As I established previously, I am a gazillion percent lucky for a gazillion reasons.  I am very grateful, and I am focusing on that gratitude and I will share more of that here soon.  In the meantime, can I just whine about a few things?  These are all very minor, don’t matter in the grand-or-even-small scheme of things, but it makes me feel better to let it out.  So thanks for listening.  Here we go.

I can’t figure out how to go outside

When we had the haze last fall, there was a similar vibe.  Stuck at home all day, going stir crazy, etc.  But then we really really couldn’t go out.  It was just huddling inside over the air purifier.

Now, however, everything looks all hunky dory outside.  It feels like we should be able to enjoy the great outdoors at least a tiny bit.  I just can’t figure out how.

See, we live in a condo.  Normally, I LOVE this.  Not having to maintain my own yard.  Everything on one floor in my unit.  #condolivingforlife

But now I would be over the moon for my own yard where I knew my family were the only ones to touch the doorknob on the way out.  If I venture out now, I’m risking touching elevator buttons, stair rails, etc.  And then risking bumping into neighbors in too close proximity.

Our pool was open last week, but it is closed now because the maintenance company can’t come anymore which is extremely understandable.  They have also closed common areas (gym, common room, etc.) which is pretty par for the course in most of the buildings here, and again, very very understandable.

We went for a walk around the building the other day, but it is lousy with mosquitoes.  I’ve been contemplating a quick walk down the block outside, but I don’t want to get yelled at by authorities (we’re getting even more checkpoints here), I don’t want to be any part of the problem, and then I still have to deal with touching elevator buttons and such.  (Most of the families in our building are quarantined just like us, but people still go out for food or work, the guards and cleaners are still having to come to work, so it isn’t a fully closed environment.)

We do have a balcony (from which I am writing to you now), but it is about 6′ x 8′ and not the kind of place where the whole family can hang out.  For now, we’ll be enjoying the balcony and throwing our curtains open wide to try to catch that vitamin D.

I can’t figure out how to purge

We are preparing to move.  That means I had already started the paring down process.  As much of a pain that moving is, I do like that it keeps our stuff in check a bit.

With the addition of Baby #3 and then a falling apart and putting back together of routines, we definitely have some stuff piling up that I’m ready to clear out.

Being home all day erry day has only crystallized my desire to live with less stuff.  Cleaning would be so much easier.  The boys don’t need it.  Seeing crap around brings me down.  I’m all in.  I want the stuff out.

BUT.  Getting it out is pretty tough at the moment.

Donating in KL has always been a bit tricky.  There are many refugee groups and others that accept donations, but it can be harder to match stuff.  For example, the refugees probably don’t need business suits and old textbooks.  (Let’s be honest.  Nobody needs old textbooks.)  Most people in KL don’t need winter clothes.  Not every group needs kid/baby stuff.

So you have to find the right group or the right person.  I’m not looking to make any money, but I do enjoy getting stuff to people who can actually use it.  It makes it easier to let go, ya know?  But finding the right person means taking pictures of stuff, sending it to groups, and trying to match.  Not seamless under normal circumstances.

Now, even if I match, I can’t get stuff to people.  And it’s hard to make undisturbed donate piles in the house because we are all in the house all the time.  It just feels like a shell game of moving things around, but I can’t actually move forward.  Cue the world’s tiniest violin.

There was a second hand sale here that I’m now kicking myself for not participating in (I would have just donated), but we were already scheduled to be out of town.  Truth be told, I thought I would have more time.  Since the move was over two months out, I had started clearing things out, but I wasn’t fully ready.

So that’s my gripe.  Being ready and motivated to purge, but having trouble getting it done.

I’m so sick of cleaning the kitchen

I’m sure you guys can relate on this one.  Now that we are here, eating all meals at home, it feels like all we do is cook, eat, and then somehow not get everything quite clean.

There are plenty of chores I honestly don’t mind.  Laundry never really bothered me.  I usually enjoy cooking.  But this much kitchen use has made it feel impossible to stay on top of.  Even with the whole family pitching in.

We’re working on it.  Just nobody look too closely at the stove top.  Or the floors.  Or anything else right now.

---

So those are my very privileged, very fortunate gripes.  Thanks for listening.  Trust me, I know this is petty.  I’m writing you this on my working internet as James makes homemade cinnamon rolls.

What are your stuck at home gripes?  Any seemingly small things tripping you up?  Let it out here.  We’re all just doing the best that we can.