Family Life

As revealed here, my sister and my nephew have moved in with me and it’s been a massive adjustment to my life.

Until my nephew actually started school, I have to say it sort of felt like they were only here temporarily on holiday and that they would be off home at some point. I’m still kind of getting used to things.

Sis hasn’t rested on her laurels though since her arrival. As soon as the jetlag wore off, she started reorganising the house. It’s been a good exercise, getting rid of some unwanted stuff that’s been in the family for years but also digging out some things I’d packed away in the garage and forgotten about! Still can’t part with my comic collection though…

She’s not quite gone the full KonMari but there’s still a lot to get rid of as she’s got a shipment of stuff arriving in about a month’s time so needs to clear some space. A lot of old spare furniture sitting in the garage has gone to charity already.

Changes

I’m sure at some point, I will get used to seeing little boy’s pants in my washing basket!

Pants…

However, I know I won’t get used to the TV being on with no one watching it…

Or the lights being left on around the house…

Or not being able to have my music blasting around the house…

Or not being able to watch my programmes when I want as they’re unsuitable for children…

Or someone drinking alcohol in the house on a school night!

There have already been discussions about turning the heating on – it’s only September!!

But wait! Let me stop with the negativity! Whilst I’m trying to get used to my new home life, I have to admit that there are a lot of positives.

The good things:

  • home cooked meals when I get home from work!
  • shared household bills, which should positively impact my savings rate!
  • chirpy voice welcoming me home (my nephew, not my sis!)
  • Sunday roasts!
  • garden looks much tidier and weed-free!
  • house is more ‘organised’ – I think I’ve mentioned before that whilst I’m super organised and tidy at work, I’m almost the opposite at home, don’t know why!
  • less unproductive time spent online because it’s anti-social when there are people around…

This last point is good and bad – bad in that I’ve been struggling to find the time to read blogs, comment and also to draft my own posts. I guess I just need to work out a new routine.  I enjoy a bit of peace and quiet in the evenings as sis goes to bed before I do, but at the moment, it’s not quite enough time to do all my blogging stuff.

This post has taken a while to draft as I couldn’t do it in one sitting, had to write it in fits and starts.

Unexpected Consequence

My gym sessions in the evenings used to be quite drawn out affairs – an hour working out after work, half an hour relaxing in steam room/sauna, shower and then mooch home.

Recently however, I’ve just been doing the hour workout, showering and then heading straight home – because then, I can catch my nephew before he goes to bed!

Who would have thought!? Certainly not me!

I realise that he’s not going to stay an engaging chatterbox for long (and mobile phone-free) and that all too soon, his teen hormones will kick in, so I may as well make the most of this period of his life!

He’s settled in well in his new school, has made friends and is doing fine in his classes.

So things seem alright at the moment – no real clashes with sis (so far) and I’ve spent some nice family orientated weekends with them.

However

Sis is off networking with ex-colleagues next week. She will be away for a few days so will be leaving me in sole charge of her offspring.

And thus my life has changed as I will need to be a responsible adult looking after a child….

I hope I remember to not let him stay up too late past his bedtime!

And how am I going to make sure he gets ready for school when I can only just about manage to get myself awake for work!

I hope am sure it’ll be fine…

17 thoughts on “Family Life

  1. Not sure if would like to trade with you. My own home is chaos, but that was my own decision. Not sure how I could cope with other people’s decisions to impact my life.

    Enjoy it if you can!

    • Hi Berry

      I’m having to adapt and so far, it’s not so bad. Have to say that things don’t quite feel normal and life feels more complicated.

      There is stuff to enjoy though however, thank goodness!

    • Hi diy

      Now that it’s October, it’s come on a bit but I do keep telling them to put on more layers if they are cold!

  2. TV and lights easy to sort – get your nephew on board and tell him how bad for the environment it is. Guarantee he’ll be policing the house in no time! Music – well, you could use headphones. Programmes – have a TV in your room. Alcohol – join in!! Seriously, well done – I couldn’t do that either, but I’m sure there will be more positives than negatives. And you have a young mind to teach all about FI!

    • Hi Tina

      Good idea with getting the nephew on board with the environment thing. I try to avoid using headphones in the house because the boy currently isn’t allowed them unless he’s using them for his homework – this way even when he’s on his tablet, he’s still partaking in conversations and not being anti-social. I thought aobut getting a tv in my room but having not had one in there for over 12 years, I’m not sure I want to get into the habit again of watching tv in bed. There are more positives than negatives and yes of course, a young mind to teach about FI!

  3. Enjoy your one on one time next week with your nephew 🙂
    Wireless headphones and a laptop allow us to watch our programmes whilst the kids are around. And make tidying the kitchen a little more enjoyable!

    • Hi Sml Save

      Thanks, I enjoyed the one on one time with him 🙂

      As mentioned, I’m trying to avoid using headphones so I’ll see how I can make things work. Some things I can watch on my tv I can’t currently watch on my pc so perhaps I need to tweak that.

  4. I found similar ups and downs when moving back home after living away for four years – lights on and heating being two of the things that continue to be a niggle.
    The one thing I will never get used to is the constant noise from TWO radios continually playing Heart FM music. I quite like my peace and quiet – it helps me focus and properly relax – so I find myself constantly walking round the house turning them down or off. We are adaptable creatures though and it sounds like the pros are outweighing the cons on so far for you, which is great to hear :).

    • Hi AMM

      Yes, I miss the peace and quiet and do feel kind of relieved when they’re in bed! But I need to be careful that I then don’t end up staying up too long as that would mess up my sleep!

      But yes, I think it’s just time I need and I know that I will adapt!

  5. Hi Weenie, so glad to hear it’s all going well so far, and you are even considered trustworthy enough to be in sole charge of the little guy. And I bet he is loving staying with you now, you are such the cool auntie.

  6. Great update. I’d miss the pace and quiet!

    Could get him a Nintendo ds or playstation or hudl. Seeing my nephews that usually keeps them occupied for a bit!

    • Thanks Adam and yes, hear you on the peace and quiet!

      Nephew’s got a laptop and a tablet and is allowed to play games once he’s done all his homework. Good thing is that he also likes to read. I’ve already bought his Christmas present, which is a Nintendo (extra controller for me…haha)

  7. I may have missed this somewhere in your blog, but what’s your retirement plan to house yourself? Move into your BTL flat or will it be funded by your cash savings? This is a family home you are lucky enough to be able to live in but not yours soley indefinitely and subject to family moving in by the looks of it. Good luck, I hope you find resolutions, i couldnt give up my independence at home!

    • Hi Starla

      I’ve not blogged specifically about my retirement plan to house myself but have probably mentioned it in passing in other posts. My plan factors in the fact that I could be either paying rent or mortgage in my retirement. I am indeed lucky to be living in the family home but at some point, the family may want to sell it. I do have the option to sell my BTL and then use that capital to go towards buying a house/flat to live in – not really considered that as I’ve been thinking of continuing to receive a bit of rental income there. Perhaps I need to just flesh out some other plans, so thanks for making me ponder on this!

  8. Hey Weenie,

    Glad to see that you’ve found there are lots of pro’s to having your sister & nephew living with you. There were always going to be some adjustments to make, but it sounds like you’ve adapted very well so far.

    How lovely to get this quality time to spend with your nephew as he is growing up.

    Corinna

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