group was looking for a ranch, but he didn't say anything about the other group. What if they wanted it? What if they got to it first?!?? We HAD to place an offer...stat!!

We put in an offer and over the course of the busiest and best weekend of the summer we managed to get an accepted offer!!!

I will be a lot happier on Wednesday after inspection. I'll be able to breathe. Its a really old house, who knows what could be wrong with it. Good thing I already have every aspect of this house planned out. I am not going to be very happy if things don't go well.

Yesterday during my daily nap at work (don't judge....I'm not used to being up this much with P at night.) I dreamed that I was awake planing out the paint in the house. That's when you know your obsessed. 

Going to that Open House was fate. I don't know what finally made me show it to Thane, but I did...2 days before their open house. If he had said, "pass" we never would have gone. Good work babe. 

So that's that....now cross your fingers that Wednesday goes well!!

Adult Panties

I have figured out there are a few times in life when putting on the "big girl panties" isn't enough. Some things require the "adult panties."

Is the saying "big girl panties" real? or did I just make that up? I'm real sleep deprived right now. P has Hand, Foot, and Mouth...and is miserable at night. I got a karate chop to the throat last night....with a foot. So ya...we haven't been sleeping well here. 

Anyways, some of those times in life....well so far I think I've only had 2. 
1. First night home from the hospital with a new baby. Scratch that...first day home alone with a new baby. 
2. Buying a house. 

We are currently tackling number 2. 

As you may know, we sold our house in June. I believe closing was almost exactly a week from it being on the market for a year. Lucky for our Realtor. So now, we live in my in-laws basement.

Luckily for me, I have the best in-laws you could as for. 

So our plan....well our plan. You know what they say about plans. One day Thane and I were talking and we both decided our plan wasn't going to work. Too much time, too many unknowns, too much money. All things we don't have or don't like...or both. 

We decided we should look into buying a house. So that Saturday I text my friend Beth and said "Hey, I have a list of houses I want to see...can you make that happen?" and on Wednesday she did. 

You know what is annoying about house hunting online? When you really like a house and then hear there is already an accepted offer in on it. Why don't they post online!? I get that a sale isn't final until closing day..but come on. Way to get my hopes up, like 8 times, and then stomp on them. 

There were two houses I really liked, one here in town and Barneveld. Wednesday night were the houses in town. Both were old, both were in our budget,. one for sure had promise....and then you walked in. Sigh. 

The first one, was charming. It had a great living room, master bedroom, and kitchen. But, I wasn't quite ready to look past the cement closets that you couldn't really get your arm in. Or the "third bedroom" which was part of the attic and had been thrown together, clearly staged. When we walked up the steep stair, the sweltering heat hit you and you couldn't breath....and it wasn't even that hot out! This house also had a creepy basement. Like so creepy I thought someone was still living in it and using the carpeted dry bar and were going to jump out at us at any moment...and eat our faces. 

Crossed it off the list. No go. I didn't want to have to kick out the squater in the basement, or worry about my face. 

Next house. There was a shower in the closet. A shower. In the closet. In a bedroom. 

No. 

We set up times for Saturday to look at houses in Barneveld. There was one house there that I was in love with. Just in love. If you had to buy houses without going to see them, I would have bought this one.

Well, thank god they don't make you do that. How dumb would that be?

So my dream house, let's check off all the things I've always wanted that this house had...

• colored front door...check.
• cute swing on the front porch that would have been written in the offer...check
• cute little alcove closet...check
• dining room with super cool window seat windows...check (I was in love.)
• kitchen with under cabinet lights, an island, and a backsplash...check.
• huge deck....oh the deck....check, check, check
• surround sound speakers on said deck...check!!

Then we got upstairs. Our closet was too small for both of us so we would have to build one, one bedroom didn't' have a closet...and the bathroom was the size of a closet. 

Then we go back downstairs and look around, this time without the rose colored glasses and I realize something. We are a growing family, (NO..not yet), where the hell were the toys going to go??? No room. At all. Anywhere. #heartbroken We left trying to think of ways to make the house work, but in reality...if you have to think that hard its not the right fit for your family. 

