$300 for car tags, Vonnie! Ugh! Mine is $36 for the whole year, but then maybe that's why Pennsylvania is broke. I hope you and Becky get your air fixed. Good luck with the company.
I've got five days ahead of me that are not entirely my own, but I'll be able to plan most of my own agenda--so, I think now is the time to try to set up some all-important routines and get back on them. Especially with this health-thing, I'm going to have to be pretty vigilant for awhile, or I'll crash and burn.
Good luck with the house, Lois...I know this is hard for you, even though it will be a relief to have taken care of.
I feel so much better when I "fly" and especially when I wear my lace-up shoes. I hate wearing them in the summer; my feet want to breathe. But, I try to wear them during my "business hours" and then change to sandals after 5!
I have been really pleased at how well the house has been staying together. I just plug at it a little each day. I still can't seem to remember to swish the toilet every morning, so the bathroom gets to be a mess at times. I try to clean it when DD is taking her bath. That keeps her in the tub (she's a jump out jumping bean) and reduces how much water is getting splashed on the floor, too. This week hasn't been too wonderful with my meal plan, though. I feel really flat and tired this week. I haven't been motivated to cook at all this week. I think I am getting up too early (5 a.m. most mornings this week), waking up too much during the night (about 5 times), and then not getting a nap during the day. I did take an hour and a half nap today when DD napped, though. I still don't feel very energized. Time to get back on the vitamins and start eating three meals a day.
DH is out riding DD in her bicycle carriage that's attached to his bike. She loves it! We're going to get me a bike, too, when we get some things paid, etc.
Today's TADAs:
* Got DD to preschool - on time!
* Worked at office 9 -12
* Notarized document for my grandfather
* Picked up my clothes and DD's clothes for tomorrow
* Returned puppy call from earlier today
* Got laundry done
* Culled mail from yesterday & today
Tomorrow shouldn't be too bad. I'm glad my Mom will be back in town Saturday; I miss her.
OK. Well, I guess I'd better run. I need to figure out what's for dinner!
Well kids, once again I'm FLYing, or trying to. So far so good--yesterday I had people over and they were floored at how good the house looked. Of course my mom just left and she and my dad helped me a lot, but I've managed to maintain it in as good or better condition for a whole 48 hours!
TADA:
Dinner is in the crockpot (beef daube--beef with onions and garlic)
Set up online bill paying for my utilities, which will be a huge help since I always lose track of the paper bills
Set up online banking for my business account, which will also be a huge help
Wrote up invoices for most of my customers
Finally mailed out a check for an eBay auction that I've taken forever to get out
Kept up with the dishes
Chased naked butt Louisa down the street after the ice cream man--sheesh!
Worked on my control journal
Kept up with my log book (my health control journal, let's call it)
Still to do:
Hot spot patrol
Putting away one basket of laundry and taking another down to the basement (baby steps, Lynn!)
And I hate to say it but my tennis shoes feel better than my birkies. My legs and feet aren't as tired today; I went barefoot yesterday because I had knitting circle and I wanted to spin, and I prefer spinning barefoot so I didn't put my tennies on. I'll just have to put them on after spinning, sigh.
Right now I'm going to do a quick check of my dining room table (my worst hot spot), take out the recycling, and do the laundry putting away, then I'm going to reward myself with some knitting or spinning or something and listen to the convention in the kitchen.
Well, it's done. I went over to let the men remove the bed for the charity truck, and the buyer and both agents were in the house looking around. The Aggressive Real Estate Agent hands me a paper to sign allowing the buyer to move in early. Let's just hope the escrow closes okay tomorrow. Party tonight!
TADA
DS all packed for his trip except last minute toiletries
morning routine
dw
PODA
read paper
bank deposit
SIL here to set up baby's bed and drop off her clothes and stuff
mow grass
library(finished Amamteur Marriage)
dinner
Hot today so want to get the yard done early before the real heat starts!
Hi shaun,good to hear from you. I hate all those McDonald toys as well,scattered on the floor like fallen soldiers.Glad you got some Shaun time.
Since my Mom is out of town, I won't get the luxury of having my afternoon free today. Oh, well. Actually, since I don't have a preschool for the month of August (until the 30th), I won't have my Wednesdays nor Thursday afternoons this whole month. Poo!
Well, I got excited too soon, I guess. Our proposed houseguests left a message last night that they could come on that Friday & that they really wanted to visit us! Ugh! I am so upset about that right now. I told my DH that they had BETTER be leaving that Sunday; I am NOT entertaining them longer than the weekend. I don't even think I'm going to entertain them; I think I'll let DH do all of the planning & I will just sit back and rest for a change. I am going to plan simple, simple meals and not care if we do any more than just hang out. They want to meet in September somewhere 1/2 way for both of us; ha! I don't plan to do that at all! Enough is enough! I am going to suggest that we plan something after the first of the year to try to keep our visits spread out and not so clustered together. I really don't care if I hurt feelings at this point. I told DH if he wanted to do a September trip, he & DD were welcome to go; I'd stay home.
I did manage to get up at 5 a.m. when the clock went off for DH this morning. I actually have a few TADAs so far, too:
* Straightened bathroom
* Made our bed
* Put load of light clothes in washer
* Unloaded dishwasher
* Straightened living room
My PODA for today:
* Get DD to preschool
* Work at office 9 - 12
* Laundry
* Work on control journal (I'm getting there, slowly but surely)
* Print out zone missions to keep in my binder
Well, the washer will be stopping shortly & I need to get everything in dryer put away so I can put those clothes in it.
Y'all have a great day & I'll try to check back in this afternoon.
Well, Ladies. I made it. The buyer will do a walk-through tomorrow, then sign his share of the papers. I wasn't sure I was going to get everything done, but I made it.
TADA:
* Had charity truck pick up last minute items.
* Made arrangements to have DS's junk car picked up tomorrow.
* Took neighborhood stray cat to vet clinic to be neutered.
* Hosed down Mom's house, made last trips to trash bin, mopped and vacuumed floors, etc.
It's really hot here. Not too motivating for doing anything. So I allowed myself a whole mug of coffee instead of half.
I was supposed to go to the doctor today for my annual, but she called in sick. So, next week it is.
TADA:
-15 minutes of zone work
-Asked property manager to send someone to fix the air conditioner.
-Manually rid of some kind of spyware on the computer which my anti-spyware program couldn't seem to kick. I spent two hours on this, and ended up deleting something extra by mistake which makes the graphics look a little funky, but at least it's working.
-made dinner
-burned a scented candle
I never did cook up that ground beef, so I'd better do it tonight before it spoils.
I've been trying to keep up with ya'll, but you're so verbose lately that by the time I've read most of the thread something happens and I have to leave the computer. Tonight's the exception b/c DH feels he owes me (long story) so I get some extra Shaun time.
House is doing better -- I've been trying to maintain some calm. Best of all, I have started pitching. Noticed that when cleaning I end up picking up the same stuff -- stuff that seems to exist solely for the purpose of being put away again. You know, Happy Meal-quality toys, little pieces from games, puzzles, etc., all that junk!
I'll have to go read Dave Barry's thing on the Da Vinci Code. What boggles my mind is how seriously many people have taken it! My very own BIL, who is a fairly intelligent, well educated, progressive cradle Catholic said that it really changed his view of the church! Hello -- it's a novel! (OK, you can see this annoys me because I keep using so many exclamation points.)
I read his Angels and Demons first which, if you can believe it, I thought was even more ridiculous in its characterizations of religion and Catholicism. It was also more soap opera like, with some very ridiculous plot twists. That said, DH and I *fought* over the stupid book, because as a thriller it was extremely entertaining (at least to me, but I never read thrillers). Reading Da Vinci Code was a real disappointment, because it is basically the same plot with new characters and a new puzzle. Many people say you'll like whichever you read first best, but I also thought Da Vinci Code had weaker characters. Still, a bit of silly fun!
I did start a much better book right afterwards, and the writing was *so* much better it was almost overwhelming.
Flylady's flymail is once again appearing in my in-box. I had to fix something with Yahoo to get it working again. The e-mails do help me, just by seeing them there. But mostly, I delete them. I like the testimonials, though.
Vonnie, whew, sounds like a close one on those uninvited guests. Hope it works out the way you want it to. It's not nice to invite yourself over to someone else's house, especially for overnights. That is why I didn't call my two friends in Charleston on such short notice. I didn't want them to feel obligated to meet with me or invite me over, and we kinda didn't want a scheduled agenda anyway. We were there to relax.
Jo, I'd be pouting too! Only usually I am complicit in not putting things away. I heard Sandra Felton (Messies Anonymous lady) on Focus on the Family last night and sat in the car listening for a while. She said the most dangerous combination in a marriage is not when a cleanie marries a messie, but when a messie marries a messie. I think that's what happened in my case! Except we're neither of us terminally messy; we at least pull it in every so often. However, you should see our garage right now ("DH's room"). He has worked on it here and there and constructed a nice workbench with pegboard above it, and put some of his tools away. But there are still piles to go. I have learned not to nag about it, but patiently wait. He gets around to it, just not as quickly as I'd like.
Was asked to do the sign-in at a political reception tomorrow night. After the private reception is a BBQ, to which I have a ticket. I'll have to make a very early supper for the kids in order to make the reception early.
Emma just toddled in here with purple face and hands. She found a piece of colored chalk somewhere and was trying to eat it.
TA DA's:
*Homeschooled lite (math and language). Girls were horsey about the math (counting in the hundreds) but did well with the language. We get to start memorizing a new poem tomorrow...can't wait for that!
Otherwise, nothing much accomplished. I got sidetracked on the computer this morning. I really, really, really need to fold that laundry.
I turned in early last night, so I didn't read your post until this morning. DH spoke with them last night & he said that they are probably not coming. The woman seemed like she was trying to "get out of it"! Little does she know, that is wonderful! She said they'd have to come on a Tuesday & Tim said that we would both be working & couldn't get off and so she said she didn't think they would come. Her brother won't be with them, but still... She is going to call back tonight to let us know for sure what the deal is. I am praying that they say they won't come.
Well, I'm up early this a.m. I like to go to bed earlier and then get up early. I get more done in the early morning than in the late night.
How many of you guys do the zone missions every week? I want to start doing them. I've gone to regular email of reminders because on digest, I was getting them the next day. It makes for a lot of deleting, but at least I get the missions on time.
Today's PODA:
* Laundry
* Get DD to preschool field trip on time
* Get car tags
* Take bad check to worthless check unit (same area as tag office)
* Take jeans back to Wal-Mart if I have time before picking up DD
* Work on control journal
* Work on filling out family calendar for rest of the year
* Email fall/winter work schedule to office
* Sweep floors
* Clean bathroom
Sounds like a lot more than it is. I am hoping that I won't have to stay to drive for DD's field trip. That will give me an extra hour to get my errands done while she's at school.
I hope everyone has a totally wonderful day. It's "Hump Day", so it's halfway over!
