House

*deep breath*

Ok. So the buzz around the twomittens household lately is that we have decided to sell our house. Yes, that's right. The house that took a year to build and we have poured our blood, sweat and tears (and gobs of money) into. The house that we have lived in less than a year. That same one.
I have very mixed feelings about this. There are obviously pros and cons to all of it.

CH and I have been talking about it for a little while, but it's actually listed now and someone is coming to see it tomorrow. The realtor reminded me that's a good thing as I must have sounded less than enthusiastic on the phone. I'm sure once I get my 3 little kids packed up and out of the house (which will be sparkling and inviting) at naptime I will be more enthusiastic. At least it wasn't today as she mistakenly told me this morning.

Con: I loathe moving. Everything about it. I hate packing and cleaning and unpacking and everything being up in the air. With 3 little ones I'm sure it will be great fun! Unlike last year when I was pregnant and just had the twins.
Not that CH doesn't do a huge part of it, but it's just very stressful for everyone.
(stress = grouchy)
I'm also already not fond of the 'showing your house' business. That's a new element (from renting). See above.
(stress = grouchy)

Pro: If you know anything about houses in this city, it's that the market has gone up, up, and up. Bad for buying but good for selling. We will make money on our current house. Nice! This will enable us to put a bigger down payment on another home and pay off some debt as well. All good.

The Big Question. Where will we live? Am I a country mouse or a city mouse?
We are interested in houses in a small community outside the city near Bragg Creek. It's about 20 minutes from where we are now. Not that far, yet it's still a drive into the city. A beautiful drive, but a drive.
I consider myself more of a city mouse. I like the convenience of having things close by. We'd be close enough to still have the diversity of things the city offers for the most part, it's just a little farther away.
I really like our current neighbourhood. I didn't think I would at first. I've always wanted to stay closer to the city center where I was most at home. But I quite like it where we are now. I guess the same could happen for the new location. I may love the peaceful surroundings!

So why then?
We're looking to move to a beautiful community with more space around us. Our house now has plenty of space, but we are one of those houses with other houses nearly touching us on either side. We could have a bigger backyard for the kids and more space to enjoy the outdoors. We'd like to travel as a family and would like to have a tent trailer or an older motor home one of these days. To be able to play outside and not worry if the kids are making too much noise. Maybe a garden? Room for a tree house, bikes, fire pits and picnics.

At the end of the day I guess we do what we think is best for our family.
And lately I've begun to discover the joys of online shopping. Maybe I won't notice that extra 20 miles at all!