Next house.....was super scary. The kitchen cabinets had no doors. The spiral staircase to the basement, yes..spiral staircase, barely had a railing. and the porch smelled like weed. The house after, which was diagonal from the scary house, had a garage that neither of our cars could fit in and the neighborhood was sketch. When you have to turn and ask your husband if he locked the car, maybe you shouldn't live there. 

The last house, I walked in and gasped. 

It was beautiful and old. Such character. There was a room off the dining room that would make the perfect playroom. This was promising. We walked into the kitchen and I loved it. My dream of having a beautiful house was coming true...until Thane says..."So you will enjoy doing laundry in the kitchen?" Ugh...what?!?! Yup, laundry hookup in the kitchen. Problem solver that I am, we could get front loads and put a counter top on top! Nope...they had to be stacked on top of each other. In the kitchen. 

This house also boasted 3 rooms...one room being my playroom. and the rooms upstairs...well they sucked. 

House hunting is SO stressful. Although, I did learn something. I don't like newer houses. While they are beautiful, I like older places with character. Dark wood trim, beautiful wood staircase..stuff like that. Luckily, Thane feels the same way :)

None of these houses had everything. 

Let the search continue...to part 2. 

Everybody Poops

So my day sucked. Big time. Talk about anxiety. Ugh.

It's my early day on Wednesdays, so I was looking forward to coming home to hang out with Parker.

Why wasn't I looking forward to hanging out with Thane? He's gone all night :( I probably won't see him until at least June of 2015. He's got a lot on his plate and I totally appreciate all the hard work he is putting into our dreams coming true. :)

Moving on. P and I had dinner together and I was beyond anxious to go somewhere. I couldn't sit inside for the next 3 hours. I had to do something besides pack! I decided we would walk to the park. 

Walking with a 1 year old to the park is an experience in itself. I took the stroller because I knew he wouldn't walk back..and 30 lbs is a lot to carry uphill for 3 blocks. We stopped to look and dandelions, play with a for sale sign, look at car rims, walk up random people's driveways. I love my kid. At one point during our walk, I'm running up a driveway to stop him from pulling someones plant from a planter...and then the stroller rolls into the road. 

I bet I could have given someone a heart attack. I panicked. because well...those things are expensive! 

We finally make it to the park and it's packed. I didn't want to go because there were so many people there but I looked at P who looked SO excited, he looked back at me and said, "YA!" I realized I can't hold him back just because I didn't want to hang out with 10 of my neighbors kids. So I sucked it up and he had an awesome time. :) 

As we were playing I noticed how much of a hot mess my child was. Chocolate frosting on his shirt, little bits of ketchup still on his face, chocolate on his neck. Can you say mom of the year?

Yup...leaving for a bath. 

Fast forward to bath time. P is standing in the tub scream talking at me. Nothing new here. Then he squats down and keeps playing. I look at him joking...."Parker Pants are you pooping?"

"Blah blah!!"

I just laughed and handed him a toy....he reached for it and then stopped mid-air. 

Shit.

Literally. All of a sudden I look and there are rabbit turds....everywhere. 

Come on kid! 

I try to get him out and he is about to grab a nugget. Luckily I'm faster. 

So now, I have a naked kid prancing around my bathroom, gabbing happily, and all I can picture is him peeing on the cabinets. The cabinets hat are only ours for like 3 more weeks. He is too busy playing with absolutely everything in the drawer to have time to stop and pee so I am quickly trying to clean the tub.

He then runs to the kitchen. Then back in the bathroom. I quickly look on the kitchen floor...no poop. Thank god. I reach for him and he books it back into the kitchen....

and steps in poop. 

Of course.

Tonight....being a single mom really sucked. 

On a brighter note. My butt fit down the slide tonight.

Walls are Bare

We are moving!!!!!

Well...pending the closing. As long as this lady's house sale also goes though...we are moving!!!!!!

We started to pack the day we got the first offer. I was worried it would jinx things, but apparently it didn't.

