Before we left for New York, we had some BIG changes on the horizon, and a lot of “life” decisions to make (some of them mentioned here).
We were given more time re: “the move” (we have until August, thank goodness), but there were a lot of thought provoking choices to come back to.
I had also left Los Angeles a bit tired of the grind, annoyed at the politics, and slightly disenchanted. I think it can happen to the best of us, right? I mean… who could NOT love LA?! Don’t answer that 😉 .
I needed to be inspired, in a different environment, surrounded by new adventures.
Now I know that these changes of scenery are fleeting moments (and won’t solve any long-term issues)… but I needed a break from my own city to reignite the flames I once felt for it, to return ready to tackle the decisions at hand with a fresh mind, and to start reimagining my own space at home…
… like with this wallpaper (JK… but, isn’t it fab?).
What I did begin to reimagine was the loveliness of living in a small space… something we were experiencing while living in the BIG apple.
It’s not like we live in a huge space in LA, but we aren’t squeezed into a one-bedroom 830 square foot apartment.
But you know what?
We loved it!
It was cozy, it was really easy to clean up (it took me 30 minutes max to tidy and sweep and do dishes in the evening before putting the kiddos to sleep).
We had our necessities and Avery and Parker had the books and toys they loved to read and play with, and other than that we headed out on our daily adventures.
It’s ALL about the edit people.
I haven’t read The Life-Changing Magic Of Tidying Up, but I was physically forced into it for two months out of necessity.
I have now come home and purged over twenty percent of my household. No joke.
I am not a hoarder or a collector by any means, but when I returned I felt SURROUNDED by STUFF… and I couldn’t stand it!
At any rate, I will be prepared for the move come summertime (and open to the idea of a physically smaller space if it adheres to our needs in other ways) !
… needs like adventures.
If you spend less money on “stuff”… you have more to spend on travel, and shows, and museums, and helicopter rides for your five year old!
… Ok… the last part was a splurge (not the norm), but if your son’s fifth birthday falls on the last day of your two month New York stay… you spoil him a little 😉 .
The pilot and passengers sang Happy Birthday as we flew by the Empire State Building. I think I might have cried a little. It was a magical moment worth more than any “stuff” we could have bought him.
Another lesson learned while traveling?
Kids are SO adaptable and ready for so much more than we give them credit for.
Avery is not yet two, but because we didn’t have a crib in NY and didn’t want to rent one, she ultimately ended up on the pull-out couch bed with her brother (after a failed air mattress attempt left her flat on the floor), and BOOM… just like that she was no longer contained (of course we felt better knowing the bed was very close to the floor and we surrounded her side with pillows and cushions because we aren’t THAT trusting of a 21 month old’s sleeping patterns!).
She also ate with mostly grown up utensils (not the circus colored plastic kiddo kind), because that’s what we had to work with.
I think we tend to baby our babies a bit much (which isn’t a horrible thing, mind you, it’s just an observation)…
… but they really will follow your lead quite easily if you let them.
She was perfectly capable of handling these new situations with our guidance, and now we have a toddler transitioned out of her crib and into her brother’s bottom bunk without so much as blinking an eye (and not a tear in sight). And I have purged crib, and mattress, and baby sheets, oh my!
{Bergdorf’s Holiday Window}
Oh NY… We miss you already (I mean, how spoiled are we to have spent our Fall and pre-holiday in NYC… inarguably the most magical time of the year)!!!
… but I have resolved to keep your magic with me…
… and to open my heart to rediscovering my old stomping grounds (RAWWWWR).
{Bubby’s Tribeca}
2016 is shaping up to be an exciting year already… with Deesign projects in the works, travels planned (perhaps one coming VERY soon), a NEW WEBSITE (whoo hoo!!!)… and a renewed vigor to Get. Shit. Done.
I’m ready to fly, you guys… (thanks to my New York state of mind 😉 ).
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