Vonnie, I looked this up in a Miss Manners book. You tell them, "I'm sorry, we really can't have company stay over now. We'd love to take you out for dinner [have you over for dinner, or whatever you want] while you're here. Here are the numbers of some hotels nearby." Then give them the numbers of some reasonably-priced hotels or bed and breakfasts. "We'd love to have you come and stay over another time, and we'll call to let you know when." Then invite them for another time as soon as you can. You are "obligated" to invite them to stay with you, but on your time, not theirs; they are the ones being rude.
Luckily I did find a place that will take the adjustable bed, which is good because it is really comfortable and will be a blessing to someone.
TADA:
* Found a place that will take the bed
* Arranged pickup for other stuff
* Registered car to me
* Packed antique dishes
* Swept out storage room. Finished.
* Mowed yard
* Piled junk from storage room for DS to pick up and dispose of
* Put the last of the stuff we'll keep into boxes
* Mailed newsletters at bulk mail entry unit at PO
* Exchanged bedroom furniture and moved old stuff to the driveway for pickup
The real estate lady called today and said the buyer wants to do a walk-through on Thursday, so I lose another day.
Jo, I read your post to my DH, and he apologized for all the camping trips when he did the same thing. (When he used to backpack, he didn't always empty his backpack; then when he wanted to use it again, it was buggy, and he expected me to clean it out because he wouldn't have time.)
OK, how's this for being a terrible person: the family we visited two weeks ago (ONLY two weeks ago) want to "swing by" and visit us on the way home from the beach in August. Probably a Thursday to a Sunday! I am sooo not in the mood for this, for many reasons. 1) We JUST saw them & too many doses of the woman is lethal; 2) DH and I both need to work & can't take off, so they would be here Thurs & Fri by themselves; 3) Last we talked to her, the woman's brother will be with them and he smokes mary jane, though not around her she says; 4) Our house is waaaay too small for that many people - we have 1000 square feet and only one bathroom!!!; 5) DH and I will be out of our bed/bedroom for the duration and in DD's twin beds (a la Lucy and Ricky!!) because the husband is too tall/big to fit in DD's beds. They called & left a message the other day & DH is going to call them tonight. I am trying to get him to heavily discourage them from visiting. How in the world do you do that???
OK, now that you know how horrible I am, on to today's TADAs:
* Got DD to preschool on time
* Worked at office 3 hours
* Got A/C repaired -- woohoo!!!
* Went to Goody's and got DD three dresses and a little cheer outfit on major sale
* Wal-Mart run for dog food
Tomorrow, I will spend probably countless hours at the car tag office, getting our tags renewed to the tune of $300! Ugh!!! Makes me nauseous to think of writing that check.
Well, I'll go now. I feel very incoherent in this post.
This house was clean. Then DD and I went in to work at school and when I got back, Kabloom!!
DH had emptied out the camper to winterize it and put it back into storage. He put all of the stuff he took out of the camper in the middle of the kitchen floor and all over the counters!
the DSs just left everything they got out, out.
I am so frustrated with this new, nasty pattern. They are not usually like this. We have a rule about cleaning up your own mess, and they all seem unconcerned about it and confused as to why I'm upset. GGGRRR........
TADA
came home, saw the mess, freaked out
read the paper
made pizza for dinner
PODA
somehow communicate to those 3 wild males that they need to fix their mess before I go on strike!
The Dave Barry piece was funny! I'll look up The Rule of Four; it might be more challenging. How cool you know the authors, Becky!
Also, I noticed after the fact, while strolling through my favorite blogs today, that Mark D. Roberts has written about the claims presented in The Da Vinci Code. (Might be something of a spoiler for those who haven't read the novel, so I won't paste the whole link, just his main page.)
TA DA!
*Homeschooled lite (math, language, and history). The girls remembered their math facts! Yay!
*Ordered Mavis Beacon typing software for DD8 online
*Cleaned up in kitchen (but it's kinda messy again)
*Looked up info on how to teach spelling. Seems like basic phonics and/or writing exercises are the best method.
Anyway, time to come up with some dinner. Also, get going on that laundry. Bleh.
The Dave Barry piece was funny! I'll look up The Rule of Four; it might be more challenging. How cool you know the authors, Becky!
Also, I noticed after the fact, while strolling through my favorite blogs today, that Mark D. Roberts has written about the claims presented in The Da Vinci Code. (Might be something of a spoiler for those who haven't read the novel, so I won't paste the whole link, just his main page.)
TA DA!
*Homeschooled lite (math, language, and history). The girls remembered their math facts! Yay!
*Ordered Mavis Beacon typing software for DD8 online
*Cleaned up in kitchen (but it's kinda messy again)
*Looked up info on how to teach spelling. Seems like basic phonics and/or writing exercises are the best method.
Becky, that's funny because I JUST noticed it this morning! How observant am I???
Our A/C isn't working properly, so it is 80 degrees in the house right now. The repairman will come tomorrow (hopefully). The unit is only two years old, so it should still be warranty work.
I've had a fairly productive day so far. Today's TADAs:
* Washed, dried and remade my bed; will remake DD's when she wakes up from nap
* Worked at office 9 -12
* Checked online banking (but haven't totally updated checkbook yet)
* Just rested -- a la' Hope: nap!!!
Well, DD will be up soon and DH will be home from work before too long. I'll probably heat up leftovers from Saturday so I can clean out the refrigerator. I need to consult my calendar and see what I have planned for tomorrow's dinner and get it out to thaw.
TADA:
morning routine
read paper
bank deposit
DS to tutor
Marc's for some fruit
planted 3 mums in garden,need more
times tables with DS
PODA
dinner
bath for DD
read with DS
watch movie from library
I desperately need some new clothes. I hate shopping for clothes for me and I hate spending tons of money. I have worn these things for the last 3 summers,time for a change. I buy a new top here and there but not enough to constitute a real difference in my wardrobe. Any good sales out there?? Someone wanna shop for me??
DS is leaving Friday for Disney so I need to get the duffle bag out of the basement and start packing his things. They will have a washer and dryer there in the condo so I don't need to pack tons of clothes.
I'm getting alittle "nervous" about the baby being here with us too. I am so not used to doing the infant thing for such a while now plus when I did it was not with other little ones under foot. I think I will do all my shopping,cleaning,yard work etc all week before she comes here because I don't know if I will be able to while she is here. UGH....
TADA:
-spent 15 minutes in today's zone (living room), decluttering
-morning routine
-changed towels in bathrooms
-cleaned part of kitchen
Vonnie, our a/c has that problem too.
Heidi, yesterday you wrote: "Article in paper about how Sundays are no longer days of rest. People treat them as another day to run errands and shop,etc. It discussed how stores used to always be closed,even gas stations,public transportation,etc. Interesting..." I saw what was probably the same article in Time magazine today. The sentiment makes sense to an extent, but I think that having things open all week is a great acknowledgement that, for many Americans, Sunday is not the sabbath. Muslims have their big worship day on Friday, and Jews and 7th-day Adventists celebrate the sabbath on Saturday. Very observant Jews and Adventists cannot go to the post office or bank on Saturdays, so they only have five days a week to do those things. Having things closed on Sundays (rather than giving employees rotating days off) is, to me, a form of religious discrimination.
TADA:
* Signed title papers on Mom's house
* Picked up friends at airport
* Washed walls, vacuumed bedrooms. They are done.
* Packed up the last few things to keep
* Processed church newsletter
* Took stuff to trash again. Will it ever end?
My house is hot already! A/C repairman should be coming today, so maybe I can handle it enough to get ready for work. Thank goodness it rained last night!
Today's PODA:
* Get DD to preschool on time
* Work at office 9 a.m. to 12:00 noon
* Post DH's payroll deposit when it goes in
* Print out Woman's Day grocery list from Flylady site
* Work on control journal
I won't be doing any laundry unless/until the air gets fixed! Won't be cooking, either. So, I hope he gets here to fix it today.
* Switch registration of Mom's car to me. DD will learn to drive in it.
* Mail newsletters at bulk mail entry at Post Office
* Back to Mom's house.
* Call charity truck
* Find a place that will accept a used adjustable bed. This is harder than I thought.
* Find some places for the furniture we want to keep. My living room currently has a bedroom dresser in it, and my office is an obstacle course.
I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. My DH is helping, so I think everything will get done by Thursday.
Becky, that argument (for keeping places open on Sunday) makes sense.
I stayed up too late last night to finish the Da Vinci Code. Eh. I was disappointed. I'm always disappointed with over-hyped books and movies. A Brief Review... Biblical scholarship: zilch. Historical scholarship: where'd he do his research, the history channel? Characters: 2D. Writing style: Well, for at least 2 pages every paragraph began with "Sophie looked uneasy" or some variation thereof. Noticeably repetitive. Also, the characters are always scowling for no good reason. It was too obvious from the beginning with all the fertility cult talk what the "Grail" was; I said the name to myself well before it was "revealed"...yawn. Been there, done that. The only thing not out of synch with reality is a Harvard prof talking trash theology. Brown should have skipped the novel and just written the Hollywood script already. The only part I enjoyed was solving the riddles.
I'm enjoying Don Quixote much more, with its genuinely historical glimpses of Catholicism in the late 16th century. Wish I were able to read it in its original language. What a completely different mindset to step into! Almost alien. I'm about halfway through the Second Part. I love Sancho's proverbs.
Anyway, I let the house go yesterday (obviously) and had to play catch up this morning, with a poop accident thrown in for good measure.
The kids had their yearly physical yesterday (the four older ones) and Elias had 3 shots, plus a CBC and lead test. Poor kid. J.D. also had the CBC and lead test. Everyone's pretty healthy, although small for their ages, except Elias is compacted again and has lost a small amount of weight. Back on the Miralax for a few months, to get it all cleared up once and for all. I just got a call from the doc that the boys' iron levels are fine (lead results take longer, but we're not at risk for it).
I have a LOT of laundry to fold. And wash, for that matter. Also, I have piles on the sideboard and desk to sort through and put away/fling. I broke my coffemaker carafe. Is it easy to replace those or should I just get rid of the coffee maker? We don't drink much coffee but my relatives do use it when they visit.
I also have paperwork to do. I know I won't get to all this and homeschooling too, being so tired. Guess I'll go rev myself up with a Coke.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but you may like The Rule of Four, which I understand has riddles but probably is smarter than Da Vinci Code, though I haven't read either one. I went to elementary and middle school with the authors, Ian Caldwell and Dusty Thomason (oops, sorry, DUSTIN now that he's a grown-up) and they were brilliant kids. We were all on the math team together. The reason I can't believe I'm saying it is that Dusty and I did NOT get along AT ALL. Ian was all right but boring. I liked his younger sister.
Okay, back to the topic! Lois, you may have to send the adjustable bed to the dump. It's too bad, but I found out that most places won't accept medical equipment and had to throw out my shower chair when we moved last year.
BTW Heidi, if you don't mind sharing, what size are you and what clothes do you need? I still owe some extra clothes to Susannah, though I sent her a few, but if you are not the same size as she is, I might have some extras for you as well.
