Keeping House - The Unfinished Basement

The shelf that holds the kitchen overflow.

So, what are you doin' this weekend? Me? I'm hanging out at home. My mom is heading into town.

What else?

Clean Sweep!!!

Have you ever seen this show?

No, I'm not going on the show. My mom is coming to town and making me clean the crap out of my basement. I am showing you photos of the part of my house where no one is even allowed! But I show you because there will be fantastic after pictures in a few days.

Our basement is unfinished and slightly unused. We have one seating area where we watch a ginormous t.v. I do laundry. And we store lots of stuff.

You can see kitchen stuff. That is overflow from my tiny, tiny kitchen. There are holiday decorations. There is miscellany.

By tomorrow night, it will all be organized (or thrown out) and tidy.

I'm kind of excited!

Keep in mind, I am seriously showing you the basement where NO ONE is allowed! We'll see what it looks like once it's actually tidied. Maybe I won't feel such shame.

The "seating area", which consists of two old chairs and a treadmill.

The bedding storage, gift wrap, and my scrapbooking supplies

My "laundry room", with laundry in various forms of doneness.

WISH ME LUCK!!!

A Break From My Break

Must.blog.about.excitement.

Tonight after supper, Brenna was upstairs by herself, drawing pictures. They've started back to a preschool schedule at daycare and she's really into her "homework". She's also been focused on learning to write her name. We put zero pressure her about such things and I've often wondered if I should. But she seems to be pushing herself these days, talking a lot about learning to write her name. Well, she came running downstairs and that's exactly what she had done. By herself. Written her name for the very first time.

Big news at our house. She did it all by herself. And she's very proud.

So am I.

[note the incorrect date I wrote at the bottom! Oh my. I'm home sick today and have absolutely lost all track of time.]

Wordless Wednesday - Noodles

Wordless Wednesday.

Grains of Gratitude

I couldn't let a Sunday go by without posting my grains of gratitude, even if I am on a self-imposed blog-break.

Today was awesome. I met up with Jacque, Nikki, and Stacy for brunch at Mimi's. The quiche was delicious, but the conversation was even better! I love meeting up with my cousins and I love meeting up with my good friend Jacque. Having them all together was just great! We all have started blogging in the last year and it was fun to have the three of them meet.

This afternoon we went out to a water splash park (a city park with sprinkler/water features) for my nephew's birthday. It was so fun to watch my kid's laugh and play. I am so very aware of what great kids I have, even if I don't always feel that way. They are so energetic and full of life. They are independent spirits who look at a day at the park as an adventure and enjoy every minute of it. It's fun to have two fun kids!

I am grateful for what a good weekend we have. Mason is finally feeling better after a long virus/fever thing that had us juggling days off of work last week. I'm glad he's well again.

That's it for now.

I will be back to blogging regularly again next week...see you then!

Apparently not everyone shares my zeal for MTV's brand of trashy reality TV, judging from the 2 comments on my Monday night post (and one was from me!). Oh, that's okay. I totally get it. I don't watch any of the dance contests, Big Brother, or Lost. I realize Lost isn't reality TV, I just threw it in there. I wish you all the best of luck as you try to pick your own flavors of fall TV viewing.

As for me, I'm going to keep it to the few I mentioned before and that's about it. Trying to keep it to a minimum, since life is sort of taking over.

Which brings me to my next point. I'm going to take a little break. From the blogging thing. I'm not quitting altogether. Just taking a wee break, ala Mad Hatter circa summer of '07. Not a huge deal. Just a breather. I hope you'll stop back by when I get back.

It's more about need to fold socks and scrub toilets. And maybe do some actual correspondence with real stamps and an ink pen.

Life is trying to get the best of me. What with work 10+ hrs a day, having a hip that wants to ache and pop all day long, and trying to raise two young kids with one young husband and really be THERE while I'm doing it.

So I'll be back. In a couple of weeks. Just taking some time off. I've got some stuff I need to think on and a little bit more I need to act on.

