House Hunters Beware: Stop, Look, and Smell

We've moved five times in the last two years. And no, we don't have a house-hopping addiction! We just chose some bad houses and have learned (the HARD way) how to spot the red flags. 

 I mean, it's a lot to take in. You get the keys to an empty house and you have one chance to look the house over and decide: do we call this place home or do we run far, far away?

Here are the big, blinking (yet sometimes subtle) caution signs that we've missed:

1) Always check the sex offender registry before choosing a home. Or else...your neighbor might just BE a registered sex offender. Or maybe a sex offender last lived in the home you're scoping, which...is still just plain creepy and gives the home a bad vibe. 

2) If you choose a home within 30 feet of water in Florida, be prepared to see lots of snakes and just maybe an alligator.

3) Pay attention to ANY smell when you walk through that front door. And then, walk away. Don't be fooled by new paint, either. The owner might be trying to cover up another smell, whether it's mold, cigarettes or animal pee. If you don't pay attention, you might end up being really sick or dealing with a sick child (trust me). 

4) Sniff that carpet! That's right. Get on your hands and knees and get to smelling! You might detect something, especially water damage (hello mildew smell!) or animal pee.

5) Beware if a home has been totally renovated. Find out the reason. We thought a total renovation was a wonderful thing until we realized it was to cover up major cigarette damage and meth stains. But not even a total renovation can hide all the home's dirty secrets. Check in weird places for weird stains. We found bizarre thick stains inside all our window frames and under unrenovated places that were identical to METH stains. 

6) Look inside every cabinet, behind the stove, under the fridge, etc. Look for dead roaches, roach poop or EVEN rodent poop. Look for any gnaw marks, too. You don't want to miss this red flag. Rats might already call your future home THEIR home.

7) If you have babies that like to sleep at night and you notice your future neighbor has a doghouse in the yard, just be cautious. Most likely it will be a normal dog, but there is a small chance it could be a yapper. 

8) If there are lots of kids in the neighborhood, that could be a great thing. Or it could be a terrible thing. You might just become their new 24/7 babysitter and the recipient of 25 doorbell rings per day. 

9) And finally, talk to neighbors. We love our current house (lucky #5), but it is always a good idea to get a feel for the neighborhood and the people living in it. 

Or else...you could be living next to a teenage boy named Julia who sports hot pink lipstick and 5-inch heels while riding his/her bike. Just saying. 

Beware...and happy house hunting!

My little house hunters♥

Settling In

Every time we move (I swear), we get sick. This time the sinus infection that ends in bronchitis has hit Birch House. Even Piper has the sniffles. Andrew and Maddox took her to the vet today and she got some meds. Lovely. Now I get to bribe not only two toddlers to swallow their medicine twice a day, but a cat too! (And still remember to take mine.)

All kidding aside though, we love this house. I mean, there are some things we might change, like the skirt-wearing boy neighbor or the 24/7 barking dogs next door, but what fun would life be without a little challenge or a little "something to talk about?"

The boys roam the big yard all day. They love it. We found a wild berry patch behind the house and they think that is just the coolest thing. We still haven't seen a bear (and hopefully won't) but there are locks on the trash can so that means they are closeby. 

Rats to bears...hmm...

I'll take the bears.

Birch House (aka House #5)

I spy...Maddox. Can you?

Welcome to our new backyard. 

That's right.

We moved...again.

But it was kinda necessary. You see, we had this little problem with some big rats, had to evacuate our house,  fight a month-long battle with housing, and finally...we have a new (bigger and better) house.

Details to follow. Right now I am trying to get out of boxes, then it's onto making this house a home. 

feelin' the love this weekend

We had a four day weekend. No one got sick. And it was full of fun...and this:

(love, that is)

Today, Maddox and I ventured out for a little shopping trip. He has always been my shopping buddy, but this morning he declared, "I hate shopping! I don't want to go!" What??? I had to bribe him with lollipops and he gave in. And of course, he had fun! We even had a soup and bread date at Panera, at his request♥

(I bet your date is not as cute as mine!)

And then I came home to yet a second adorable little face. Daddy and Maddox had park time and Jude and I had lawn-mower-in-the-front-yard time. 

He stole Maddox's sweet tea and drank it down to the very last drop.

It's ok. Maddox didn't even ask about it!

 If you are ever in the mood for a little bit of heaven in your kitchen, you should give this recipe a try. It is a meatlover's  dream (bacon AND chicken in one!) and even semi meat-eaters like me will enjoy it (because of all the brown sugar). Take a look!

http://diaryofarecipeaddict.blogspot.com/2011/07/sweet-spicy-bacon-chicken.html

The Big Bad Sickness

Life was going good. Well, for about 2 weeks. Andrew recovered, everyone was healthy and happy, and we did the usual:

 Smiled, acted silly, played dress-up, went out for ice cream, park adventures...yep, the usual.

And then, the sickness hit. Within 24 hours, I was at the doctor's office twice and the ER once. The diagnosis changed each time: virus, double ear infection, strep. But one thing was for sure: these babies were sick! Especially Jude. He screamed for hours nonstop. And whatever this nightmare was, it caused ulcers all down the throat, a rash, and blisters on the skin. I'm no doctor, but it sounded pretty much like hand, foot and mouth virus. 

Mimi and Grandpa were back! They helped out with the kids and around the house, and thankfully, by the end of the week...the kiddos were all back to their wild selves. 

I've never been so thankful for wild (but the best part: happy) children...who once again sleep through the night.

Afternoon at the park...

Feb 1st

The house feels empty with no grandparents in it.

We woke up to lots of clouds and rain...the perfect day for broccoli cheese soup. This recipe (http://www.food.com/recipe/panera-broccoli-cheese-soup-150384) is supposed to taste just like the Panera version, and I'd say it's pretty darn close. Thanks to a friend for posting this! I am always on the lookout for good soup recipes.

Well, here we are at the start of February, aka the month of love and all things red and pink. 

Did you know that Jude's favorite red food is an apple? 

He prefers to play with it and take a teeny tiny bite every now and then.

 He clutches it like a football, hides it, throws it, and giggles at it. He can't get enough of apples...and I can't get enough of his sweet chubby face. What a happy little man he is.