PODA:
-errands, desk chores, phone calls
-put away clean laundry, which I really DID get to yesterday
-clean catboxes
-15 minutes of zone work
-take out trash
-more laundry, at least hand-washing
-cook up all the ground beef I got at the supermarket, for future use
That's what I had about our "weekend company" for next weekend. Oh yes, they ARE coming. Woohoo (sarcasm dripping there!). They will arrive on Friday and they should be leaving on Sunday. DH said they weren't clear on that, but they didn't want to be here while we were having to work, so we are assuming they will leave sometime Sunday. So, I need to start sleeping in ridiculously horrible places in preparation to give up my bed! Can you tell I don't have a wonderful attitude about this?
And I also know that a topic of conversation will be the "September Trip" that they want to line up. They are really aggresive and pushy and take it upon themselves to decide what/where we're going to do. I told DH that I was going to tell them that we had a lot going on from September to the end of the year[partially true -- I don't want EVERY weekend booked to the hilt!] and that maybe we could meet somewhere after the first of the year. Why see each other three months in a row and then none until next summer? Of course, what they don't know is that we [meaning DH, DD and myself] are taking a family vacation ALONE next year -- not with them as they want to plan. They would just take over our lives if we let them. Thank goodness they live 4 states away.
OK, I'm done whining now. I am just going to put this visit out of my mind until next Thursday.
My TADAs:
* Got teacher gifts wrapped and packed in car
* Have graduation card ready to mail to my cousin who just got her Master's
* DD's lunch is packed and ready to go
* Load of dark clothes is in the washer
* Dishwasher is running
* My bed is made
* Finally got checkbook updated yesterday
My PODA for today:
* Get DD to preschool ontime for her last day there [her "old" preschool starts back Aug. 30, so my Mom will have her for a month!]
* Work at office 9 - 12
* Finish doing laundry
* Make grocery list
* Go to grocery store this p.m. after DH gets home from work
* Print out the week of Kelly's Missions on one page for my Control Journal
* Work on Control Journal
* Work on scrapbooking
* Encourage DD to clean up her playroom so she will get that sticker today [she hasn't gotten it three days in a row!] and thus will get an ice cream tomorrow
Well, I'm going to give romper room hellos to everyone. I want to go get my shower before DD wakes up.
TADA
DS stuff packed in van
morning routine
dw running
PODA
tutor from 10-11am
bank deposit
Marc's for fresh veggies
drop DS off for trip and pick up niece in exchange!
come home and set up her swing and exersaucer and stuff
water garden
1 load laundry
dinner
I plan to do minimal things the next week with the infant here. By the time I get used to her schedule,she'll be going back home! Wish me luck guys,I will need it surely...
Vonnie- can't you all conveniently get sick before next Friday???? I don't like pushy relatives either,grin and bear it I guess,huh?
We don't have to go anywhere today. It is DS's 14th birthday and he and his brother have gone with my dad waterskiing, so the house is very quiet. I plan to get a lot done before they get back, so here is the scary list.
PODA
go to store for cake ingredients
bake birthday cake
dishes
counters
laundry
clean DD3's room
make dinner: spaghetti & meatballs, salad, garlic bread (DS's choice)
walk
water plants
write and send a letter of recommendation
August will be a nice, quiet month around here. No visitors, no traveling, no big events. I bought 2 gallons of paint and fabric to make curtains in 4 rooms. I also have some quilts to finish and I want to do some re-organizing to make things easier to maintain once the school year starts, especially in the kitchen. I can't wait to get the paint on and the curtains up, it will be fun to have a change in the house, it's been 11 years with this paint and these curtains-Yikes!
Glad to hear peace is reigning in your home! Nothing nicer than the smell of a crockpot doing all the cooking for you.
Hello Jul! Feeling any better these days? Been missing you.
Lois, CONGRATULATIONS! What a huge relief you must be feeling. Party hearty!
Vonnie, you have my sympathies.
Becky, any progress on the air conditioning?
Well, I had an insurance salesman come by yesterday, so I got the "visible" house cleaned up for that and a major hotspot, while not flung, cleared from the surface and boxed up. I bought a hospitalization/ER/Wellness policy for about $100 a month. That's not too bad, I guess, considering I never go to the doctor and the $1500 deductible "vanishes" over time if I don't use it.
Last night I went to a political event with Emma, who hasn't been feeling well, and she started cranking while I tried to assemble name tags at the last minute. Thank the Lord a good friend from church came and whisked her away. There was a BBQ afterward and she did pretty well, except I had to follow her around the back near the end while she stretched her legs. It was the only way to keep her quiet. She still feels warm to me today. I'm a little worried. Is it normal for a baby to run a low-grade fever off and on for three days? She's teething, but I thought that was unrelated. My children don't usually run fevers, at least not for this long.
TA DA's for today include:
*Dressed to shoes; made bed
*Loaded DW
*Threw away family's trash from last night (need to work on that "cleaning up after self" concept)
*Homeschooled lite (math and language), with horsey 6yo (AAARG!), but we got it done and it didn't take long.
We've been trying to rent Starsky and Hutch for the last few days and when I finally managed to snag a copy, it wouldn't play in our DVD. So I took it back last night, but of course, they didn't have any replacements on the shelf. Have to wait for the first rush to subside I guess. Anybody seen it yet? Is it funny? Zoolander was hilarious.
If they DO come, make them a nice bed on the floor. Don't make them too comfortable. And if they stay too long, I suggest that you and DH begin to bicker. No one wants to stay around when folks are fighting.
I went for a nice walk this morning -- the first time I haven't gone to Mom's house in quite a while.
PODA:
* Pack some boxes to mail to my sister. That will help a lot toward clearing out my living room.
* Celebrate the escrow closing.
* Catch up on stuff around here through round robins.
We've got Netflix and we should be receiving S&H in the mail today or tomorrow (I love that one of their distribution centers is right here, so it turns around soooo fast). I'll let you know. I did love Zoolander myself.
Trying to keep on top of the cleaning after starting out the week great, but so far it's been tough.
TADAs:
Big toy pickup in LR
sweeping first floor
two library trips
stop at bank
PODA:
Lots of freelance work
Get kids dinner, PJs, etc. ready for sitter
Unload DW
One load laundry (try to get the blood spots off of DD1s sweet white tennis dress)
Mini golf tonight at a sculpture garden in a nearby town -- should be fun! Just hoping DD1 doesn't totally meltdown for the (new) babysitter. wish us luck!
TADA:
--Showered, dressed and purty. Wearing my birkies, though, because I managed to stab myself in the side of my heel with a garden tool and shoes hurt right now.
--Made cookie dough with the girls and cleaned up the mess as we went! woohoo!
--Baked Josie's shrinkie plastic that she's had printed out for days now ("This is the best day ever!" says Jo--shrinkies, cookie baking, three of her favorite grownups scheduled...)
--Hot spots patrolled, or at least the ones I'm able to concentrate on now.
--Tea made.
--Chicken defrosting for dinner.
PODA:
--Many visits from friends planned, one definitely coming who I haven't seen in months and is one of my oldest and dearest, and one possibly coming who is a newer friend but just as dear, and a third friend for dinner.
--Getting invoices out in email and printing them out to mail.
--Working on a proposal for Mabel's website (note to Portlanders: I'm teaching beginning knitting there Tuesday nights 6:30-8:30).
--Baking the cookie dough from this morning.
--Therapeutic fiber work.
TADA
DS to tutor
took kids out to Taco Bell for lunch
brought Ds to Aunt's and helped load van
Kissed Ds goodbye and brought niece home.
DD3 is a very good helper and is having fun with her cousin. So far so good. I just hope she sleeps well while she is here. That is the part that most worries me.
DH called and said that he will bring home Chinese tonight. Yay!! I love it plus I don't have to cook....
Shaun-good luck with the new sitter tonight.
Lynn- can I come over and play? Sounds like fun out your way.
Lois-whatcha got planned for your escrow clebration?
Gonna throw in a load of clothes while DN is content in her exersaucer.
...reminds me of the trailer for the "Blackbook" movie, where what's-her-name smashes the answering machine with the fireplace poker as her friend cheers her on. Anyone else know what I'm talking about? From now on, when I see that preview, I shall think of Vonnie
TADA:
Many Many Errands
Laundry
Late Lunch
Nap
DW
Well, I did some checking on myself today while doing some chores. Seems that simply walking around the house doing general pick-up brings me right up to the edge of what the doc allows for my heart rate. Guess it's not just babysteps, but SLOW babysteps.
I'll have to check that out Julie! Gosh I hope you are ok - sorry you have to struggle with these PVC's. I think my Dad had that, but they seem to have vanished.
Well, we are trying to reenter our normal lives - it's not easy! Actually it's going pretty well. It was so great to come back to a clean house, thanks to Flylady! WE are just unpacking now, laundry, bills, etc. I think I will work for 45 minutes then take a 15 minute break. Shouldn't take too long. I did grocery shopping yesterday so don't have to do that. I do have to do a Wal-Mart run to get prizes for the kids' good behavior on the trip!
The trip was very good, I'm glad I did it, but I'm glad it's over! Our nieces wedding was beautiful. I'd love to share a few photos with anyone - esp. of my DD5 who was one of the flowergirls! She was so beautiful! The wedding was on a lakeshore in Northern Minnesota - so pretty. Everyone was well-behaved (I'm talking about the adults!)Then the second half of our trip was flying to Montana to visit my folks, brother, SIL, and their DD2. It was fun, kind of stressful though. After brother and his family left, things relaxed a bit, we did some hiking and swimming. We did a lot of hoteling on this trip, some good, some bad. I would recommend Comfort Suites or the Hampton Inn - NOT the Days Inn (yuk!). I know a lot depends on the individual hotel though. So it was good to get back into my own bed!
Thunderstorms again today all day, but at least it should cool things off, right?
TADA
dishes 3 times!
4 loads laundry
made DS's cake
general fling
counters
dropped off some broken jewlery to be repaired
called the insurance company about my ring
dropped off some book donations to the library and checked out Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
made dinner
watered the plants
made myself a yogurt/banana/strwberry smoothie for breakfast-yum!
PODA
finish up the laundry
go to Curves w/my SIL to use up one of her guest passes
buy a birthday present for a 5 year old who has everything. I have no clue what to get....
take DD to the party
make dinner: burgers and salad (gardenburger for me)
Rent movie to watch tonight
put away all the clean, folded laundry
Get this-I somehow managed to break the diamond in my engagement ring. I thought diamonds were the hardest mineral! I have no idea how it happened, but I noticed a prong was missing and when the repair guy put it under the microscope he told me it was cracked, and once he pointed it out, I could see it with my eyes, no magnification needed! The insurance company is going to replace the stone, but it was just strange. I would think to have hit it hard enough to break it it would have hurt my finger quite a bit. Weird.
Hope everyone's Saturday is peaceful and productive!
-Jo
Jo, we've got a lot of rain here, too, this weekend. How strange about your ring!
