So, the kids took it well. In fact, they took it very, very well. They seemed excited at the prospect of planning and discussing and investigating. We shared brochures and web searches and chatted and talked and finally booked some viewings.
Of course, as with all the best laid plans, there's a fly in the ointment that buzzes and flits around causing disruption and as much mental anguish as possible, but we seemed to manage it well enough and kept the conversation flowing and the kids engaged.
We drove around, we saw, we found one or two almost unpleasant in their state of preparedness for viewing, but I guess some people have different standards to us. Or maybe I should learn to hold my breath and close my eyes to the cobwebs, dust and flotsom and jetsom that some people call home?
We talked more, they ran around properties choosing 'their' bedroom, 'their' bathroom, 'our' bedroom, where the pets will sleep, eat and where we'd put our furniture. It was good.
Of course, finding one that we love (or like enough), that works for our gaggle of kids and animals, is in the right location and meets at least most of our fundamental criteria and that we can afford, is a challenge for another day.
That, and making sure that the girls get to enjoy it all with us.
It should be so incredibly exciting. It should be the culmination of who knows how many thoughts, dreams and sleepless nights. And yet it is utterly terrifying!
My mum once told me the answer to one of life's great questions: How do you eat an elephant? It is, as it happens, much easier than you think to eat an elephant. A little bit a time.
The trouble with that as a concept is knowing where to start and how much you can chew on and swallow to qualify as a 'little bit'.
It should be easy, no? Decide to move. Find a house to move to. Confirm that the local schools are good enough. Make sure there's a suitable way of getting from the house to the schools. And somewhere to buy bread and milk, get to a station, an airport, a main road, a cycle route, somewhere to walk the dog, somewhere the cats won't get run over the first time they stick a whisker out the front door. Find out if there's a cinema closer than a week away. Where will the kids ride their bikes/play in the park, meet up with their friends. More importantly, sleep!
I can already feel the arguments brewing, the shouting matches about 'my room', 'your room', yes, no, no way, not a snowball in hell's chance.....
Today is not a positive 'up' day. Today is a huge, insurmountable challenges day. They will come and go in turn. Hopefully when there's a big intrusive 'For Sale' board stuck outside our houses it will start to seem real and not a million more miles away than it already does.
