Day 2: House Hunting, house 1

Day 2 started with a leisurely wake up and a relaxed breakfast on the top floor of our hotel.  We then met up with our relocation agent who was basically our house tour guide for the day.

We had originally planned to view 6 homes.  Of those, 2 were off the market by the time we arrived and 1 the agent never returned the calls from our relocation agent, so our agenda only included 3 appointments.  While that was a bit disappointing at first, we were still able to look at some quality Danish houses.  All were quite nice, all with different pros and cons.

But this post focuses on House #1.

From the outside, House #1 appeared quite rundown and in need of repairs.  The agent who arrived to show the house  assured us that many repairs were on the works and that would be completed before we took over the house.

Then a train went by...then another...and another...and another.  Well, you get the idea.  Turns out House #1 was right by the main train line.  And when I say right by, I mean RIGHT BY.  There was a wall blocking the yard and house from the tracks.  I could have touched the train with a ten foot pole if I wanted to!  Now the train wasn't loud, but it was definitely there...and it goes by frequently.  It was a definite con before even seeing the house.

The outside yard was large, definitely a good party patio and yard, spacious enough for the boys to play and have fun.  There was both a front and back yard, both size able.

View from driveway/carport

The fence blocking the train.  Those wires are for the train!

Nice large patio area

Front yard of house

Inside the house was very nice.  Modern kitchen, 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.  The living spaces were HUGE and with lots of windows it received fabulous natural light.  The house had lots of closet/storage space inside and the carport/garage offered additional room.

Laundry room/mud room off the kitchen and main entrance

Spacious and modern kitchen

Lots of cupboards and stainless steel appliances.

View from the kitchen.  A nice breakfast bar, table book and to the left a sitting/tv area.

This space was incredible!  Look at how big this table was and there's still lots of room.  And the angled windows added a lot of character as well.

The one bathroom offered dual sinks and a stand up shower.

Mudroom area off the second entrance

One of the kids rooms - sporting some fancy One Direction posters

Second kids room sporting some Skylanders bedding :)

I guess I didn't get a shot of the master bedroom.  It was decent sized with an entire wall of closet space.

The inside of the house was definitely nicer than we were expecting after viewing the outside.  And indoors the train was a bit more muffled.  But we still weren't sold on having a continuous interruption by the trains day and night....so off to House #2.

...to be continued.

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! 

Moving to Denmark -- what to do with your house?

One of the first questions I usually get from people when I tell them that we are moving to Denmark is 'What are you going to do with your house?"  I guess that's a valid question -- people are curious and wondering what they would do in the situation...

When we moved into this house in 2011, we moved in with the intentions that this was going to be our 'forever home', or at least our 'forever home for the next 10-15 years or so'.  We had no intentions of moving again quickly.  We had been in our last house 10 years when we sold it, and we wanted to be in this house until the boys had fledged from their nest.  So, 'What are you going to do with your house?' was actually a very valid and very emotional question for us.  We didn't KNOW what to do with our house!

We threw around the idea of renting it... thinking maybe we could even make some extra money off this scenario.  But, everyone we talked to about this advised us 'DO NOT RENT YOUR HOUSE YOU WILL REGRET IT.'  Even so, with warnings from  multiple people, we explored the possibility.  We were pretty particular about who we would rent it to -- we were hoping to rent it to an employee who was coming over to the US from Denmark for a 3-year period.  But, when that didn't pan out we quickly moved on to Plan B.  SELL BABY, SELL!

We found out we were going to be offered a contract in the beginning of May.  In the last month we have managed to finish our outdoor landscaping, remodel the master bathroom, touch up paint and fix some walls that needed refinishing, clean and purge the house of a lot of stuff -- and have our very FIRST SHOWING (without even being technically on the market even)!

Take a look at our progress/photos below.  And, if you know anyone looking to buy a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom, 2.75 car garage in Brookfield, Wisconsin -- feel free to comment below or email at Almesburyhouse at gmail dot com!  :)

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!

More coming soon, I promise!

Wow, it has been almost 6 months since I last posted...how did that happen?

I have some updates I'd love to share here, so I promise I will be updating soon.

In the meantime, if you liked reading posts about product reviews, I'm happy to introduce you to my new blog:  McMomma Reviews.  I will share all of my product reviews and tests on this blog, so be sure to bookmark it and check it out!  Plus, I include a few silly videos in a few of product reviews, so you might want to check it out, if for nothing more than a hearty laugh at my expense :)

Vocal Point Fisher Price Laugh and Learn party

Last month, I was selected to host a Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Toy Party!!

It was an amazing opportunity, and perfect timing with Ben's first birthday (more coming up on that later) coming up!  So, when I found out I was selected, I was completely STOKED!

Fisher Price sent me 2 toys to test out, plus a ton of goodies to hand out to my guests!  It was AMAZING!!