Glad you had a great trip, Andrea. Guess it's almost time for your family to get ready for the back-to-school thing, huh?
I just remembered something about Vonnie...wasn't she the one who pulled the gun on the would-be mugger? Seems like she could certainly smash an answering machine OR tell company to take a hike!
TADA:
went to Curves this morning
grocery store (this was a good thing...I ran into a woman who previously made me feel really guilty for something I didn't do...and we had a nice chat)
put gas in the car
PODA:
lunch
nap
lots and lots of paid work
wash and set hair for church tomorrow
bake cake for church tomorrow
bubble bath
I thought about that just the other day...wasn't it at a Chinese restaurant, Vonnie?
Welcome home, Andrea! I know what you mean about the hotels, and I'm glad some of them were nice. Can't wait to see your pics.
Sorry about your diamond, Jo. I know it can be replaced, but there's the sentimental value too. I've almost lost my diamond twice, when prongs broke. We eventually added two additional prongs to secure it. What shape is your diamond? Is any part of it reusable?
Rough night last night. Emma has been getting up 4 or 5 times a night lately and this week it got worse. I know she hasn't been feeling well lately, but I finally had to let her cry last night. I had tried everything else. She'd already been nursed repeatedly, dosed with pain reliever, everything I could think of. I tried singing lullabies to her, which helped a little. She wound down and slept from about 2:30 a.m. to about 6:30, then I nursed her back to sleep 'til about 8:45.
TA DA's:
*"Intent to Homeschool Form" copied and ready to mail
*Attendance and reading list forms printed off
*Desk in foyer cleaned out
*Control journal cleaned out
*Papers filed
*Breakfast table wiped
*Last night, folded some laundry and washed 2 loads
It's sales tax holiday this weekend and I'm trying to convince my DH to go buy some new clothes, which he desperately needs. But we seem to be getting a late start.
I think I'm flaring because I'm not getting enough sleep and I'm waking up very sore and achey. It's not helping that I've been getting way too many sugars in the last couple of days.
TADA:
Emptied and reloaded the DW
Cleared the dish rack and dried it
Cleared the dining room table
Tidied the guest room (which tends to be where little girls take naps and hide Barbies under the covers, and which dh uses as a dressing room/laundry dump if I'm not vigilant)
Took my vitex and mag supplements
PODA:
Carrying laundry upstairs
Bringing in the comforter from the clothesline
Making upstairs beds
Putting one basket of laundry away, bringing one down
Somehow getting a nap--I'm exhausted today!
Figuring out dinner
Welcome Home Andrea! Glad your vacation went well and that you are all home safely.
Spoke to DS9 this morning and they arrived safe and sound in Florida around 6:30 this morning. They stopped at Daytona Beach and went in the water before heading out to breakfast. How Fun! I miss him already,7 more days to go.
the baby slept well last night and has been fairly easy this morning. I hope to take a shower when she sleeps in a bit.
We had torrential rain last night and our basement flooded something fierce. DH has been soaking up water with the steam vac. This is now his 3rd shot at it and probably will do more,that's how much water we got. We have fans blowing on it too(play area is carpeted) Oh Joy..
So far this weekend has been great -- I set aside time for hanging out with the family, and it is so nice to feel free to do it without worrying about the next place to go or task on the list. I keep worrying that I am forgetting something and will end up pulling all-nighters next week, but so far so good.
We had a blast with our friends last night -- went to a hipster bar where the cool 20-somethings go and made dinner out of drinks and outlandish appetizers. Then we went bowling (too much rain for mini golf) at the "cool" bar where local celebs go (Winona Ryder went there many times when dating the guy from Soul Asylum, e.g.). All in all, it was a fun night of reliving my youth but also enjoying my "adult" friends. And we were home by 10:30!
TADAs:
Washed 1 load laundry
dried and folded 2 loads laundry
loaded and ran DW
organized some freelance work
did some paper recycling
had lattes with DH while kids played at mall playground (perfect size for DD1)
remaining PODA:
dry and fold 1 load laundry
watch Starsky and Hutch with DH
Also, starting last night we began the larger project of weaning DD1 from her night feedings! It can be anywhere from 2 to 5 a night! She is just so persistent (and loud!) that I have been reluctant to cut her off, but at 14 months I think it's past time for us. I am just so tired of being tired: my memory is poor, my immune system is weak, and I get angry too easily. We'll all be better off. I never had to do this with DD5. At about 9-12 months I decided to cut out night nursing -- she was only doing it 1x a night -- and after a couple nights of short crying while I held her in our bed, she was fine. But DD1 has not gone for that. So it's couch city for mommy, while DH is my hero!
BTW, our guest room is what I call The Walk-In Closet, which is why I'm sleeping on the sofa. I think tomorrow I'll do a major attack on the guest room so I can have my bed up there.
DH is calling me to help get the girls out of the bath. Have a great night!
Yesterday I was about as energetic as a wrung out rag.
TADA from yesterday and today:
--Made play dough for the girls--mmm, lavender oil...(so they won't eat it)
--Made dishwasher/scouring powder (will be posting an article on my experiments soon)--mm, lemon oil!
--Brought the comforter in from the line (where it's been hanging for days...)
--Kept the kitchen clean
--Ground the week's oat porridge
--Started some kishk (homemade flaked cereal that's not deadly like the store stuff)
--Started some wheat sprouts as long as I had the wheat berries out
PODA:
--Teach final sock class this afternoon
--Go to the recycled building supply house for garden bed materials
--Fold and put away at least one basket of laundry and take a load down--just going to keep chipping away at this, it's the putting away part where things are breaking down for some reason...
--Strain the chicken broth that's been cooking for two days (that's a good thing, the two days part)
--Write up homemade dishwasher/scouring powder article
--Write up crockpot beef recipe that turned out so well
TADA
Church
laundry
dishes
printed out a ton of stuff for school
PODA
more laundry
more dishes
counters
clutter in LR
make those burgers for dinner-no one wanted them last night, too hot
walk
Susannah, I don't know if any of the diamond would be reusable, good question.
Lynn, does the weather affect your flare ups at all?
Becky, that's too bad about your cat. Sick babies and animals are the worst, because it is so hard to communicate with them.
Shaun, you wild woman! Sounds like a fun time.
Heidi, I hope the baby is still sleeping well for you.
My boys are gone to the tractor pulls at the fair with Papa, so I have been puttering on the computer for over 3 hours! Yikes, I'd better go get something accomplished.
I remember you mentioning this concoction before, Lynn, and I got all inquisitive.
I'm so glad you're feeling better, apparently.
I stayed up last night to get the kitchen mopped and then (couldn't resist) read more of Don Quixote. Emma woke up twice in four hours. I nursed her the first time, but the second time had to resort to crying again or it would have been every two hours for the rest of the night. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but it didn't seem to take as long last night.
Made it to church 30 minutes late today, but with all the children. I hate for any of them to miss their classes, as they don't get much interaction with other children during the week. Great time was had by all (again). I always leave challenged, reinvigorated, humbled. I also left with a new broom/dustpan and some buckwheat pancake mix, thanks to Mom.
Now I'm off to Wal-Mart for the things I have been unable or unwilling to buy locally. Last day of sales tax holiday. Oh, Dh got his new clothes yesterday and I have never seen anybody pick out ties that fast in my life. He grabbed four, said "These'll do" and tossed them in the cart. Same with the belts. Needless to say, I didn't get to browse for the children or me. But I did talk him into allowing them to ride the carousel. I bought a backpack for each of the three older children (the ones big enough to wear one) and Elias and his backpack have been inseparable ever since. He even wears it to play computer games. It went with us to church this morning. I have rescued the insulated lunch bag that went with it and put it back together. Will hide it until I use it.
OK, I've lost a couple of posts, so this will be short! We need a new 'puter I think.
Susannah, gotta love 'em! At least he is not a compulsive shopper spending tons of time and $. Glad you made it to church, we did too, though kids would not hold hands at the end b/c they had been fighting. Lovely.
Hi to everyone else!
Actually Julie, we are not quite in the BTS mode yet. The kids and I still have 5 week, DS has 4. I'm still working 2-3.5 days each week thru the summer though. How are you feeling about meeting? We are pretty booked, but DD and I could possibly fit something in.
Has anyone noticed that their DH gets much more couch time than you? Mine is pretty good, does chores, helps out, etc. but still I've noticed that he ends up having that "down time" a lot more than I do. I don't wanna complain, but geez it's not fair. Part of our problem is that I have higher standards than he does. He thinks we're done and we're not.
Yep, that was me. But, I didn't actually pull a gun; I just wiggled it around with my hand in my jacket pocket to let him know it was there. And, yes, Susannah, it was indeed a Chinese restaurant. I still don't go there by myself to pick up take-out. DH always goes with me, even if he sits in the car. I really don't want to shoot anyone, so I feel that's best.
I've been working my tail off this morning; I'll post later.
Homemade Dishwasher/Scouring Powder. I really want to know people's experiences with this! Am I feeling better? Yeah, in general, I am. I'm having a stupid flare, and by the time the afternoon hits I am beat, but otherwise I'm plugging along.
Comments
Need Routines!
Hi everyone. I had fun catching up on your posts.
$300 for car tags, Vonnie! Ugh! Mine is $36 for the whole year, but then maybe that's why Pennsylvania is broke. I hope you and Becky get your air fixed. Good luck with the company.
I've got five days ahead of me that are not entirely my own, but I'll be able to plan most of my own agenda--so, I think now is the time to try to set up some all-important routines and get back on them. Especially with this health-thing, I'm going to have to be pretty vigilant for awhile, or I'll crash and burn.
Good luck with the house, Lois...I know this is hard for you, even though it will be a relief to have taken care of.
Later!
Julie
(who is off to plan BBR)
Way to Go, Lynn!!
I feel so much better when I "fly" and especially when I wear my lace-up shoes. I hate wearing them in the summer; my feet want to breathe. But, I try to wear them during my "business hours" and then change to sandals after 5!
I have been really pleased at how well the house has been staying together. I just plug at it a little each day. I still can't seem to remember to swish the toilet every morning, so the bathroom gets to be a mess at times. I try to clean it when DD is taking her bath. That keeps her in the tub (she's a jump out jumping bean) and reduces how much water is getting splashed on the floor, too. This week hasn't been too wonderful with my meal plan, though. I feel really flat and tired this week. I haven't been motivated to cook at all this week. I think I am getting up too early (5 a.m. most mornings this week), waking up too much during the night (about 5 times), and then not getting a nap during the day. I did take an hour and a half nap today when DD napped, though. I still don't feel very energized. Time to get back on the vitamins and start eating three meals a day.
DH is out riding DD in her bicycle carriage that's attached to his bike. She loves it! We're going to get me a bike, too, when we get some things paid, etc.
Today's TADAs:
* Got DD to preschool - on time!
* Worked at office 9 -12
* Notarized document for my grandfather
* Picked up my clothes and DD's clothes for tomorrow
* Returned puppy call from earlier today
* Got laundry done
* Culled mail from yesterday & today
Tomorrow shouldn't be too bad. I'm glad my Mom will be back in town Saturday; I miss her.
