I grew up in the 1970's and 80's in an 100 year old farmhouse with well water and no air conditioning.
When we decided to make the leap to have children, we failed to look at the basic conveniences that were lacking in our day to day lives. Conveniences that are nearly essential when you have kids. I rented a beautiful apartment in a private home for several years before meeting and marrying my husband. The apartment is located in the attic of a mansion, 5 flights up, 5 flights down. We made the decision that the hubs should move in with me since my space was much larger than his efficiency rental. Comparatively, my apartment had 2 bedrooms, a den, a HUGE bathroom and an eat in kitchen. Two weeks before the wedding, the hubs moved in with me. My big apartment was now a little smaller, but still comfortable and charming.
Then M was due in 2 weeks. As I stood at the kitchen sink washing baby bottles, I was struck by what a daunting task we had just begun. Bottles as you know are multi-pieced equipment. The ones we have chosen to use have 7 parts. 7 parts to be washed and sterilized between each use. Big deal right? Let's now talk hand wash. You see in our charming third floor walk up (5 flights up=43 steps), there is no dishwasher. And no room for one. And if there was one, who the heck is going to get it up those stairs? Thus begins an endless stream of dirty bottles, dishes and flatware. Gone were the days of not washing dishes all week and still not filling the sink. Now dishes had become a daily chore.
The next luxury most people take for granted that we have come to appreciate and talk about frequently is central air conditioning. We do not have it. Three window units act as our window treatments to effectively cool our space. Big deal right? Normally it wouldn't be except we now live with a very active, very nosy, very helpful 18 month old. So the ac units have to be removed from the crawl space after he has gone to bed. The crawl space door has been screwed shut to keep Mr. Nosy from wandering into spaces he shouldn't go. So, after working all day and getting M fed, bathed and to bed, the hubs is now having to drag the ac out of the crawl space (so named for a reason) quietly (good luck there) while he is exhausted, only to discover we do not have all we need to install them correctly which then results in a 9:30 pm run to Home Depot. Air conditioning was finally installed and running around 10:30. Our apartment is now comfortable but wouldn't it have been so much easier to flip a switch? And once it cools down in the fall, out comes the ac, back into the crawl space until yet another cooling system.
The 3rd modern convenience I will no longer take for granted is water. We do not pay for water. We have well water. I kind of like the taste of it. But, with infants, we have to filter the water. And we had to sterilize bottles for an additional month. We also have to add fluoride to their daily routine. Filtering the water is no biggie. Even sterilizing the bottles for 4 months vs 3 is not that terrible. What is however is wind, storms, accidents, anything that might possibly disrupt our electricity. No electricity, no well pump. No well pump, no water. We keep bottled on reserve for drinking and tooth brushing, but at each thunderstorm warning, high wind alert, even winter storms, we are filling the bathtub so we can flush. Hurricane Isabel taught me a VERY valuable lesson about electricity. I couldn't imagine WHY I would need to fill the tub. Seriously. I'm certainly not going to bathe in cold, dirty water so what good is it going to do me? The the lights went out. Two hours later, there's still no power. I visit the little girl's room. I flush. Oh. THAT's why you fill the tub with water. Duh. Even worse than the threat of losing water for an act of God, though is the random loss of water whenever someone else is doing laundry or running a dishwasher. Way to rub it in! Filing the tub to bathe M and we run out of water. Grabbing a quick shower at 10:30 after both boys finally nap at the same time and midway through a rushed shower there's not even a drop to rinse with. On more than one occasion, soapy, I have stomped down from the attic to the basement to turn the washing machine off. Stomping on hardwood stairs with soapy feet is no easy feat and even a little dangerous. At the third landing, I can hear the urgent cries of C. So much for that.
And finally the bane of my existence: laundry. Oh do I hate the laundry situation here. We have access to laundry. And its free. But its a hassle. Laundry is never done. Ever. As you are finishing the last load, you realize the clothes on your back are creating more work. The hubs's aunt told me once about having to change her kids' clothes 3 times a day because of the food they would get on them. I thought, but kept it to myself, what on earth is she doing that she needs to change them so frequently? After all, I'm super mom and I have the perfect children. Ha! All that has changed. There are at least 3 costume changes each day, multiplying the laundry workload. That's to be expected. So, let's decide to do laundry. The first trip down to the basement (add a flight-6 flights down, 6 flights back up) has a toddler perched on the left hip and a laundry basket perched on the right. The first trip down is really to do no more than get our place in line for the washing machine. If both washer and dryer are empty, it's like a holiday. If both are in use, just leave your basket. Maybe you can do some wash this evening. Late this evening. Being the furthest from the laundry rooms has distinct disadvantages. There are also some advantages if you can see through the crap to the silver lining. Its a great workout-climbing a ridiculous number of stairs is a cardio workout and carrying the toddler along makes it weight bearing exercise. Ah, but here's the rub...the happiness of finally getting to wash clothes is dampened by the sudden loss of water while doing dishes because I running the washer. I do believe this is what they call irony.
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