flybabies Feb 2008

We flew around the house this morning. SIL and family, and FIL/MIL are coming by in a bit. I had EVERY intention of going to church this morning. But instead cleaned the house. We weren't home Friday afternoon/evening (practice, inlaws. The time spent at home was spent working outside). Then yesterday was gone from 9am-11pm at the inlaws.

But, house is vacuumed, dusted, and all picked up. I still need to mop the kitchen and a swipe thru the bathrooms. And I need a shower real quick.

Hey Everyone-
Enjoy your party Jenny! Busy weekend for you.

We have been cold and icy too Heidi. Very tired of it.

I got quite a bit done today. Hosted coffee hour at church - did a bunch of baking for that yesterday. It went well - I made monkey bread for the first time and it was a big hit! Gotta make some more for us. Did groceries, some scrapping, vacuumed, laundry, sheets, helped DH write a letter to our local paper. Did a very little bit of exercise. DD had a friend over.
That's about it. Oh, I also am making sauerbraten - never made it. It sure smells good!

Have a good week everyone!
Andrea

http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/

Good Evening!

TADA
morning routine
read paper
2 loads laundry
played outside with kids
picked up fallen branches and twigs
library
dinner

Jenny-hope your visit was pleasant with your family

Andrea- I have had monkey bread but have never made it. It is good though!

I am subbing all day tomorrow. Would like to take my mom out to lunch one day this week so need to plan that with her. I also want to shop around for insurance on the house and cars. Haven't done it in awhile and want to see if I can get a better rate. One of my new year goals!

Have a good night

Heidi

That was no party. Just immediate family coming over for Sunday dinner. LOL! We had pork chops, broccoli casserole, mashed taters, and I threw together a chocolate merangue pie and an apple pie. Was pretty good! Kids rode 4-wheelers, we visited. Unfortunately, my 2 year old niece found a bottle of glue and nail polish in the girls' room and POURED the entire bottle of glue out! Nail polish survived, thankfully. She also demolished the boys freshly cleaned room by taking nearly everything out of the toy box and leaving it on the floor. Then SIL left without making her clean it up. Oh well.

At least the rest of the house is still clean. And that takes care of weekly blessing tomorrow. Yay! Cya'll then!

Oh - I guess I thought it was something to do with the Super Bowl! Sounds like it was a good game - I watched bits and pieces.

Meeting tonite, then the rest of the week is pretty quiet, thank goodness. We have two more weeks of school before our winter break that noone else gets! Yay! I am ready for it. Of course we have to go school until the end of June b/c of it!

See ya -
Andrea

http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/

LOL!!! We didn't even think about turning on the Super Bowl. We aren't football fans here. I try to watch a little bit of college and high school (both football and basketball, but only if UGA, Texas Tech, or Tennessee is playing), but that's it. The only pro sport I will watch is baseball (and then it's only if the Braves are playing. Other teams? Who cares!!?)

Since we were gone all weekend, I did NO laundry, and my baskets are now overflowing. So I will be doing that for the good part of the day. Friend coming over for dinner tonight. Think I will fix pancakes. That's her kids' favorite over here.
PODA:
*laundry
*news for paper
*scrub walls of garage, prepare to fix the bad spots and paint it! (that's my big project for the day, next to the laundry)

I can't believe you didn't know the SB was yesterday! LOL! What, do you live in a cave? You know I am just giving you a bad time. Less time spent watching tv, which is a good thing.

OK, back to work!

http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/

Hi, I have been starting to use the flylady system and have got my morning and afternoon routine sorted BUT how do you do a Weekly home blessing in an hour? It takes me alot longer. Also how long does the zone cleaning really take (again I can spend ages). I know flylady tells us to swish an swipe which I do but I still end up cleaning the bathrooms each week and the same in the kitchen. None of that is mentioned in the weekly home blesing.
I'm confused and feeling overwhelmed ......help!

Not a cave, just in the middle of nowhere! LOL! But don't think that the TV wasn't on!! We have satellite, but it doesn't include locals (because we are too far away from any town with locals to have locals. Clear as mud?). So, our locals are on an antenna on top of the house. They don't come in very clear, so we usually just leave the satellite on. We spent the super bowl playing PS2.