We are moving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I still can't believe it. We close June 18th. Exactly 3 days before the 1 year mark of our house being on the market. Thank God. 

We don't have much time to pack, but it's enough. So we are taking it night by night. 

Last night: I have no idea what we packed.

Tonight's Goal: get everything off the walls, patch the holes, and pack them up. 

Speaking of pack them up. I went to Office Depot today to buy bubble wrap. They happened to be having a sale, buy 2 get one free. So I got 3....of the biggest rolls of bubble wrap I have ever seen. 

I lug them up the cashier who looks over her counter at me coming and says, "Got bubble wrap?"

Ha! I liked her. 

I told her I felt like an idiot...it was SO much wrap. Then I said...but you gotta have it.

She looked confused and asked what I needed it for. What else do you use bubble wrap for? Wrapping shit up to move it or store it. I joked that I was going to let my kid play with it...she thought I was serious. 

Sigh..people don't get me. Besides that though...she was pretty funny. I give her an A. 

So anyways. We started to pull things off the walls and wrap them up. And we got to our wedding/Parker's picture collage. 

I love that thing. So much. Emily Milligan did an amazing job taking our wedding pictures. Heather Tyler did an amazing job with P's 1 year pictures. Thane did a great job hanging them all up. I hated to take it down!

I was almost crying taking it down. Don't get me wrong, I know it's going back up...but not for like a year! A YEAR! That's a long time. 

Selling your house is pretty emotional apparently. We have done so much here. Partied. Cried. Drank. Laughed. Celebrated Halloween. Never used our deck to eat on. 

 It's the place where we became a family. 

The place where I walked into my son's bedroom the first night and Thane said., "Careful, he can smell fear."

The place where Parker threw up all over the wall. The joys of acid reflux.

The place where all my girls came and hung out on the couch on a Saturday night because I had some kinda cabin fever a week after P was born. 

I'm so thankful for all the memories we have made in this place and while I can't wait to start the new chapter in our life....it's a little harder to leave this chapter than I thought it would be. 

But we must move on!! and I can't wait. :)

We are moving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a F'in Morning.

Yes...it was that good. 

I started at 6:40 with an alarm clock. (Cue 100+ pound dog flying off the bed.) I flung myself over to shut it off so I wouldn't wake Thane up, but some some reason I couldn't shut it off. 

Ya. It wasn't mine. Thane has to work this morning and he was sleeping through the beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeping.  

6:41- alarm is finally shut off.

6:42. Whimpering dog. 

Bernie doesn't whimper when he has to pee. He just sits there and puts his paw on Thane. Repeatedly. Its hard to ignore a 100 pound dog hitting you with his paw. This morning though...whimpering. Whimpering = I'm about to pee on your floor. 

Thane was also sleeping through this...so I got up to let him out. 

What's this dog do? Poop juuuuuust over the land line in our neighbor's yard. The neighbor who hates us because our dog poops in his yard. I can't go clean it up though..because who wears pants to let their dog out at 6:42 in the morning?

I went back to bed. I wake up at 7:30. No Parker crying....check the monitor to make sure its on. It is. Win. Fall back asleep.

8:30 I wake up again. Check the time. Freak out. 

I ran to check to make sure my son was still breathing. He NEVER sleeps til 8:30. He has to be not breathing. (Ya...apparently that fear never goes away.) Nope. I throw open his door and he is just sitting there...chewing on his blankie....smiling. 

Oiy. I realize I feel like shit. Parker let me sleep til 8:30....I don't even know the last time that happened. 

Anyways, I had to go into Madison today to mail some stuff, and I was going to work out. The plan was to leave by 9:30. Weird how I talked myself out of that. I decided at 9 that we were going to go in. 

So....make breakfast...get Parker dressed...get myself dressed..Bernie proof. Go. Easy right? (ya..you read that blog post)

Fast forward. I got Parker all dressed and we went in to get myself somewhat presentable. It's just the UPS store....its kinda like Wal-Mart right? As I'm putting on my make-up I hear the famous "poop grunts." Of course. 

