Moving in! and out! and in! and out!

Where to begin….THIS IS HARD!

After selling the house, all the furniture, 75% of the books (my prized possessions), many many truckloads and a full Big Steel Box of belongings, we are struggling! For real - this is hard. We thought that we’d narrowed our belongings down to just a bit more than a boat’s worth, enough to live with in the rental house for a bit, then just move it onto the boat………… NOT HAPPENING! This amazing dream of ours has quickly become my Armageddon!

There is SO much stuff. I’m overwhelmed. Completely and utterly overwhelmed and, to be quite honest, a bit embarrassed at how we live with all of this “stuff” and feel like we need it all! So I’ve been going back and forth, bringing “necessary” items onboard just to pile most of it back up into a wheelbarrow to bring back up to the house. Then realize that 3 of those things are actually very necessary.

The kids cry because they aren’t allowed to keep more than a milk crate full of toys and ‘special’ things. They don’t know how to choose what clothes and toys they want to keep. Their rooms look horrible and I feel disappointed. Who could blame them, though? I am having a terrible time making my own decisions. The fabulous boat that I fell in love with has become an absolute mess, overstuffed…with stuff… and even more in the house to deal with. I don’t want to be in the boat OR the house! My kitchen items are half up and half down, so regardless of what I’m making, I’m running back and forth. I’m constantly saying (or yelling) “Where on earth did I put that (insert pretty much any item here)?”, Blah blah blah blah…complain complain complain. Poor Jamie doesn’t know what hit him every night when he gets home.

This afternoon, the kids and I sat in the cockpit and enjoyed poetry teatime. Tea for the kids and a much needed coffee for me, we sat in the beautiful spring sun, warm and comfy to enjoy each other’s company. One poetry book shared between the 5 of us. Just ONE book and it was enough. No baking, just a little bowl of chips and a handful of trail mix and it became a little party. THIS is why we are doing this!!! Wasn’t this my goal?? Simple. Quality. Joy. I was so focused on making things “just right” and being disappointed that they are SO NOT yet, that I’ve created a miserable existence for everybody. I don’t want this to be such a struggle. I don’t want to be the wicked witch that forces the kids to give away their toys! I don’t want to spoil this dream before it begins. THIS IS HARD!

I was given advice the other day that has become my mantra - “one day for one task”. Anyone close enough to know my ways will understand that this is no easy task. I get 50 million ideas, do 100 of them, then try to pack the rest of the 49 million 999 thousand 900 remaining things into my “spare” time! One day, one task. One day, one task. One day, one task…..

Time to run back and forth to make supper! Peace out