Kitchen Sink

Amy’s Home is a Place to Unwind

In support of the Inspiring Home Moments campaign Homes.com reached out to bloggers and asked them to share their home moments. These are Amy’s home moments from AttaGirlSays.com.

School. Work. Soccer practice. Errands. Eat. Sleep. Repeat. Every day life can be so busy when we’re just ping-ponging from one activity to another. Nothing feels quite as good as walking through the front door at the end of a busy week, knowing there’s no place we have to be, because there’s no place we’d rather be.

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Our home is our haven. It’s more than just four walls. It’s the memories we make here.
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Home is the place where we unwind and relax at the end of a busy day.

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Where we laugh and play and create memories.

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Where we entertain friends and family and celebrate milestones or just because.

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Where a little boy grows into a big boy and where we grow as parents.

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I’ve come to realize that hardwood floors and granite counter tops and cool playrooms don’t make a dream home.
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The dream is being able to share this space with the people I love most in the world, my husband and son.

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The dream is the moments we make here.

Sometimes, those dream moments arise out of the everyday. They can take your breath away and make you realize everything you ever wished for and hoped for could never compare to what you already have.

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Like that time we watched E.T.

Every Friday, we unwind together with family movie night. It’s how we celebrate the start of our weekend, because in our home, that’s reason enough for a party. (We celebrate everything: birthdays, snow days, summer afternoons, picnics, holidays, chocolate, the first day of school.)

Most nights, we spend entirely too long debating what to watch. By the time we’ve popped the popcorn and are ready to hit ‘Play’ on the DVD player, it’s almost bedtime.

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Be sure to check out my recipe for stove top popcorn; you’ll never microwave a bag again.

But one Friday night, I turned on the TV and E.T. was just beginning on some cable channel. I was 9 when the movie first came out, and my Dad took us to see it in the theater. It had been nearly 30 years since I’d watched E.T., but I remembered it as the most perfect movie ever: funny, full of adventure, poignant and heartwarming. Magical, all 121 minutes.

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I knew Jackson would enjoy E.T., but would it be as magical for me 30 years later?

Almost as soon as the movie started, Jackson left his normal spot on the couch and snuggled into my lap. From this vantage, it was like watching the movie through his eyes. We were as connected as E.T. and Elliott; my heart lit up as Jackson experienced the classic movie for the first time.

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His surprise when Elliott discovers E.T. in the cornfield was my surprise. His giggles when Gertie dresses E.T. up like a woman were my giggles. His uncontrollable laughter when E.T. is stumbling around drunk after raiding the refrigerator was my laughter. His fear about E.T.’s failing health was my fear. His wide-eyed wonder at Elliott and E.T.’s bike ride across the night sky was my wonder. His tears when Elliott and E.T. must say goodbye were my tears.

And I hope that 30 years from now, he will remember the night we watched E.T. and that my joy will be his joy.

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Hi! I’m Maria, the Marketing Coordinator for Homes.com. I am part of a dream team that is dedicated to running this awesome blog along with Homes.com’s social channels. If I am not busy writing blogs and socially sharing for Homes.com, you can find me painting, drinking tea with my friends, and doing DIY projects!