Life Changing Decisions

    There are many key moments in everyone's life that truly change the path each of us are on. This is one of those moments in our family.

     My husband  [NAME OMITTED] and I have been together since we were children. We met when we were only teenagers at a teen dance club and now 12 years later we have been married for almost 7 years. Together; (like any couple) we have experienced the highest highs and extreme lows. Together we have 3 beautiful children (soon to be 4).  [NAME OMITTED] and I both have only lived in the city. Minutes away from the closest gas station, grocery store and even interstate, but for the last month or so we have been trying to make the biggest decision that we know will change the course of our children's lives. We think this decision could easily be the biggest decision of our lives. Stay in the city or move to the county?!

     The weight of this decision...

         The largest factor in making this decision has been our children. We know that not only will moving to the country change our lives but it will change and impact who our children will ultimately become as an adult. If it was just  [NAME OMITTED] and I and we could move out to the country see how we like it then move back before having kids if we didn't feel it was right for them. This decision would be a no brainer if that was the case!! However life is not that easy.

     The City...

          Currently in the city we have a beautiful home. It will be the nicest and largest house we will ever live in. With 4 bed rooms 2.5 bathrooms and more room than we know what to do with it certainly accommodates our large family. Our home has a sizable backyard and in just 2.5 years we have turned into what we have dreamed it could look like. When we moved in it had a half above ground pool that took up the entire yard and now it is truly a wonderland for all our families needs. Even though there is still many things we plan to do to it but there is a light at the end of the tunnel that is in site! We have a designated fruit/vegetable garden a large deck (that still needs some finishing touches), a play set for the kids, and flowers growing in the flower beds! I have come to love gardening (both flower and veggie) and it is a true stress reliever for me.  

          We live in a school district that most would consider very desirable.  [NAME OMITTED] was a sandbox kid from this school district and isn't exactly thrilled with the thought of our children going to this district also for many reasons. It is a 4A school (so the largest) which most would think is great because they can have every opportunity imaginable. 

           So what's not to love right? With the city comes rules and restrictions. We have talked about getting a chicken coop and were really excited to teach our children about raising chickens (something  [NAME OMITTED] and I have both never done) and also having organic free range eggs! With a large school district we feel like yes our children will be able to have a lot of opportunity but they can have just as much at a bit smaller school and have more fulfilling experiences. I truly LOVE house, it needs a bit of work and decorating but with time and money it could be perfect. However, along with the beautiful home comes a not so beautiful monthly mortgage and many other expenses. As a stay at home mom I have had the privilege of raising my children and spending an abundance of time with each of them since birth! I've also watched my sisters 3 children and come August (2013) her oldest will start Kindergarden and in October her twin girls will start going to a new daycare closer to not only their sister and also to their home, but also daddy's new work! Yay for my sister. I'm so excited for them to start a new venture with kindergarden and a new daycare but with that also goes all of my income... So that not so beautiful monthly mortgage & additional expenses now look even scarier! 

     The Country...

           Our goal with moving to the country would be to be as self sufficent as possible and to work together more as a family in order to achieve that goal. We would want to purchase at least 5 acres and the home that we purchase would most likely only be 3 bedrooms. Which means that starting out the kids would have to share rooms. I had to share rooms 80% of my childhood and even though I whined about it then looking back it wasn't so bad. Now I'm actually glad I have that experience! We will most likely purchase a manufactured home and put an addition on it later which means our monthly payment would be at least 1/2 of what it is now. So I would literally be a house wife & mom. My job would be to maintain a clean house, cook dinner, and raise the children. I would also get to do what I love gardening, photography, and DIY projects. Most of these things are hard to fit in now and I think it would be easier to do them in the country.
            [NAME OMITTED] would be commuting into town 3-4 days a week for work and that means we get 3-4 days with him at home!! So we would get to spend a lot more time as a family even if that time is spent working the land if we were doing it together I think that would be very rewarding for all of us especially the children. We are looking for property that is 30-45 minutes away from Des Moines so the commute isn't horrible. Wherever we find a home that we like we feel researching the schools to make sure that is is a district that would be good for our children if a MUST.
           We would get those chickens we wanted and we have even talked about turning it into a chicken farm where we sell the eggs and also the chickens for others to enjoy as a free range organic food source. My husband has also wanted a few goats so we will surely have a few of those roaming around!
       

     So the search and debate continue....

           Mothers day weekend we walked around the land of two different properties that both happened to be in Winterset.  They both had their pros and cons but ultimately we decided that one of them was out, while the other was a contender. We talked to the realtor and planned on going to see the inside of the home that Monday. Come Monday tensions were at an all time high, both Brad and I are on the fence about if moving the family to the country is the right thing to do. When the time came to go see the house we talked to the realtor and found out there was an offer put in on the house so it was come down and see the house and put in a better offer or pass. We were both pretty disappointed but decided to pass we weren't ready to make the decision yesterday. I have basically come to the conclusion that we won't know if it is the right thing to do until we do it! but the search and debate continues... What are your thoughts? Have you lived in just one the city or country your whole life or have you lived in both? Do you have any questions for us?