Guest, I'm not really doing things the flylady way. I do the bathrooms when I have time to do the bathrooms, and the same with vacuuming. If I were to do it all at once, it would take me longer than an hour. But, I'm nitpicky. I suppose Flylady means to quickly do the traffic areas (vacuuming), then worry about the smaller spots (like using the extendable hose) when you are in that zone. She says don't do any chore longer than 10 minutes. But to tell you the truth, I haven't been sticking to the system very well.

I still have two loads of laundry to fold, but did fold 5 (that includes the 2 from the other day I didn't fold). I managed to keep the kitchen clean, and I got most of the walls in the garage-soon-to-be-office cleaned (which involved scraping down several mud-dobber nests). DH still has to tear out a shelf so I can get back in that corner, but I hope by Thursday we can begin painting the ceiling and walls. I imagine on Wednesday we will go to town and get all the paint, beadboard, chairrail and baseboards and get the walls completed by the weekend. Then maybe next week we will tackle tiling the floor. Then that room will be done!! Whoohoo!! Next project: the kitchen!

But, I'm getting ahead of myself. I babysit tomorrow. Hopefully it will be better this week because I found the exersaucer and cleaned it up REAL good. Hope he likes it! Unfortunatly, grandma told me that he has a double ear-infection. I don't know how to deal with that, my kids never had those as babies, and only my girls have had one in their whole life (when they were like 2 and 4). Will be an interesting day to say the least. Girls have basketball practice tomorrow night, and I will hit the grocery store while they are there.

I'm off to fold those final two loads of laundry, finish watching my movie (Elizabethtown, which I only rented because Paula Deen is in it!), and hopefully Drew will fall asleep in the next hour (before 11 would work for me!). The company didn't come tonight for dinner, so the evening was a little better for me.

Not really... Just started 3 classes and all the assorted work that goes with them, and doing a fair bit of consulting. Plus, the whole DS17 is a senior is making things busier with financial aid paperwork and so on. Sheesh.

TADA
keeping up with
sink
laundry
swish and swipe
weekly blessing
meal planning
so things aren't too bad!

PODA
post office with some FA forms that have to go out TODAY
pick up DD from afterschool program
dinner: spicy miso marinated chicken breasts, sesame green beans, rice
book group tonight: Eat, Pray Love

I'm a great big SLUG on the exercise though. I wish I could just have all my s%*t togther at once.

Waves all around flyfriends! I'll pop in when I am not reading or writing papers or doing reaserch. Sigh.

-Jo

Hey Everyone-
Great to see you Jo! My book club is reading that book now and meeting Thursday! Unfortunately I could not get it from the library soon enough and am loathe to buy books that I will read only once. So not sure I will go - let me know what you think!

Hanging in here - we thought DS11 may have had chicken pox today but he actually had hot tub folliculitis! Lovely! A bunch of boys had a sleepover and apparently contracted this from the hot tub! Poor Mom - someone else told her thank goodness. It just runs it course.

I'm off to bed - hey Jenny and Heidi!
Andrea

http://blackcatchronicles.blogspot.com/

Good Morning!

Big TADA yesterday:
morning routine
kids off to school
read paper
paid bills
bank deposit
BJ's for lunch meat etc
Aldi for groceries
home to unload it all
out to lunch with Mom
consignor's
sorted mail
playdate here for DD
made lasagna
homework

Today is another"off"day. They didn't call me in to sub so I will take advantage of the day and do paperwork and calls and then goof off!

Have a good one guys

Heidi

Gracious, Jo! How do you have time for three kids, your classes, work, AND a book club! YOU are Superwoman!!

Andrea, EW on the hot tub disease!!

Heidi, enjoy your "day off"!!

We just got done painting the ceiling (pardon my french, but WHAT A BITCH THAT WAS!!) and are now fixing to do the walls. Well, part of the walls. The upper 2/3 will be a nice tannish brown. Then tomorrow we will probably run up to Big(ger) town and get beadboard and trim and work on the rest of it Thursday and Friday.

Hardly! I am seriously ROTFLMAO on that one!

