Upstairs, Downstairs

It's been three months since I've written. I did move again so that counts as something, but truth be told, I have felt uninspired. There were baseball playoff games, ballet recitals, Spring Concerts, and other standard American customs which I have been ducking for years. It's not all bad, just demanding of my time, energy, resources, and minivan. So many hours in the minivan. I swore I wouldn't be that lady. But this Spring...I was.

So we are renting a large house for at least the next two years. My priority while searching was four bedrooms and a place for a schoolroom. My husband's priority was a Ping-Pong table in the dining room. We both got what we wanted. The upstairs has four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The main level has a schoolroom, living room, kitchen, half bath, and dining room complete with a Ping-Pong table.

And then there's the downstairs. Some of you may know that when we moved into our temporary place back in January that it came with a 26 year-old itinerant speaker. Now he lives in our basement at the new place.

Ten years ago, If I had made a list of things I would never have imagined doing, it may have looked like this.

1. Move to Russia
2. Homeschool my four kids
3. Encourage my husband to take a job where he travels the world 65% of the time
4. Move to Washington DC
5. Communal Living

There are many more, I'm sure, but I want to land on item number five for a moment. Since I aim to protect his online presence just as I protect my kids', we will simply call him M.

M lives in the basement. He has a bedroom, a bathroom, a living room, an office and a job. There are virtually three separate levels in the house. We live upstairs, he lives downstairs. But when we're all on the main floor, we're just living...together. We share meals, laughs, and assigned laundry days. Number 4 beats M at all board games. Number 2 challenges him to Ping-Pong and beats on him like a brother. He questions Number 1 about hard topics and she is helping him learn how to live with girls. Number 3 tells him everything honestly, especially pertaining to his wardrobe, which she finds appalling.

He's not a Chris Farley motivational speaker. He has real substance and got his Masters at Oxford, which we use to mock him when he makes a mistake. "Did you learn that at OXFERD?"

When my husband is in town, M is his golfing buddy. They talk politics and religion while drinking beers. Together, we all play Settlers of Catan, taking turns gloating about our world domination. He is a fly on the wall observing our parenting, oftentimes in the corner chuckling at some child's indignant behavior. I can't help but laugh too. I think my kids are getting a better mom out of the deal. M to me is like a little brother. I am trying to help him find his way in this big crazy world and avoid some of the unseen pitfalls. He encourages me to keep being myself with my family. He's met our parents, we've Skyped his.

I'm sure some of you have concerns. Some of your concerns may be legit. Honestly, I would wish a 26 year-old Itinerant Speaker on all of you. I can't explain the why. It just works and I am thankful for it.