realcondolife

Another early morning and we were out the door. The track outside has been a hit and they can’t get enough of it. We weren’t sure whether or not to put the bikes back in the locker last night, or to bring them upstairs. We opted for the latter since we didn’t feel completely safe having the little ones walking their bikes up the ramp that cars were on. We weren’t 100% sure if that’s permitted, so we felt as though we were committing a bit of a crime.

The elevator ride down was a bit crammed, as the boys wanted the dog to come with us this time and watch them ride. (He can only go as far as the steps, and isn’t allowed on the artificial turf.)

I should know by now however, that one trip down the elevator, always ensues another.  We forgot water bottles. After convincing my youngest son, that “No, the concierge does not have bottled water for us,”  (as you can see, condo = hotel is still their equation)  we headed up the elevator once again.  We shared the ride up with a lady I’ve befriended on my canine night walks. She did a double take when she saw my youngest son whom she obviously hadn’t met before, and asked, “Another one? How many are there?” We talked about the joys of boys, and she shared that she’s seeing more and more young families move in to the building.

For those of you wondering, it’s definitely not all fun and games. Domestic duties do call upon occasion. Particularly on the weekend. There were groceries to be bought and laundry to be washed. The former was a pleasure, particularly in the great weather we were having. Walking to the stores and picking up fresh produce and supplies as and when I needed, was a definite perk.  I’m not sure I can say the same about laundry.

There’s also a bit of an extra step  when it comes to condo laundry. Condos usually have a longer than typical duct venting system in the dryers to exhaust to the outside. This results in needing to clean not only the typical lint within the dryer itself, but often an additional lint trap in the ceiling, every few loads. This helps with the machines efficiency and helps your clothes dry faster too. As I said,  just a small extra step. Would be even smaller if I didn’t need to pull out the step stool each time as well. My own personal vertical challenge.

I had a friend’s event later that afternoon featuring SAPPHO, while raising awareness for a great cause, Up With Women. I wasn’t there long before my phone vibrated on silent for 5 minutes and I could no longer ignore it. I had missed three calls from my husband. I finally stepped out and answered. He was in a panic.  He was at our old house – there was no wifi, no cable and no tv. He assumed the worst. Someone had been monitoring our comings and goings, figured out we weren’t there and had tried to cut the wires to break in. I felt terrible. This idea was mine and it was all my doing.  Rogers came relatively quickly (just to make a liar out of me) and verified that nothing had been tampered with. Probably squirrels. Another perk of condo living. Buried wires. 🙂

We were relieved that everything was okay, but it did have me wondering. Why did he go there in the first place? This brings us to a whole new definition of cheating. And so I had to ask. How often has he been going there? “EVERY DAY,” he answered. He picks up the mail.  Gets the newspapers. And checks on the house.  (He says it’s for insurance purposes, and there’s probably some truth to that). He’s just so practical and so opposite of me.  It was a reminder of how well-balanced we are.  I hadn’t considered any of the above.   He then admitted that he did once use the treadmill and shower there in the early am, when stopping by. And there were a few other times he stopped by to retrieve a few stragglers we left behind, like the kids baseball gloves, lined paper and school calendar. So, all for a good cause. He then reminded me that our condo experiment is only for 30 days.

Weekends are busy. Sports, swim lessons, music. (Can you say “over programmed?”) At least we’re aware! But trust me, as a mother of three boys, the alternative isn’t pretty. So, we typically conquer and divide and music fell under my domain this weekend. I believe I may have mentioned earlier on however, that the drums and piano were something that the boys would miss. How wrong could I have been? Turns out this was the jackpot! A legitimate excuse not to practice.  Needless to say, music lessons were a bit of an embarrassment this week, with absolutely no progress. Not even my own. While the guitar was a reasonably sized instrument to bring to the condo, I’m guilty of having done no practice of my own this week.

Back (almost) in time to get ready for the first Sunday family dinner, hosted in our new condo, I was slightly unprepared. Fortunately,  there was comfort knowing that when it comes to my family, the most important thing really is being together. Big sister saved the day.  She brought over rotisserie chicken and salad (I fortunately had packed the wine) and we sat around the table and made it work. With the right combination of kitchen chairs, side tables and a bar stool, everyone managed to squeeze in.

They loved the view and were impressed with our new minimalist lifestyle. Also, how much did my Dad love visiting one of our communities from five years ago and getting an inside peek as to how it’s doing. Even the visitor parking was relatively easy for everyone (including my parents). I did however, have to call down to security beforehand and let them know that I was expecting visitors, as our names still haven’t been entered into the enter phone system.  Another difference from our previous lifestyle (with the ease of a driveway, three steps and a doorbell)… and another thing I’ll need to follow up on.