And by the way, thank you for your super kind comments. About my face. I wasn't digging for compliments, but it sure was nice to get some. Me and my mom face have some work to do!

This weekend I'm having brunch with some real life blogging friends. Two cousins and a former co-worker. I've convinced them all to blog with me this year and I'm so glad for it. Now we'll all be brunching together!

I'll be back soon and I'll certainly see you then.

It's on MTV tonight. The Hills.

It is good, as in guilty pleasure good. As in bad reality TV good.

So maybe you should try it. Or maybe not.

Facing It

Have you ever looked in the mirror for so long that it went all blurry? Your face starts to look like someone else, or something else?

That's me - in 2003

I feel that way sometimes now, when I'm looking at the mom face looking back at me.

With each pregnancy, I've put on 50+ lbs. With each birth, I've lost about 25.

Ready to have Mason - 2006

Which is where that leaves me today. I've got 40 lbs to lose.

Me - Version 2007

The year I met my hubs, I had lost 30 lbs of college weight. I was actually looking and feeling good. I had cut out most carbs, as part of a healthy diet that I was on for my back (long story, another post).

That's me in the middle - 2000

My mom face looks so different now, I barely recognize myself. In my mind, I am still the girl with the pointy chin and cute cheek bones.

Most days, I just forget about it and live out my busy life.

Today is one of those days when I think on it and want to do something.

Something to LOSE the weight.

OTJ has posted on her own success. Way to GO!

I just can't seem to find it for myself. That inspiration to do it.

Take out food and fatigue win.

I am going to take this week and get a plan.

It's time that I find a little bit of me when I look in the mirror.

Is that really me??? - 2004

That may mean paying some attention and having a serious conversation with myself.

I just hope that when I go to do it, I'm ready to sit down and listen.

It's Back

My dirty little secret. I completely forgot about when I posted about t.v. shows.

The Hills.

Have you seen it?

Oh, don't do it.

I started watching it last year by accident. It's on MTV, and is apparently a little bit addictive. If you like watching beautiful, drunk twenty-somethings fight with their friends in fantastic designer clothing.

I guess I do.

The new season has started and I just caught up online today.

It's just as "good" this year (I use that term loosely).

Lauren Conrad and her wacky adventures just suck me in. I guess it's that part of me that would have liked to stay thin, go clubbing, and work for a fashion mag.

I'll live vicariously through a nicely edited piece of people's lives acted out through cameras, producers, and a great soundtrack.

Monday nights, you'll have to tell me what you think.

The Little Things

Hubs is heading out tonight for a faculty get-together at a friend's house. Since we never, ever hire a sitter, we just attend these solo.

I mentioned that he could bring me home a beer from the six-pack he picks up, since he certainly won't drink them all there.

And do you know what he did?

He went to get his own beverages for the FAC soiree and then brought home something for me.

That's love.

When a man knows just how badly his woman needs a beer.

TGIF.

Time To Go Home

She's the great negotiator.

"I didn't know you would come so soon!" B tells me when I came to pick her up at a friend's house tonight. She and her brother spent the evening with my friend and her family while Hubs and I were at our high schools' open houses.

She gave it her best shot:

"Let's stay a little bit longer."
"Let's stay a couple more minutes."
"I just want to stay for NINE more minutes."
"Seven?"
"FINE!!!!" She screams through the tears.

In a final argument, once buckled in my car, "I'M NOT TIRED!!!!" Screamed at the very top of her lungs.

Her determination was there. She gave great effort.

She still lost.

She's now tucked in bed for some happy rest.

There's nothing like a tired four-year old.

This Too Shall Pass

We are two days into the school year and I am one tired mama who misses her kids and feels like she lives at school.

My Hubs was a teacher for five years before being hired as an assistant principal at a local high school. I've asked him a few times over the past few days if the stress and hours are normal to start the year (I'm a fairly new teacher and this is my first year experiencing all of this without a mentor to guide and protect me). Looking for reassurance that this too shall pass.

