We got to the front desk and gave the girl the name of the boy whose party Rhys was attending. She furrowed her brow and said, “my, you’re here early”…which I’m fairly used to hearing since I’m compulsive about being timely. I told her that I wanted to be there a bit early to see the new building. She told me that I had more than enought time to look around because the birthday party didn’t start until 3:00pm. Ugh. My bad. I’ve been scatter-brained for the past few weeks so things like this are happening more and more frequently.

It worked-out well in the end, that is, after I took a breath and got past my initial frustration. It was just Rhys and I, something which doesn’t happen often. We had a little date and played at the museum for an hour before his friends showed-up, just me and my boy.   I really like the new layout, the design and the use of colour. With that said, I wouldn’t ever go on a Saturday again…

I left Rhys at the party after it started and went back to the house to get James and Amelia. We made our way back to The Forks, grabbed some mini-doughnuts and then went to get the boy. Because Rhys was there for a party we all got in for free so while Rhys was finishing-up we let Ammie snoop around and explore the space. The highlight of the whole day was watching Rhys spend 90% of his time at the water table and the building station (which didn’t surprise me at all. give him anything to do with engineering and you won’t hear from him for a few hours) and then seeing James gravitate to the exact same station to do the exact same thing. Rhys is so much like James that it’s shocking.

After Rhys had been meticulously colouring the book for a few hours I happened to walk past while he was taking a break. The book was left open and this is what I saw:

Upon further inspection I found this:

And then this:

Crazy!

Have I taken the book away? Heck no!

It’ll be a good history lesson if he decides to actually read the thing.

{breakfast table}

{girly Lego}

{boy Lego}

{she likes to eat}

{soccer kids part 1}

{soccer kids part 2}

We are now living in 660 sq ft.

I have moments where I totally freak out and wonder what we’ve gotten ourselves into. Why would we move? Why would we give-up our yard, our space, our big bedroom for something so small? Why would we knowingly enter into so much change? It’s a totally different way of living. I’m now tied-down to a place, to a job. We can’t just up-and-leave at the drop of a hat. I need to be reachable at all times.

Then I have moments where I think that this is just brilliant; a forced down-size. Something totally different is often what we need. A new beginning. A chance to see life from a different perspective, a different angle.

Paring down has been good. We still have so much stuff left in our house and I only find myself with a small(ish) list of things to bring over still. I’m sure we will end-up filling our storage containers with all of the camping/hunting/sewing gear, but other than that I can’t think of what we still need. Man, we have so much junk.

I’m trying to find a spot for everything before it all gets unpacked. I think that living here will help me grow leaps and bounds in the way of organization and household responsibilities. I have to stay on-top of dishes and cleaning or else the place will drive us nuts. I have to plan meals better because we only have an apartment size fridge, stove and freezer. Planning and care will have to go into so many things. I will need to manage myself and my time well, something that I’ve always wanted to be good at.

So here we are. The space, now that we’re moved-in, feels very comfortable and seems to be a good space for us. All of our stuff that we wanted to fit in here does. We have a nice living room and a little office area for me (using my sorting table as the desk). The artwork still needs to be put-up, but there’s no rush on that.

I think that this is going to be a great learning time for us as individuals, as a couple and as a family.

 ”Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.” – William Morris

Well, this is the week. We will be in transition for a little while, but Wednesday is our official ‘move-in’ day. I’ve been puttering around, trying to figure-out what we need and what we’ll need to leave behind. Up until this point it’s been all talk, “we’ll pare down, we’ll get rid of things, we’ll live more simply” I’ve told myself. Man, when push comes to shove it’s hard to actually do. When you’re holding the things in your hands trying to decide if that item makes a difference in your life it’s so easy to rationalize keeping it. After going through a whole room you’re only left with a single box to go to the thrift store and a small bag to go to the trash. I’m glad that I’m reading a book about simplicity while going through this transition. It’s helped give me focus and motivation where focus and motivation have been lacking. It’s helped to remind me that this move is much more than a relocation and a money-saving strategy for us…if we let it be. I’ve been repeating that old quote “change is inevitable – growth is optional” to myself over and over. James and I could easily move, get rid of a few belongings and be done with it, without a second thought. Our lives could change and we could stay the same. My hope is that doesn’t happen. My hope is that we use this crazy opportunity to allow ourselves to grow and embrace a more unconventional life.

