New Life Experiences at (the apartment) Home. Pt.1

Things we're adjusting to in our new home:

We live on the third (top) floor in our new home. Nathan is insisting we call it "home" and not "the apartment" because... it IS our home now. Anyway, we're on the top floor. This was an available option to us; we chose it. We decided that we would be courteous of others rather than rely on others to do that for us. We've got our work cut out for us specifically with our children who are used to jumping & twirling & cart wheeling as loudly as possible throughout the house, running through the house during very exciting games of hide & seek, swinging from the stair case, leaping to their feet and crashing down toward the front door every time Daddy walks through it, etc. We had such a big house and back yard previously I didn't enforce a lot of boundaries when it came to their physical play. Besides, both my girls are extremely physical and imaginative in their play. Why stifle? Now we are in an apartment on the third floor. I am TRYING not to stress about every footstep they make. I am TRYING to let them be kids ("wild" as Mateja calls it) during the winter in a tiny apartment on the third floor. It's been less than two weeks, so I need to give myself a break and breathe deeply. Do some more yoga.

Our tiny new home has only two windows, one sliding glass door and the front door. Ventilation is an issue for us. We have three air units (heat/AC) that we barely use because it's so WARM in here. I think that's GREAT (because I loathe being cold). Nathan is suffocating. Ha. Every time he walks in the front door he bemoans the stuffiness of the air. He's right. It's very stifling in here. So I've taken to keeping the sliding door half open during the days and one of the windows slightly open. It hasn't seemed to help enough. Not sure what else to do yet.

Another adjustment is the complete lack of kitchen space. I suppose many families of four could make do with this just fine. I’m not sure this family of four is doing it that well. I still have TEN unpacked boxes sitting on the floor in the kitchen. Most of them house pantry items. I purchased a pantry cabinet. I insist that everything else fit in the cabinets and drawers. If it doesn’t fit it leaves this house. I rid myself of a LOT of kitchen items before moving here (everything from dishes & appliances to tablecloths & boxes of tea). It wasn’t enough. That’s an ongoing project. In fact, I must away now! Off to pack up some dishes and get them OUT of this kitchen.