BIG TRANSITIONS for CLEO

Last Sunday, we moved Cleo to her first little appartment. I say little because it is literally a 1 room apt, with a closet/hallway kitchen and bathroom, here we call that a (1 1/2). It's perfect for her needs right now. The great thing about it is , she couldn't be better located! She can walk less then a block to University. The street she is living on is the *HUB* of Montreal...St. Denis is considered THE place..lined with boutiques, bistros and clubs...next to school and hopefully she can get a job close to there also. I am very excited for her...
Needless to say, most places aren't too clean when you move in. It isn't an understatement to say, this place, all be it small, was filthy! I was just itching to roll up my sleeves and put my bucket full of cleaning products to good use!
Before staring, we did some shopping. A new shower curtain, curtain poles, organizing unit above the toilet..her own broom, mop, hanging hooks and assorted storage items to better organize what little space she had.

I think I scrubbed that bathroom for over 2 hours but I have to admit enjoying it lol...Yes ..I know, sounds weird but when u start with something so dirty, it's so rewarding to see what a difference u can make. I swear that bathroom shined when I was done with it! Every tile, grout seam and ceramic around the tub was fresh and clean!! It was so satisfying to hang the shower curtain, place the towels and toiletries in their rightful place, and finish with a nice rug! I had to take a pic lol. Chris was putting the toilet shelf thing together and hanging curtain rods and placing hooks for coats up in the appartment while Cleo was unpacking boxes. So we were all busy making it a home..

Her walls still need stuff on them but the bed and bureau are all set up and most of her things are unpacked. She has a few shelves to be put up above her desk area so I didn't photograph that..but the window below looks out to her school...how cool is that! Once she gets a job close by, she wont even need to get a bus pass, big expense saver!

Many have asked me if it was hard as a mom to see her get her own place. To be perfectly honest, not really. I think my biggest adjustment was when I left her dad 10 yrs ago and we had joint custody. So I got used to having her 1 week on, 1 week off. I became acustomed to her being at her dads more in the last yr also , as the transit system is more efficient where he lives, so when she started college, then university, she would be there more often then here. So as she transitions to her own place...I think it's a big change for her but not so much for her father and I .

That said...I am super excited for her and as a mom, I wanted to make sure I helped with the new place ie; cleaning and helping find a home for her things etc. I'm glad I had been putting things aside for her over the past few yrs, like dishes, towels, kitchen stuff..not to mention raiding my own pantry to fill up her cubboard full of easy, quick foods she can heat up or throw in the microwave lol...

At the end of the very long day, the last thing we did in her appt was wash the floor thoroughly, put down the large rug we brought from home, make her bed and be happy with all we did. I was fidgetting around thinking of what else I could do when Cleo says.."Maman, I can deal with the rest".

I think that is what I needed to hear...to walk away. I knew my job was done when she was ready to see me go...as much for me as for her. If that makes sense lol. I left with a light heart knowing her place was clean and fresh and pretty well set up...It's her adventure to live now..with me peeking in when I can ofcourse....and to drop off some toilet paper and a bag of groceries every now and then lol