OK. Well, I guess I'd better run. I need to figure out what's for dinner!
Cya!
Vonnie
Back with the baby steps
Well kids, once again I'm FLYing, or trying to. So far so good--yesterday I had people over and they were floored at how good the house looked. Of course my mom just left and she and my dad helped me a lot, but I've managed to maintain it in as good or better condition for a whole 48 hours!
TADA:
Dinner is in the crockpot (beef daube--beef with onions and garlic)
Set up online bill paying for my utilities, which will be a huge help since I always lose track of the paper bills
Set up online banking for my business account, which will also be a huge help
Wrote up invoices for most of my customers
Finally mailed out a check for an eBay auction that I've taken forever to get out
Kept up with the dishes
Chased naked butt Louisa down the street after the ice cream man--sheesh!
Worked on my control journal
Kept up with my log book (my health control journal, let's call it)
Still to do:
Hot spot patrol
Putting away one basket of laundry and taking another down to the basement (baby steps, Lynn!)
And I hate to say it but my tennis shoes feel better than my birkies. My legs and feet aren't as tired today; I went barefoot yesterday because I had knitting circle and I wanted to spin, and I prefer spinning barefoot so I didn't put my tennies on. I'll just have to put them on after spinning, sigh.
Right now I'm going to do a quick check of my dining room table (my worst hot spot), take out the recycling, and do the laundry putting away, then I'm going to reward myself with some knitting or spinning or something and listen to the convention in the kitchen.
Lynn Siprelle, Editor
It's done
Well, it's done. I went over to let the men remove the bed for the charity truck, and the buyer and both agents were in the house looking around. The Aggressive Real Estate Agent hands me a paper to sign allowing the buyer to move in early. Let's just hope the escrow closes okay tomorrow. Party tonight!
Good Morning! TADA DS all
Good Morning!
TADA
DS all packed for his trip except last minute toiletries
morning routine
dw
PODA
read paper
bank deposit
SIL here to set up baby's bed and drop off her clothes and stuff
mow grass
library(finished Amamteur Marriage)
dinner
Hot today so want to get the yard done early before the real heat starts!
Hi shaun,good to hear from you. I hate all those McDonald toys as well,scattered on the floor like fallen soldiers.Glad you got some Shaun time.
Gonna run,check in later
Heidi
Thursday Is Here Again!
Since my Mom is out of town, I won't get the luxury of having my afternoon free today. Oh, well. Actually, since I don't have a preschool for the month of August (until the 30th), I won't have my Wednesdays nor Thursday afternoons this whole month. Poo!
Well, I got excited too soon, I guess. Our proposed houseguests left a message last night that they could come on that Friday & that they really wanted to visit us! Ugh! I am so upset about that right now. I told my DH that they had BETTER be leaving that Sunday; I am NOT entertaining them longer than the weekend. I don't even think I'm going to entertain them; I think I'll let DH do all of the planning & I will just sit back and rest for a change. I am going to plan simple, simple meals and not care if we do any more than just hang out. They want to meet in September somewhere 1/2 way for both of us; ha! I don't plan to do that at all! Enough is enough! I am going to suggest that we plan something after the first of the year to try to keep our visits spread out and not so clustered together. I really don't care if I hurt feelings at this point. I told DH if he wanted to do a September trip, he & DD were welcome to go; I'd stay home.
I did manage to get up at 5 a.m. when the clock went off for DH this morning. I actually have a few TADAs so far, too:
* Straightened bathroom
* Made our bed
* Put load of light clothes in washer
* Unloaded dishwasher
* Straightened living room
My PODA for today:
* Get DD to preschool
* Work at office 9 - 12
* Laundry
* Work on control journal (I'm getting there, slowly but surely)
* Print out zone missions to keep in my binder
Well, the washer will be stopping shortly & I need to get everything in dryer put away so I can put those clothes in it.
Y'all have a great day & I'll try to check back in this afternoon.
Vonnie
TADA
Well, Ladies. I made it. The buyer will do a walk-through tomorrow, then sign his share of the papers. I wasn't sure I was going to get everything done, but I made it.
TADA:
* Had charity truck pick up last minute items.
* Made arrangements to have DS's junk car picked up tomorrow.
* Took neighborhood stray cat to vet clinic to be neutered.
* Hosed down Mom's house, made last trips to trash bin, mopped and vacuumed floors, etc.
feeling hot hot hot
It's really hot here. Not too motivating for doing anything. So I allowed myself a whole mug of coffee instead of half.
I was supposed to go to the doctor today for my annual, but she called in sick. So, next week it is.
TADA:
-15 minutes of zone work
-Asked property manager to send someone to fix the air conditioner.
-Manually rid of some kind of spyware on the computer which my anti-spyware program couldn't seem to kick. I spent two hours on this, and ended up deleting something extra by mistake which makes the graphics look a little funky, but at least it's working.
-made dinner
-burned a scented candle
I never did cook up that ground beef, so I'd better do it tonight before it spoils.
Hey Ladies!
I've been trying to keep up with ya'll, but you're so verbose lately that by the time I've read most of the thread something happens and I have to leave the computer. Tonight's the exception b/c DH feels he owes me (long story) so I get some extra Shaun time.
House is doing better -- I've been trying to maintain some calm. Best of all, I have started pitching. Noticed that when cleaning I end up picking up the same stuff -- stuff that seems to exist solely for the purpose of being put away again. You know, Happy Meal-quality toys, little pieces from games, puzzles, etc., all that junk!
I'll have to go read Dave Barry's thing on the Da Vinci Code. What boggles my mind is how seriously many people have taken it! My very own BIL, who is a fairly intelligent, well educated, progressive cradle Catholic said that it really changed his view of the church! Hello -- it's a novel! (OK, you can see this annoys me because I keep using so many exclamation points.)
I read his Angels and Demons first which, if you can believe it, I thought was even more ridiculous in its characterizations of religion and Catholicism. It was also more soap opera like, with some very ridiculous plot twists. That said, DH and I *fought* over the stupid book, because as a thriller it was extremely entertaining (at least to me, but I never read thrillers). Reading Da Vinci Code was a real disappointment, because it is basically the same plot with new characters and a new puzzle. Many people say you'll like whichever you read first best, but I also thought Da Vinci Code had weaker characters. Still, a bit of silly fun!
I did start a much better book right afterwards, and the writing was *so* much better it was almost overwhelming.
Have fun with Don Quixote!
I'm off to spend time with DH -- my new mission.
Shaun
She's Baa-aack
Flylady's flymail is once again appearing in my in-box. I had to fix something with Yahoo to get it working again. The e-mails do help me, just by seeing them there. But mostly, I delete them. I like the testimonials, though.
Vonnie, whew, sounds like a close one on those uninvited guests. Hope it works out the way you want it to. It's not nice to invite yourself over to someone else's house, especially for overnights. That is why I didn't call my two friends in Charleston on such short notice. I didn't want them to feel obligated to meet with me or invite me over, and we kinda didn't want a scheduled agenda anyway. We were there to relax.
Jo, I'd be pouting too! Only usually I am complicit in not putting things away. I heard Sandra Felton (Messies Anonymous lady) on Focus on the Family last night and sat in the car listening for a while. She said the most dangerous combination in a marriage is not when a cleanie marries a messie, but when a messie marries a messie. I think that's what happened in my case!
Except we're neither of us terminally messy; we at least pull it in every so often. However, you should see our garage right now ("DH's room"). He has worked on it here and there and constructed a nice workbench with pegboard above it, and put some of his tools away. But there are still piles to go. I have learned not to nag about it, but patiently wait. He gets around to it, just not as quickly as I'd like.
Was asked to do the sign-in at a political reception tomorrow night. After the private reception is a BBQ, to which I have a ticket. I'll have to make a very early supper for the kids in order to make the reception early.
Emma just toddled in here with purple face and hands. She found a piece of colored chalk somewhere and was trying to eat it.
TA DA's:
*Homeschooled lite (math and language). Girls were horsey about the math (counting in the hundreds) but did well with the language. We get to start memorizing a new poem tomorrow...can't wait for that!
Otherwise, nothing much accomplished. I got sidetracked on the computer this morning. I really, really, really need to fold that laundry.
Later!
Susannah
Thanks, Becky
I turned in early last night, so I didn't read your post until this morning. DH spoke with them last night & he said that they are probably not coming. The woman seemed like she was trying to "get out of it"! Little does she know, that is wonderful! She said they'd have to come on a Tuesday & Tim said that we would both be working & couldn't get off and so she said she didn't think they would come. Her brother won't be with them, but still... She is going to call back tonight to let us know for sure what the deal is. I am praying that they say they won't come.
Well, I'm up early this a.m. I like to go to bed earlier and then get up early. I get more done in the early morning than in the late night.
How many of you guys do the zone missions every week? I want to start doing them. I've gone to regular email of reminders because on digest, I was getting them the next day. It makes for a lot of deleting, but at least I get the missions on time.
Today's PODA:
* Laundry
* Get DD to preschool field trip on time
* Get car tags
* Take bad check to worthless check unit (same area as tag office)
* Take jeans back to Wal-Mart if I have time before picking up DD
* Work on control journal
* Work on filling out family calendar for rest of the year
* Email fall/winter work schedule to office
* Sweep floors
* Clean bathroom
Sounds like a lot more than it is. I am hoping that I won't have to stay to drive for DD's field trip. That will give me an extra hour to get my errands done while she's at school.
I hope everyone has a totally wonderful day. It's "Hump Day", so it's halfway over!
Cya!
Vonnie
help for Vonnie's problem
Vonnie, I looked this up in a Miss Manners book. You tell them, "I'm sorry, we really can't have company stay over now. We'd love to take you out for dinner [have you over for dinner, or whatever you want] while you're here. Here are the numbers of some hotels nearby." Then give them the numbers of some reasonably-priced hotels or bed and breakfasts. "We'd love to have you come and stay over another time, and we'll call to let you know when." Then invite them for another time as soon as you can. You are "obligated" to invite them to stay with you, but on your time, not theirs; they are the ones being rude.
Luckily I did find a place th
Luckily I did find a place that will take the adjustable bed, which is good because it is really comfortable and will be a blessing to someone.
TADA:
* Found a place that will take the bed
* Arranged pickup for other stuff
* Registered car to me
* Packed antique dishes
* Swept out storage room. Finished.
* Mowed yard
* Piled junk from storage room for DS to pick up and dispose of
* Put the last of the stuff we'll keep into boxes
* Mailed newsletters at bulk mail entry unit at PO
* Exchanged bedroom furniture and moved old stuff to the driveway for pickup
The real estate lady called today and said the buyer wants to do a walk-through on Thursday, so I lose another day.
Jo, I read your post to my DH, and he apologized for all the camping trips when he did the same thing. (When he used to backpack, he didn't always empty his backpack; then when he wanted to use it again, it was buggy, and he expected me to clean it out because he wouldn't have time.)
