moving on

As part of the process of moving pretty much everything in the house around, we worked on the basement yesterday. When we moved here, the basement had a great big room, a room that we needed to accommodate my husband's work from home. But the big room was kinda scary. Old brick and wood walls with a 10-year-old paint job. Concrete floor. No lighting. Pipes overhead. We've done a few things to spruce it up so far, but not the thing it really needed, which is a major paint job.

Because we're moving the kids into a bedroom that can fit only their beds and their clothes, we're trying to make the basement into an office and a playroom. Yesterday, we got up at 6 and primed the two brick walls. It took a gallon and a half of primer. After the kids went to sleep last night, we painted the other two walls a creamy color. We'll do the same to the brick walls in the next day or so. We're also cleaning things up, moving toys, hanging up some art to make it seem like a happy place.

Yesterday, Martin woke up just as we were finished with our morning painting. He wanted to help. When we told him we were done, he happily moved on to toast for breakfast. Throughout the day, he showed few signs that the impending change – which I’ve told him about – stresses him at all. He worked well with his tutor. He even interacted with a potential tutor we interviewed. With the promise of a reward, he tried on part of his Halloween costume (an Abe Lincoln coat) and practiced trick-or-treating. We went out for ice cream and he was perfectly pleasant to the cashier and gave his leftover cone to Sasha.

However we manage home schooling, I’m committed to doing it in a way that doesn’t put more stress on Martin, my husband, or me. Martin will be happier and we’ll be happier. None of us is the kind that takes stress well. We wear it on our sleeves, acting rather irritable. So if I ever sound like were stressing over this new process, tell me. Tell me to cut it out, to lay off, or to have a glass of wine. It’s OK so far and I’m gonna do my best to keep it that way.