The house next door Part 2

You guys I did it! It took me six weeks. With a little help here and there I renovated the house next door Homes under the Hammer style. Six weeks of every muscle group complaining, some I didn't even know I had. Six weeks of cutting down and digging up. Of pulling out weeds and roots with my bare hands. Of desperately laying down turf even though the light was fading because I wanted it down, making it's little roots before the first frost comes. My hands were dirty and cut up for weeks no matter how much I bathed and soothed them. Tim pointed out that I kept forgetting to wear gloves so no wonder my hands and arms were such a mess. I said that I couldn't remember where I put them but the truth is I love getting my bare hands in the dirt. It feels wrong any other way.

Six weeks of ripping up carpet, filling up skips, breaking things apart, pulling down wallpaper, washing, filling, sanding, washing, painting, painting again and then again because the perfectionist in me wasn't ever happy.

Six weeks of letters and constant phone calls. Six weeks of coordinating different suppliers with the very small time frame that my builder had to fit the bathroom and kitchen. He did an amazing job. But nothing was simple and my head was spinning every night when I went to bed.

Six weeks of leaving Tim and the boys to their own devises so I could be next door every spare moment. They grew louder and our house became more out of control by the day as I failed to keep up with what I was attempting to do and the things I usually do. I want to say I have never been more tired in my life but that's not true because, hello; I've had two small babies. But now it's finished and all that hard work is like a dream I had. As I type a family of three have already began to move their things into their new home.Which make us officially landlords.I for one am excited to get back to the little things that make up my ordinary every day life. Things I didn't realise I loved doing until I didn't have time to do them any more. How about that?Plus my firstborn turned seven. SEVEN?!!! How is that possible? And it's Christmas! My favourite time of the year. Although I may just take a nap that lasts... oh I don't know... a few days, maybe weeks...

The house next door...

After various delays, and me practicing the art of not being very patient at all, we now officially own the house next door. Suddenly I'm waking up at 5am to do my usual housework early so I can spend all day working on 'the house'. I have a million things to remember to do, phone calls to make, decisions to be made, things to break...

We have to work fast so we can rent it out as soon as possible. And oh man it needs some work. Armed with a hammer I ripped out this kitchen all by myself...

I felt like superwoman. Then completely freaked out over the hidden spiders webs lurking behind the cabinets. The biggest I have EVER seen. I ripped up all the carpets and loaded the skip with everything all by myself. Living room...Yikes

Hallway and bedrooms...

I felt like I was like on Homes under the Hammer. Except no one wants to film me.I went to to battle with nettles as tall as my children and took down overgrown bushes bigger than myself...

I have the scratches to prove it. 

Although I haven't won the garden battle yet. The weather has thrown the war in the weeds favour.
Each night I feel broken and have to do yoga stretches, then lie in a hot bath for hours so that I can actually move the next day. But I am really enjoying myself. And it turns out I absolutely love to hit things hard with a hammer. Who knew?

Sometimes it's good to wait a bit...

This summer me and Tim were feeling like bad parents because we still hadn't taught Isaac to ride without stabalisers. Every time a child Isaac's age expertly passed us on a bike we would look at each other with guilty eyes that said 'yep we really need to do that soon...' It wasn't intentional, it just kind of fell of the radar. So one afternoon we decided it was time to tick this off the parenting list. 

Isaac wasn't so sure he wanted to try, 

quite naturally because he didn't want to fall...

Oh I hear you kid. I never want to fall either but I'm only just realising now that it's only way we learn anything...

So we told him he probably would fall and that's okay. And as added motivation we told him that when he learnt to ride without them, we would buy him a new bike. Maybe for his birthday because he had grown so much. Plus we figured it would take a while. It took no time at all.

Starting and stopping needed some more work but he took to it very quick.

Me and Tim looked at each other dumbfounded...

And at the end of that afternoon Isaac rode up beside me beaming and said 'are we going to buy my new bike tomorrow then?'...

Oh yeah we did say that didn't we..?

Which also means a certain little brother gets his big brothers bike. One that he's been eyeing up for so long...

I present a proud boy and his new bike...

A birthday and Birmingham Sea Life Centre...

I'm still loving the new tradition of sneaking in balloons the night before a birthday. How exciting is that? Although no one one in this house has got the hint and done it for my birthday yet. 

But there's always next year... *cough cough*

And I can't believe my baby turned five years old. Waaaaah!

This time of year with school and birthdays I feel like life is racing ahead and I want to put my foot on the brakes a little. But it is also an enjoyable time. And so Lucas being obsessed with all things underwater (thanks to Octonauts) we decided to go to the Sea Life Centre for his birthday.

It did not disappoint...

There is this tunnel section where the fishes, sharks and a huge turtle swim over and around you. It was very cool...

The Spongebob in me particularly liked the Jelly fish...

But by far everyone's favourite was the penguins (although I'd much rather see them in their natural habitat, they did not have much space).They were so full of personality...

Happy Birthday Lucas x

It hurts and it is good.

It's that time again. That time when the laughter and warmth of summer is fading and I look at my children closely. Before they go and start a new school year and it all changes again...

Every time I look at Isaac lately he is all legs. He is leaner. He feels so big when I cuddle him. At least he still lets cuddle him.

I'm told that soon he will push me away because that's what boys do. I really really hope that is not true. I sometimes whisper to him while he sleeps 'Stop growing so fast'. Lucas still looks so small.

I know he is nervous about school. More than Isaac was. He doesn't seem as ready. He is still behind in things.

Will he cry on his first day?
He might.
Will he know where the toilet is? Will he ask to go? Will he know what to do at lunch time? Will someone pick on him?
Maybe, Maybe, Maybe...
I have to trust it will all work itself out. I will put on an excited smile despite that nagging pain in my heart that arrives every September when I realise how much they have grown. And I always knew this September would sting more. My youngest baby at school. Walking around without me all day.
One day they will always be walking around without me. Is that my heart bleeding like an old wound reopened?
Maybe just a little.

It hurts because we love.
That's a good thing.

They will grow up and live big lives. 

That's is good thing.

Two seemingly opposing forces. It hurts and it is good. 

And just look at them?

So we walked to school, I smiled, I squeezed their hands. I kissed their faces and said have a good day.It goes well. I walk home. I'm so glad Lucas didn't cry. I feel strangely okay.Then I walk back into the empty house and my own voice screams inside my head What the hell do I do now??
Well ain't that the question..?