got the keys

Ask anyone. Amara's excited to move to the new house. Even if it means a pit stop in an apartment.




But that doesn't mean the move has to be easy on a child.

Amara has her moments where the term "moving" means nothing.

Last night I packed up her bookcase. And she cried because she believed she'd no longer have books for a bedtime story.

So I've come up with a few tips that have helped us get Amara through this challenging, yet exhilarating time.

Tell them early on about the move. We've been hyping this up forever. And we're hoping that by the time the big day comes along, Amara will have had enough time to digest the news.

Involve them in the packing. This gives them a sense of responsibility and truly makes them feel like they're a part of the move.

Try to meet families in your new neighborhood. I know this isn't always possible. But it sure helps to tell Amara that she'll be going to school with Nina and playing soccer with Jenny.

Let them be a part of the decision making. Amara's chosen the color of her room. And she thinks she picked out which bedroom will be hers. It just encourages the excitement.

Moving with kids can be a challenge. But hopefully it'll be worth it.

And if all else fails, I'll just bribe Amara with a Happy Meal.

it doesn't get any more real than this

Our realtor put this up this weekend.

Good thing considering this is what my living room looks like.

We're swimming in boxes for the upcoming move.

a picture update

It actually looks like a house now.

Our front door.

The kitchen.


The staircase off the family room.


Amara and Dad2Amara standing in her bedroom closet.

Houston, we have a problem

No one should ever expect the home building process to be a smooth one.

Like any other large project, there will be bumps in the road.

Once the strong winds knocked down the framing, I knew that opened the door for more issues to arise.

We got the call that my master bathroom tile has been discontinued. The tile that helped guide my decision on countertops and cabinetry. The tile that was the perfect shade of grey. The tile that fit perfectly in oir budget.

So I made my way to the tile place for the third time. Because my second visit was to assure me my walls to be painted Honest Blue would look spectacular against the tile.

I hated everything.

I wanted my tile.

But then I saw it.

In beige.

So now I'm calling the cabinet guys to put everything on hold.

What could go wrong next?

framing is nearly complete!

Well, as my friend Susan put it, the big bad wolf came.

He huffed and puffed and blew part of the new house down.

Earlier in the week, a very excited Dad2Amara called my cell. The builder had framed out our second floor. The house was moving along.

So that evening after dinner in a rainstorm, we drove past the house only to find that the winds had knocked down the second floor framing.

But our builder is not one to skip a beat. Within two days, they had it rebuilt.

Thankfully the storm came after all of the construction workers had left for the day. And fortunately it didn't damage anything on the first floor.

So we're back on schedule again!

the family visits

Because we had the entire family together to celebrate Amara's birthday, we made a stop at the new house to show off the progress that's been made to date.

Lola and Lolo2Amara joined us. So did Grandma and Grandpa2Amara.

The builder is really moving. They've finished framing the first floor.

Too bad for them Dad2Amara is an architect. He already found a mistake with the framing (the space above the door to his office isn't framed for a transom window). So Dad2Amara must already complain.

Amara enjoyed walking through all her new rooms.

Now I can't wait until we have our second floor done!

framing the first floor

lighting the way

They haven't even framed out the house. But I was already asked to choose our lighting.

It's difficult to choose what fixtures I'd like in each room when I haven't picked out color schemes yet.

One day I like something more modern. Other times, I want a traditional look.

So I was left to choose something that can encompass both styles.

And I think I did OK.

Our builder allows us to choose fixtures all online at LightingMax.com. No overwhelming stores to go to. And I can shop at my leisure.

Plus, if I change my mind before the final selections are made, I can switch my order with the click of a mouse.

Here are a few of my favorite lights:

kitchen island

dining room (I bought shades to be placed over each light bulb)

several sconces for the master bath (going for that spa feel)

Amara's room (of course)

we'll have a first floor soon

the talk of the neighborhood