Our family

Our family

Saturday, July 2, 2011

And they've closed





Well this must have been the most contentious closing the history of closing. Doing business with these sellers was akin to dancing with the devil. Bad people. Closing was a three and a half hour train wreck. Lies were revealed but more were presented, you have to admire the tenacity of these people constantly being caught up in their own lies but just getting back up to lie to more. There is a sort of demented spirit to it.



But none the less we are now the proud owners of a 100 year old house in Rockville Centre, and the true work can begin. We have met some of our neighbors thanks to Rockstar who went visiting, of course they met me and the five kids running down the block screaming and in a panic due to the lost dog, not the way I was hoping to present us to the community, but maybe its best they know the truth from the begining.










Monday, June 27, 2011

3 months of free loading

Well the last post was finished on May 2nd, and here it is June 27th and guess where we are living, come on, can you guess? A point to you if you gues: At the In-Laws. We are inching up on the three month mark. Though honestly instead of it getting more difficult and stressful, it has gotten easier and just as I began to feel the rhythm of the crowded life set in, we got a closing date. It is for tomorrow in fact, but as the motto goes hope for the best, but expect the worst.


The sellers are playing games right into the 11th hour, like turning off the electricity and trying to bill us for undiscussed work, not finishing the deck. I am not sure what is motivating their strange behavior but I will be happy when I finally can end our relationship with them.





Well as alluded to in the last post the actual purchase of the house is only the start of the adventure for us. As we all gear up to get our hands dirty getting this old house into gear for the 21st century. Steve and I did a bit of window shoping at the Home Depot. I was suprised to learn that he will need 3 different types of saws, I mean who knew? Though my father has donated at least two of these as well as every other tool we could gather from his garage and run out with.





We are looking forward to getting a week's hard labor from Joe with the strong back. I don't know the circumstances leading to his unvolunteered work, I am just gratefull to be on the receiving end.





We need a lot of it, the house has no water pressure, too little ampage, a backyard with a big hole in it sometimes referred to as a pool, an unfinished deck, squirrels habitating in the garage and possibly the attic, a basement full of mold, a wall that needs demolished and kitchen that must become a laundry room, and a living room that must become a bedroom, fences that are falling down. This is the list of necessities, the list of dream projects goes on and on. Including knocking down a wall, heating the 3 season room (which would also involve a renaming), bedroom painting, den painting, landscaping, a canopy, a pergola, gardening, tree pruning, fountain, hot tub, bacchi court, tiling deck, and don't even get me started on the tennis court.





After weeks of waiting the day is upon us and we are full of hope!

Monday, May 2, 2011

Free loading is fun for the whole family!

So we are coming up on our anniversary. The one month anniversary of moving the seven us and our puppy into the 1 bedroom apartment of Steve's parents house. Much different then the plan to move into the giant house in Rockville Centre, it is different and the stress is high, but this free loading stuff really is nice. Mortgage payment out. Ditto for cable, electric water and gas. My wardrobe has improved, oh and did I mention the free babysitting? Also nice. An interesting development is that each time I complain Steve hangs another shelf. Let's just say we have a lot of shelves now.

But the mess we have gotten ourselves into ( and by mess I mean the "new" house in Rockville centre) rolls on. We may or may not close in a week or two. And let's face it, it is hardly the end of the line should we make it to closing. The house is old, 100 years old, I think that we are the perfect marks for a home show. Think of the spin, we are going to be the quintessential family under construction. It is my interim project to find a TV show to put my family on. Of course I want a show that is going to foot the bill. Have any ideas? There must be the perfect match.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Posts in the graveyard

This is a graveyard post. It is were I am putting the remains of not one but two great news posts.

The first is of the dog, yes a dog Rocky the Rockstar Boomer Bo. But alas I didn't even have a chance to take a picture of him before he was hospitalized with a horrible virus called Parvo. It is costing a small fortune and he is in mega bad shape. I unfortunately said ungraceful things like "the dog is half dead" which Cara is cheerfully informing everyone, which is a bit disconcerting coming from a ponytailed kindergartner. Now all you judges before you say "why would you get a dog, is your life not hard enough?" I will tell you this I as you may have discerned am not interested in gliding through life, but actually experiencing it, and all of its attended stresses and rewards. Does that or me, always look pretty or even happy as I troop through the things I take on? In a word no. But all of you glossy, well rested, unruffled people can take your boring lives, it just isn't for me. Feeling a little defensive, yes I am , how did you ever guess.