Finish up myself and go clean up P. Then I remember that Bernie pooped in the neighbor's yard. Its a nice day and he is *obsessed* with mowing his yard. So I take all the kids outside to pick up. 

I let Parker walk down the sidewalk that is right next to our house, the one that leads to the door, while I run to the spot where Bernie did his business. One eye on Parker, one eye on my task. 

Then I put 2 eyes on P because he has decided he wants to walk down the driveway towards the road....and my now blind fingers find the only gigantic hole in the bag. Cue sticking my fingers in dog shit. Then I try scramble to pick up the fallen out poop and get shit all over my other hand. 

P is gathering speed. 

I drop the bags and run in front of him..with plenty of time to spare might I add before you think I'm a bad mom. Now..how to pick up your child, who is all ready to go for the day, when you have poo on both hands? Well you scoop him up with the inside of your elbows of course.

I scoop him up...and look over....Bernie is pooping. Again. In the neighbor's yard. Again. 

I waddle inside. In case you didn't know....you waddle when you are hunched over (just in case you drop your child) while holding a 30 lb kid with your inner elbows. Thankfully I didn't close the door on the way out, and get into the kitchen. Put P down....put a load of soap on my hands....and kid is back out the door. 

Sigh. Finish washing my hands....turn the corner to go outside...can't see P. I of course panic, but then realize he was just in a weird blind spot, right next to the front door. I grab a new bag and devise a new plan. 

I guide Parker into the grass with me. If he is by me, he can't go near the road. right? So I bend over to pick up the new poop...he toddles towards the sidewalk to the road. He was two steps from me, so no need to run this time. I look at the sidewalk and think "huh..the grass didn't seem wet."

Nope. Parker had just stepped in the dog poop that had fallen out of the gigantic bag from a few minutes ago. I pick him up to inspect and take off the shoe..and the shoe almost hits me in the face. Poop ALL over it. 

I get everyone back in the house, and set to get the poop out of the bottom of his shoe. What's P do? Proceed to take every bottle of baby shampoo, put them in his mouth, and them throw them like he is the Hulk into the bath tub. 

Get everything cleaned up, grab P, run into his room quick to get a Fresh Market Thermal I had to mail today, pick it up..and it falls out of the bag.

I almost lost my shit. (like I almost went nuts....)

I had to put Parker in his crib and walk out of my house. 

I decide at this point, Bernie is coming with us. I don't have the patience to dog proof. So I get all the kids in the car and leave. 

I decide on the way that if anyone looks at me funny for wearing a tank top when its only 56* out I will politely say...."do you have a one year old? No? Then don't judge me." 

I'm f'in sweating. 

Best part? I get to the UPS store and find out it will cost me $100 to ship 3 things. 

Perfect. 

I didn't mail them. Wasted trip.

Pinterest Find:

Delusional Lady and Target

Why does every trip to Target result in me blogging?

In case you didn't notice, its pouring out. 

Pouring. On and off all day. 

We shall start this journey there.

So I am driving to Target, two hands on the wheel, trying not to let the wind take me off the road. I pull in and try to park strategically. I see the *perfect* spot. Not too far from the door...and right next to a cart return.

It would be perfect. I could run back to my car in the rain, but my hatch would shield me as I leisurely unpacked my groceries, all while chuckling at all the poop people who had cars....who didn't have a hatch! (I just saw my "poop" typo...and its too good to delete.It should say "poor" but poop is a good alternative.) 

Anyways, I grab my coupon binder and head it. Luckily I was able to dodge the rain at this moment. 

To start, I wanted to find this frozen pasta stuff I had gotten for P before. Do you think I can find it?? If someone was like, "PAM! You will win a MILLION dollars if you find that damn frozen pasta again!!" I wouldn't win.

How is it that I can be like drawn to it the first time....then after I learn my kid loves it, never find it again? I walked around the frozen food aisle at least 3 times. 

Throughout my trip there were LOUD cracks of thunder. So loud it sounded like I was outside, on a hill, next to a tree, that had a megaphone on it to funnel down the thunder to me. Too much? I'm tired. 

