Busy Bees

The countdown is on, and we've been quite busy with all the preparations for the move and getting the house ready to sell.

After the yard work of last weekend, this week, we tackled repainting the office. It was the only room in the house that we hadn't repainted yet in the last 3 years and it really needed a new coat. Given we're putting our house on the market, we figured it was worth investing a couple of days into this. It was worth it, but still tiring: uncoupling all the computers/networks, moving all the furniture, prepping the room: masking tape, drop cloths, step ladders, spackling the walls, sanding the walls, etc. , painting the first coat, painting the second coat, removing all the masking tape, touching up areas, removing the drop cloths, vacuuming, moving the furniture back....and now it almost looks like before, just much cleaner.... glad that's done.



We got some fun relief yesterday with a birthday party for one of Kevin's friends. They had it at the Clubhouse at Bright Horizon's, and the party itself was preceded by a an hour-long gym session (read: getting rid of some of that wild child-energy) which was great.



This is something I'll miss when I'm back in Europe: all the wonderful amenities geared primarily towards kids/families with kids: like the children's museums here, the children's song/theatre hours at coffee shops, the children's fairs, the library's reading hours, the bookstore's toddler story time, the larger playgrounds, etc.
Not that you don't have children's amenities in Europe, but there are far fewer and usually a lot smaller. I wonder if you'd try to start something like 'playspace museum' in the Netherlands or Belgium if it would catch on ? It'd be interesting to look at comparisons of percentages of mothers staying at home and if similar, it could be an interesting idea for a future entrepreneurial endeavour.

Yard Work

The negotiations are now officially over and I accepted the revised job offer! This means I'll be moving in a matter of weeks. My husband will probably stay here a little longer to finish selling the house, the cars and all the electrical devices, but I'm planning on starting there Feb 1. and Kevin will join me from the start (assuming we can work out a good child care arrangement in the next few weeks).

We've been starting the move prep in all earnest. Which means basically, semi-intellectuals that we'd like to consider ourselves, that we've been making lots of lists: what to arrange, what to take, what to sell, what to donate, what to give to friends/neighbours, etc.

On a side note: the fact that the US and Europe are on a different Voltage is really a pain. Sure, it will give me the chance the buy some nice new electronics and maybe that flat panel TV I've been eyeing, but it also means I'll have to go shopping for again for things like a toaster, a hair dryer, alarm clocks, desk lamps, a blender, a deep fryer, a washer, a dryer, a fridge, etc.... almost feels like I just left college.

This weekend we've been working in the yard, trying to extend that 'curb appeal' for when we put the house on the market shortly. Fortunately, the weather was on our side. Saturday was springlike with temperatures around 20 degrees celcius. Today was a little cooler, but dry till mid-afternoon. We raked piles of leaves from the flowerbeds, tidied around the trees, removed heaps of pine needles from the grass, got rid of weeds and planted new pansies for color.....I can tell I haven't been doing much exercise lately because my back and legs are aching now... guess that's one of the benefits of getting a house/yard in order: you'll stay in shape.

Mea Culpa

OK. I feel guilty, very guilty for not posting anything in the last month. Yes I do have an excuse, several in fact - I made several international trips in a row for job interviews, was on the road a lot, hosted my dad here for 2.5 weeks, did lot's of Christmas & New Year's cooking and shopping....- Still. Apologies for jumping of the deep end. Truth be told, I think I was a bit in a rut too and felt like taking a bit of a break. But, that's done now. With the New Year, I've turned a new leaf and feel reenergized.

I also have another reason for feeling celebratory. I have received a great job offer from a large consumer-goods company and am very excited about the global position they offered me. We are still in the final stages of negotiations, but all should be worked out this week. Barring any hick-ups, this means that we'll be moving to Amsterdam shortly (!). Very exciting and a bit scary too. It will be quite a change of pace, replacing North Carolina's scenery with the canal-scene in the low countries, but 'verandering van spijs doet eten'...or something along those lines.

My main point of concern right now is the child care situation in Holland. I've read some horror stories online about how hard it is to find a good place in a good school/day care center for toddlers and how long the waitlists are...this doesn't ease my worries given that we're looking to move in less than one month and would have to find something in a matter of weeks. I'm thinking that a temporary solution may be to try going for a nanny?...we'll see. The company I am relocating for is hooking me up with a specialized service for assisting foreign relos, and I am hoping that they've encountered this before and can recommend the best course of action.

But first on the list: finishing the negotiations...the rest will come later.

In the meantime, a bit delayed but not less heartfelt: I wish all of you a wonderful start of 2007! May the year be a healthy one and bring you joy, happiness and the fulfilment of your dreams.