This is what he told me:

"Mel, You have 35 years worth of first weeks of school ahead of you in your career. Every year it is rough to start. Every year it gets better after you settle in. Just put that in your pocket so that we don't have to have this conversation every year."

In my pocket. Got it.

Thanks for the pep talk Honey.

And once I did the math, I only have about 30 years of back-to-schools left, thank you very much.

Boob Tube

After getting the kids to be tonight I did something that I have rarely done in the past three months. Turned on the TV.

I'm am an admitted TV junkie. I usually get involved with a couple of shows a season and watch an hour or so TV a night. But this summer we watched zero TV. I read so much and then of course started doing a lot of reading blogs in the evenings.

So what do I watch? I love TLC and HGTV. Right now, I am watching House Hunters. Love it! When the fall TV shows start, I will watch Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, and the new show - Private Practice. I liked Gilmore Girls and Studio 60, but neither show is on any more.

One of my goals in the new year was to watch less TV and I'd say that's one resolution I've stuck with. It actually feels weird to be sitting here with the TV on. Of course, here I sit while I'm watching it - I'm on the computer!

So what will you watch this fall?

Wild Wild West

From our trip to Colorado in June. Hubs scanned it in today and thought I'd share. I think we would have made a cute pioneer family.

Grains

We gathered together. We held hands and thanked God for the food we were about to eat. We dined on pork chops, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, with a dessert of warm peach cobbler and creamy vanilla ice cream. We enjoyed some time together.

No rush, no agenda.

These moments seem few and far between. I told hubs that I want to make sure we do it every Sunday night. A big meal around the table together. We had cleaned up the house all afternoon and then enjoyed that meal without clutter piled up around us.

I'm grateful for today. Living in the moment can be so fulfilling.

Nice Shades

Menu Plan Monday

For me, menu planning works best on the weekends. So today I'm getting together recipes and a grocery list. Some time tomorrow I'll go to the store. It's Menu Plan Monday on Saturday.

Last week I realized that I'll probably never stick to the plan 100%. Having the groceries I need and a plan allow me to be more flexible though. I can push things back a night if I need to take a night off from cooking. Sometimes we just do a frozen pizza or get take-out. Sometimes the kids will eat cheese and fruit for supper and hubs and I scavange for ourselves.

The menu plan has definitely upped the number of nights that we eat a healthy dinner together, so I'm going to keep doing it!

Beck has inspired me to make dessert, so I'm even going to do that tomorrow night.

Sunday: BBQ Pork Chops (the chops got put in the freezer last week when the wheels fell off), Corn on the Cob, Peach Cobbler III

Monday: BLT sandwiches. This is a selfish meal, because it's one of my favorites. The kids will probably eat cheese sandwiches and fruit.

Tuesday: Chicken Parmesan, Green Beans, Garlic Bread

Wednesday: Runza Casserole, mixed veggies

Thursday: re-runs

Friday: pizza

Saturday and Sunday: take out and meals OYO (on your own)

Hope that you have a great weekend and a terrific week!

I Heart School

Aside from the fact that this week has been completely overwhelming, I love back-to-school!

I love classrooms, books, pep rallies, bell schedules, papers, pencils, lesson plans, binders, reading, writing, and 'rithmetic...all of it.

Being a teacher rocks!

Go To Sleep Now, My Baby

Our little Buddy goes to bed like a champ. As if the crib has been calling his name all night. He is out like a light within five minutes. We take him upstairs, whisper our good night prayers, say I love yous, and ni-ni. That's it. Done.

Our little Bee. Not so much. She has never really gone to sleep without help. She had a pacifier until 19 months (she's now four) and then we helped her by staying with her, using music, a blankie. We've tried it all. She has never wanted to go to sleep alone. "But I'm all alonely." That's her line.

