10 Things I Hate about My Apartment

I hate...

1. the leak in my bathroom that started dripping on my head while I was in the shower this morning - which is a rare occurrence in itself.
2. the four flights of stairs I have to climb/haul toddlers up to get to it.
3. the $800 stroller & stroller gear parked in my bedroom, completely blocking my closet and not being used, because the landlord is a $%@# who decided we can't park strollers in the lobby.
4. paying 5 times as much in rent as I would for an equivalently crappy apartment in Indiana.
5. the 2 hour round trip commute to the kids' school I have to make every day.
6. doing the dishes by hand 2-3 times a day because there is no dishwasher and because there's no counter space.
7. the constant noise - traffic, loud music from rude neighbors, children screaming in other apartments and mothers screaming back at them, often very abusively.
8. the 24 inch wide hallway that makes it impossible for two people (especially a pregnant person) to pass.
9. the broken toilet seat that moves whenever you're too far one direction or another.
10. the general tiny-ness, pretty much everywhere except the living room.

Prayers Work Fast

Yesterday I spent the day dragging Max all around downtown Manhattan looking at apartments that are closer to the kids school. I found two that I thought were really great and sent Matt after work to see them. One in particular really struck both our fancies.

And then came the great debate. Can we really afford this? The short answer is no, not right now. In one short month, however, there's a very good chance we could afford it easily, or even a different apartment that's even better/closer for similar money. But in a month, the apartment we are both now kind of day-dreaming about will most likely be gone. Short of a minor miracle, of course.

As what usually happens when we spend a great deal of time mulling over things and unable to come to a conclusion, we had an epiphany: this doesn't have to be our problem! Let's pray about it and see what God does. Every time we've done this in a serious way in the past, we've reaped great dividends, and avoided a great deal of stress. So this morning I sought out a couple of prayers to St. Joseph, patron saint of pretty much all things practical in life, like moving and career related stuff. I also happen to have a St. Joseph candle that I light every once in a while - it makes me feel like I'm not doing it all alone.

Then this morning happened. The leak in our bathroom - which recurs whenever the guy above us takes a long shower, I guess - was seriously threatening to cave in our ceiling when Matt went in to take a shower. We've been reminding the super about this for about 6 months. Matt got a little angry about it on the phone with him at 7am this morning. Then after I put Max down for his morning nap at 9, I noticed this had been slipped under the door:

In case you can't read it, it's a notice from the property manager saying that they will fine us if we keep our 40 lb stroller at the bottom of the stairs. I should note at this point that we made very sure we could keep it there before moving in, because it was the only condition under which I would be able to manage the 4th floor walk up. Apparently they lied, or changed the rules. Either way, I decided after reading this that we are definitely moving. Now. I expect God - and St. Joseph - will find a way.

Smith Family Reunion

Well our quick trip to Anderson for the Smith Family Reunion went fantastically. We got to see lots of family we haven't seen in a while (some K&P met for the first time!) and then I zipped back to DC to work. Matt and the kiddies are hanging with Mimu and Grandpa Plomin for the rest of the week.

Unfortunately, this means Matt will miss an ultrasound for the first time ever on Friday. I would reschedule, but 2pm on a Friday was the only appointment I could get three weeks ago, so we definitely won't be able to get this very important one in before we move otherwise.

So I've got a few days to myself in the nation's capital...and I'm trying to pack like crazy. I have been researching the best ways to pack (what order, how to pack breakables, that sort of thing) and one thing that I see a lot is to pack the kids' room last. This makes sense, especially since they'll need to use their stuff - like cribs and beds - up to the day of the move.

Lots of articles advise taking special items that the kids find important for them to take in the car instead of pack. The only problem with that is that I can't think of any specific toy or stuffed animal or blanket that either one of the kids are particularly attached to. My kids are strangely without 'loveys' altogether. So I guess I'll just leave out a couple of their every day sorts of things.

Well, back to packing. Enjoy these pics from the reunion.