I do my homework all weekend, so I have no social life.

I read as soon as DD7 is in bed at 8:00, and then I fall asleep usually soon after.

DH and the two DSs have to pitch in, or they would be naked and starving...

If I didn't have Flying, it would all go to heck. Routines and meal planning is really saving my bacon right now.

I have lots of people I can vent to, including you guys.

I'm crazy.

TADA
DS17 got his first college acceptance letter yesterday!!!!!!! Whoo-Hoo!

PODA
dinnner: ham steak, green beans, noodles
DN17's basketball game-her team (our HS) is undefeated and ranked #1, they play the #2 team, who are also undefeated
choir rehearsal

Andrea, I love, love, love Eat, Pray, Love. I first read it the summer of '06, and it has been the best book I have read since then. This is the third time I have read it, and it just got better each time.

Ciao everyone!
-Jo

Good Afternoon!

TADA
morning routine
kids off to school
read paper
various calls and paperwork
sorted mail
took DS and friend to mall
teacher conferences

PODA
dinner
homework
read with DD

Heidi

Sounds like a good book, Jo! I may have to try it out sometime (in my spare time, of course. LOL!).

We went to bigger town today and got the beadboard and trim (and of course HAD to get a miter saw, right?). DH worked on it a little before he had to go to his fire department meeting. Will work on it more tomorrow. We should finish up that and the painting tomorrow, then hopefully Monday we will get stuff to do the tile (including a tile saw. I swear, I think he's only doing all this remodeling so he can get more new tools! LOL!).

I should really try to do a load of laundry tonight, and pick up the living room, too.

Good Morning!

TADA
morning routine
kids off to school
read paper

PODA
vacuum FR
put away laundry
call Mom
sub half a day
sort mail
dinner
no homework
DD bath
movies or games

Lots of progress on the room Jenny. Must feel good.

What is the book about Jo? Haven't heard of it.

I'll try and check back tonight. Have a great day!

Heidi

I snuggled with the boys rather than doing laundry. LOL! DH had took the girls to the fire dept. meeting last night then they went home with FIL for a night at Grammie's house. I'll get them today on my way to town to take them to BB practice.

PODA:
*finish putting up beadboard (well, DH will, but I'll help)
*paint said beadboard
*put up chair-rail and trim (which is already painted)
*try to paint baseboards (they are down already, won't put back up til tile is down)
*a load of laundry
*town BB practice
*get a few groceries and snacks for tomorrow's BB game (I got snack duty)
*get the girls from practice, run back out to our school to coach/cheer boys varsity game

Not much flying in there, huh. Well, nothing is normal here anyway.

Hi Guys -
In the middle of my weekend here - stayed up too late last night and had a bit too much wine so am still recovering! To bed early tonite!

TADA today:
dw emptied
walked dog
Wegmans for groceries
dust mopped (DH)
spent 15 minutes organizing DD's room
DS's basketball game
tried to nap
laundry done and put away

Tomorrow - church and then a field trip with Brownies to build a bear - I am driving some girls. What was I thinking?!

See ya!

http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/

Good luck with Build a Bear. I saw my first one in GA (at the same mall as the American Girl Shop, which was WAY cool. Too bad the waiting for the AG Bistro was 4 hours). If I had known there was a BaB, I may have had the girls do that. Have fun!

I MADE IT TO CHURCH!! Whoohoo!! LOL! I'm most impressed because our company didn't leave til after midnight last night and I had three margaritas. Boys all stayed home, but us girls made it.

Will try to do a bit more laundry. DH is going to paint the ceiling in office one more time. We (kids and I) have a 4-H meeting this afternoon. Tomorrow we will go to town and get all the tile stuff we need. I'm so excited that this room will finally be done this week!!

Anybody flying today? LOL!

Not here. Much anyway. Kitchen is in fairly decent order. On the second load of laundry. We had practice for the kids other bb team tonight. DH and I went to lowes and got all our tile and stuff needed for that.

Tomorrow: babysitting Baby C, work on new room (cleaning out freezers to go into the barn for one. Two, start work on tile?), BB practice in town, then a BB scrimmage in another town for other team. That should keep me out of trouble, right? LOL!

