The Post Where I Take a Tangent to Rant About the Joys of Pug Ownership
Mother of God Liam has a lot of toys.
A lot. Very blessed. It is like a daycare here for a class of one. And frankly, I like him having a lot of toys because technically this is like a daycare and some days... well... we need a lot of diversions.
Problem with a lot of toys - they end up everywhere. He does have a playroom. My house is a colonial. The first floor is basically an open floor plan with the stairs in the center. The two front rooms on either side of the stairs are play areas. One is our family room/living room. The other was most likely a formal dining room or formal living room in another life. We don't roll that way, so it was a computer/anything room and evolved to the baby gear room to playroom as Liam's toys got bigger and bigger and began to suffocate me while I sat helpless eating bon bons.
Liam can roam the first floor, spending most of his time in the playroom, other time in the family room, and then the dining room and kitchen. Oh and let's not forget about the bathroom. Perfect for when you need a little private time. Liam, of course, not me. Mother's get no private time. I am lucky if I go to the bathroom alone more than once or twice a day. Occasionally I find Liam in there sitting under the toilet reading a book (like father, like son) or playing with a toy or banging the toilet seat like a drum. Whatever... it's not like he's playing with knives, right?
All this endless roaming typically happens with one or two toys in hand, which are dropped when something else catches his eye. The dog's water dish. The newspaper. The sippy cup. So at the end of the day the house has been taken by toys.
Oh have I mentioned we want to buy a new house in the spring? Uh yeah. So long story short we live in a house which abuts conservation land. We have no backyard. Well we do - 1.67 acres of wetlands that we can't touch. And we have no frontage and the speed limit on our street is 40mph. Are you smelling what I'm stepping in here? 2 slow thinking pugs + 1 fast moving boy = Nightmare on My Street. Yes, come spring Liam is going to be hellbent on running Forrest Gump style from one end of the town to the other... I would like a yard with a dog run or maybe a fence to contain him.
So we need to de-clutter and tidy and get ready to sell, sell, SELL. Watching too much Sell This House on tv and getting all motivated and crap. So I bought a couple things to contain the boy's crap and also make the playroom less "Pigpen's Playhouse" and more "Pottery Barn Docile Kids." So I bought this and this. LOVE THEM. And I didn't realize til they got here that they are both made by KidKraft so the wood matches exactly. Dan put them together this week and we actually think we will buy one more of each because they really look good and they aren't too complicated for throwing stuff in quickly when we know prospective buyers are coming by. Liam loves his books and I made a little comfy spot in the corner of the playroom with pillows and the bookshelf right next to him and he adores it. I actually would like a spot like that myself. I laid back into the pillows today and Liam thought it was so hilarious he had to jump on top of me and give me lots of kisses while squashing of the last semblance of breasts I was cherishing.
I'll be doing that tomorrow as well.
So the O'Neill house will be in a state of something over the next month... we'd like to get in the market by the end of March. I'm excited to look for a house! Scared shitless to have strangers wander through mine criticizing my crap (c'mon people! you have crap at your house too!). Of course Dan is toying with selling it himself which makes me want to vomit. Especially living with two wiley pugs that need to be contained (they are crate trained, thank God).
::tangent::
People, if you have never actually met a pug you have NO IDEA how psychotically crazy and hyper they can be - they don't get lapdogish til the arthritis sets in. The pug people selling the pugs don't tell you this. Oh sweet puggies - so sweet, they'll sit on your lap! Yeah if you have a piece of meat and a harness around their sausage bodies! Otherwise they are too busy chasing cars going by from INSIDE the house. And having asthma or issues regarding anything touching their butts! Yes! I seriously want to get Daisy on some Pr*zac. Seriously.
::
So I am doing pretty well with mentally being in gear to de-clutter and throw away! It's quite cleansing actually! So when I'm not doing the decluttering! Or throwing shit away! Or blogging my angst all night long! I'll be curled up in the fetal position in Liam's reading corner turning the pages to find out how BIG Baby Elmo is while Liam laughs maniacally with his knee in my chest.
A lot. Very blessed. It is like a daycare here for a class of one. And frankly, I like him having a lot of toys because technically this is like a daycare and some days... well... we need a lot of diversions.
Problem with a lot of toys - they end up everywhere. He does have a playroom. My house is a colonial. The first floor is basically an open floor plan with the stairs in the center. The two front rooms on either side of the stairs are play areas. One is our family room/living room. The other was most likely a formal dining room or formal living room in another life. We don't roll that way, so it was a computer/anything room and evolved to the baby gear room to playroom as Liam's toys got bigger and bigger and began to suffocate me while I sat helpless eating bon bons.
Liam can roam the first floor, spending most of his time in the playroom, other time in the family room, and then the dining room and kitchen. Oh and let's not forget about the bathroom. Perfect for when you need a little private time. Liam, of course, not me. Mother's get no private time. I am lucky if I go to the bathroom alone more than once or twice a day. Occasionally I find Liam in there sitting under the toilet reading a book (like father, like son) or playing with a toy or banging the toilet seat like a drum. Whatever... it's not like he's playing with knives, right?
