5 Best Things about Living with Mom & Dad

Wow. What a tornado of a few weeks it has been for our little trio! We put our Irvine home on the market last week, and it already has officially SOLD! I’m so excited and grateful. All of the escrows will be closing the week of October first. Still trying to learn what that means. I think all I need to know is that I’ll be NICE and settled into our new house for Halloween, a holiday Doug and I don’t take lightly. Watch out, Costa Mesa!!! Be scared!!!

Backing up a bit. After our rock-star real estate agent toured our Irvine condo, she said very nicely that in order to sell it, we should definitely put away ALL the toys and HIDE the food-encrusted high chair and for the LOVE of God ditch those baby gates. Oh and, by the way, we’ll be bringing in a designer to “stage” the house for showings and open houses, she said, so don’t mind us while we move all the furniture and help your house look less like a busy preschool and more like a model home, and also get rid of absolutely all clutter and try not to move or breathe.

That’s an exaggeration. They were all complete dolls and professionals about it, and they knew exactly what they were doing, because our house sold in less than a week. They also really liked my home design and really just “enhanced” the whole look. (If by “enhanced” you mean make me feel like I was basically living in an empty house for three years because the designer was so far out of my league. The only room she didn’t touch was the nursery, which could have possibly been for my feelings.)

Still, though, keeping a house clutterless, pristine and toy-free when you have a toddler is a bit like trying to swim without getting wet. Not to mention the inconvenience of home tours during naptimes and needing to flee the premises on a moment’s notice.

 

Luckily, we had a solution: Move in with Mom & Dad till the house sells!!!!!

So move in with my parents we did. They live in Irvine, too, with the most gorgeous house and plenty of space. And now here I am, on their couch, thinking about all of the wonderful things I simply love about living here. Don’t make me leave!!! Here are the top five reasons why I’m loving this mini-vacation:

1. The Family Portraits. Oh, hey, just how gawky was I in fifth grade? No need to wonder when you’re living at 2 Charlotte!!! The Throwback Thursdays are everywhere, every day, all around me. Every time I see a new portrait, literally around every corner, I think to myself how blessed I was to grow up in such a big, loving family, full of so much affection and awkwardness.

    

2. The Morning Coffee. My mama makes coffee for me every single morning I’m here. What a sweet, simple act of motherly love. There’s something incredibly luxurious and comforting about having someone else make your coffee for you, before you wake up, especially when it’s your mom. I hope someday I make Emerson her coffee in the morning after she spends the night at my house and it touches her heart and caffeine addiction just as much. Also, the divas are all here!!! Celine, Shania, and Emerson!!!

3. The Pool. This is where I spend Emerson’s nap times right now. No deeper meaning or profound thought here. It’s a POOL. With LOUNGE CHAIRS.

4. The Absolute Chaos. The delicious coffee and beautiful pool are great and all, but there’s no denying the chaos! Between my siblings and their dogs popping in and out, Emerson’s energetic and constant explorations of everything, living out of a suitcase and feeling generally quite transitory and jumbled, life at the parents’ is straight crazy. But I love it so much. I know we’ll have our routine and privacy back in no time, so I’m adoring all the people, the pets and the pandemonium. Let the wild rumpus rage!

5. The Love of My Parents. My parents are the greatest example of love and marriage I’ve ever known. They’re so in love, after 34 years of marriage, and that love spills over into every other aspect of their lives. I know some older couples drift apart or face a weird time once their chickens all flee the nest, but my parents seem to be the opposite, having more fun than ever. (Maybe because their chickens keep coming BACK!!!! Just kidding!) I feel like just being around them is good for my soul and my own marriage. The other day I saw this note stuck to the inside of the coffee cupboard, from my dad, for my mom to see every morning. I know my parents are special, and I’m honored to be in their midst.

In addition to these five highlights, I also love not having to cook every night, all the extra help with Emerson, and Doug’s shorter commute to and from work (which soon will be even shorter!!!).

In brief: Living with the parents is AWESOME.

P.S. Yes, we can technically move back to our house now that it’s sold, but you might say we’re not in a rush. [See above.] We’ll probably move back to our place after our family vacation to Hawaii next week! Can’t wait for that! Going to enjoy every minute of beach time before the madness of packing begins!