Countdown to Moving Day Part 2....

 

 

We're headed into the homestretch of our big move to Wisconsin and I couldn't be more excited. Hotel living has been an experience that I wouldn't wish upon anyone. Yes, you have a maid service, a free indoor pool to use at your leisure, and lets not forget room service...oh yes, room service - my favorite accommodation. Needless to say, those things don't compare to the comforts of a home. I literally haven't cooked, made a bed, or washed linens in 3 months. What a wonderful break from house chores, right?  Yes and no.

I desperately miss home cooked meals but the thought of having to prepare 3 meals a day again terrifies me. I literally almost had an anxiety attack watching a woman walk through the grocery store with her perfectly organized list in her hand searching the aisle for just the right seasoning for what I could only imagine to be a dinner that she will slave over for her four year old son/daughter to pick over and claim to have a sudden food allergy to and explain why a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich would suffice - sigh.....
Hopefully cooking and cleaning is like second nature and I can jump right back into it because before all of this I had a system that was one well-oiled machine and you couldn't tell me a better way to run my household *pats self on the back *.
 Looking back at the months before this new job and move, I realize how much running around I was doing just to keep the house running smoothly. Not saying that I'm not thankful for the break , but 3 months is way more than a girl could ask for. :)  Thank you Lord for the break but I think (key work "think") I'm ready to jump back into the saddle. If anything, we all miss our beds and the boys miss their toys in storage. So, Although I am tired of living out of a suitcase, I will miss the easy dinners at the Whole Foods deli, calling in orders at local restaurants and someone else making our beds but what an experience it has been and to that I am grateful. With that said, let's get this show on the road!!!! 13 days and counting......:)

While I was away...

personality shining through

 

I really haven't been able to blog lately but hopefully my hiatus is coming to an end. Although we found a house, it isn't available until July 1st! The tenant has been really good with trying to get out early so I'm keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that everything works out on her end so that we can move in sooner.

So my days have been filled with trying to referee two kids in a hotel room. Luckily, the weather has been gorgeous in Madison the past few days. A little bit of sun always helps my mood. Since I knew that we would be stuck in a hotel for a few months, I was on a serious hunt to find the boys a school. Finding a school has always been tricky because every state is different with their policy on school age start date. Both of my boys have late birthdays so I always have to find a daycare or private pre-school/pre-k for the boys. That's where cost comes in. I'm all for investing in my child's education but geez, people have to eat. Childcare is more than a mortgage payment! Thankfully I found a Christian school close by with great prices and space for the boys. Praise the Lord, mommy gets a break! Now, I can orchestrate laundry(that's a whole other story), grocery runs, making and returning phone calls and all that jazz. We've moved to a new hotel with larger rooms which is great but the on-site laundry isn't accommodating and there is no real kitchen.

Food has been such a mystery. What do you eat everyday when you're living in a hotel? Eating out becomes costly and unappealing after doing it for a month straight. So my friend suggested I get a griddle. That way I could buy groceries and cook it in the room. Although the room that we're in only has a mini fridge, I managed to grocery shop for two days at a time. That way I can fit what I need in the fridge without becoming overwhelmed with too much food or my food going bad. So far so good. I was able to make eggs and sausage for breakfast and burgers for dinner last night. I guess now I can research griddle food ideas. The griddle that I purchases also has a Panini press and a grill. So I can make almost anything, which is great. 

Anywho, That's a quick update on our move. I plan to post more often. Trying to get back into my rhythm and find a schedule that works. I need to dust off my camera and get out and capture some pictures for you guys. :) Madison is very pretty.

Hope you all have been well and enjoying the little glimpse of spring. I know I am!

 

 

puppet show goodies we found at a local toy store



I finally had time to breathe!! Kids were in school! Can't you see the joy in my cheeks.:)

Found these cuties at  Macy's for 20% off. So comfy. Got them in all black too.

