Living out of your car... and other matters.

When you are selling your home, there is no room for clutter.  It's not like the typical clean up before someone comes over, it's much more.  These strangers are walking through my house, looking at the closets, checking out the drawers, eating the chips we leave out for them, and.... judging.  It's the critical eye of the buyer that makes me clean like a crazy woman.  And there have been MANY strangers walking through.  I lost track of how many showings we've had at 15.  At just two weeks in, the volume of showings has really surprised me.

The de-cluttering has been raised to a new level as I hesitate to stuff things into a closet for fear of it toppling down on these strangers, thus, giving them a concussion and forgetting how they were going to buy the house.

So, where does one stuff things if not the closet?

The answer: My car.

I am living out of my car for these couple of weeks.  Don't have a place to put that coat after I shut the door behind me to an immaculate house?  No problem, just put it in the car for now.  Can't throw that banana peel away in the kitchen trash can it has just been freshly bagged?  No problem, just put it in the car for now.

It's a tad embarrassing when Howie's preschool teacher approaches the car for drop-off and my passenger's seat is filled to the window with goodness-knows-what.  "Hi, we're moving," I explain.

And the weirdness doesn't stop there.  Here is a list of ways I have felt weird in the past week:

• My crock-pot of taco chicken had to be re-located to my neighbors house on Wednesday when FOUR showings stacked up after 11 am.  Thank you, Sandy, for smelling my dinner all day long! 
• I found myself staking out the house from the top of our street on Thursday afternoon as a relator's car sat in my driveway for over and hour.  The boys were listening to books on CD.  I was considering buying some binoculars.
• The boys got a "fun" PJ/DVD night when we had a showing from 7-8 pm.  Bath at 6 pm, PJ's by 6:30.  In the car, idling at the park with a movie running at 7 pm.  

As we walk through this process as a young family, I am humbled by the support and love we have felt from friends and neighbors.  It's not easy to sell a house with sweet little hands that like to make messes.  It's not easy to laugh at yourself in the midst of crazy.  It's not easy being creative with timing, cleaning and staging a house with little ones.  An encouraging comment and fresh perspectives seem to keep coming as soon as I feel discouraged.  Thanks to everyone who has listened to any rants that have spewed from my mouth and hugs to the people who are still my friends after all the insanity.  Love you guys.