All this endless roaming typically happens with one or two toys in hand, which are dropped when something else catches his eye. The dog's water dish. The newspaper. The sippy cup. So at the end of the day the house has been taken by toys.
Oh have I mentioned we want to buy a new house in the spring? Uh yeah. So long story short we live in a house which abuts conservation land. We have no backyard. Well we do - 1.67 acres of wetlands that we can't touch. And we have no frontage and the speed limit on our street is 40mph. Are you smelling what I'm stepping in here? 2 slow thinking pugs + 1 fast moving boy = Nightmare on My Street. Yes, come spring Liam is going to be hellbent on running Forrest Gump style from one end of the town to the other... I would like a yard with a dog run or maybe a fence to contain him.
So we need to de-clutter and tidy and get ready to sell, sell, SELL. Watching too much Sell This House on tv and getting all motivated and crap. So I bought a couple things to contain the boy's crap and also make the playroom less "Pigpen's Playhouse" and more "Pottery Barn Docile Kids." So I bought this and this. LOVE THEM. And I didn't realize til they got here that they are both made by KidKraft so the wood matches exactly. Dan put them together this week and we actually think we will buy one more of each because they really look good and they aren't too complicated for throwing stuff in quickly when we know prospective buyers are coming by. Liam loves his books and I made a little comfy spot in the corner of the playroom with pillows and the bookshelf right next to him and he adores it. I actually would like a spot like that myself. I laid back into the pillows today and Liam thought it was so hilarious he had to jump on top of me and give me lots of kisses while squashing of the last semblance of breasts I was cherishing.
I'll be doing that tomorrow as well.
So the O'Neill house will be in a state of something over the next month... we'd like to get in the market by the end of March. I'm excited to look for a house! Scared shitless to have strangers wander through mine criticizing my crap (c'mon people! you have crap at your house too!). Of course Dan is toying with selling it himself which makes me want to vomit. Especially living with two wiley pugs that need to be contained (they are crate trained, thank God).
::tangent::
People, if you have never actually met a pug you have NO IDEA how psychotically crazy and hyper they can be - they don't get lapdogish til the arthritis sets in. The pug people selling the pugs don't tell you this. Oh sweet puggies - so sweet, they'll sit on your lap! Yeah if you have a piece of meat and a harness around their sausage bodies! Otherwise they are too busy chasing cars going by from INSIDE the house. And having asthma or issues regarding anything touching their butts! Yes! I seriously want to get Daisy on some Pr*zac. Seriously.
::
So I am doing pretty well with mentally being in gear to de-clutter and throw away! It's quite cleansing actually! So when I'm not doing the decluttering! Or throwing shit away! Or blogging my angst all night long! I'll be curled up in the fetal position in Liam's reading corner turning the pages to find out how BIG Baby Elmo is while Liam laughs maniacally with his knee in my chest.
posted by Susie @ 9:13 PM
4 Comments:
At 9:44 AM, January 30, 2006,
Anonymous
said…
Been there! It is a royal pain to sell a house with a toddler - but we did it - you can too.
Here’s a hint - I always had a few empty large plastic laundry baskets around and when the last minute showings would pop up - I would scoop everything (and I mean everything) - that was laying around - pillows, dishes, toys, cat food, remotes, half folded laundry - you name it- into those baskets and pop them in the car with us.... Really was a great thing.
Good luck!!! I hope you sell fast and find a home that makes you as happy as mine does me.
Oh and NOTE TO DAN - GET AN AGENT! Worth every penny.....
Love ya!
At 5:34 AM, January 31, 2006,
WILLIAM
said…
good luck with selling the house. It sucks and it is a lot of work. I feel for you.
At 8:17 PM, January 31, 2006,
Carrie
said…
I feel for you, momma. selling a house is NOT EASY... especially with a child. I feel pretty lucky that we went through it when Rhena was only 3 months old, so I'll send you all my extra energy!
I like Kate's suggestion.... really good since I remember only getting like 20 minutes notice sometimes for a walkthrough.
Our agent told me two things that have stuck with me. you hit on the biggest part of it.. the de-cluttering... the other is depersonalizing.
she said to minimize the amount of pictures, and stash away all personal hygeine products like toothbrushes, razors, etc. She said it helps when your house looks more like a hotel, because you're not clouding the image for the prospective buyers with YOUR life.
but whatever. I don't think my agent ever even ATE let alone have a family. you guys will do great.... and your house is awesome!! who wouldn't want to live in the house LIAM was born into?????
At 11:38 PM, January 31, 2006,
Claire
said…
Oh my. Good luck, lady. I hear the market is bordering on stagnant right now, which is just kittens and rainbows for us poor schmoes in rental houses looking to buy soon. But I very much see your need to be somewhere different for the boy's sake, and that's all that matters. May the selling (and buying) gods be with you.
I also love the pictures of the Liam, especially in his literary corner, and my good heavens when did he start looking so much like a little BOY and not a lump?
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