New life amidst the reno-chaos

All last week I’ve been sharing bits and pieces on social media about being suddenly thrust into a reno-zone. The flooring is only partially installed, there are only a few plug-ins and lights (rooms we didn’t totally gut), no stove or kitchen sink, and only one bathroom with running water. (Did I mention no doors? Privacy isn’t really a thing…!) I’ve managed to tame the drywall dust by frequently vacuuming, but we are afraid to turn on the furnace until we get the ducts and cold air returns cleaned because they are full. Yesterday there was frost on the lawns…

 

On a positive note, the cupboards are in so I am starting the process of filling them. It was quite the task to find all the boxes marked “Kitchen” since they got buried in the basement with everything else when we had to move in prematurely. Now we are doing the “grand shuffle” – moving boxes and furniture from one location to another as we try to install flooring and baseboards, and do the remaining electrical.

I know I am not the first person to have to live in this kind of renovation chaos. In fact, I’ve done it more than once myself. (Although I think I was younger and more resilient!) However, let me put this move into context. September is by far my busiest month as an online support teacher. I have a lot to do as I meet with parents and help them set up their children’s classes for the year, write their Student Learning Plans, conduct other meetings, and do a myriad of other tasks. I love my job as an online support teacher, but September can be stressful.

Especially when you don’t have internet or a proper place to sit! I have been using my phone as a Hotspot, which is working fine, but finding a place to work has been the most “fun” as I shift from room to room. One day I had to sit in my car because there was too much construction noise in the house. I finally found my desk chair and a card table so that was a real celebration.

AND THEN… my daughter went into labour and I had to switch locations once again so that I could look after her two-year-old. (You may or may not know that another daughter had surprise twin girls at the end of July, so we have been triply blessed this year bringing our grandchildren count to TEN!) By the way – it’s another girl!

Life in the struggle, as they say. But it’s a good kind of struggle – especially when I got to snuggle with Freddie while waiting for his sibling to arrive.