I Don't Feel Like Being a Hostess
OK, how's this for being a terrible person: the family we visited two weeks ago (ONLY two weeks ago) want to "swing by" and visit us on the way home from the beach in August. Probably a Thursday to a Sunday! I am sooo not in the mood for this, for many reasons. 1) We JUST saw them & too many doses of the woman is lethal; 2) DH and I both need to work & can't take off, so they would be here Thurs & Fri by themselves; 3) Last we talked to her, the woman's brother will be with them and he smokes mary jane, though not around her she says; 4) Our house is waaaay too small for that many people - we have 1000 square feet and only one bathroom!!!; 5) DH and I will be out of our bed/bedroom for the duration and in DD's twin beds (a la Lucy and Ricky!!) because the husband is too tall/big to fit in DD's beds. They called & left a message the other day & DH is going to call them tonight. I am trying to get him to heavily discourage them from visiting. How in the world do you do that???
OK, now that you know how horrible I am, on to today's TADAs:
* Got DD to preschool on time
* Worked at office 3 hours
* Got A/C repaired -- woohoo!!!
* Went to Goody's and got DD three dresses and a little cheer outfit on major sale
* Wal-Mart run for dog food
Tomorrow, I will spend probably countless hours at the car tag office, getting our tags renewed to the tune of $300! Ugh!!! Makes me nauseous to think of writing that check.
Well, I'll go now. I feel very incoherent in this post.
Cya!
Vonnie
I'm Fuming and Pouting and Throwing a Fit. Oh My!
This house was clean. Then DD and I went in to work at school and when I got back, Kabloom!!
DH had emptied out the camper to winterize it and put it back into storage. He put all of the stuff he took out of the camper in the middle of the kitchen floor and all over the counters!
the DSs just left everything they got out, out.
I am so frustrated with this new, nasty pattern. They are not usually like this. We have a rule about cleaning up your own mess, and they all seem unconcerned about it and confused as to why I'm upset. GGGRRR........
TADA
came home, saw the mess, freaked out
read the paper
made pizza for dinner
PODA
somehow communicate to those 3 wild males that they need to fix their mess before I go on strike!
I'll let you know.
-Jo
LOL!
The Dave Barry piece was funny! I'll look up The Rule of Four; it might be more challenging. How cool you know the authors, Becky!
Also, I noticed after the fact, while strolling through my favorite blogs today, that Mark D. Roberts has written about the claims presented in The Da Vinci Code. (Might be something of a spoiler for those who haven't read the novel, so I won't paste the whole link, just his main page.)
http://www.markdroberts.com/
TA DA!
*Homeschooled lite (math, language, and history). The girls remembered their math facts! Yay!
*Ordered Mavis Beacon typing software for DD8 online
*Cleaned up in kitchen (but it's kinda messy again)
*Looked up info on how to teach spelling. Seems like basic phonics and/or writing exercises are the best method.
Anyway, time to come up with some dinner. Also, get going on that laundry. Bleh.
Love,
Susannah
LOL!
The Dave Barry piece was funny! I'll look up The Rule of Four; it might be more challenging. How cool you know the authors, Becky!
Also, I noticed after the fact, while strolling through my favorite blogs today, that Mark D. Roberts has written about the claims presented in The Da Vinci Code. (Might be something of a spoiler for those who haven't read the novel, so I won't paste the whole link, just his main page.)
http://www.markdroberts.com/
TA DA!
*Homeschooled lite (math, language, and history). The girls remembered their math facts! Yay!
*Ordered Mavis Beacon typing software for DD8 online
*Cleaned up in kitchen (but it's kinda messy again)
*Looked up info on how to teach spelling. Seems like basic phonics and/or writing exercises are the best method.
wrong date
I just realized, last time I started a thread I accidentally typed JUNE 19 instead of JULY 19. Oops. This time I got it right.
Becky, that's funny because I
Becky, that's funny because I JUST noticed it this morning! How observant am I???
Our A/C isn't working properly, so it is 80 degrees in the house right now. The repairman will come tomorrow (hopefully). The unit is only two years old, so it should still be warranty work.
I've had a fairly productive day so far. Today's TADAs:
* Washed, dried and remade my bed; will remake DD's when she wakes up from nap
* Worked at office 9 -12
* Checked online banking (but haven't totally updated checkbook yet)
* Just rested -- a la' Hope: nap!!!
Well, DD will be up soon and DH will be home from work before too long. I'll probably heat up leftovers from Saturday so I can clean out the refrigerator. I need to consult my calendar and see what I have planned for tomorrow's dinner and get it out to thaw.
Cya!
Vonnie
Good Afternoon! TADA: mor
Good Afternoon!
TADA:
morning routine
read paper
bank deposit
DS to tutor
Marc's for some fruit
planted 3 mums in garden,need more
times tables with DS
PODA
dinner
bath for DD
read with DS
watch movie from library
I desperately need some new clothes. I hate shopping for clothes for me and I hate spending tons of money. I have worn these things for the last 3 summers,time for a change. I buy a new top here and there but not enough to constitute a real difference in my wardrobe. Any good sales out there?? Someone wanna shop for me??
DS is leaving Friday for Disney so I need to get the duffle bag out of the basement and start packing his things. They will have a washer and dryer there in the condo so I don't need to pack tons of clothes.
I'm getting alittle "nervous" about the baby being here with us too. I am so not used to doing the infant thing for such a while now plus when I did it was not with other little ones under foot. I think I will do all my shopping,cleaning,yard work etc all week before she comes here because I don't know if I will be able to while she is here. UGH....
Well, gonna sort out dinner.
Heidi
checking back in
TADA:
-spent 15 minutes in today's zone (living room), decluttering
-morning routine
-changed towels in bathrooms
-cleaned part of kitchen
Vonnie, our a/c has that problem too.
Heidi, yesterday you wrote: "Article in paper about how Sundays are no longer days of rest. People treat them as another day to run errands and shop,etc. It discussed how stores used to always be closed,even gas stations,public transportation,etc. Interesting..." I saw what was probably the same article in Time magazine today. The sentiment makes sense to an extent, but I think that having things open all week is a great acknowledgement that, for many Americans, Sunday is not the sabbath. Muslims have their big worship day on Friday, and Jews and 7th-day Adventists celebrate the sabbath on Saturday. Very observant Jews and Adventists cannot go to the post office or bank on Saturdays, so they only have five days a week to do those things. Having things closed on Sundays (rather than giving employees rotating days off) is, to me, a form of religious discrimination.
TADA
TADA:
* Signed title papers on Mom's house
* Picked up friends at airport
* Washed walls, vacuumed bedrooms. They are done.
* Packed up the last few things to keep
* Processed church newsletter
* Took stuff to trash again. Will it ever end?
UGH!
My house is hot already! A/C repairman should be coming today, so maybe I can handle it enough to get ready for work. Thank goodness it rained last night!
Today's PODA:
* Get DD to preschool on time
* Work at office 9 a.m. to 12:00 noon
* Post DH's payroll deposit when it goes in
* Print out Woman's Day grocery list from Flylady site
* Work on control journal
I won't be doing any laundry unless/until the air gets fixed! Won't be cooking, either. So, I hope he gets here to fix it today.
Hope y'all have a great day!
Vonnie
PODA
* Switch registration of Mom's car to me. DD will learn to drive in it.
* Mail newsletters at bulk mail entry at Post Office
* Back to Mom's house.
* Call charity truck
* Find a place that will accept a used adjustable bed. This is harder than I thought.
* Find some places for the furniture we want to keep. My living room currently has a bedroom dresser in it, and my office is an obstacle course.
I can see a light at the end of the tunnel. My DH is helping, so I think everything will get done by Thursday.
Mornin'
Hope things are cooler today for you, Vonnie.
Becky, that argument (for keeping places open on Sunday) makes sense.
I stayed up too late last night to finish the Da Vinci Code. Eh. I was disappointed. I'm always disappointed with over-hyped books and movies. A Brief Review... Biblical scholarship: zilch. Historical scholarship: where'd he do his research, the history channel? Characters: 2D. Writing style: Well, for at least 2 pages every paragraph began with "Sophie looked uneasy" or some variation thereof. Noticeably repetitive. Also, the characters are always scowling for no good reason. It was too obvious from the beginning with all the fertility cult talk what the "Grail" was; I said the name to myself well before it was "revealed"...yawn. Been there, done that. The only thing not out of synch with reality is a Harvard prof talking trash theology. Brown should have skipped the novel and just written the Hollywood script already. The only part I enjoyed was solving the riddles.
I'm enjoying Don Quixote much more, with its genuinely historical glimpses of Catholicism in the late 16th century. Wish I were able to read it in its original language. What a completely different mindset to step into! Almost alien. I'm about halfway through the Second Part. I love Sancho's proverbs.
Anyway, I let the house go yesterday (obviously) and had to play catch up this morning, with a poop accident thrown in for good measure.
The kids had their yearly physical yesterday (the four older ones) and Elias had 3 shots, plus a CBC and lead test. Poor kid. J.D. also had the CBC and lead test. Everyone's pretty healthy, although small for their ages, except Elias is compacted again and has lost a small amount of weight. Back on the Miralax for a few months, to get it all cleared up once and for all. I just got a call from the doc that the boys' iron levels are fine (lead results take longer, but we're not at risk for it).
I have a LOT of laundry to fold. And wash, for that matter. Also, I have piles on the sideboard and desk to sort through and put away/fling. I broke my coffemaker carafe. Is it easy to replace those or should I just get rid of the coffee maker? We don't drink much coffee but my relatives do use it when they visit.
I also have paperwork to do. I know I won't get to all this and homeschooling too, being so tired. Guess I'll go rev myself up with a Coke.
Love y'all,
Susannah
Dave Barry agrees with Susannah
Here is his parody of Da Vinci Code: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16336-2004Jun29.html
I can't believe I'm saying this, but you may like The Rule of Four, which I understand has riddles but probably is smarter than Da Vinci Code, though I haven't read either one. I went to elementary and middle school with the authors, Ian Caldwell and Dusty Thomason (oops, sorry, DUSTIN now that he's a grown-up) and they were brilliant kids. We were all on the math team together. The reason I can't believe I'm saying it is that Dusty and I did NOT get along AT ALL. Ian was all right but boring. I liked his younger sister.
Okay, back to the topic! Lois, you may have to send the adjustable bed to the dump. It's too bad, but I found out that most places won't accept medical equipment and had to throw out my shower chair when we moved last year.
BTW Heidi, if you don't mind sharing, what size are you and what clothes do you need? I still owe some extra clothes to Susannah, though I sent her a few, but if you are not the same size as she is, I might have some extras for you as well.
PODA:
-errands, desk chores, phone calls
-put away clean laundry, which I really DID get to yesterday
-clean catboxes
-15 minutes of zone work
-take out trash
-more laundry, at least hand-washing
-cook up all the ground beef I got at the supermarket, for future use
Good Afternoon! Glad the k
Good Afternoon!
