The 411 of Moving

I had a horrible dream the other night that I was moving and my Aunt Judy came over to help and chewed me out for not telling my mother I was moving. I woke up and promptly called my mother to tell her I was, in fact, moving.

That's right, we're moving.

Five miles up the very same street on which we already live.

With the birth of Bonnie last year, we no longer fit in our current home. Glen and Grace actually moved into the second home on our property last fall, in order to give us enough room. Granted, my parents raised 5 children in a three bedroom home, then expanded it to five bedrooms when baby number 6 was on the way, followed closely by babies 7 and 8. Jeff worries constantly about the kids in the other house. He's certain something will happen to them over there. Me? I just upped their life insurance policies and popped a Xanax. (Joking. I don't have any Xanax!)

Also, I am married to a packrat who is the only child of two packrats. Need elbow length leather gloves with delicate stitching for your lady? In five colors? Check! How about a collection of discontinued Avon perfume bottles in various novelty shapes? Check! Or, are you interested in an issue of National Geographic from the year 1918? Check! How about any issue ever made since 1918? Double check! (Actually, I love the leather gloves and the National Geographics, but I believe I've made my point.)

So, there you have it.

We got the opportunity to rent a home up the street for less than our current mortgage. It's a large home, with more than enough room for us and our treasures. In the meantime, we'll rent out both of our homes to cover our mortgage. The woman we are renting from lives in the Bay Area and plans on retiring to this home in 5 years. In five years, we'll be down to two kids (and hopefully fewer things, as every year, I serreptitiously weed out more and more "treasures") and able to move back into our home.

Lastly, and on a somewhat soapbox note, when Bonnie was born, ole Meaty and I were determined that she would not go to daycare. When our older kids were babies, we were lucky to arrange our schedules to avoid daycare and we were determined to do the same with Bonnie. In order to make this happen, Jeff cut his hours to part time in the evenings and stays home with Bonnie during the day. After working and going to school while the older kids were babies, he absolutely relishes his time with her and does a fantastic job of taking care of his family as the housewife/husband/person/gnome. However, this cut in his hours results in an cut in our income. Taking some of the pressure off of us financially just makes sense, especially with the economic conditions of late. (Don't worry Mom, both of our jobs are solid.)

We're excited to move. Wouldn't you be, if you were moving here?