PCS MO --> KS (part 1)

I feel like people come here for the milspouse content. It's, admittedly, the only thing that makes my life particularly interesting to follow along. When I think about it, most people don't live this way. Most people don't have to decide on how to arrange their furniture or come up with a new floor cleaning strategy every 1-3 years. 

For this particular move, we are keeping our house in Missouri. Mostly because it's a buyer's market and because we do feel (fear?) we could always end up back at Ft. Leonard-Wood in a few years if that's where the commands are available. If not, we'll sell it then. For now, when we are completely finished, we will rent it out/use it as an air b-and-b. For this reason, we are keeping a lot of furniture and things we don't want or use regularly there. We also have a metal barn on our few acres there. That is our storage plan for our trailers, boat, camper, and whatnot. Paying for the storage for those items in Kansas will far surpass the mortgage on that house. 

That's the short explanation for why we're not selling right now. Onto why we're renting a house in Kansas: interest rates are way too high right now and investing in property when we will be here, in an expensive area comparatively, for only about 24 months isn't ideal. 

So the PCS (permanent change of station) from Missouri to Kansas is moving "most" of our "stuff" over a few weeks. Scott doesn't start working here until the middle of July. It's really a cull-and-discard kind of strategy. Definitely not everything is coming with us. I've always thought that moving every few years keeps you honest as to how much you actually HAVE. Rarely do I ever just buy things to buy them; decorative items almost never come home with me. However, this is our first move with two kids and, wow, they have a lot of stuff. 

Anyway, part one of this venture was driving from Missouri to Kansas with both kids two weeks ago in order to procure the keys, see the house, get the lay of the land for moving in our furniture. 

1st of 3 Starbucks stops because Starbucks has the cleanest bathrooms. 

Sushi. She didn't love it because the crab wasn't fake enough.

My friend gave her a pair of crocs and she won't take them off. 

The single most uncomfortable night of sleep I've had in awhile. 

Have to eat somewhere.

Hack: get a cheap(er) indoor/outdoor area rug to put under heavy furniture to protect hard floors. We've done this twice before because our bed is ridiculously heavy. $80 instead of $280. 

More crocs.

Speaking of cull and discard: I'm trying to sell kids' items on Facebook and the greed and entitlement of the military wives community BAFFLES me. They all want it for free. This picture is labeled $13 ($8 and $5). I'm not being unreasonable. I will pack it up in a tub and put it in my barn before I give more things away. 

Mav's first move. He's handling it as well as any spastic being might.

Scout's 6th move. Handling it as well as his anxiety allows (meh).

Lunch.

It's the trashcans and the brooms and the cleaning supplies that push me over the edge. Moving is so expensive. Plus the curtains. Never assume that curtains and curtain rods will be in a house. They won't be. Budget $200 for curtains/rods with every PCS. I prefer Lowe's or Home Depot if I can't find a TJ Maxx. 

Sutton saw me dragging a suitcase (my summer capsule fits in this, thank you very much) and asked if we were going "on holiday". She's been watching too much Peppa and Bluey. 

Nope. I'm stuffing bedding into contractor trash bags. No holidays in sight. 

The first 3-4 couch shopping trips were not successful. 

And then, upon buying a sectional, Scott and I spent all afternoon getting this in the house and set up. 

The one place we went was charging $300 for a "white-glove delivery". I told Scott he should ask how much dirty-glove delivery would be. Either way, he got this at Furniture Deal$ (for real how they spell it) and shoved it through the door himself while we paid two teenagers to mow the lawn. Normally, we wouldn't but who am I to say no to enterprising teens who want to work outside on a hot day to make money? Good for them. Plus, you tend to not yell, swear, or throw things when an audience watching. 

This was our 12th time moving couches in or out of a house completely by ourselves. It's the worst part of moving. 

Monday funny things. 6/30

Does anyone else feel like June has been like longest month ever? Like, it is STILL June. I don't even remember May at this point. Let's skip to September and call it good. 

People who pay with their phone stress me out. 

My friend tried to use Apply Pay the other day and they were like "sorry, only Walmart pay" and she had to scroll through her phone and set up a Walmart account while in the checkout line and I've never felt so much second-hand stress.

I've been making Wells read Frog and Toad aloud. 

Holy cow, I found this and couldn't stop laughing:

Saturday Recommendations. 6/28

 Missed last week (and yesterday) due to moving stuff...

1. Caboodle. Sutton had a basket with tons of bows and hair ties and clips and bracelets. She ended up playing with them a lot as toys, carrying them around the house. They'd end up in little piles and then the dog would also get them. I thought she needed an actual case to put all of that in and Walmart had the "vintage" caboodles. I couldn't resist. 