Glad the kids' checkups went well,Susannah. Are you required to do annual checkups for homeschooling?
TADA
morning routine
dw
put away laundry
read paper
art project with DD
couple calls
PODA
times tables with DS
read with DS
vacuum FR
dinner...steaks...Yum
dark rainy day,feel like escaping the house with the kids. Perhaps the bowling alley or roller rink??
Gotta go.
Heidi
Premature Celebration
That's what I had about our "weekend company" for next weekend. Oh yes, they ARE coming. Woohoo (sarcasm dripping there!). They will arrive on Friday and they should be leaving on Sunday. DH said they weren't clear on that, but they didn't want to be here while we were having to work, so we are assuming they will leave sometime Sunday. So, I need to start sleeping in ridiculously horrible places in preparation to give up my bed! Can you tell I don't have a wonderful attitude about this?
And I also know that a topic of conversation will be the "September Trip" that they want to line up. They are really aggresive and pushy and take it upon themselves to decide what/where we're going to do. I told DH that I was going to tell them that we had a lot going on from September to the end of the year[partially true -- I don't want EVERY weekend booked to the hilt!] and that maybe we could meet somewhere after the first of the year. Why see each other three months in a row and then none until next summer? Of course, what they don't know is that we [meaning DH, DD and myself] are taking a family vacation ALONE next year -- not with them as they want to plan. They would just take over our lives if we let them. Thank goodness they live 4 states away.
OK, I'm done whining now. I am just going to put this visit out of my mind until next Thursday.
My TADAs:
* Got teacher gifts wrapped and packed in car
* Have graduation card ready to mail to my cousin who just got her Master's
* DD's lunch is packed and ready to go
* Load of dark clothes is in the washer
* Dishwasher is running
* My bed is made
* Finally got checkbook updated yesterday
My PODA for today:
* Get DD to preschool ontime for her last day there [her "old" preschool starts back Aug. 30, so my Mom will have her for a month!]
* Work at office 9 - 12
* Finish doing laundry
* Make grocery list
* Go to grocery store this p.m. after DH gets home from work
* Print out the week of Kelly's Missions on one page for my Control Journal
* Work on Control Journal
* Work on scrapbooking
* Encourage DD to clean up her playroom so she will get that sticker today [she hasn't gotten it three days in a row!] and thus will get an ice cream tomorrow
Well, I'm going to give romper room hellos to everyone. I want to go get my shower before DD wakes up.
Cya!
Vonnie
Good Morning! TADA DS stu
Good Morning!
TADA
DS stuff packed in van
morning routine
dw running
PODA
tutor from 10-11am
bank deposit
Marc's for fresh veggies
drop DS off for trip and pick up niece in exchange!
come home and set up her swing and exersaucer and stuff
water garden
1 load laundry
dinner
I plan to do minimal things the next week with the infant here. By the time I get used to her schedule,she'll be going back home! Wish me luck guys,I will need it surely...
Vonnie- can't you all conveniently get sick before next Friday???? I don't like pushy relatives either,grin and bear it I guess,huh?
Best take off...later
Heidi
Quiet Day
We don't have to go anywhere today.
It is DS's 14th birthday and he and his brother have gone with my dad waterskiing, so the house is very quiet. I plan to get a lot done before they get back, so here is the scary list.
PODA
go to store for cake ingredients
bake birthday cake
dishes
counters
laundry
clean DD3's room
make dinner: spaghetti & meatballs, salad, garlic bread (DS's choice)
walk
water plants
write and send a letter of recommendation
August will be a nice, quiet month around here. No visitors, no traveling, no big events. I bought 2 gallons of paint and fabric to make curtains in 4 rooms. I also have some quilts to finish and I want to do some re-organizing to make things easier to maintain once the school year starts, especially in the kitchen. I can't wait to get the paint on and the curtains up, it will be fun to have a change in the house, it's been 11 years with this paint and these curtains-Yikes!
Have a great day everyone!
-Jo
Hello Lynn!
Glad to hear peace is reigning in your home! Nothing nicer than the smell of a crockpot doing all the cooking for you.
Hello Jul! Feeling any better these days? Been missing you.
Lois, CONGRATULATIONS! What a huge relief you must be feeling. Party hearty!
Vonnie, you have my sympathies.
Becky, any progress on the air conditioning?
Well, I had an insurance salesman come by yesterday, so I got the "visible" house cleaned up for that and a major hotspot, while not flung, cleared from the surface and boxed up. I bought a hospitalization/ER/Wellness policy for about $100 a month. That's not too bad, I guess, considering I never go to the doctor and the $1500 deductible "vanishes" over time if I don't use it.
Last night I went to a political event with Emma, who hasn't been feeling well, and she started cranking while I tried to assemble name tags at the last minute. Thank the Lord a good friend from church came and whisked her away.
There was a BBQ afterward and she did pretty well, except I had to follow her around the back near the end while she stretched her legs. It was the only way to keep her quiet. She still feels warm to me today. I'm a little worried. Is it normal for a baby to run a low-grade fever off and on for three days? She's teething, but I thought that was unrelated. My children don't usually run fevers, at least not for this long.
TA DA's for today include:
*Dressed to shoes; made bed
*Loaded DW
*Threw away family's trash from last night (need to work on that "cleaning up after self" concept)
*Homeschooled lite (math and language), with horsey 6yo (AAARG!), but we got it done and it didn't take long.
We've been trying to rent Starsky and Hutch for the last few days and when I finally managed to snag a copy, it wouldn't play in our DVD. So I took it back last night, but of course, they didn't have any replacements on the shelf. Have to wait for the first rush to subside I guess. Anybody seen it yet? Is it funny? Zoolander was hilarious.
Anyway, back to work.
Love y'all!
Susannah
Vonnie --
I agree with Heidi -- catch a virus next week.
If they DO come, make them a nice bed on the floor. Don't make them too comfortable. And if they stay too long, I suggest that you and DH begin to bicker. No one wants to stay around when folks are fighting.
I went for a nice walk this morning -- the first time I haven't gone to Mom's house in quite a while.
PODA:
* Pack some boxes to mail to my sister. That will help a lot toward clearing out my living room.
* Celebrate the escrow closing.
* Catch up on stuff around here through round robins.
Starky and Hutch this weekend
We've got Netflix and we should be receiving S&H in the mail today or tomorrow (I love that one of their distribution centers is right here, so it turns around soooo fast). I'll let you know. I did love Zoolander myself.
Trying to keep on top of the cleaning after starting out the week great, but so far it's been tough.
TADAs:
Big toy pickup in LR
sweeping first floor
two library trips
stop at bank
PODA:
Lots of freelance work
Get kids dinner, PJs, etc. ready for sitter
Unload DW
One load laundry (try to get the blood spots off of DD1s sweet white tennis dress)
Mini golf tonight at a sculpture garden in a nearby town -- should be fun! Just hoping DD1 doesn't totally meltdown for the (new) babysitter. wish us luck!
Shaun
Sore and tired today
So I'm glad the housekeeper is here!
TADA:
--Showered, dressed and purty. Wearing my birkies, though, because I managed to stab myself in the side of my heel with a garden tool and shoes hurt right now.
--Made cookie dough with the girls and cleaned up the mess as we went! woohoo!
--Baked Josie's shrinkie plastic that she's had printed out for days now ("This is the best day ever!" says Jo--shrinkies, cookie baking, three of her favorite grownups scheduled...)
--Hot spots patrolled, or at least the ones I'm able to concentrate on now.
--Tea made.
--Chicken defrosting for dinner.
PODA:
--Many visits from friends planned, one definitely coming who I haven't seen in months and is one of my oldest and dearest, and one possibly coming who is a newer friend but just as dear, and a third friend for dinner.
--Getting invoices out in email and printing them out to mail.
--Working on a proposal for Mabel's website (note to Portlanders: I'm teaching beginning knitting there Tuesday nights 6:30-8:30).
--Baking the cookie dough from this morning.
--Therapeutic fiber work.
Lynn Siprelle, Editor
Good Afternoon! TADA DS t
Good Afternoon!
TADA
DS to tutor
took kids out to Taco Bell for lunch
brought Ds to Aunt's and helped load van
Kissed Ds goodbye and brought niece home.
DD3 is a very good helper and is having fun with her cousin. So far so good. I just hope she sleeps well while she is here. That is the part that most worries me.
DH called and said that he will bring home Chinese tonight. Yay!! I love it plus I don't have to cook....
Shaun-good luck with the new sitter tonight.
Lynn- can I come over and play? Sounds like fun out your way.
Lois-whatcha got planned for your escrow clebration?
Gonna throw in a load of clothes while DN is content in her exersaucer.
Heidi
Home again!
Vonnie - you go girl! I don't blame you one bit!
Welcome Lynn!
Congrats Lois!
Hi to everyone else!
WE are home at last, thank God!
I will post tomorrow and update you -
Andrea
Andrea's cheer to Vonnie
...reminds me of the trailer for the "Blackbook" movie, where what's-her-name smashes the answering machine with the fireplace poker as her friend cheers her on. Anyone else know what I'm talking about? From now on, when I see that preview, I shall think of Vonnie
TADA:
Many Many Errands
Laundry
Late Lunch
Nap
DW
Well, I did some checking on myself today while doing some chores. Seems that simply walking around the house doing general pick-up brings me right up to the edge of what the doc allows for my heart rate. Guess it's not just babysteps, but SLOW babysteps.
Happy Friday all!
Julie
Morning
Morning everyone!
I'll have to check that out Julie! Gosh I hope you are ok - sorry you have to struggle with these PVC's. I think my Dad had that, but they seem to have vanished.
Well, we are trying to reenter our normal lives - it's not easy! Actually it's going pretty well. It was so great to come back to a clean house, thanks to Flylady! WE are just unpacking now, laundry, bills, etc. I think I will work for 45 minutes then take a 15 minute break. Shouldn't take too long. I did grocery shopping yesterday so don't have to do that. I do have to do a Wal-Mart run to get prizes for the kids' good behavior on the trip!
The trip was very good, I'm glad I did it, but I'm glad it's over! Our nieces wedding was beautiful. I'd love to share a few photos with anyone - esp. of my DD5 who was one of the flowergirls! She was so beautiful! The wedding was on a lakeshore in Northern Minnesota - so pretty. Everyone was well-behaved (I'm talking about the adults!)Then the second half of our trip was flying to Montana to visit my folks, brother, SIL, and their DD2. It was fun, kind of stressful though. After brother and his family left, things relaxed a bit, we did some hiking and swimming. We did a lot of hoteling on this trip, some good, some bad. I would recommend Comfort Suites or the Hampton Inn - NOT the Days Inn (yuk!). I know a lot depends on the individual hotel though. So it was good to get back into my own bed!
OK, I'm off to fly!
Andrea
Rain, Rain, Go Away...
Thunderstorms again today all day, but at least it should cool things off, right?
TADA
dishes 3 times!
