Settling in, the new house - the downstairs!

So it's been quiet on here, but only because we decided to start staying full time at the house and we didn't have any internet there (until RIGHT NOW), so I've been limping along with my slow international data plan on my phone and no real way to post efficiently...

So I haven't forgotten to update, it's just been really hard to do it.  Hopefully now that we have internet again this will just be a faded memory soon...

So here are pictures of the downstairs of the house -- all of these photos were taken BEFORE our storage container arrived.  I'll take all new pictures with our stuff in them soon :)

The kitchen!  Much smaller but a good use of storage space with all the drawers.  We asked if we could put shelves on the upper walls, but our landlord didn't want us to do that because there are water and electrical utilities behind some of the walls.  So, I'll figure out some type of shelving that sits atop the counters if we need extra space when the time comes.

The dining room.  We now have a patio table here (thank you for awesome neighbors) 

Here is a view looking into the living room from the kitchen.

And the same view from the dining room.  That is a wood burning stove that works.  

The wall of windows has two operating windows and the door also swings open.

And looking back towards the dining area.

The doorway leading off the living room opens into this area and then to the front door.

There is a small half bath just off the mudroom area.

The stairs are CREAKY.  We are trying to utilize our ninja skills to find the steps that squeak the least amount so we don't wake up the kids when we go up or down the stairs.  Thankfully, Ben has listened to our pleas for him to stay downstairs.  They are kind of slippery and steep.

This is the area right when you walk in the front door.

A view up the stairs.

Another entry way -- this one from the carport/garage to the house.  To the left is the laundry room.  I guess I didn't take a photo of that...oh well.

The fourth bedroom or playroom as we are calling it.  All the toys went into this room, and this is where you will get to sleep if you come visit us!  :)

The boys have been great about making do with what we have.  Here they've turned their car seats into chairs.  :)

So there you have it, our 'new' house.  It is perfect for what we need it to do for the next two years.  And while I was a bit afraid that none of our stuff would fit in here, everything magically did!  I'll take some after photos soon and post those as well.  

Until then...farvel!

Last Day in the US = First Day in Denmark

It still seemed so surreal as we packed up our suitcases and loaded them into the van for the final trip.  We had finished up all the last minute details with selling the house, and saying our goodbyes.  We landed at my parents house for the rest of the afternoon (my parents have been complete LIFE SAVERS these past few weeks during our transition...watching the boys without hestitation, even overnight; helping with things at the house; giving advice, etc.).  There we loaded up on lunch and the boys packed their treat bags for the flight and we said our goodbyes to Granna and to Great Grandmother Madeleine and loaded up in the car with Grumps for the drive to O'Hare.

The drive there was fairly uneventful -- on false alarm puke stop for little Max -- dramamine hit the spot and calmed his nerves down.  Before we knew it, we were there!  

We attempted loading all 9 suitcases (plus 4 backpacks, 1 car seat bag filled with 2 booster seats, a stroller and Ben's car seat) onto one smart carte and somehow we managed to make it across the International Terminal with only minimal moaning from the boys and no broken arms/shoulders/fingers/legs.  Small miracles DO happen!  We checked our bags and started to head towards the bathroom when Max realized he had left his phone in the van!  A quick call to Grumps, who turned around and we got to say a second goodbye and grab the phone!

Security seemed to be a bigger nightmare than normal at O'Hare -- we waited over 20 mins in line just to get up to the screeners.  The boys were getting sick of waiting in lines by this point already - to which we just chuckled because we knew what was still to come...  Getting 5 people, bags, a car seat and a stroller through a TSA checkpoint is no small feat.  And, of course, the stroller needed special screening.  It then failed the swab test for combustibles (or something like that...Max was giving me minimal information because I was starting to get fiesty from having to wait so long...plus Ben had leaked through his diaper and his shorts were now wet.  Another 15 minutes later and finally the stroller (and Max) had cleared for their suspicion of sneaking in combustibles.

We grabbed a bit to eat and headed to our gate.  The boys had fun with the moving escalators.  Sam, true to his nature had to mark his territory at almost every bathroom we passed by...  The kids proceeded to get more excited and hyper as the night wore on -- seeing the big plane we would be riding on was exciting.  

In the process of gate checking our stroller, we got bumped up to Economy Plus!  More leg room, more drinks!  Wahoo!

We boarded the plane early -- which is one of the (*ahem only) perks of travelling with small children and got Ben's car seat strapped in and everyone settled in.  Spirits were high!

About an hour into the flight the boys were still occupied with their iPads and Ben was starting to get grumpy -- they hadn't turned off the overhead lights yet and he was pretty sleepy, so we just put his blanket over his head and that seemed to do the trick...

The boys found their earplugs and eye masks in their special Economy Plus bags and settled in for the night as well.