It is interesting to watch people react. It was so loud that I jumped almost every time. People would nervously look around and laugh at each other and comment on the rain. 

When I stopped to get lunch meat, the deli lady and I had a whole discussion on how it was just our luck the that on again off again rain would be "on again" when we were both about to leave. At that point it was pouring and all I could think about was my awesome parking job. I would be able to unload my groceries in peace.

I get to the checkout and size up my overflowing cart. I have learned my lesson with couponing. If your coupon is for multiple things, like buy 3 pastas get a dollar off, put that stuff at the end of your purchase. That way when their computer prompts them to make sure you bought enough you don't have to dig through all the bags to prove it. That happened to me once...with like 3 coupons. So embarrassing and annoying.  

Anyways, I put up a divider and start to put my things on the belt. All of a sudden the women ahead of me is pushing my things back. 

 She stood there frantically trying to push back my divider and then when that didn't work, she just started to push my food back.

I don't know why I was grossed out. She was touching all the food I was about to buy, but I'm sure 19 people before her had touched my food as well. Who cares though? I was about to buy it, put it in my kitchen and her germs were getting all over it.

 Why was she touching everything you ask?

Because it was touching her bread. "I don't want it smooshed." she mumbled.

Really?

I barely ever make it to the checkout without my bread being smooshed, and if I do..it most definitely doesn't make it home that way. and if it does make it home...it doesn't make it inside that way. 

She was delusional. 

Stop touching my food swan.

So anyways, its pouring. Like God has turned on the tub faucet and was wasting water. I took comfort in knowing I will only get a little soaked.

I run to my car....open my hatch.........and I'm still getting wet. The inside of my car is getting wet.

The stupid wind was blowing the rain right at me. 

I hate sideways rain.

These are kind of stupid...but the first video of the panda is awesome. You need a laugh...

4th Floor

We went to visit Ilya today. She is in the ICU and hopefully gets out tomorrow. They found a bone marrow donor! The person is an international donor. Hopefully she will be strong and healthy enough to receive the transplant. 

Please keep her in your thoughts and if you pray...say one for her and her family. They need them. 

I was scared to visit her. That is why I didn't go sooner. I was scared how I would feel after I left. Scared I would cry in front of her. Scared I'd say the wrong thing. 

How selfish of me. 

I was scared about how I would feel...I didn't stop to think that her mom feels like that every minute of every day. Didn't think about how maybe our visit would give her a distraction for an hour. 

For the record, I didn't cry in front of her. I was so impressed with her.  She is the same ole Ilya. Full of life. Still sassy. Still loves animals. Talking about driving and riding horses. 

I did cry on the way home. After Target. You can only make your mind think of other things for so long. 

I cried for Ilya. I cried for her mom. I cried for all the other families in the 41 other rooms on the ICU floor at the Children's Hospital. I cried for the nurses on that floor that have to struggle with their emotions daily. I cried because it was a beautiful day and all they could do was look out the window and hope to be able to go outside sometime before summer ends. 

I cried the most for the family we saw on the way out. 

They were sitting by the elevator. The mom was on a bench with 3 women huddled around her trying to console her. Asking her questions, telling her it would be ok. She just had her hand on her face and was shaking her head. The dad....he was staring at the wall. 

Just staring. 

I will never forget that. His staring. I can only imagine why they were there. On the 4th floor. 

I tried not to look in the other rooms. They deserve their privacy. I accidentally looked in one while we were waiting to get the ok to go in. A little girl was sleeping. I had to look away.  

On the way out, I accidentally looked in another room. It's so hard not to do. There was a crib. 

A crib. 

When I got home I hugged Thane and cried. 

Then I went and made Parker get off his Cars car so I could kiss him and hug him. Unfortunately, he was pissed that I got him off his car. So we didn't snuggle much...but I got my kiss. 

I just put him down to bed. I let him fall asleep in the chair with me. Today reminded me that you need to savor every moment with your children....you never know.