It’s been almost a week now since we’ve moved in to the new place, and let me tell you, it is still not yet comfortable. Yet….since I have plans of making this the best place possible for my family, given the limited budget we have!

Here’s an update on how this place we now call “home” operates:

• Our bedroom is still a mess since we are waiting for the cabinets and shelves to be finished…everything is still boxed up.

• We still have no bed so we are now sharing a room with the kids. The kids’ room, by the way, only has one twin-sized bed and one cushion we just lay out on the floor for sleeping.
• We have no dining table yet so we are eating off my coffeetable which I’ve  brought in from our old house.
• We are just about to have our shoe cabinet made so all my shoes are still in two large sacks…and I am left with no choice but to wear my trusted flip-flops everywhere I go.
• The playroom is still not so play-able.
• My couches are still quite an eye-sore…they are also from the old house so their colors emphasize their bulk relative to the color and size of the walls.

• Ooh! The kitchen is clean now! (Whew! I thought I’ll be ending this with “we still have no…”)
• I have helpers to help me clean the house now. MAJOR Woohoo!!! right there.
• We have made our first trip to the supermarket the other day. The one near our place is a bit more expensive compared to where we used to do our grocery-shopping, but everything you need is there so it’s very convenient.
• The kids are happy with their new room.
• Dennis’ faith for God to provide has just upped ten levels.
• I am learning to let some of my “wants” go in order to stay within the budget.
• It is getting easier and easier to say “okay, no problem.” to Dennis every time he decides on something concerning the house (uh, more of concerning the budget for the house.hehe)
• We are all learning that “home” is really what you make of it. Even if our house is not yet in tiptop shape (far from it), we are actually already enjoying our stay here as a family.

Someone told me that studies show that moving is the second cause of stress and anxiety (or was that depression?) in family members, next to death in the family (whoa!). I don’t doubt that that particular study was legit, but allow me to disagree. Even though this season probably is one of the most tiring transitions our family has had to go through, God’s grace has been and will always be there to make sure that this will also be one of the most memorable and most exciting times we can look back to.

Heehee!

Okay, NOW my excuse for not writing a single entry over the last couple of days is because of the house-move. I have been going back and forth almost everyday, trying to fix whatever I can so we can finally move in to the new house.

Huu-whhhaatt??!? You’re too slow Thammie! I thought you’ve moved in a month ago???

Whoa! Before you judge me, let me explain!

I have had no helper whatsoever so I have been doing all the cleaning and arranging and moving around of all the furniture all by myself! (Well, the moving around part… actually that’s Dennis….I just wanted to sound like a superwoman. Hahaha!)

But yes, that’s really why I have been taking so long. Add to that the fact that simultaneous to all the moving and arranging, I’m having some repainting jobs done, plus the shelves and some cabinets are still being constructed as we speak.

The good news, though, is that I think by tonight I can get at least ONE room of the new place clean enough for us to have our first sleep-over! Woohoo!!! I am so excited to move in to the new place. I have been living like a nomad for a few months now, and though I love the idea of having no household responsibilities and not having to think about what to feed the family daily, I would not trade having my own place to call home for anything in the world.

Here are some of the main things I have learned (or have been reminded of) over the past couple of weeks:

1. Go for “progress”, not “perfect”.

I have to keep repeating this to myself. I have a tendency to perfect the details and sweat the small stuff, and then later on realize I’ve been spending too much time on one thing and haven’t made any real progress!

2. Small is big.

This can apply to so many things. Every small thing you acquire adds big time to clutter; Every “cheap” thing you put into the cart adds up to a big amount at the check-out counter; every small gesture of generosity refreshes someone else in a big way…small is big.

3. Slow is fast. (and labeling really is a homemaker’s best friend!)

Initially I felt that I was kind of slow because I had to be so detailed in labeling all our things, but oh wow…because I have tons of boxes and sacks, I CANNOT imagine how it would be like if I didn’t take the time to label everything carefully. The unpacking is so much faster because of that system.

4.  The urgent will always seem to be the most important.

But often, it is not the case.

There were a lot of times when Dennis and I had to stop taking care of the renovation and house move because our daughters would start to remind us of the lack of time we have been spending with them.

It is so easy to get caught up with what the concerns that are screaming “urgent!!!” that we sometimes forget to listen to the cries of those that are really important.

5. When God told husbands and wives to “leave and cleave”, He really had our best interests in mind.

I am super thankful….beyond words….for the kindness shown by my in-laws. They have been so generous and patient with us. We stayed there for over a month and it really was a lot easier for us especially since I could leave the kids there and not have to worry about them inhaling all the dust (and messing up the already-messy place) and pretty much not have to worry about anything else but the move. BUT like I said, I would not trade living with my husband and kids in our own place for any of the convenience and benefits of living with our parents. It’s really just different….a good kind of different.

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Okay, there’s really more than five points that I want to share, but I’m afraid I’ll stop at seven of eight….and I always prefer my lists to be divisible by five. So for now, that’s it. I have to get back to cleaning up.