To list our house as a vacation rental, we had to empty closets and cabinets of 16+ years of clothes, toys, games, and other accumulated possessions. I assumed that getting rid of our personal things would be emotionally difficult for this sappy mom, but decluttering actually got easier as we went along.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned since moving to Northeast Wisconsin, it’s that the regional flavor goes far beyond the Packers, beer, and cheese. In fact, there’s a whole host of regionalisms that I’m still learning about after coming up on 3 years.

If you are reading this, and you are the new mom in town, keep trying…. keep showing up and smiling. Keep chatting about the weather and how kids lose their gloves like 416 times a winter.

I realized through this experience that it’s not the act of making the difficult decision — we knew what we needed to do for our family.  However, it is the fear of the unknown that is the difficult part.  That is where my self-taught guide comes in.