We were given the opportunity to test the Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Chair

and the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Train

It was hard for me to keep the toys under wraps until the party, but the idea was to surprise your child with the toy and see their reaction (and their friends).

Since 2013-2014 was a huge baby boom year for my friends, there was no shortage of people to invite -- with kids ranging in ages from 2 months to 7 years of age, we had quite the variety of testers.

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Chair:

The chair was a huge hit with the 3-5 year olds at our party, even though it is for 12m+.  Ben (11 months at the time) didn't show too much interest in it at the time, but now he really likes to sit in it and play peek-a-boo with the seat, etc.  

Both of the toys are equipped with the Smart Stages Technology, which means the learning content changes as your baby grows 

"Every baby develops at their own pace, and Smart Stages technology gives you the ability to select the stage that’s best for your child! There are a variety of developmentally appropriate songs, phrases and sounds within three levels of play – just slide the switch or enter baby’s age for automatic level changes."

The chair (through all the stages) has over 50 songs, tunes and phrases!  The three levels of play allow the toy to grow with your child so they don't get bored of it (and you don't get sick of hearing the same songs over and over again)!

Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Smart Stages Train:

The train was (and still is) a highly played with toy -- from the 1 year old to the 7 year old!  It is involved in highly detailed and complex plots and stories with my three boys -- usually surrounding some type of Star Wars theme, LOL.

"Songs, phrases and sounds introduce letters, numbers, colors, shapes and more. Busy activities like a slider ladybug, ABC spinner, number roller and clacker beads all foster eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills. Baby can press the smokestack for motorized action and lights, introducing cause and effect. And fun characters and questions prompt imagination as baby plays along.  The train features: 3 levels of play offer fresh songs, phrases & sounds for your little one’s age & stage, Busy activities include a slider ladybug, ABC spinner, number roller, clacker beads & more, Press any of the five shape buttons to unlock more fun, Teaches colors, shapes, letters, opposites & more, Includes Puppy, Monkey & Froggy rattle figures – just the right size for baby’s hands"

As I mentioned before, the train was a huge hit.  All the kids loved playing with it and my boys still enjoy playing with it.  I have a feeling this will be one of the longer lasting toys in our repertoire.  

Guests also enjoyed playing with the Fisher Price Laugh and Learn Click N' Learn Remote Control .  I was so excited to get to send every guest home with one of these to keep!!

Overall, it was a great excuse to get all the kiddos together and to score some free loot!

My Fisher Price party was sponsored by Fisher Price and by VocalPoint. I received products for free to try, but all reviews and opinions are my own.  Party participants signed waiver forms allowing their pictures to be used.   A big THANK YOU to Fisher Price and to VocalPoint for this awesome opportunity!!

eSalon - Made for You Custom Hair Color (product review)

I was selected by BzzAgent to try out and review the Made for You Custom Hair color from eSalon

The process for figuring out what color is right for you is so simple and eSalon makes it super easy to make your hair color specific and customized JUST FOR YOU.  So, you basically get salon quality color that you apply in the comfort of your own home!  A total win-win!

Basically, I just went to the website, picked the current color of my hair -- then the color I wanted it to be -- and finally uploaded a few pictures that showed my current hair color (so the team could be sure I was assessing it correctly).  I wanted to lighten up my color a little bit, so I picked a little lighter color than I thought I currently had (but not too much).  It proved to me that the system wasn't automated though, and that someone is actually reading what you select.  Less than a day later, I received a personalized email from a team member letting me know why my color choice wouldn't work so well and what she suggested instead.  I said 'go for it' and waited eagerly to get my product!

BzzAgent gave me a $60 credit to use however I pleased in addition to the customizable hair color product, so I picked up some Color Lock Shampoo and Conditioner, a coloring bowl and brush, and a magic 'touch up' wand for root coverage in between colorings.  

It has been 4 weeks since using my products (well everything except the magic touch up wand because the coverage of this product has been A.Mazing) and I have to say that I am very pleased.  The shampoo and conditioner have a great fragrance to them and they work really well and leave my hair feeling great.  The pump on the shampoo bottle could use some fixing (it is finicky), but that is really my only complaint.

At a price point of $20, I may or may not continue using this service.  I color at home between my salon appts to minimize my cost, and what I had been using was much less expensive than eSalon.  BUT, I like the results better, so I will have to see what kind of deals or discounts they continue to throw my way.  Overall, I am very happy with this product and would definitely recommend it to anyone!

But, here...see for yourself!

My kit and products (wine not included LOL)

Mixing and getting ready to apply the color

My wonderful 'before' roots (ignore my devilish eyeball)

Waiting for the coloring process to be finished.

Loving the color coverage and the richness!

Four weeks later and no visible roots like in my before picture!  Amazing!

See?  I'm so excited that I don't have to color my hair again after only 4 weeks!  :)

And if you want to get in on the action too, check out this link for 50% off for my friends!

50%-off discount with friends: http://u.bzz.com/sakzi.