But it's gotten worse. We follow the same routine. Hubs reads to her after brushing teeth, they say good night prayers, cuddle for a minute, turn on some music (a new addition to the routine in an attempt to solve our current issues), and say good night. When she comes down, we prompt her back upstairs. Even when I try to lay with her, her body will not stop moving. I end up getting frustrated because she won't lay still and will not stop talking. She doesn't want to fall asleep.

She takes HOURS to fall asleep. HOURS. It is exhausting. The prompting and the whining and the crying. We've tried adjusting the time both earlier and later, with no improvement. Hubs is ready to say forget it and let her stay up with us (I usually go to bed at 10:00) because we are so tired of fighting with her.

I can't really say I expect any advice, but I'd take it if anyone has ideas. We've gone the way of the sticker chart, they've lost their effectiveness. Hubs made good on a threat tonight to have her put some movies in a garbage bag (they're up in a closet, he told her she could get them back someday, but she thinks they're thrown away). Punishment and reward have both failed to change the behavior.

Does she need less sleep? She's still napping at daycare for the time being (until September, I think).

Should we just keep doing what we're doing?

I'm at the end of my rope here, I think. I don't want her to be sleep-deprived, and I hate it that every day ends negatively with her because she has worn down our patience yet again.

I guess I'm hoping it's just a phase (a four year phase, so far).

A Hitch in My Get Along

My Couch to 5K plans are being thwarted, big time.

Last summer I had the gall to work out with a trainer. It was very much beyond my mommy-out-of-shape self. I was a four season athlete in my teens and thought I could get back into shape if this 20-something guy named Justin whipped me there.

What happened was that I aggravated an old shoulder injury and ended up with a chronic hip problem.

My hip flexor "flares up" whenever I start exercising again. The trainer boy taught me how to stretch, but it doesn't really help.

This time it's REALLY bad. I can't stand up straight without it popping and me sort of falling to the ground.

I've taken something stronger than Tylenol. I'm heading to bed.

The worst part being that tomorrow I have an evening meeting for school, which means working from 7:30 AM - 9:00 PM. So the fact that I can't stand up straight at this point without toppling over could present an issue. Guess I'll be doing a lot of sitting!

Advice welcome here - go to a doctor? let it get better and then just lay off the jogging? see a chiropractor?

Staying Flexible, Feeling Tired

Note on the menu plan front: I always allow for changes. For example: tonight there was no way in hell I was cooking pork chops in the oven for an hour, when I came home from work at 6:15. So tonight was Chinese take-out, tomorrow will most likely be left over Italian from the last two pasta meals I've made. I'll probably modify my pork chop recipe to throw in the crock pot on Thursday. I can't plan to bake something for that long on a school night when we've just started back (not home early enough). I just push stuff down the list if it gets moved. If it looks like meat will get put aside for more than a few days in the fridge, I throw it in the freezer. It's super-convenient, flexible, and I've already got the groceries. I call it doing what works.

I've worked 20 hrs in the past two days and am likely to work 10 more tomorrow. It's only bad for a few weeks and then I'll be able to leave by 4:00 for the majority of days. Here for a while though, we are all pretty tired. Sigh.

I'm off to do a few more things for work yet tonight, so I can be ready for more tomorrow. It will be Wednesday already, the week is absolutely flying away. Nightie night.

Menu Time

Since it's the first week back to full-time work, I've planned a very simple menu of recipes on my regular rotation. Nothing that requires a recipe or even measuring. I rely on store-bought ingredients for a lot of these. They are my stand-by, tried and true meals.

Monday: spaghetti and meat sauce, corn, bruschetta

I'm using Vodka Sauce from Emeril and Thin Spaghetti, Barilla Plus. The bruschetta I make with a French Baguette from the bakery. I mix oil, margarine (or butter, whatever I've got), and Italian seasoning. I brush that on the 1 inch slices of bread then top with Parmesan cheese and tomatoes. Usually I would use Roma tomato slices, but this week I've got fresh tomatoes to use up so will top with chopped tomatoes. I bake at 350 for about 10 minutes and just keep an eye on it until it looks how I want it to. Sometimes I'll put on the broiler for a quick minute, just to crisp it up. I keep a few with no tomatoes for the kiddos.

