Mango place

We moved.

Again.

Fifth move in less than five years.

Did I mention I HATE moving?

I've been exhausted beyond my ability to deal... with... anything. So much so that I turned off my phone and hid from the world while I dealt with the essentials of life and the many details of coordinating a move... and also so that in my anger and exhaustion I wouldn't say things that I would regret later on.

Moving (time after time) has created a major sense of instability inside. I have decided that yes, I will be unpacking and hanging art on the wall... maybe even paint the girls room... in an effort to settle (for who knows how long?) and create some sense of stability and peace for me... and our girls. (Mark is Mr. Resilient. He can handle about anything.)

We have named each of the places that have become home (some faster than others) over the last five years; Dublin house, Swampy House aka hell, Temple View, Turtle Bay, Front house, and the Notebook aka Back house.

And so let me introduce Mango Place



There's a mango tree (mmm, mango).



In the backyard. Which is fenced. With a gate that opens up to this:



Filled with 10-40+ kids at any given time. A Naomi paradise. It is faaaar from quiet, but the view is lovely.



It is a middle-unit townhouse. What few windows there are have frosted glass so that if they are not completely open, you cannot see outside. Claustrophobia. (Did I mention I am claustrophobic and thrive, like most plants, in sunlight?) (Ok, Ok! Gooood-night! I can hear you from here... good thing sunshine isn't too hard to find outside, Stacey). In the front there is no overhang over the windows, so when it rains the water cascades over the edge of the roof and onto Naomi's bed and my computer desk. We have to make a mad dash to close the windows. I've got window issues yet to be resolved.

The downstairs is all tile and after Kalea smacked her head into it 5 or 6 times trying to roll, she REFUSED to be set down. Makes unpacking REALLY tricky. And any time I would sit on the furniture it would slide. With everything in motion it really added to my instability. SO we ordered a carpet and Mike and Mark installed it in the living room over the tile. A nice piece of carpet can do wonders for any room. It is lovely. I love it. And so do the girls. NOW I can function here. It was worth every penny.





The mango tree provides some shade, dirt for Naomi to dig in and an unlimited supply of branches for her to collect.



She loves it. And loves freedom to come and go through the screen door into her own space any time she wants.

The unpacking is coming slowly but surely. It is like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. I love it and hate it all at once. Can we say, OCD?! But the more it comes together the more peaceful I feel.

One of the surest ways to turn a living space into home is to fill it with people you love. So, although space is limited, our door is always open.