It’s July 1 today, which means that our summer holiday official starts in five days. Yes, America, my children are still in school and will be until July 4, when, with a touch of utterly unintentional irony, their British school officially ends for the year and sets them free. I’ve spent much of the last month preparing to move, then moving, then recovering from the move and I’ve realized one thing:
Dante Aligheri never moved house, because if he had, at least one of the rings of hell in The Inferno would have been covered in bubble-wrap, cardboard, and packing tape.
In the meantime, although the pages and pages of the novel bouncing around in my head are…still in my head, I’ve written something for The National about the ridiculous driving here (an endless source of fear and amusement); posted a few times on BlogHer; written something for the World Mom’s Blog that should be out in a few days (and in the meantime you should go read the other stuff that’s posted there now); and written this short piece for the Yeah Write page. The amazing Erica, who also writes at freefringes, created the yeahwrite space as a place for good writing to thrive on the interwebz and this summer, she’s hosting something called “31 Days to Build a Better Blog.” Some of the advice will be blog-specific, but some (like this piece by moi), is good advice for all writers.
I’m going to work through this 31 days thing; I figure if I can’t trim my actual physique, maybe I can whip this blog page into shape. Stay tuned (I know, you can’t wait) for the daily blog exercises. First up? I have to describe this blog in 100-150 words. I hate brevity. Brief is brutal. What did Mark Twain? You can have a three-page report on something in two weeks, or a ten-page report in three days. If you’ve got suggestions, leave ’em in comments. Be nice.
In the meantime, two photos about moving. For Caleb, the upside of this:
Is that there are boxes to play with. I think it’s a version of when life gives you lemons… (And for those of you with small children in your lives, if you don’t know the two fabulous picture books Not A Box and Not a Stick, you need to find them & read them with your small fry.)
I must admit that the level of imagination a simple box evokes is nothing short of magical. And, if you act like it’s not that big of a deal, the older kid will also play along.
Arnebya recently posted..Dear Judy Blume: I Am Margaret. Still.
a box. he adores the boxes…several in his room & one (complete with decorations and attachments) has pride of place in what will eventually be the dining room (when we buy a dining room table).
We are moving in about a month and I am dreading it. I may call you for support. Or hard drugs.
Christie recently posted..If You Go To Oklahoma, Don’t Forget Me
I am a big big big fan of the pre-move purge. My DARLING husband says “eh, just move everything and we’ll sort it out later.” Which is why we have his lecture notes & copies of student papers floating around…from 8, 9, 10 years ago. Pre-move purge, plastic bags, and plastic tubs: organize toys, desks, kitchens…I loves me some tupperware sized tubs. But mostly it sucks. And takes about 63% more time than you think it will. Where are you moving to?
I have discovered that moving is easier than construction.
Still a hard thing to do.
Lady Jennie recently posted..Life in the Trenches – Chapter 26
My goodness I have to say I can’t even imagine doing what you did, and living (with kids!) during a construction project the size of what you went through – although judging from the pix, I have to say it all looks pretty fantastic. We’ve weathered the worst of the move (she says, knocking wood)…and now we pack to leave for the States. We’ll come back & do finishing “nest” touches in Sept. I may steal from your photos for decorating ideas!