Tuesday: baked BBQ pork chops, mixed veggies

I season the chops, brush them with BBQ sauce (this time it's Famous Dave's), cover with foil, and bake them at 300 degrees for an hour or so.

Wednesday: chicken & rice, peas

My 15 minute chicken and rice recipe from last week, I didn't use it then. Chicken breasts are in the freezer, I use Minute Rice (brown rice) and canned cream of chicken soup

Thursday: "homemade" pizza, salad

I use a store-bought Boboli crust, canned pizza sauce, turkey pepperoni, and bagged shredded mozzarella cheese. Brenna loves to help with this one and it's super easy to do.

Friday: take-out, TBA

After a long week, I plan to reward myself on Friday by letting someone else cook! The meals I've planned are made with food I know my kids will eat and that are easy to make. By starting with store-bought ingredients, I save myself a lot of time. I'd like to be the mom who starts everything from scratch and love to when I have the time. When it's back to school time, I'm all about ease! After this week I will be planning one new recipe per week, usually for the weekend.

Have a great week!

Grains

This week, as I face going back to work full time, I am trying really hard to be grateful for that. I have a good education and a career that I felt called to do. When I think of the situation that some women are in, living in this very same city, I am so glad that I have a job. Something that I love to do. Something that helps us live in the house that we do, maintaining the life that we do.

Being a working mother has been a role that I sometimes have mourned, but this morning I am being thankful.

Thankful for my education and for my career, two things that I so often take for granted.

Weekend

It is weird, but on the weekend, blogland is such a lonely place. I find that we are often home on the weekends and I have time to be on the computer. Whilst many others must be off frolicking with their families and friends. My Google Reader is much too quiet on the weekends. With the upcoming school year, I think that will be a good time to catch up on all the good posts I've missed all week. The nightly routine is overwhelming, during the school year, and I won't find nearly as much time or energy for blogging, I'm afraid.

My nephew has a name! We went up yesterday morning as a family and were there when his name was finally decided. They changed it from Trent, turns out there's a cousin Trent with the same surname who is less than well-liked in the family and they didn't want to have this new baby associated with that guy. So his name? Trea Allen (pronounced Tray). I've never seen it spelled like that, but it's a fitting name I think. He is so very, very cute! They were down to Theodore and Trea, so I held him and kept saying both. His mama decided he was Trea. So they have Tyler, Trevor, and Trea. Troy is their babydaddy. And a doggy named Tippy. Too terrific!

I think I've found a workout buddy! She works at the same school as me and has joined the same gym that I belong to (and do not go to). We went today and I finished up week 1 of Couch to 5K. It felt okay. I'll never be a great runner, I never was, but it felt good to be doing something. The good thing about doing it at the gym is that there are weights and weight machines so I did some resistance training after we were done. We're planning to go more together and to keep each other going once the school year has started. Yay!

I finished the final Harry Potter book. Wow. I read all 7 books in just under 3 weeks and now I'm not sure what I'll do with myself? Oh yeah, go back to work full time and try to dig out of the messes that have piled up for 3 weeks! It was so totally worth it. Now I can look forward to seeing the rest of the movies (we've watched the first 3). This is the best storyline I have ever read, I'm so glad I did it!

My notes on the last book (possibly containing spoilers, just so you know):
* Loved it.
* I thought the bit about camping and moving around and planning was brilliant in that it cast the dark mood of the time. There was little hope and little excitement, which was what it was like to read it. You start to believe it cannot be done. That they cannot possibly win.
* The battle at the end reminds me of Disney's Beauty & the Beast when the enchanted castle tries to save the beast and battle Gaston and the villagers. The music from the movie kept creeping in my head (the resident 4-year old is on a princess kick lately)
* It seemed like Rowling pooped out a little right at the end, a little like Harry. After all that, he just wants a sandwich? What, huh? I thought there should be some details (because there was so much detail, throughout every novel) about how order was restored and how peoples lives played out in the months that followed. But there was zilch. The last chapter seemed rushed too, but I was grateful that she at least gave us a glimpse.
* The whole series was awesome. I'm grateful that I started it, grateful that I ended it, not so grateful that tomorrow I've got laundry to catch up and floors to scrub. Back to my role as house-elf.