The flight was pretty uneventful...even if the minutes seemed to be creeping by.  Ben was unable to get in a comfortable sleeping position in the car seat, so after about 1.5 hrs of restless sleeping, we took him out and tried holding him.  He'd get into a comforatable position for a few minutes and then try to stretch out (unsuccesfully).  We tried a number of different positions until the stewardess suggested taking his seat out and letting him try to curl up on his seat.  He was able to find a few comfortable positions that allowed us to get maybe another 2 hrs of sleep.  I think we only got about 3-3.5 hrs total on our side.

Once in the Denmark airport, we tackled the hairy task of getting all our luggage out of the airport together.  Somehow (barely), we managed.  Max went to get the rental car and after a few re-directs, finally got us set up about 1.5-2 hrs later.  To say the kids were getting restless was an understatement.  Lucky me.

The kicker was when all our stuff wouldn't fit in the rental car (and I owe a huge middle finger to the 3 Danish gentlemen who just sat and stared at us in the garage and probably were making fun of us).  So little Max and I took the stroller and one suitcase and went to find a taxi.  We ended up arriving at the hotel around the same time.  

We unpacked, explored the beautiful hotel a little bit and then headed to the harbor to get some streetdogs and stretch our legs.

Overall, the trip over might not have gone smoothly, but we all arrived in one piece, with all our luggage, and all in mostly good spirits.  Though little Max has gone through quite a few variations of sentiments on his new home:

-  Mom, I think we might not live the full two years here -- like we might die before we go home because I can't breathe here.  (this was stated because of all the smokers around us and the lack of trees he could see at the airport).

- I don't like Denmark anymore, I want to live in Wisconsin for the rest of my life.

- It smells gross like fish here (when we got near the ocean)

- the water tastes like fish here

Luckily, he has turned his attitude around on day 2....but I can only imagine the variety of emotions that we will be experiencing (together).

House hunters into - Denmark. The final pick...Which to choose?

So, which do we choose?

House #1 (http://livinthemclife.blogspot.com/2015/06/day-2-house-hunting-house-1.html) with the party yard and house but close proximity to trains that go by almost every other minute?  Rent here is by far the least, well under our allotted stipend.

House #2, ( http://livinthemclife.blogspot.com/2015/06/day-2-house-hunting-house-2-beach-house.html) the beach house that would be a constant vacation for us.  Spacious house with lots of room, good sized yard, easy access to running path and beach.  Schooling options unknown (as I write this, but relocation agent should be getting info).  Rent is well above our stipend but could possibly be negotiated lower into a more stomach able range..

Or

House 3 (http://livinthemclife.blogspot.com/2015/06/day-2-house-hunting-house-3-city-house.html) with its close proximity to work, trains, school and city. Neighborhood not as charming and would take some getting used to.  Nearby a good school which offers language assistance.  Rent is within our range and could possibly be lowered even more.

Which would you pick and why??

Day 2 house hunting: house #3: the city house

I feel like I should be honest and let you all know that going into this house hunting trip, both Max and I had a strong bias towards house number three.

House number three is VERY attractive because of its location. It is pretty much the closest we could get in living arrangements to where Max will be working. It is 5K from his job and only a short bike ride, walk, or one train stop away.  And, because I am approaching our family's relocation to Denmark as the catalyst for a large lifestyle change for our family, this fact was very attractive to me! Max and I agreed that we would love to try to see how long we can survive without a car. With public transportation so readily available and so easy to use, there's no reason that we should even need a family vehicle except for taking European vacations....

But back to the house...from all the pictures we had seen online of the house, it looked open, very airy,  light, and clean. On paper and on pictures, it looked to be the perfect house! It even boasted a 10 minute walk to a primary school with language assistance.

But, as anyone who has ever looked for a house knows, pictures don't always meet reality when you go to visit a property in person.

The house was very open and airy, and it was mostly clean as well. But it seemed a lot smaller in person than it had appeared in pictures. Part of that could've been because there was nothing in the house when we went to look at it though.  The backyard was definitely a lot smaller than it had been represented in pictures.  The neighborhood, while not unsafe, was definitely a little more rough around the edges than the last two houses we had looked at. 

The house was definitely a 'city house' and you would be hearing a lot of city noise as a result.  While not necessarily a bad thing, this would be a transition for all of us...There are definite pros and cons to a city house...You are close to everything, and a car most definitely not be necessary.  But life would definitely not be quiet nor private!

But, on the flip side, I suppose if you are making a lifestyle change that involves moving your entire family across the ocean, you shouldn't really expect too much of your life to stay the same! And if you're going to go all out, you might as well go all out :-)

From the outside, the house appeared very similar to the listing we had seen online. It was a very decent sized house with a modest sized yard. The yard looked like it needed a little TLC, however.  The agent showing us the house assured us that it would be taken care of prior to move in.