4 loads laundry
made DS's cake
general fling
counters
dropped off some broken jewlery to be repaired
called the insurance company about my ring
dropped off some book donations to the library and checked out Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
made dinner
watered the plants
made myself a yogurt/banana/strwberry smoothie for breakfast-yum!
PODA
finish up the laundry
go to Curves w/my SIL to use up one of her guest passes
buy a birthday present for a 5 year old who has everything. I have no clue what to get....
take DD to the party
make dinner: burgers and salad (gardenburger for me)
Rent movie to watch tonight
put away all the clean, folded laundry
Get this-I somehow managed to break the diamond in my engagement ring. I thought diamonds were the hardest mineral! I have no idea how it happened, but I noticed a prong was missing and when the repair guy put it under the microscope he told me it was cracked, and once he pointed it out, I could see it with my eyes, no magnification needed! The insurance company is going to replace the stone, but it was just strange. I would think to have hit it hard enough to break it it would have hurt my finger quite a bit. Weird.
Hope everyone's Saturday is peaceful and productive!
-Jo
Happy Saturday!
Jo, we've got a lot of rain here, too, this weekend. How strange about your ring!
Glad you had a great trip, Andrea. Guess it's almost time for your family to get ready for the back-to-school thing, huh?
I just remembered something about Vonnie...wasn't she the one who pulled the gun on the would-be mugger? Seems like she could certainly smash an answering machine OR tell company to take a hike!
TADA:
went to Curves this morning
grocery store (this was a good thing...I ran into a woman who previously made me feel really guilty for something I didn't do...and we had a nice chat)
put gas in the car
PODA:
lunch
nap
lots and lots of paid work
wash and set hair for church tomorrow
bake cake for church tomorrow
bubble bath
Have a good day everyone!
Jul
Jul, I remember that too!
I thought about that just the other day...wasn't it at a Chinese restaurant, Vonnie?
Welcome home, Andrea! I know what you mean about the hotels, and I'm glad some of them were nice. Can't wait to see your pics.
Sorry about your diamond, Jo. I know it can be replaced, but there's the sentimental value too. I've almost lost my diamond twice, when prongs broke. We eventually added two additional prongs to secure it. What shape is your diamond? Is any part of it reusable?
Rough night last night. Emma has been getting up 4 or 5 times a night lately and this week it got worse. I know she hasn't been feeling well lately, but I finally had to let her cry last night. I had tried everything else. She'd already been nursed repeatedly, dosed with pain reliever, everything I could think of. I tried singing lullabies to her, which helped a little. She wound down and slept from about 2:30 a.m. to about 6:30, then I nursed her back to sleep 'til about 8:45.
TA DA's:
*"Intent to Homeschool Form" copied and ready to mail
*Attendance and reading list forms printed off
*Desk in foyer cleaned out
*Control journal cleaned out
*Papers filed
*Breakfast table wiped
*Last night, folded some laundry and washed 2 loads
It's sales tax holiday this weekend and I'm trying to convince my DH to go buy some new clothes, which he desperately needs. But we seem to be getting a late start.
I'd better go get back to work.
Love,
Susannah
Exhausted but still plugging
I think I'm flaring because I'm not getting enough sleep and I'm waking up very sore and achey. It's not helping that I've been getting way too many sugars in the last couple of days.
TADA:
Emptied and reloaded the DW
Cleared the dish rack and dried it
Cleared the dining room table
Tidied the guest room (which tends to be where little girls take naps and hide Barbies under the covers, and which dh uses as a dressing room/laundry dump if I'm not vigilant)
Took my vitex and mag supplements
PODA:
Carrying laundry upstairs
Bringing in the comforter from the clothesline
Making upstairs beds
Putting one basket of laundry away, bringing one down
Somehow getting a nap--I'm exhausted today!
Figuring out dinner
Lynn Siprelle, Editor
Welcome Home Andrea! Glad you
Welcome Home Andrea! Glad your vacation went well and that you are all home safely.
Spoke to DS9 this morning and they arrived safe and sound in Florida around 6:30 this morning. They stopped at Daytona Beach and went in the water before heading out to breakfast. How Fun! I miss him already,7 more days to go.
the baby slept well last night and has been fairly easy this morning. I hope to take a shower when she sleeps in a bit.
We had torrential rain last night and our basement flooded something fierce. DH has been soaking up water with the steam vac. This is now his 3rd shot at it and probably will do more,that's how much water we got. We have fans blowing on it too(play area is carpeted) Oh Joy..
Better run
No PODA,just deal with baby and basement
Heidi
family fun
So far this weekend has been great -- I set aside time for hanging out with the family, and it is so nice to feel free to do it without worrying about the next place to go or task on the list. I keep worrying that I am forgetting something and will end up pulling all-nighters next week, but so far so good.
We had a blast with our friends last night -- went to a hipster bar where the cool 20-somethings go and made dinner out of drinks and outlandish appetizers. Then we went bowling (too much rain for mini golf) at the "cool" bar where local celebs go (Winona Ryder went there many times when dating the guy from Soul Asylum, e.g.). All in all, it was a fun night of reliving my youth but also enjoying my "adult" friends. And we were home by 10:30!
TADAs:
Washed 1 load laundry
dried and folded 2 loads laundry
loaded and ran DW
organized some freelance work
did some paper recycling
had lattes with DH while kids played at mall playground (perfect size for DD1)
remaining PODA:
dry and fold 1 load laundry
watch Starsky and Hutch with DH
Also, starting last night we began the larger project of weaning DD1 from her night feedings! It can be anywhere from 2 to 5 a night! She is just so persistent (and loud!) that I have been reluctant to cut her off, but at 14 months I think it's past time for us. I am just so tired of being tired: my memory is poor, my immune system is weak, and I get angry too easily. We'll all be better off. I never had to do this with DD5. At about 9-12 months I decided to cut out night nursing -- she was only doing it 1x a night -- and after a couple nights of short crying while I held her in our bed, she was fine. But DD1 has not gone for that. So it's couch city for mommy, while DH is my hero!
BTW, our guest room is what I call The Walk-In Closet, which is why I'm sleeping on the sofa. I think tomorrow I'll do a major attack on the guest room so I can have my bed up there.
DH is calling me to help get the girls out of the bath. Have a great night!
Shaun
sick kitty
One of our cats has been sick for the past couple of days. That's why I've not been on. I wrote about it in my "journal."
Well, glad that day is over!
Yesterday I was about as energetic as a wrung out rag.
TADA from yesterday and today:
--Made play dough for the girls--mmm, lavender oil...(so they won't eat it)
--Made dishwasher/scouring powder (will be posting an article on my experiments soon)--mm, lemon oil!
--Brought the comforter in from the line (where it's been hanging for days...)
--Kept the kitchen clean
--Ground the week's oat porridge
--Started some kishk (homemade flaked cereal that's not deadly like the store stuff)
--Started some wheat sprouts as long as I had the wheat berries out
PODA:
--Teach final sock class this afternoon
--Go to the recycled building supply house for garden bed materials
--Fold and put away at least one basket of laundry and take a load down--just going to keep chipping away at this, it's the putting away part where things are breaking down for some reason...
--Strain the chicken broth that's been cooking for two days (that's a good thing, the two days part)
--Write up homemade dishwasher/scouring powder article
--Write up crockpot beef recipe that turned out so well
Lynn Siprelle, Editor
Note to Self:
Quit playing on the computer and go do something!
TADA
Church
laundry
dishes
printed out a ton of stuff for school
PODA
more laundry
more dishes
counters
clutter in LR
make those burgers for dinner-no one wanted them last night, too hot
walk
Susannah, I don't know if any of the diamond would be reusable, good question.
Lynn, does the weather affect your flare ups at all?
Becky, that's too bad about your cat. Sick babies and animals are the worst, because it is so hard to communicate with them.
Shaun, you wild woman! Sounds like a fun time.
Heidi, I hope the baby is still sleeping well for you.
My boys are gone to the tractor pulls at the fair with Papa, so I have been puttering on the computer for over 3 hours! Yikes, I'd better go get something accomplished.
Bye,
-Jo
Eagerly anticipating the article
I remember you mentioning this concoction before, Lynn, and I got all inquisitive.
I'm so glad you're feeling better, apparently.
I stayed up last night to get the kitchen mopped and then (couldn't resist) read more of Don Quixote. Emma woke up twice in four hours. I nursed her the first time, but the second time had to resort to crying again or it would have been every two hours for the rest of the night.
Maybe I'm fooling myself, but it didn't seem to take as long last night.
Made it to church 30 minutes late today, but with all the children. I hate for any of them to miss their classes, as they don't get much interaction with other children during the week. Great time was had by all (again). I always leave challenged, reinvigorated, humbled. I also left with a new broom/dustpan and some buckwheat pancake mix, thanks to Mom.
Now I'm off to Wal-Mart for the things I have been unable or unwilling to buy locally. Last day of sales tax holiday. Oh, Dh got his new clothes yesterday and I have never seen anybody pick out ties that fast in my life. He grabbed four, said "These'll do" and tossed them in the cart. Same with the belts. Needless to say, I didn't get to browse for the children or me. But I did talk him into allowing them to ride the carousel.
I bought a backpack for each of the three older children (the ones big enough to wear one) and Elias and his backpack have been inseparable ever since. He even wears it to play computer games. It went with us to church this morning. I have rescued the insulated lunch bag that went with it and put it back together. Will hide it until I use it.
Now, off to shop with fussy tired baby.
Love,
Susannah
hi
OK, I've lost a couple of posts, so this will be short! We need a new 'puter I think.
Susannah, gotta love 'em! At least he is not a compulsive shopper spending tons of time and $. Glad you made it to church, we did too, though kids would not hold hands at the end b/c they had been fighting. Lovely.
Hi to everyone else!
Actually Julie, we are not quite in the BTS mode yet. The kids and I still have 5 week, DS has 4. I'm still working 2-3.5 days each week thru the summer though. How are you feeling about meeting? We are pretty booked, but DD and I could possibly fit something in.
Has anyone noticed that their DH gets much more couch time than you? Mine is pretty good, does chores, helps out, etc. but still I've noticed that he ends up having that "down time" a lot more than I do. I don't wanna complain, but geez it's not fair. Part of our problem is that I have higher standards than he does. He thinks we're done and we're not.
Ah well, I'm off.
Andrea
Let's Start a New Thread...
For a new week!
You Gals Don't Forget Anything
Do you? LOL!!!
Yep, that was me. But, I didn't actually pull a gun; I just wiggled it around with my hand in my jacket pocket to let him know it was there. And, yes, Susannah, it was indeed a Chinese restaurant. I still don't go there by myself to pick up take-out. DH always goes with me, even if he sits in the car. I really don't want to shoot anyone, so I feel that's best.
I've been working my tail off this morning; I'll post later.
Vonnie
Well, here ya go:
Homemade Dishwasher/Scouring Powder. I really want to know people's experiences with this! Am I feeling better? Yeah, in general, I am. I'm having a stupid flare, and by the time the afternoon hits I am beat, but otherwise I'm plugging along.
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