Good Evening!

TADA
morning routine
kids off to school
subbed all day
sorted mail
dinner

PODA
homework
reading

I am subbing half a day tomorrow and all day Thursday. I can stop in my DD class and say hi during her Valentine party(one of the perks of working at the same school she attends!!)

What are your Valentine's plans? We have class parties and at home we have decorated cupcakes and chocolate after dinner,a few decorations out and DH will give me a sappy card and flowers. LOL! Have fun.......

Heidi

Hi All-
A bit of flying here - vacummed a few areas. My Dyson has recently lost suction - yes even Dysons do!! It has really bummed me out b/c it was a 400.00 vacuum. So I borrowed my parents' from their apartment here - they are away for several months now - and it is awesome! I can't believe how much dust and hair it gets from our carpets and furniture. It is truly amazing (and disgusting). It is a Bissell Power Trak Cyclonic or something like that. I actually purchased it for them at Wal-Mart when I was setting up their apt. - I think it was around 200.00. Wow. If my Dyson has truly bit the dust, I may end up buying that model for myself.

DH made a graet roast beef dinner - DS is still at basketball - DD and I packed up a care package for a child we sponsor in India - and now I am getting ready to read to her.

Have a good nite everyone -
Andrea

http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/

Andrea, have you checked all the little thingies that come off the Dyson for something that could be blocking the airway? I've had that happen before.

DH is rejoicing, I have laryngitis. LOL! Drew has a fever. Joy.

Last night we had BB practice in town, then a scrimmage out of town (small town 30 miles south of our village). We didn't get home from that til after nine (Varsity lost, but the little kids won the scrimmage).

DH is 2/3 done tiling the new room. I will try to help some with that (I couldn't yesterday because of the baby who demanded to be held most of the day). Will also catch up on some laundry (just one big load to fold) and would really like to do some desk work as well.

No valentine plans here, unless I make a cake for MIL (her birthday tomorrow) and go over there. Or have them over here. Don't know. At any rate, it won't be about me. That's ok. I don't have a romantic bone in my body anyway.

Hey everyone-

Jenny, I think I have checked all those things - they have a step by step on their website and I have called customer assistance. I think the seal is not tight on one of the areas. So I think I need to take it to a service center. I need to find out if it is worth it moneywise. I am really liking this Bissell though! I will try to find a service center tonite - thanks for reminding me. Do you have a Dyson? Can't remember.

Crazy day - work - some irritations there - home - DS had a TON of homework plus he found out he IS having a party tomorrow. So I did Wegmans after work and WM in the evening. Got everything done. To his credit - he is very motivated to do his homework and he makes it a pleasure to work with him. So I can't complain. He needs help with some areas, but mostly he is very independent. Does like me to sit with him.

I bought some premade sugar cookie hearts today and DD decorated her little heart out. They turned out really cute. She also made a heart cake on Saturday. Tomorrow will be low key. DH and I probably will not exchange gifts - I got a few small things for the kids and purchased a cookie cake from school. Shrimp with something for dinner?

See ya!
Andrea

http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/

Kinda in the same boat here, Andrea. DD10 came home and announced that her class decided to exchange valentines. Well, I hadn't bought any for her, just DD8 and DS5. And I was NOT making a special trip to town. But, since they come 32 to a box, and there are only 14-18 kids in each of their classes, there were enough left over (just a mixture of Cheetah Girls and Spiderman. LOL!).

Yes, I do have a Dyson. For 2 1/2 years and it's been my favorite vacuum so far (I have had a Eureka and a Hoover).

The only flying I got done was the kitchen. That laundry still isn't folded. BUT, I got all the tile laid down in the garage!! I need to clean up between the tiles and hopefully tomorrow we can grout it!

But now I'm tired. Drew hasn't slept well the past two nights, and tiling is hard work (the cement, the measuring, getting up and down, spacers not cooperating. Then the panic of those last few tiles and you have to get on top of the tiles you already did and then they start shifting on you, and you HAVE to get it done before the concrete dries out too much!!! Whew, it was stressful! Add in there that I could yell because my voice is gone!!!)