“…simplicity must first draw the heart, appealing to the soul in some mysterious way; only afterwards will the intellect follow along, filling in the details of how to organize life around this new passion and dreaming up rationals for curious friends. The attraction of simplicity is mysterious because it draws us in a completely opposite direction from where most of the world seems to be going: away from conspicuous display, accumulation, egoism, and public visibility – toward a life more silent, humble, and transparent than anything known to the extroverted culture of consumerism.”

                                    -Mark A. Burch excerpt from Stepping Lightly

I like tea.

I like my toys.

I like school.

My house number is 270.

I am a boy.

By: Rhys

I was talking to Rhys about Festival at dinner today. He couldn’t remember going there so we went through a few pictures when I came across this one. What a gem.

(photo taken 2009)

2002- Went to live in Australia for a while. Moved.

2003- Went to Providence College and got engaged. Moved.

2004- Moved. Got married to my handsome husband, James.

2005- David Rhys was born. James was laid-off (right before Christmas, I might add!).

2006- Moved. James got a job at Providence College. Then we moved again and James worked at our church.

2007- We left our church. Amelia Kate was born. We moved twice.

2008- Started attending FCC.

2009- James was laid-off. James got a new job. James started his application for the WPS.

2010- Went to Haiti. Rhys started school. James was accepted into the WPS.

2011- James started Academy. I started working. Rhys started Grade 1.

2011 was a wonderful year. I don’t think that James and I have had a better year! There were lots of stresses and lots of change, but all-in-all it was a great year. James has never been happier, which makes me happier. I feel like this past year was an amazing time of personal growth for me; I’m much more confident, much more comfortable. I have a better understand of who I am and what I want, of what makes me happy and what I can let go.

Over the years our lives have changed a lot. A lot. We’ve never been very good at leading ‘normal’ hum-drum lives and, it seems, we continually walk a twisting road full of ups and downs and sharp turns. We have many speed bumps but, if I’m honest, there are many peaks where the views are just magnificent.

2012 is shaping up to be another year of change for us. James and I are relocating our family (within the city) into a…wait for it………660 sq ft apartment! Crazy? Yes. Stupid? Well…I guess it would depend who you ask. We’re pretty excited (and slightly nervous) about it. In a nutshell, we are renting-out our house, managing an apartment block and saving bundles and bundles of money for a few years.

I realize it’s going to be a sharp learning curve. I realize it’s going to take a lot of patience and planning and paring down, but I’m up for the challenge. I’m excited by the opportunity to refocus our family and attempt to live our lives in a different way. I will be able to stay home yet bring in an income. The place is very close to church, friends and family (and my favorite bookstore!).

I will be packing-up our house soon so my posts might be lacking, but I assure you I will be back and blogging all about our 660 sq ft lives a.s.a.p!

I wish all of you all the best this year and can’t wait to see where the road twists and turns next.

Right now I’m sipping my deliciously brewed (thanks jen) Hawaiian coffee (thanks dad) from my pretty new mug (thanks jen!) about to pick-up one of my new books (thanks jordan and sasha!). Gotta love the holidays!

Rhys: Peas. That’s why it’s called PEA-NUT-BUTTER.

Ammie: Oooooh.

Bria: Um, nope. It’s made out of peanuts.

Rhys: Why butter?

Bria: Because it’s spreadable like butter.

Ammie: Who makes honey?

Bria: Bees.

Ammie: What’s honey made out of?

Rhys: Flowers.

Ammie: (laughs) That’s SILLY!

Rhys: No. It’s not. Bee’s help us.

Ammie: Helpers?

Rhys: Ya. They help other plants survive.

Ammie: But they sting you on your fingers if you touch them.

Rhys: Ya, but that’s only to protect themselves.