Shipping Container Home Storage

Have you ever seen a bunch of shipping containers converted into houses? Seriously so cool. And totally considering doing it one day.

 

Last week we purchased a shipping container in which to store all our stuff that won't be living with us in the shed.

 

Its 40 foot of shipping container. When Dave said he wanted to get that size I was all like, that's fine, whatever. I knew it would be large.

 

Man, that things is HUGE. Like two cars long, huge. Like you could live in it huge, and turn it into a house huge. well, with several other ones you could.

 

Hugo and I had to go out to the brother in laws place to show the delivery guy where to put the container. This was a very important job. Ain't no way that thing would be moved if we got it wrong.

 

So Hugo and I trundled out to visit our new home and

1. make sure the container was put in the right spot and

2. make sure the guy didn't drive the truck over the area where the septic is otherwise he would get bogged. And while I have a 4 wheel drive it would not be pulling out a stuck truck.

 

So some pictures of our new abode and our gigantic storage unit.

See that nice house on the left. that's where we won't be living. We are in the shed way over in the back. Picture on the right is our new home!

Waiting for the container to arrive. Hugo overseeing the work.

Now, back to my packing so we can start filling this baby up!

On Hitting My Stride

I love being mama. It's really all I have ever always wanted to be.

No one has ever filled my heart the way my son does. Nothing has ever been as beautiful to hold, as sweet to smell and as captivating to watch.

Right from the first moment I held him I felt complete. I found my purpose.

Oh, but there was some internal struggle, wrestling between my old self and my new self as mama.

I am an introvert. I need "me time." and usually a lot of it. I get refreshed from having time to myself.

But you don't get much me time as a new mother. Especially when you are the new mother of a new little boy who doesn't sleep well during the day. Who prefers to sleep in your arms. and if he does sleep on his own they are very, very, very short sleeps.

I'm not sure of the exact day, but it was about six weeks ago. Hugo was around 4 months, maybe a little older, when I realised that I was feeling more me again.

Not feeling exactly like the old me, the pre-mummy me, but feeling more myself.

I was laughing more easily, breathing more easily, feeling more human, and less tired. (Hugo starting to sleep better during the day has helped a lot)

I felt settled into my new role, and ok with the fact that it's different from my old one.

Don't get me wrong, I don't, not for one second, prefer the old me. I don't for one second miss the old me with more "me time."

I have everything I ever wanted. It just took me a little longer then I though it would to figure out my new rhythm, to really find my stride.

I have found it, and it is so very, very good.

Homeless

So over the weekend we became homeless.

Well, not exactly homeless, more like... houseless.

See a couple months back the lady who owns the house we have been renting passed away.

She had been unwell for a long time. That's why we were renting her place, so it's not like there was any great shock in her passing.

This situation was inevitable. We knew this day would come.

When we first moved in we had planned on perhaps buying this house when the time came. What we hadn't foreseen was when exactly that would happen, and what exactly our circumstances would be.

Because I'm not working we can only get a loan for $200,000.

That might sound like a lot, especially to Americans. 200K buys a lot of house in some areas over there.

Not so for us. It might get you a small, one bedroom unit in Geelong, or a house next door to drug dealers.

In many suburbs of Geelong, you can't even buy a block of land for that price.

So we made the decision to move out of the house we have been renting, even before they put it on the market, and move into Dave's brother's shed. And mum and dad's caravan.

It sounds much worse than it is. Dave's brother and his wife lived in it while they built their house. They even brought their brand new baby home to the shed house. Dave lived in it for a while before we got married.

We'll use the shed for our living and kitchen space, and the caravan will become our new bedroom.

We could have chosen to find somewhere else to rent, but it would be hard for us to save much more than we have been until I go back to work. This way we only to contribute towards gas, electricity and water. No rent, no insurance.

We can start to really make some good progress towards buying our own house in a year.

It's a little adventure for us. Sacrifice now, to benefit later.

And if it sucks we can always find another rental!!

Let the packing begin!

A Boy and His Daddy

melts. my. heart.

Today I Almost Shoplifted

Yep, almost became a crim today.

I totally didn't mean to. It just happened. I had no intention of doing this deed when I left the house at 2:36pm.

I had to grab a few things at the supermarket. Bananas, tuna, some rice. As I was walking down the aisle with the instant rice, I noticed the lactose free milk we use was on sale. Great. I grabbed a few and popped them in the basket underneath the pram.

Because I had only planned on getting a few things I had just put the rice, bananas and tuna on top of the pram sunshade. So the milk was the only thing in the basket.

