Day One Westfield, MA Spring School Vacation. +
Me at home with two daughters, eight and four. +
Weather: cold.+
Listing to show, broker price opinion to photograph and report and a lunch appointment =
MONDAY MANIA MOMMY MADNESS!
Started the day working from home and mentioned on twitter that I had to take my "cherubs" with me on a house showing. The responses that I got varied from "I will pray for you" to "use a carrot and not a stick". All helpful, but most of these people have only ever seen pictures of my girls...
They LOOK so sweet!
Actually, they can be extremely sweet, but vacation with bad weather+mommy working = them acting up.
So after three versions of breakfast (don't ask) and a battle into the clothes, two fights and a meltdown because we didn't sleep on the couch (hello we have been up for two hours!) we start to head out.
SO- I pray and accept the donated prayers then take the carrot advice and offer lunch at their fave spot if they manage to not drive each other (and ergo me) nuts during our little escapade. That was mostly sucessfull.
I arrive at my showing to find that the owners were unexpectedly home and I wasn't aware. The buyer who shows up loves the lot and location of the house, but doesn't have much good to say. We have to leave before we see the 2nd floor because the seller is up there with a GI infection (thank you...I am OUT). Set up a date to return with buyer who is suddenly very sad they didn't see the 2nd floor of the house they hate and take off with daughters to take pictures of a house for a broker price opinion. After that...
Lunch at The Summer House in Southwick, MA on a cold day isn't my idea of fun, but the girls had some, which was the point. Of course it wasn't without life's little moments: 8 tells me she wants cheeseburger, 4 wants dino nuggets (don't ask). We sit down and 8 melts down because, "I never listen to her at all, she SAID she wanted the same as 4 and how didn't I get that?" 4 won't eat anything but two french fries, sprite and her icecream, so I give 8 the friggin dino nuggets and try to move on.
While there my phone is chronic and three calls came in that were "urgent". Now mind you...my idea of urgent is one of my houses for sale is on fire (which has happened to me incidentally) or something happened to one of my kids. I hustle them into the car amidst vociferous complaints and start making my calls.
I head to Park Square Realty, Westfield, MA with my little "assistants" in tow and proceed to deal with a couple of the "fires" that needed attention. While I do that, my cherubs play kickball, wrestle, argue over a marker, freeze cold water: cold water with ice cubes and hot water as an experiment (led by a co-worker) and get threatened by their lovely mother for making so much NOISE!
Done at the office I take the girls to mom's house and am met by mom's husband who rats out my mother for taking a walk (which I think she should be doing more of personally) without her oxygen in tow. I placate the children, scold my mother (wtf?) and head out for lunch with my friend Morriss Partee who is going to give me pointers for the TwitterQueens Social Media event in NYC in June.
Morriss is detained, but keeps me amused with random texted updates so I head in to grab a seat. After being sat I am met (and I didn't say greeted for a reason) by a very surly waitress who asks me in hard to understand English (sushi joint) when my other person was joining? She stomps off and the host asks me the same thing in somewhat better English. (I didn't even get to tell Morriss this part). Apparently they actually "close" for the end of lunch at 2:30pm, but they allow people to sit and enjoy their meal while they take a break...I charm them into leaving me alone (it is a gift, that strangely has no effect whatsoever on my children) and after Morriss' entrance I enjoy a very good conversation about things Western MA, social media, TwitterQueens, PodCamp WesternMA and a wee bit about my lovely children.
Back to get said lovely cherubs from my mom.
Home again, into my sweats (did I mention it was cold today?) and start working on my broker price opinion report...or rather TRYING to since 4 demands my attentions no matter what I do to placate her. This report is already bordering on late when I realize:
I took the wrong friggin pictures. I swear I am about to blow a gasket, but at least the house is not far and we bustle out the door to Southwick, MA to take the pictures of the RIGHT house this time....good gracious I was mad at myself.
Home again after a decent discussion/warning to the girls about Mom's deadlines and the importance of being paid (ummm you know that roof we are so fond of?) and get the report done FINALLY.
As I complete the report, ex-husband arrives to finish painting the kids' room. My friends all tell me that I have the most disfunctional divorce (a badge of honor to me) and I decide to cook dinner for the whole "family" to enjoy together. 8 is thrilled, 4 pitches a fit and wants to eat at the tv (we don't do that....ummmm more than, well moving on now). After some negotiation (read debate) I get 4 to the table and we have our dinner.
Ex finishes room (thank goodness for small favors in this life cuz I HATE painting) and the girls and I settle in. They can't sleep in their room, so I set them up on the couch. WHY would I think that this would be fine? They won't sleep...they are up (whining because they are exhausted but won't sleep) until almost 11pm. One falls asleep, the other whines and wakes up the first, and the cycle repeats.
At this point, if you are still reading you are either nodding vigorously in understanding, have long since clicked off or are contemplating hari kari with a spork (I think of that daily...messy though).
After Cinderella and part of some Land Before Time (which is much better than Cinderella, btw) they FINALLY fall asleep and what do I do? That's right, write a post about them.
Moral of the story?
I am as much a work in progress as they are. I learn from lots of people (yes I actually listen to the advice) and try my best every day. Today was a bit more challenging than some, but not bad. Exhausting, but not bad at all.
To all you other Mommies (and Daddies, too) out there, I salute you! (with a LARGE red wine)
If you like a flawed person who is really really good at real estate, look me up, but do me a favor and do it tomorrow: I am totally fried today!
Lesley Lambert, The Real Estate Natural at Park Square Realty, Westfield, MA
413-575-3611