Also tomorrow is my MILs B-day. I need to bake her a cake (she has requested her MIL's Pound Cake recipe with strawberries and Cool Whip). I already made the cupcakes for DS5s class. Will have both his and DD8s parties to attend tomorrow, then over to the inlaws to help FIL fix dinner for us all for MIL.

Happy VD!! LOL

Hope the kids enjoyed their class parties or celebrations at home,hope the grown ups did too or will

I subbed all day but peeked in at my DD class party. She shooed me out because I was all dressed up with the preschoolers and she said I was embarrassing her!!! I love it. We did a Fancy Nancy theme at preschool so I had on a big floppy hat,a boa, and lots of jewelry. Very cute. We are on sugar overload here. DH made chocolate covered strawberries and pineapple last night. I made cupcakes yesterday and of course we all got candy for/from each other and at school.

We have a 4 day weekend now so time to get a few things done around here and do some fun things with the kids too. I think we will see the Spiderwick Chronicles tomorrow after lunch. Ds has a checkup in the morning first though.

Enjoy your night and each other! Celebrate Love!

Heidi

Isn't it fun to embarass your kids!! LOL! Sounds like you had a nice day and evening, Heidi.

Here it seems I managed to save dinner. I arrived at the inlaws to help my FIL fix my MILs b-day dinner to find him about pulling his hair out! But together we got it on the table ok. He had tried to mashed taters and had accidentally put in WAY too much pepper (I'm talkin like 1/4 of the can of pepper!!). MIL loved it all though (briscit, store bought rolls, taters, green beans). However, he didn't remember that he who cooks dinner needs to clean it, so me and MIL had to clean up all his mess.

Not going to fly much today, I am going to finish the tile in that room. Need to clean between the tiles, sweep and mop, then grout! Paint and put up baseboards, and that room will be DONE!! Of course, I'll post pictures on the blog as soon as I do.

That's funny Jenny! I'm impressed that he even tried - good for him! Your room sounds like it is shaping up nicely!

HI Heidi - yum - all that sugar!

Doing ok here - looking forward to our winter break next week - yay!

Catch ya later -
Andrea

http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/

Well,the Dr appt went well. DS13 is 5'8" and 140 lbs!! Tall and thin,don't I wish that was me???? Took DD to see Spiderwick movie. We liked it but a couple parts were pretty scary and she buried her head in my shoulder. Got 2nd load of laundry going now and about to clean our ceiling fan blades,joy.

Heidi

Have fun with those blades, Heidi! LOL! I say get tall DS13 up there to do them!

Andrea, how long is Winter Break?

No flying yesterday (except I did pick up the living room at one point and got the kitchen clean last night. My arms, back, and shoulders are about give out and sore today! First I got every crack between the tiles with my NEW dremel drill (my Valentine's Day present from DH. Some gals like flowers, I like power tools! LOL! I got an 8 pack of Twix bars, too). Then I grouted every seam, then I scrubbed and wiped clean every seam. Alone. Worked nearly non-stop from 2pm til nearly 10:30 last night.

But most of my work is done. DH is going to give the ceiling one more coat of paint, then paint the baseboards and put them in, then a little bit of trim.

And no time for flying today. I'm going to mop that floor sometime later, but we have a ball game in town to play for one team, then practice at 2 at school for our other team. Then have to cheer a BIG game tonight for our Varsity kids (and last district home game). So, I better go wake up kids.

Wow Jenny, very impressed! Hopefully you can post pics.

Hi Heidi - yes, now that DS is so tall you can put him to work on all sorts of chores!

Our break is one week - just for the kids and me. DH's break is in march = that is when we will take our vacation. This week will be mainly at home. We are doing an overnite at a hotel in the city tonite and then DS has baseball camp for 3 days next week. Should be fun -
Andrea

http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/

I guess I finally over did it. Last night when we got home from the game, I felt horrible. Today I stayed in bed til about 4pm. Fever, aches, headache. I just vegged all day. I needed it, I think. We will see how I feel tomorrow.

Sorry to hear that Jenny. You have been running yourself ragged lately.

Going to start a new thread...

http://blackcatchronicles1.blogspot.com/