How I'm surviving our move to Michigan

Hey, everyone!

The 18th marked 5 official months since we moved to Michigan. I get people asking me all the time how it's going and how I'm handling it. It really hasn't been as bad as I thought but it also hasn't fully winterized here yet either. Maybe I should re-write this post in the spring. So here's how I'm surviving and I'll write in "tips for you" style:

Join a Church-If religion isn't your thing, pick something you're into like hiking, geo-caching, etc. and join Meetup.com. If religion is your thing, this is one of the most important things you can do. Now, I wasn't sold on our current church because:

  1. It was too big
  2. It wasn't my last church, TMCC Sierra Vista
  3. The music wasn't as awesome as TMCC
  4. We only knew a couple people.
  5. It wasn't TMCC
So in conclusion, I just had to get over the fact it wasn't my first church, my home church, the church I was baptized in, the church where we had dinner with the pastor and his wife. I gave it a chance, longer than I would have and so far, we are happy here but that had to do with my next topic.

Join a community group/bible study- This will give you some familiar faces to greet in the sea of faces on Sunday. It's nice to get together, pray for each other, and keep each other sharp. Adam and I aren't the best at going out of our comfort zone but usually, I drag us and it's fine. Which it has been.

Buy long johns-These are essentials for me. Everyone looks at me like an idiot and don't laugh at my joke when I tell them the reason I'm surviving is lots of long johns. If you don't know what those are, google them. I tried to not wear them on a day it was "warmer" oh I'd say 37 or so and forget it. Now my requirement is anything under 40 degrees, long johns go on! No exceptions.

Buy fleece-Highly underrated but works so well. I got a few at Target for $15.

Make sure your hairdryer is in the bathroom-It works wonders to warm you up when you get out of the shower. No shame.

Buy a good winter coat-There's a Columbia outlet close by so that was one of our first major purchases.

Get gloves-I'm the worst at actually wearing them but even the cheap Walmart ones work wonders.

Crochet yourself some hats/headbands-Or buy them.

Now the next one was way outside my comfort zone. I don't have much luck in this department so I've never really known how to be a mom friend. I feel like being at home makes it a little easier to relate to one another too but I can't believe I'm saying this:

Join a moms group- If you're male, chances are you're the one that's working so you're getting out of the house and talking to other adults and while you should totally have friends, work for you kind of counts. Anyway, even when I only saw some of my MOPS friends the 1st and 3rd Tues of the month, it still helped to talk to other women who get it. It doesn't have to be MOPS. There's a million moms groups that appeal to everyone. Find one.

Get a good babysitter-With all the changes, you will need to get out for one on one time with your husband or wife. My friend is the most trusted sitter I have but she has a life so it's harder to get her. I'm not sold on my other one so the search continues. Plus, 2 of my favorite sitters will be in town on Tuesday (Gma & Gpa).

Go do stuff alone-Seriously. Go check out a coffee shop or go to the library without having to worry about children. I like to window shop at Sally's and Ulta a lot. I may or may not leave with something but just getting peace to look without whining, shushing, etc. etc. refreshes my soul.

Make at least one good friend (it's SO OK if they don't have kids)- I'm clearly talking about Emily. It was dumb luck she even became my friend. She's one of my SIL best friends who moved to the area the same time as me, one day I asked if she wanted to go to dinner and we've been doing it at least every other week since then. And while it's nice to have mom friends who get it, it's nice to have someone to talk to things non-kid related about because I don't know about you, but I'm more than just a wife and mom. I'm still Aidalys. I'm still here! LOL

Make couples friends-This is infinitely harder when you both have kids but still. This is good and you need to make time for it.

Anyway, thanks to all who check on me to see how I'm doing. I'm doing good so far. I haven't really had to drive in a blizzard or on black ice yet BUT I'm trying to keep positive about it. Just like seasons in our life, winter is a season too and eventually it comes to an end. I just got keep reminding myself of that!

Thanks for reading!!




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