I then bought some weet-bix because the weather has gotten cold and wintery and I love warm weet-bix with honey.

Then as I was going through the self serve checkout, the lady next to me almost shoplifted some burger buns (unintentionally) and while I was being nosey and watching the supermarket lady help her put the buns through the checkout, I noticed her change ($20) hanging out of the machine. Being nice I alerted her to this fact, and then finished paying for my things.

I picked up my groceries and started to walk off.

And then I had that moment. The moment you know something isn't right.

"I put milk in the basket" I thought to myself.

I looked down.

Sure enough, milk. In the basket.

I quickly turned around, acted like I hadn't done anything weird or wrong, like shoplifting, and paid for the milk.

Now I'm eating fruit loops.

The End.

It Was a Good Sunday

First we skipped church. gasp!

Then I went to the supermarket. by. my. self. You know your a mother when you classify doing the grocery shopping alone as "me time."

I had a whole hour to myself, the first time since Hugo was born. I missed him, and shopped really quickly, way quicker than normal, and only bought what was on the list. Maybe I should shop like that more often.

Then, Hugo has finally mastered the back to tummy roll. He has been toying with this skill for a month or so, but today he took it up a notch. I even got video footage of it, finally.

We brought Dr. Pepper. Actually that was on Saturday, but it deserves a mention. Also on Saturday I tried on a lions head hat. It didn't fit. Bummer.

I took a photo of my son crying today, before consoling him. He is just so cute no matter what he's doing.

The smallest and cutest member of our family has of late stopped falling asleep during his last feed at night. He has decided that it is much more fun to pop wide open his eyes the second I put him down in bed, and then wriggle around for 20 minutes before finally conceding defeat.

And while I'm on the subject of boobs, I have realised they are my secret burping weapon. They are perfectly placed to get the last air bubbles out when I place Hugo up to my shoulder. Which I feel kind of makes sense, that they should be such effective burpers, considering they are a large contributing factor to him getting wind in the first place.

On that lovely last note I will sign off.

You are welcome for the randomness.

A Bush Easter

Reliving the sights, sounds and smells of my childhood felt like the best way to spend our first Easter with Hugo.

We spent good Friday at home with Lari and did our Good Friday tradition of finding the can shakers for the Good Friday Appeal to give our years worth of collected coins to.

Saturday morning we then drove to Belgrave Heights Convention where mum and dad were camping for the annual Easter Convention.

Every year until I was about 12, we would camp in our caravan up at the convention. Mum and dad have recently started camping again, so this year we decided to join them for just one night.

Our tent was set up for us when we arrived, on my aunt and uncles site, and we didn't have to pack it up when we left. That's the best kind of camping!

Hugo did amazingly well. Slept better than he had at home for a couple of weeks.

I loved getting to celebrate our first Easter with Hugo, smelling the pines and the camp fires, enjoying the cool air, listening to some good teaching during the sessions, watching Hugo get loved on by Aunty Deli, Uncle Graeme, and their four boys. It really was the most perfect Easter for a long time.

Five Months

Five months old. Wow.

I say that every month, but each month it's true. I can't believe that five months has past since I first saw your little face and held you in my arms.

You grow and change every day, my Hugo bear. Your hair is getting longer, and you still have half a dozen of your original hairs that stick up way above the rest. I can't bring myself to trim them down.

You have been rolling over. Not alot, and not every day but you have been doing it from your front to your back, and from your back onto your tummy. Your preferred way of lying though, is half on your tummy half on your back, all twisted around on the strangest angle.

You had your first beach trip, your first camping trip and your first Easter.

You love it when we read books together, and Spot books seem to be a favourite. We lie on our bed and as soon as I open the first page your break out into a huge gummy grin. As I read you often reach our a little hand and place it on my shoulder. That might be my favourite part of reading together.

You still fit into a lot of 00 clothing but just yesterday I put you in a 0 onesie as we were out of clean/dry 00. It was a little big, but it won't be long until you do fit it.

I haven't given you any food yet, as I feel like when I do you won't be my little baby anymore. You will seem a little more grown up and I'm not ready for that. You also haven't appeared to be that interested in food when we eat, but just in the last day or two you seem to have taken notice of us when we eat.

We think you might have teeth on the way. You have been drooling a lot and have been getting red cheeks.

Each day you become more and more interactive and there are times when it seems like you are really trying to communicate and tell us something but you haven't got the words yet to tell us.

You are laughing a lot more now, and Daddy is the one who can get the most out of you. You laugh whenever he says "Dada." You must think he's so funny!

We are so proud of our boy, and fall a little more in love with him every day.