After a scrimmage the boys raced daddy

Wine and a fire...perfect evening with the coaching staff

We are all in love with Coach Andersen's dogs. Orlando resting on Blue.:)

Weekend recap {Hotel Living Part II / Laundry}

 

 

 

 

Just when I thought that I figured this hotel living all out, laundry happened! If your family is anything like mine, then you know that laundry can be a nightmare. It continues to pile up with no end in sight. Thankfully, there is a laundry room on site here at the hotel. Laundry is one of those things that I would pay somebody to do if I could. Not only is it one of my least favorite chores, I'm terrible at folding. Sad but true. Thomas folds ten times better than I do so I'm happy when he's around to do it. I think he actually enjoys it. I cringe at the thought of it, but it has to get done. Although dragging your laundry basket to the laundry room here isn't ideal, I found something that is...three loads of clothes going all at once! Hallelujah!!! No waiting on one load to get done to load another. I can do all three loads at once. You know I had to find the silver lining in the situation.:) If I didn't I would go completely mad. Lol

Our weekend also consisted of us going to another movie (that's three in the past two week, I think we'll stop at that). The boys were counting down the days for the movie Mr. Peabody and Sherman to come out. It was a very cute movie. In my opinion it was one big history review. I'm all for learning and entertainment at the same time so it gets an A+ from me. We also did our usual bed cramming (at Orlando's request) to watch a basketball game.
The weather is also getting a little better. It was in the 30's which felt so good when you're comparing it to the single digits we were experiencing when we first arrived.
Lastly, I found and attended a workout class that could help whip me back into shape for those pool visits the boys are looking forward to. I will post details tomorrow!

How was your weekend?

 

Late weekend post

 The weather was extremely cold but that didn't stop us from getting out for a little bit this past weekend. The boys and I finally got a tour of the UW athletic facility and it was pretty impressive! I absolutely love the view from Thomas' office. The boys really wanted to get out on the field but as you can see the snow prevented us from doing that.
Besides heading to church on Sunday, the cold weather kept us in for the remainder of the weekend.Let's just say,we've had plenty of take-out (finding a gym ASAP, I'll keep you posted)! Although it's been a nice break from cooking, I'm starting to miss my pots and pans.  I can cook simple things in the hotel with the small kitchen but trying not to have so many smells in such a tight space. Soon enough I will be back in my normal routine begging for a break from cooking so I think I will try to enjoy this time.
 On the other hand, games and movies have been a real life-saver. Despicable Me 2 was our spotlight movie of the weekend. I really enjoyed that little bit of family time.
Hope you all are enjoying your week so far. We're just trying to stay warm like the majority of the country.
Really looking forward to spring!...Oh I almost forgot, spring ball starts today! Woohoo! Let's get this show on the road - can you tell that I have totally bought into this lifestyle?!!!

Office View

 

Indoor facility

Doing their best Heisman pose in front of the Heisman trophy case

Yep, it's still cold.

 

Despicable Me 2

Hotel Living, Part 1

What do you do when you're stuck living in a hotel for a month? Play board games, duh!!!!

Hope you guys enjoy your weekend. We're going to attempt to get out and explore the Wisconsin campus. Let's hope our toes don't freeze off. It is definitely cold in Madison. I guess we better bundle up!

 

The boys playing Operation

Tyson in daddy's pants

Orlando wearing daddy's gear

There was lots of noise that came with this face.

