While we patiently await the closing of our new home, we are living in an extended stay-style hotel. When I was a child, I always dreamed of how COOL it would be to live in a hotel. Oh my! I could run around, someone could clean up after me! It'd be like vacation every day! As an adult? Not so much. I've found myself living out of a hotel and a suitcase a few times in my life, as I've relocated states and been in the process of settling in. I've also come to realize the 'creature comforts' of your own home.. like an oven. Or people not taking your clothes out of the dryer early to put theirs in. Or remembering your room key anytime you leave. Or knowing there's always ice cream for sale... right down the hall. While we are in this transition, I figured I'd make it an endurance challenge... "How long can we survive in a hotel with a 15 week old, cooking meals, and without losing my sanity?"
My challenge is 20 days long, and I have a feeling our home will feel like a palace by the time we move in. By far, my biggest challenge here has been cooking 'one-dish' meals. I have realized I am the person who often uses every single pot, pan, and kitchen accessory I own while cooking these elaborate meals. Sure, I could cook up some mac n' cheese, throw some bread crumbs and chicken on it and call it a night.. every night. But what kind of challenge is that? So far, I've managed to make pork chops deglazed with cinnamon apples and mashed potatoes, and chicken tacos with guacamole and grilled onions. Tonight, it's steak (again deglazed... I have a feeling this will be my favorite new trick), with garlic couscous and broccoli.
Most importantly with this challenge, is my transition in my new role. I have 'retired' from the retail world, and am now a stay at home mom. This was a choice that I feel extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to take, and I'm looking forward to learning this new job. Stay at home moms sometimes get a bad rap and can lose their identity in caring for their families.. I've always defined myself as a go-getter, passionate, intelligent, and ready to take on the world. I'll now be doing that with a Moby wrapped baby on me, instead of my laptop. I'm trading conference calls for baby monitor calls, corporate visits for zoo visits, and excel files for baby nail files.. and I've never felt more incompetent in my life! I'm learning how to navigate this new job, without the new employee orientation or handbooks of my previous jobs. But most importantly, I'm already loving this challenge. I'm excited to watch my son change and grow every single day, and very thankful that I'll be able to be here to see it.
I know this won't be blissful every day, but I'm looking forward to a real holiday season, where my concern is not scouring the dishes so I can take midnight sales reads and head to work, rather, scouring the dishes so I can enjoy some pumpkin pie with family. Spending Christmas eve waiting for Santa.. instead of shoppers. Singing carols about the season, instead of sales numbers. I've never known a holiday without retail, and I am SO looking forward to those moments, and making memories with my family.
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