Exploring the Zoo

I'll read the map, where do you want to go?

Today we went to the zoo. After their first week back in daycare, I decided we'd spend the day together. Me and my kids.

We are so lucky to have a really great zoo in our city. The Henry Doorly Zoo. Every year we buy a pass, so we can come and go as we please. It has it all from outdoor animal exhibits to a ton of indoor ones including a jungle, aquarium, desert, gorilla house and others. You can walk miles, so it's great exercise. Today I intermittently jogged (pushing 60+ lbs of kids) to get some cardio while we were there.

We spent extra time watching the polar bears swim.

Bee chatted the entire trip. From the minute we left the house it was all about the zoo and the animals and what is my favorite and what is her favorite and which animal sounds like what and what animal family we should pretend to be. She barely took a breath. Her enthusiasm was contagious.

Her first request of the day was to go see the elephants "up close" because we only ever see them from the train. The elephants are on the opposite side of the zoo from the entrance and up a great big hill. Oh, what I do for my kids. My cheerleader wanna-be daughter shouted "Go Mommy! Go Mommy! Go Mommy!" as I huffed and puffed all the way up that hill. There two beautiful elephants and this one did not disappoint. He walked right over and when I told Brenna to wave, he waved his trunk up in a very grand gesture. Bee was impressed.

The best part of the day was that we were on no schedule. I had packed snacks and water, so we had refreshments. We even stopped at some picnic tables and were visited by some very friendly peacocks. I did my best to to shoo them (the mama bear in me feared one snapping at Buddy or Bee) to no avail. At one point, this peacock just hopped right up on the table I was sitting at! Close encounters of the bird kind!

I was silly and went into the petting zoo with graham cracker crumbs still on the kids' laps. The goats were super-friendly and Bee was a little freaked out at first. Once she realized that they weren't "mean", she was amused. We had to freshen up with some anti-bacterial wipes after that - goat germs!

We wandered on whatever path we wanted with no set agenda in mind. The day was perfect, hot but breezy. A perfect summer day. We had a really great time.

This may have been one of my favorite trips to the zoo yet. The older the kids get, the funner these trips become. There's so much to explore, I just feel lucky to experience it with them. To open this world to them.

One gross out moment - I watched a young female zookeeper feed a Haitian Boa today. The ew factor is already there because it's two big ol' snakes. What was their lunch? A dead white mouse on a long pair of tongs. Ewwwwwww.... I'm sure there is no salary or benefit package that would have me doing that, ever.

As the trip drew to a close, the kids' eye grew so heavy. Bee's temper got short. They were both so tired. We left the zoo feeling content and exhausted. Another trip to the zoo behind us, as we waved good-bye to the desert dome.

Baby Time

I went to the hospital today and snuggled a 2 hour old baby boy. He is beautiful, just like his brothers. There's something so untouched about C-Section baby. Such a round little head. Such rosy little cheeks. No pictures to share, but trust me - he is a gem.

No name yet. Maybe by now they've decided. This morning the new mom and dad were still pondering a few. Their dilemma comes from the narrow space of choices from which they have to pick. You see, their first two boys are Tyler and Trevor. Their dad is Troy. Seeing a trend?

Here are some they are toying with: Tanner, Tegue (sp?), Tre, Trent, Tate...I think that's the short list right now. It was going to be Trent. But baby's daddy has a first cousin Trent and his parents have made comments about having two Trents in the family with the same surname. Then it was definitely Tre. Well, the maternal grandma made a funny face at that one. So I voted for Tate. If they ever have a girl (#4?) she will be Kate, so I think they should have Kate and Tate just to make the baby name saying even more difficult than having four males in the house with letter T names. Their dog is Tippy, by the way.