Our quick trip to Chicago

Me and my boys

Orlando and Tyson in the hotel lobby

On our drive from West Virginia to Wisconsin the boys and I made a short stop in Chicago. I've been trying to get to Chicago for some time now, so I was really excited to finally get a chance to visit. Although it was a quick visit, I really tried to make the best of it. I was a little apprehensive about exploring the city because once I got off the expressway, driving to the hotel was a bit stressful. I'm from a big city (Atlanta) but Chicago was different...really different. More people walking, more traffic, and more cars. It was a real city!! I felt like cars and people were coming at me from every direction! A nice gentleman even relaxed his hands on his horn to let me know that I was driving too slow !! I thought that was so kind of him (not). It really freaked me out. Luckily, the hotel was close and the valet was nice enough to take my car off my hands for the night(for $60/night...I thought that was ridiculous but I was so frazzled I didn't even care). We stayed at the Wyndham Grand Chicago Riverfront. It was really nice and I would stay there again. When we finally settled in, I decided that the boys and I would lock ourselves in our hotel room to stay away from the "crazy horn people." After calming down and realizing that I only had one day in Chicago I decided to go out and explore with the boys. We grabbed a cab and headed to The Children's Museum of Chicago, and I'm so glad we did. Chicago truly is a beautiful city! The Museum was located at the Navy Pier which was a nice experience. I can only imagine how beautiful the Navy Pier is during the spring/summer months.The boys love going to Museums and they thoroughly enjoyed the one in Chicago. Of course the visit wasn't complete until they scored something from the gift shop (they negotiate well). After leaving the museum we took a stroll down Michigan Avenue and let me tell you, that's a shopper's dream! After drooling over retail we made our way back to our hotel and enjoyed room service while watching cartoons.  The boys had to wear the same shirts two day in a row, but that's a story for another day.
The next morning we headed out but not before grabbing breakfast at the hotel's restaurant downstairs per Orlando's request. I was thinking about picking up breakfast on the road but Orlando wanted to go all out before leaving the "Windy City!"

Since Madison is only 2 1/2 hours from Chicago I'm hoping we can visit again during the summer. I'm sure my little travel buddies wouldn't mind and maybe daddy can make a cameo appearance. He has a lot on his plate these days...a good problem to have.  I'm extremely grateful that he works so hard to provide all these opportunities for the boys and I. I'm so Thankful.

Their first cab ride

Tyson trying to be cool, Orlando always doing the right thing! Lol

My little builders

 

 

Orlando walking through the obstacle course

Water table. They loved this. They also had this one at the Chattanooga Museum

Quick photo. Can you tell that we were tired but trying to pretend not to be?

Navy Pier (frozen)

What would a visit to the Museum be without a photo with T-REX!

View from our hotel room. Beautiful.

 

Room service - Calamari

 

Hotel room view

                          

Room Service (for the boys)

Room Service (crab stuffed Salmon w/risotto)

 

Breakfast with the boys at hotel restaurant

Boys eating good!

How I deal with change and moving

People always ask me, "How do you deal with moving so much?" The truth is, I like change. I hate packing but I like change. Yes, I would love to stay put and "put down some roots " so to speak ,but there is plenty of time for that. I read a quote by Alan Watts that said, "The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance." This quote speaks to my life on so many levels. I choose to plunge right into life and I will dance this dance until the tune changes. My initial response to change may not be pure joy and bliss, but eventually I find the good in the situation. Moving 300 miles away from my family and friends was a drastic change for me, especially because this move came out of nowhere (but I guess they all have). Finding a home here was also a challenge. Coming from a big booming city, finding real estate has never been a problem. The homes here are a lot older and a decent rental is hard to find in the city. We were blessed to have found a nice home near the park and work. It's funny because I've come to appreciate the charm in this 1950's home. I love the little things such as our red front door, our cute white mailbox (I love that the mailman comes to the door), my chair by the window (for those quiet moments) and our eventful walks to the park.You never know what God is leading you to but learning to appreciate wherever you are in life can push you to strive for better or teach you to appreciate the simplicities of life; and I've been in both situations. Embrace the change and flow with it. Life is an adventure but you will miss it if you are always focused on things left behind instead of on the present moment and what's to be gained ahead. Every move has taught me something about myself, my marriage, friendships and my faith in God. If I wasn't open to the change, I would be blind to the opportunities that God has placed in my path. Spending more time with my boys for one. Being a stay-at- home mom was never my intention but having extra time with them has been a joy. My point is, change is inevitable. You can choose to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance or you can waste your time complaining and standing still. I say dance!  :)  Jessica B.

More Pictures From the Holiday!

Remember I told you that the Renaissance (downtown D.C.) has nice décor? Here are a few pictures I snapped of the lounge area in the lobby. I spent much time there since that was the only place where I could get free wifi. After our visit to D.C. we flew to Atlanta to spend time with our family (and to retrieve our kids..) Perfect ending to a great holiday trip.