What the Schweighardts Actually Need

I know I've carped a lot on here about my desire to live simply and love deeply-- to do without what we don't need, but probably for the first time ever, I'm going to focus on what we do need: what material possessions have gotten us through this move with grace.  On the eve of our shipment's arrival from the states, I think it's only appropriate to dole out some high fives to the inanimate objects that saved our sanity.

Being a foodie, it was very difficult deciding what kitchen utensils to bring within our limited allowance of luggage. I knew there was no way I could do without my American measuring cups and spoons--finding replacements for those wasn't even an option here, so they were no-brainers.  I also brought my favorite slotted spatula, rubber spatula, pancake flipper, and flat cheese grater. That might seem weird, but I have emotional bonds with these things...that probably sounds weird too.  I'm cool with that.  It's my kitchen.   

Perhaps my most love/hate relationship with anything we packed was with our preserve plastic tableware. We had no idea what situation we would be in once we rented our permanent apartment and I knew having something to eat off of and eat with would be a major issue if it was not included in a furnished apartment. (sometimes 'furnished' over here means: "hey look!  You have appliances!") And while we do have some plates, two bowls and a minimal amount of silverware that our landlady included with the apartment, it was nowhere near enough to have in rotation for a family of four.  So, the preserve plates, bowls (and especially the cutlery) have come in very handy...if they aren't actually aesthetically pleasing for extended use.  We've done without and it hasn't been that big of a deal.

Aside from all that, the obvious shining star in the kitchen has been our french press and a manual coffee grinder.  I am being totally serious when I say: Life could not have gone on without these two things.  We have no intention of buying an electric coffee maker or grinder and so these two win hands-down in the kitchen.

 The girls, as far as provisions go, have been shockingly low maintenance on this adventure. Luckily, we had enough space in our bags to pack toys and books.  We've purchased some new toys, art supplies and stuffed animals here, but considering how much I whittled down the girls' toys coming in the shipment, I honestly don't feel we'll run into feelings of excess.  If nothing else, we'll have some wiggle room with rotating things to keep them interesting.

The one item that we, as parents, could not have lived without, I doubt Bailey even has much of an opinion on. Her GoCrib was something I stumbled upon several months before we left and it has become one of the most important items we brought with us; forget the coffee accoutrement, that crazy girl needs a place to sleep. Even if it is more reminiscent of camping than an actual crib, the GoCrib is incredibly light, has it's own backpack-sized bag and sets up in a few minutes with a hand-operated pump.  Before we heard of this, we were contemplating lugging our bulky pack-n-play through the airport...It probably would've ended up abandoned in a heap next to the trash.  Our GoCrib is a Godsend; the girls also use it as a kind of jungle gym and love making it into a tent by putting a blanket over the top.  High fives all around!  This thing has been used every day for over three months (we used it for nap times before we moved) and is still in incredible shape. 

And while all the aforementioned items have been comfortingly essential, the one thing that has at times been our literal life-line is our iMac.  We purchased it a few years ago thinking it would make an excellent substitute for the TV we had removed from our room when Audrey was a wee babe.  We didn't watch television any more, but movies before bed were still something we wanted to be able to do.  This thing delivered.  The screen is huge, the design is sleek.  We love it.  But it is NOT--may I repeat--NOT portable.

Yet, it had to come with us.

We don't have a laptop, and we knew our iPhones would be short-lived once we made it into the country.  This puppy was coming with us and there was no way we were letting the baggage handlers get their meat hooks on it.  Enter: the iLugger.  That's right.  We paid a pretty penny for a bag in which we literally lugged (it's an accurate descriptor) our enormous desktop computer across the ocean.  This thing required special tags and permissions on every flight; most of the time it had to be placed in the storage area in 1st class.  That baby flew in style.  And it was worth every muscle ache and bead of sweat (I'm speaking for John here--I was busy with babies, remember?) because once we got here, we had something for the girls to watch their many...MANY...M-A-N-Y sanity saving movies on. It was a place where I could sit and word-vomit the insanity we were going through onto my blog and a way for John to find comfort in the familiarity of American Baseball after the girls had gone to bed.  Technology might be viewed by some (like me!) as a necessary evil, but having our computer with us has been an unspeakable blessing.  There's no way I could comprehend having gone through this without it...because that would mean going through this without you.  The support of people reading my silly ramblings, the ability to drop a friend a line on Facebook, to send a stream-of-thought email to an unsuspecting victim friend sister or to video chat with people I'd rather be able to hug.  Those things have all been vital for our general happiness and sanity. 

That's the thing: we're happy.  We have what we need.  And now I'm a little bit nervous about getting our stuff.

We've made it this far.  We've done without.  We've made-do.  We've let those things we packed away so long ago become memories.  Why can't we do without them now?  There are things coming tomorrow that I WANT--that I honestly joyfully look forward to having in my possession again.  But, I clearly don't need any of it.  That's heavy stuff for someone with a deep-seeded desire to live as a minimalist. 

I've just been praying a lot today.  I want to have the discernment to identify things coming tomorrow that we truly don't need and I'd like to have good judgement in what to do with those items.  I don't want to succumb to joyful enthusiasm and greedily accept all this stuff back into my life.  I'd rather see these shelves and walls bare than to succumb to idolizing my possessions.  I'm uneasy with the excitement of all this being ours again.

It is truly an odd place to be.  

So, I'll keep writing and praising God and loving on my babies.  And in the end, I don't think we'll go too wrong.

Stay tuned for what is sure to be rapture at seeing my hot pink pants again.