Hi everyone, sorry it’s been a while since I’ve last updated. We’ve been going a little crazy getting things ready. It’s crunch time less than 4 weeks to go.

For those of you who have been following along, Easter weekend put a big detour sign for our plans. Everything was moving along when our friends, who were going to rent the house from us, had to back out. They wanted to renovate their home this year, and unfortunately, they did not get the permits to do this. So, detour ahead!

It’s safe to say there was a whole range of emotions that went through both of us. Whatever happened, the one thing we did not have is time. We cleaned up the place and made a video, which I’m sure most of you already saw. We got some interest, but everyone seemed to want it for the same price you would rent a one-bedroom apartment. So we decided to get a real estate agent to help us.

The decision to get a real estate agent was the right one but did cause a little bit of friction in the house. Charo and I both have great friends who are real estate agents. So how do you decide which one to go with? We decided to go with someone neither of us knew. Problem solved.

When the agent walked into our house she said she loved it, and I’m pretty sure she says that to all the houses. There were two things she recommended. Fix up all the little things that needed to be done, and to freshen it up a bit with a magic eraser and some new paint. That I understand, after all being in the house for almost six years now, it could use a little freshening up. Also, what house can survive three kids for that long and not have a few scars to prove it. So Charo and I started with the magic eraser. We attempted every wall, with each one we saw paint chipped away, and marks that just wouldn’t come out. We quickly decided that the magic eraser was not our answer – so the paint began!

I started with the boys’ room. I managed to move everything out and painted their rooms in a couple of nights. To use a quote from Buffalo Phil, “when it comes to doing drywall and paint, I might as well be a blindfolded monkey.” Yup, it sucked. I was all over the place. Needless to say, I put on another coat on, which made it look better but did cost some time.

The following weekend, I ended up shipping the family off to my mothers-in-law for a few nights. This allowed me to work on the main floor to get it done. Lucky for me, Marcos and Charles ended up coming over to help.

They were fantastic. We got the main floor completed that day. It was a lot of work, but they were up to the challenge.

Some more challenged than others! You might need some paint on that roller

The main floor was a mess, but it was a job well done.

After that weekend, I continued working. I woke up one morning at 4 am to paint Daniela’s room. One thing I learned from this whole adventure it’s a lot easier to do things when the kids are asleep. It’s hard to take these guys to cubs, beavers, girl guides, swimming, art classes when all you want to do is finish the house to be able to rent it.

So I continued to work hard, painting with some sanding.

And convinced a couple of recruits to help out!

Charo really stepped up to help with some sanding!

Marco reinstalled every wall plate in the house

It took a few weeks, but the job is done. As of this past Tuesday, our house went on the rental market. We have had a few interested people, but nothing is firm as of yet. We are hoping that all changes sooner than later.

It’s been a real whirlwind journey since Easter weekend. The good news is it made us declutter the house to make it presentable for showings. We’ve pretty much-stored everything that we are going to put away. The only things we have left are the clothes we are still using for work and school. On a side note, it would be nice to be able to put away my sweaters finally, but mother nature isn’t cooperating this year.

The cleanest the house has been in ages

Needless to say, it has been an exhausting few weeks. I know, in the end, it’s going to be well worth it.

Thanks for reading and happy adventuring!