A Full House



People that live down the street from their families, never have to answer the question, where can everyone stay? How many family members can we fill into our home for a week or a month?



As I have said from the start, we are an expat family living abroad. I have never had the pleasure, in my adult life, to just visit my folks for a cup of coffee! Its either they stay with me in my home, or I stay with them back in my childhood room.

When it was me alone, it was easy, I slept in my old room in my old bed. As my family grew, it started getting more complicated to figure out the logistics of the how and where? As newly weds, we also did not have the extra space for anyone to spend a night or two let alone a week or more. If we decided to book a hotel nearby, it was never the same. The kids did not get up in the morning and run to the grandparents room for a morning hug, they did not get a chance to ask for a special breakfast made by the special hands of grandma. We always managed to squeeze ourselves into our folks homes.

Was it comfortable or effortless? Not usually! The mom aka me, had to manage expectations, luggage, sticky hands, noise, space, schedules, menus, and a long list of other misadventures. 

As the years have gone by, we have appreciated the fact that half of our parents are still around, and that now, to add to the list, is the looking after of your parents. We enjoy the full house even more, as we truly understand that this will not be forever. Our children realize that not all their grandparents are with us, and that its time they grab the chance to bond with those that are. They ask tons of questions, they involve their grandparents in activities, they free up enough of their time to just hang out with the older generation, and they are nostalgic to the days when everyone was still alive.

This festive season, we decided to spend it in our home. After a lengthy year of hard work we could not muster the energy to book flights and pack bags! We have the full house this time and we love it! I cannot lie, all my organizational skills are being utilized. 

Its the "crazy busy" season, on top of getting the house guest ready, cooking meals, entertaining children who are on a break from school. There are gifts to buy and wrap, the house to decorate, cookies to bake, friends to spend time with, church to attend and an extensive inventory of chores to fulfill. 

I know that by the time two weeks are over, I will be ready for everyone to go back to their life. In the meantime, I am making the best of a noisy house, a chaotic life, and a home full of love.

Here is what I have learned: I never pass up a chance to spend quality time with family. I grab the opportunity to invite those I love into my home and make new warm memories. I have lived away from my extended family all my life, and my immediate family for far too long. All I have is the NOW.

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