Okay graveyard post number 2, this would be that next weekend is the much anticipated move. We are still moving alright, just not where we had hoped. Instead we are off to my MIL's house. All 7 of us and our half dead puppy (I am afraid this name might stick) At least it will help us pay the vet bills. So into a 1 bedroom apt we go. It is so hard to imagine that this will happen in 7 days, when I had been so looking forward to getting into the house, buying decorating magazines and looking at pictures of stone fireplaces. We are still hoping to save the deal, but really who knows at this point?

It would be great to wrap this up with something meaningful but it is after all a graveyard and there just isn't much to say.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Sure I'll bake a cake or 8




I have to bake a cake, or let me clarify I have to bake 8 cakes and then assemble them into a diamond shape, with each square of the diamond representing a different Cub Scout den. I have to do this you see, because I volunteered to. Yes I raised my hand to that call out, oh no not even a call out, they were going to get a sheet cake from Costco. I derailed their plans because at the time baking sounded like fun, unlike today when baking sounds like torture. Ok well not the first 2 or three cakes, fine but 8, who besides the cake boss has any interest in baking 8 cakes?
I wondered out loud what we would bake when our boys were the featured "moving up" boys, perhaps we could make one of those ones that a lady pops out of, maybe Delila would be willing to pop out? It would be interesting, if not a bit disconcerting.

Besides the cake, I will also be in charge of entertainment and games. This has turned into the Bo show. It may be because I feel badly that we will be leaving the den, that despite it all I have become attached to. My over enthusiastic volunteerism is my way to apologize? Or perhaps to point out how much they will really miss me when I am gone, I don't like to be forgotten.

I will post a picture of the cake better or worse whenever it is done.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Tupac or not Tupac

I can't pack. I don't mean that I am not good at it, I wouldn't know as I am having a hard time even starting. Well no, I do tape together the boxes and then begin to put stuff in them but then I am struck by an insecurity a dialogue on what should go in this box, should the box have a theme? Should half of this stuff even make the journey to the new house? So instead I read, books, the Internet, to the kids. I play Kinnect, go ice skating and to the zoo. I workout and follow Justin Bieber on twitter.
I have a slight disbelief that I am ever going to actually need to face down moving day at all. The big splash of finding the house seems so far away and the maze of paperwork and deal-making seem too long to ever surmount. I do tend to get overwhelmed by the gigantic project thing as well. I stop and drift off, and I know this is true. But what to do with the whole "know thyself" thing? Uh great, I know that I will never be able to pack up the house.
I am glad though to be still good at what I am good at, which is spending time with the kids. I am really good at that. And they are having a good vacation which I am hoping counts for something.

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Out with old and in with the new

So enough about you, back to me because this is after all my blog. I have news yes, news that I can't stop thinking about! News, news, news! It's out with the old and in with the new for 2011! The house is sold, well at least in contract amigo. That's right the latest chapter in the always tumultuous life of the Bo's. And we have drum roll please.... found the house of our dreams, though honestly this house had never entered our city dwelling dreams in any form. As the thought of this family moving into a 101 year old monster of a house had not even occurred to us. I do happen to like old house's their history, I do, but owning one...well they don't tend to have jacuzzi tubs and walk in closets. And our new house is no exception to the rule. What it does have though is lots of bathrooms and doors. Doors everywhere, doors that lead you behind the walls in which you can exit by another door. This as you can imagine is a huge selling point for the kids. Not to mention (VBA (veiled brag alert)) a huge in the ground pool with a diving board and count 'em sister, 2 slides. Did you read that? Maybe you should read it again and maybe I should work on the veiled part of my VBA's.
I'm as enthralled as a teenager in love honestly. I can't wait to see the house again. Of course like any good romance their is the chance that it will all fall apart yet. We are merely dating not even engaged yet, which I think that going from accepted offer to "in contract" implies, don't you? I hope so I hope I am not just reading all the signals wrong. Ah the angst of finding the right one.
So what have I downloaded to my Kindle? (my poor Kindle had been the object of my affection only a week before, clearly eclipsing the strong feelings I once held for my droid, and though I still love them I fear that I am no longer "in love" with them. A book on interior design. Because, and not to beat a dead horse with a theme, like any good catch their is of course room for improvement.
So off to the races of home remodeling and decorating, as this house needs help and though I work had to keep negative thoughts like "money pit" and the "Adams Family house" out they do have a way of creeping in. But it does help me keep perspective because there are times when I daydream of my family's future in the house and I realize that in everyone, I am 20lbs lighter, with better hair, the kids are well behaved and engaged in book reading, piano playing and other Currier and Ives type of behavior. It is true that I told Steve that we should call the rooms by the proper names like the "salon" or the "gaming parlor" . This from a girl who for a full 6 years couldn't stop calling the entrance way the lobby, after moving from Manhattan to the boroughs.
So follow along the trials of tribulations of our latest adventure, next week: pictures!