We’re in our sixth month. Halfway through December, my family made the joint decision to try to save money by moving into one house together. Finding the house was blessedly easy, the move was stressful and the payoff has been huge!

My family consists of my husband, three children, my mom and my dad. I grew up wanting to stay close to my parents. My mom is one of my best friends and I truly do adore my Dad! When Mom came out of the military in 1988 with a handful of injuries, I tried to help her as much as I could as I grew up. Now that she has COPD and some other health problems, my role is more important.

Not that it’s solely a one way street. She’s provided practically free child care for the last ten years. I lived with Mom and Dad until I was 25 and the last three years of that time, they helped to support my child. So this move seemed like a natural progression to us. My husband has had to adjust a bit. He was raised on the “children leave home” idea, so sometimes it seems wierd that he lives with his in-laws.

We’ve had our share of adventures. Last weekend found us up in Cottondale where Mom had located a free swimming pool. It just needed drained, torn down and taken away. Jason, the kids and I were ankle deep in the four foot pool bailing out water while Dad disassembled it around us. It took thirty minutes alone to figure out how to roll up the outer shell of the pool. Mom couldn’t get in with us because of the slippery nature of the project but she was on hand to offer her services as a “Ba Hammock” when Cade got sleepy.

It was a crazy day but it works for us. Dad and Jason tinker on a project, I huff and puff to keep up with them while the kids flow between “helping” and “keeping Ba company”. Mom (who is Ba) watches over thing for signs of trouble.

At the end of the day, even the crazy ones, I can’t bring myself to regret the decision. It’s crazy chaos at our house. There’s always something happening and it’s usually quite loud, but that’s life. Right?