Garage Sale Etiquette

After several months of digging, cleaning, clearing, sorting, stacking, and pricing, we are finally ready for a garage sale. Sure, we've had them in the past, but not large or varied enough to yield a profit. This sale will be huge, as I rid our basement of my daughter's entire infant/toddler wardrobe, all furniture and items from what were once our guest room and home office (now children's bedrooms), and a closet full of maternity clothes that I don't intend to wear again anytime soon. As I prepare for this exciting weekend, I reflect on the etiquette that I wish were standard at garage sales:

1. Don't mess with my neatly stacked piles unless you are really considering buying something. This is not a Gap, and I don't have employees waiting in a back room somewhere.
   
2. Don't ask me why I am selling something. Obviously, I no longer have a need - or desire - to keep the item in my possession, and thus, it's been put out for sale. RIGHT?!
   
3. Don't try to "talk me down" 50 cents. I probably don't have the change, and I am not taxing you.
   
4. Don't ask if I'll sell the things in my garage that are not priced. I am keeping those. K?

I am smiling as I write this, because I don't really mind these things at all. I enjoy meeting new people, and I love warm weather. What combines the two better than a garage sale?

MWM Turns 30

Are We Done Yet?

It's an interesting question that I've gotten a lot latey... "are you done?" A simple query regarding whether or not my husband and I plan to have more children; but for me a weighty issue with no easy answers.

I love my children. I love knowing them as babies and watching them grow. I love rocking them, teaching them, and being silly with them. I love it all. Parenthood, though, hasn't been an easy road for us, so wanting more and having more are two very different concepts.

From the frustration of trying to build our family the old-fashioned way, to the heartbreak of losing our son Henry just prior to birth, we look at pregnancy and birth as a trial in patience and resilience... and one that we feel ill-equipped to handle again. If it were to happen, we would embrace the blessing and try to face it with courage. I can't imagine, however, inviting that anxiety and desperation into my life again.

I wish that my answer were as simple as a "yes" or a "no," instead of a "yes, but only because..."

MWM Turns 30

A Mom's Wish List

1. A personal chef
2. A housekeeper
3. TWO refrigerators and PLENTY of pantry space
4. ALL walk-in closets (not just in the master!)
5. Clean restrooms at the park
6. Voice-activated remote control
7. Clothes that fit after pregnancy (not too big, not too small, not stretched out, etc.)
8. Gorgeous hair that needn't be so much as blown out
9. A husband that genuinely enjoys his role as a father
10. Children that are healthy, safe, and (for the most part) well-behaved

Happy to have 9 & 10... working on the other 8!

MWM Turns 30

No Routine IS our Routine!

My son is 7 weeks old, my daughter knows only her whale pool and swings, and I am taking an accelerated graduate course in an effort to obtain my next level of professional licensure. We have no routine. When someone asks, "What would be a good time to...?" I have to reply, "I don't know. Let's try for... or If my baby is sleeping, then..."

Our routine is having no routine, and the sooner that I accept and appreciate it, the better off that I - and everyone else - will be.

MWM Turns 30

Who Am I Now?

It occurred to me this afternoon while eating lunch, and I will preface by acknowledging that I am prone to over-analyzing just about everything, that I may no longer know who I am.

In between trying to conceive each of my children (and thus, being a trying mom), I was stay-at-home nursing mom (Izzie) and grieving, working mom (Henry), only to be followed by anxious, pregnant mom (Isaac). Today, I am no longer trying, no longer pregnant, and (will soon be) no longer nursing. So... what am I?

Who I am has influenced the way that I eat, the way that I sleep, the way that I work... everything, for several years. If I am to simply be Renee again, I will have to take some time to figure out who that is now that my babies are here and my family is complete.

MWM Turns 30