On the first floor was a decent sized modern looking kitchen. It definitely had less storage then house number one and house number two, but it could be doable.

While that looks like a lot of cabinet space flanking the built in oven, to the left of the oven the entire wall is a hidden refrigerator.

The large dining and sitting area beyond the kitchen was an open space that received good natural lighting from the door leading to the backyard. The floors were a really cool whitewashed rustic looking pine.  They definitely were well worn but it added to the charm a bit...

Beyond the dining/sitting room was a room with two entrances, both which could be closed off.  It had a built in desk in the corner. It could have easily been converted into either a bedroom or a guestroom or even a playroom!

There was a small half bathroom downstairs, and upstairs was a full bathroom with a shower. There were also three bedrooms upstairs. The master area had a living area similar to house number two adjoining it.

Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2

Master bedroom 

Room adjoining master bedroom.  They had a large unit in the middle of the room making it difficult to photograph.

This house also had a full basement, in which the laundry was located. The basement was very short and kind of gave me the creeps, so I didn't take any pictures down there. :)

Overall, house number three, despite being a little different than we expected, turned out to be a decent choice!  It is right at our price range, and our agent felt that we could negotiate it even lower. The neighbors appeared to have small children as evidenced by the toys we could see in their backyards from the second floor. It has a big open floor plan, and lots of space for us and the children. It would even have plenty of space for all the guests we expect to come visit :-)

The cons include that there were no closets in the upstairs bedroom and only one shower in the house.

But of course, the pros as mentioned in the beginning are that this one is closest in location to where Max will be working, it is right near the train line and right near a very good school!

Overall, I feel like our house hunting on day two went well. I'm not exactly happy that we only had three choices to review, especially when our list of potential homes was around 12 to begin with. We are dealing with the relocation agent to see if there are any other houses that we can look at before we leave Denmark to head back home. If not, we will enter negotiations with the agents of the houses or house that we select. Here in Denmark, apparently rental rates are negotiable. So it is possible we can negotiate rates even lower to our benefit.

Stay tuned for more!!

Denmark day 1

Hello Copenhagen!

An exciting trip to Denmark to take care of some relocation business...the most exciting being house hunting!

Tomorrow we will get to look at a number of properties that both we and our relocation agent found.  We are narrowing our search the to west/southwest side of Copenhagen so as to stay closer to where Max is working.  

So far our trip has been easy and unremarkable!  The flight was uneventful and we even managed to get some sleep.  Our hotel is comfy and nice and located right in the heart of the city...and short walk from everything!

After unpacking and freshening up, max and I headed out for a walk around the city.  That of course included grabbing a street hotdog followed by some Nyhavn ice cream.  We walked along the walking street, which is always full of interesting sites and sounds...including this bubble artist!

Enough adventuring for one day...we are both exhausted and ready to sleep!  Tomorrow will be full of excitement as we will be reviewing (and hopefully selecting) our next house! 

An International McMove - Denmark here we come!

The last few weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind.  And, seeing as I haven't updated the blog in forever anyways, I figured I would jump back into it by journaling all the details of our latest McAdventure...a move to DENMARK!!

We've been presented with an awesome opportunity from Max's company (which is based in Copenhagen) for a two year transfer to Denmark.  It's no secret that I LOVE to travel, and the boys are at the PERFECT age for this opportunity, so it was really a no-brainer when the possibility arose.

So, for the last few weeks we've been reviewing contracts, researching schooling options, checking out rental real estate and readying our house to go on the market.  It will be sad to leave our friends and family, but two years will go by so quickly and I am so excited about the prospects of showing my kids so many wonderful things that Europe has to offer.  And perhaps when we come home they will even be partially bilingual!

There are so many wonderful things about this move.  So many details that I'm going to chronical as we learn more about them and get to experience them. So keep posted for the full story and follow along!

Grandpa 'Far Away's' Birthday Party

At the end of May, we went to visit Grandma 'Chili' and Grandpa 'Far Away' for Grandpa's birthday up at their new home in WI.

The drive itself was an adventure since we left on a Friday and we both had to work that day so we couldn't even leave until around 5pm.  Travelling over dinner time and bed time can get interesting.  Kids can get squirrely...and now we aren't just dealing with one or two squirrely kids...we are dealing with THREE.  So, it definitely makes for interesting car trips.  It was good practice though, and by the time we took our second car trip in July I think we had worked out most of the kinks.

It was a great trip overall.  The boys enjoyed seeing their grandparents...even though we aren't that far apart, life makes it difficult to schedule visits so when we do get together it is the biggest treat in the world for the boys.  They really do love their grandparents and love spending one-on-one time with them.  Grandma and Grandpa were also amazed at how much Ben had grown and how much personality he had gotten since December!