I also sent off all of the smaller bows for younger toddlers with not as much hair to a baby friend of hers. 

Almost all of her bows have come from Little Poppy if you're interested. 

2. America's Sweethearts season 2, but just the recaps. I really enjoyed the first season of DCC last year. This second season was not as good. I do recommend the recaps that Callie Curry did on Bachelor Party just because I like to listen to people talk about reality TV more than I actually enjoy watching this type of TV. I do think it's funny that they spend so much time being "perfect" when in reality no one even glances at the cheerleaders for more than 10 seconds in a row and also no one likes the Cowboys. Maybe figure out your football team, Jerry Jones. 

3. The Last One at the Wedding. I listened to this audiobook in about 3 days. It was really good. I wanted it to initially be more of a Taken situation, where the main character would have a background in law enforcement or a "particular set of skills". But I did find that it reminded me of 11/22/63 in a weird way. I did think at first it would be one of those And Then There Were None type of mysteries with a closed circle of suspects, going by the title. Nope. It was better than that. It had my full attention. Reminded me of a cross between Riley Sager and Peter Swanson. 

Amazon lately.

I am so weird and picky about soap right now. Not because I think hormone disrupters are everywhere (they are) but because I noticed the way my hands feel after I use it: I can feel the residue. And then the smell lingers. I was gifted some Mrs. Meyer's and BBW at school and I kept it at school to use it there and I just couldn't. It's still in the cupboard in my old classroom. 

Anyway, I like the Raw Sugar brand for hand soap but it's getting harder to find in-store and I've had to order it for shipping from Walmart instead. So I just went to Amazon to get my actual favorite: this Everyone brand. I've been buying it for probably 6 years now. 

If you need another recommendation, I love this Soap Culture brand too. They usually have it at TJ Maxx! Not a strong scent at all and the bottles are very pretty and last forever. I bought my current one in my bathroom back in December. 

Birthday presents for Wells: 

We love 24 the Game, but I'm starting Wells off with the add/subtract primer version. Remember when I taught 4th grade for so many years and I'd put the problems up for the kids and if no one could figure it out, I'd text it to Scott and he'd solve it for them? Those were the days.  I would hold a 24 March Madness competition in my class back in Alaska and Colorado. The kids loved it so much. I even did it here in MO back in 2021-2022. It's those parts of teaching that I'll miss but they also aren't coming back, you know? 

Anyway, time to introduce it to Wells.

And he really wants a pair of goggles with a snorkel. He got a cheap set from school but I'm hoping this one actually works. 

Nespresso pods. I know that buying off-brand is cheaper but when I tasted the quality of the actual nespresso...I had to order them. These go with the Essenza Mini, which is different than the Vertuo. From the digging I've done, you have to buy the Essenza if you want to be able to buy off-brand pods. The Vertuo pods are bigger and patented, I believe. 

I also got these shot glasses to go under it because a mug, even a small one, won't fit on the tray, so I have to take the tray off to run the espresso into a mug. 

I like them a lot. My only complaint is that the large size overflows :/

I could tell some tales already about Sutton and her dance class. She wanted to do it. She doesn't love-love it. But this is the leotard I got her and the ballet shoes. 

(Excuse the screenshots at this point...)

It works for a month of classes before we move. 

I got these sandals for Sutton. I love the selection from A Children's Place. This is the 3rd or 4th pair (I get a pair of brown fisherman sandals for Wells most years) I've gotten...I like their shoes more than I like their clothes...and the quality is great. 

One more thing for Sutton: she needed a second "swimming costume" as she calls it. She only has one and I think two is the magic number when they outgrow them so quickly. You can't go wrong with Carter's. 

For me (Wells), I got the O-Cedar Pet Broom. I noticed these sell out at Walmart super quickly so I ended up getting it on Amazon. I decided running the vacuum every day or multiple times a day is dumb. Just being able to sweep up random debris makes more sense. The Wells part comes in because he needs to learn how to sweep like Mary and Laura. 

Last, the thing you need but don't know you need: this visor. 

I was so tired of hats messing up my hair. This fit over my bun, is super compact and lightweight, and doesn't interfere with my sunglasses. 

Funny things (depending on your sense of humor) 6/23

 

I'm not talking blogs or even instagram. I'm talking on-Facebook-look-at-my-new-tattoos-and-I'm-living-my-best-life-selfies out of nowhere.

And as everyone is fear-mongering and politicizing and freaking out, let us remember what C.S. Lewis said and please be normal. That means you, millenials and Gen X. "Do not exaggerate the novelty of your situation".