Bullies of All Ages

We've been looking for a house. Our reasoning is mostly weighted on the fact that we've been in our current home five years and are ready for a change, in addition to more space. We've been patient in trying to find the right house, but there is a sense of urgency.

You see, our neighbour is a bully.

He is a gentleman who bought the house next to us about six months after we moved in. He rented it out for a short time, then decided that he was going to build his dream house for his family. We were very accomodating as he built his house from the ground up. I won't bore you with the details but needless to say, since they officially moved in last fall, our relationship with them has slowly deteriorated.

There have been countless threats to cause us problems with any work we'd like to do to our house, as well as general rudeness. It culminated this past weekend where said neighbour called my husband names and again threatened to get a lawyer and generally make our lives miserable.

Now, I'll make one thing clear. We aren't scared. We have resources at our disposal too, but haven't made threats or ultimatums. We've stayed on the high road.

But as I hear this man argue at the top of his lungs with his wife (we can hear them even when they are inside their house) as well as when he stands on his back lawn yelling and threatening my husband, I wonder what type of example he is setting for his young sons. That when you don't get your way, you need to yell and get in someone's face.

I worry he's breeding the next generation of bully. Boys that intimidate because they don't know any different.

There is no way I will allow Lucas to grow up next to that example.

House Hunt - Baby Edition

We're looking for a new house - not "new" but new to us. We've been in our current home for almost five years and after sourcing out costs for a major renovation to expand our living area, we've determined it's more efficient and cost-effective for us to sell up. Lucas was a major factor in this decision as we would have had to move out for 4-6 months, in the midst of him starting daycare and me going back to work.

It's amazing how my focus during house hunting has changed from five years ago. I suddenly see kitchens or rooms that are poorly organized for a baby/toddler. The wine rack in the island is beautiful, but all I can envision is little hands grabbing and smashing bottles. The floating staircase is gorgeous, but where will I attach a baby gate? The walk-in closet/ensuite in the master is fantastic, but in making the third bedroom smaller, I see fights between siblings about who has the bigger room. Where will I put the stroller, snow suits in winter, toys, clothes etc.? Some of the homes we've been in would never function as a family home, and I'm convinced the families that currently live there have figured this out, thus why they are moving.

The other is school district and neighbourhood vibe - again, something we put little to no thought into the first time round, but now we ask what's the closest primary school and what is their rating? Are there other kids on the street (usually a giveaway with hockey nets in driveways)? Where is the library, park, arena? My husband wants a street where he can play road hockey with Lucas without yellng "CAR" every five minutes.

If anyone at HGTV reads this blog, I may be willing to discuss a great show idea re: a family-friendly reno show. But only as a producer - I don't do on camera since I now look like a harried, overtired mom. Speaking of which, if there are any makeover show producers that read this blog...