I love baby time. Even though we are probably done after our two kids, I just love baby time. It gets me itching to have my own little bundle. Not enough to actually do it, just enough to go, "Aw, we should have another one." To which hubs raises his eyebrow and changes the subject.

What did I take to the hospital? Well, glad you asked.

For mom, a beautiful bouquet of flowers with a ceramic holder that will actually look good in their nursery. Also for the nursery, a picture frame that I just thought was awesome. It has spots for four pictures and magnetic captions you place below each. Some of the captions are first smile, crawling, first tooth and so on, so it grows with the baby if you want to change the pictures. It's pretty cool.

For baby, diapers - well, that's more for mom and dad, but he gets to wear them.For all the boys, a Playskool race car set. They're little plastic cars that you put in the top of each ramp and race to the bottom. I thought his older brothers can "take care" of it until he's old enough to play with it!

That's it for tonight. I'm pretty sure my one-year old has wedged the sliding door open and escaped outside. Good thing the yard is fenced!

Waiting for the Phone to Ring!

As long as the scheduled C-section went as planned, at 9:45, I've got a new niece or nephew. The suspense is KILLING me (not really, but I'm soooooo impatient to hear). I'm just emailed hubs at work, asking him to call his dad, to hear if they know. It's my hubs' sister, who is having the baby. The baby whose sex remains a mystery. The baby who we found out about at Christmas, when grandma opened a present that asked whether there would be room for one more kid next Christmas. The baby who we've watched in her blossoming belly for 8 months.

Oh, I just can't handle it! I want to go to the hospital now, now, now! But I want to wait, so I can go with loads of gifts. Gifts that are either girl gifts or boy gifts. So that means waiting, waiting, waiting. I doubt that she's even out of the o.r. yet, but I want to know!

I just hold on to the fact that in a few short hours, I'm going to be cuddling a sweet, sweet baby. The joy is overwhelming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
10 minutes later -

BOY!!! BOY!!! BOY!!!!! (Okay, just one boy, but now they have THREE boys. Age 3 years and 11 months, 21 months, and newborn!). 9 lbs. 2 oz. 21 in. No name yet.

Leaving for Babies R Us now, then off to the hospital.

Woo hoo!!!!

Some Feng and Some Shui

Do you know what feng shui is? I do.

It's about making the spaces you dwell within a comfortable place. It's about surrounding yourself with good energy to maximize your creativity, health, optimism, and so on.

Right now, I've got zero feng shui going on. My house is a mess. My classroom is a mess, through no fault of my own (they've used it for storage over the summer during construction), my office is a mess. You name it. I've got messes everywhere!

I'm slowly cleaning up the messes at home this week and they are staying picked up now that we're gone during the day. We come home at night and do supper, bath, play time (brief) and bed time. Maybe throw in a Dora DVD in there and that's what our week nights are like once we're back to the work week routine.

I'm convinced that if I was home year-round, we would live in absolute squalor. I could be wrong, but judging how this summer went, I'm pretty sure. Empty fruit snack bags, string cheese wrappers, and sippy cups litter the floors. There are marks in the carpets from drips, drool, and the dog. Laundry, both clean and dirty, is strung over anything standing still. Every toy we've ever bought has been drug out at put away a million times.

I'm not sure I could do it year-round.

I love the balance of teaching. Just when you are burnt out on your job and think you can't do it anymore, you've got a break. Then when you're ready for some routine and a different type of day, it's time to go back to work.

It works for me.

This morning I worked in my office at school, weeding out memos from last year that will be updated and handed out this year. I filled a trash can full of papers that I won't need. I almost have a desk top! I'm back home now, and it's time to tackle that kitchen floor. It is so sticky, my feet make an icky-sticky sound when I walk across it! Many, many such tasks to tackle over the next week and a half, both here and at work.

I just hope I'm up for the challenge.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday. Play here.