The Start of "The List"

As I've mentioned before, I am a chronic list-maker.  I also like to plan things up front big-time, so I know what to expect.  (Having children has made me realize just HOW MUCH that doesn't work sometimes, and sometimes the best laid-plan is just that...out the window.)

Anyway,  we've been meaning to sit down and have a conversation for a while now about selling our current home and when we are going to do that, where we want to live, etc etc etc.  We've batted it around a little bit in the past year, and we have arrived at the realization that our cute lil' starter house that we bought almost ten years ago (TEN?  Really?) for the two of us is now pretty much bursting at the seams.  The two of us, adding a dog and two children ten years later, and it's chaos.  We do the best we can at paring down belongings and trying to keep things not too cluttered, but it's really hard.

So today, we started making a list of the things that we think need to be done before we can put this house on the market in two years.  And we actually grabbed a notepad (Phineas and Ferb, natch) to jot these things down.

And after the list was written, I felt the need to sit down, perhaps with a stiff drink in hand:

Wow.  Flooring, carpet, painting, ceiling, countertops, wiring, roofing?  Piece o' cake.  (hahahahahahaha)

Will was sitting with us, making his own list:

"did we eat lunch?  Check.  Did we mop the floor?  Check.  Am I having fun, playing on the "bus" that I built with the kitchen chairs?  Check, CHECK!"

First up:We have decided to turn the living room and dining rooms over from carpet to laminate or bamboo flooring.  We are NOT crazy enough to do both at the same time, so the living room will be first.    Next up, our helper was only too happy to measure out and help price laminate, and to peek under the carpet to see what was under there.  Not what you'd expect....vinyl in the dining room and subfloor in the living room.

Can I just tell you how excited I am to be getting rid of this carpet???  :)