The first get er done day of the summer*

The kids have been out of school for over a week now and we should have already started the spring cleaning, summer work and also the summer fun list.  However, we had 3 or 4 days of no air conditioning and I know we are wimps but we didn't feel like doing a whole lot and getting overly warm, although we did do some of it.  The second reason we haven't really started yet is that I have had yet another urinary tract infection and those things are simply no fun.  I have been to the doctor now and gotten and antibiotic and hopefully am on the mend.  I have been checking things off today quite well.  I've gotten my oldest son's laundry done.  He usually does his own laundry, but he is going to have to work a 12 hour shift tonight so he had to go right to bed when he got home.  I've also gotten Max a vet appointment for this afternoon to check on his blood sugar levels, taken the garbage out, loaded the dishwasher, began hoeing the garden (late, I know, see above) and done some general cleaning tasks.  In a few minutes, I'm going to tackle decluttering in my bedroom.  We have way too many books in there and some of them need to go.  Later, after we get back from the vet, if my fever has subsided, I'll probably get in the pool.  I really love summertime.

*Get er done is local speak for get it done day.  :-P   We do live in Kentucky you know? .

Getting started?

Yesterday, we started on the spring cleaning.  We did a tiny bit during spring break, but we need to do the rest of it now.  With me working most of the day each day, it's a little difficult to get going after I finish work.  My attitude is the problem.  After I've worked, I want to relax, not get up and work.  You know?  But it needs to be done.  Yesterday was my day off from my regular job so I was able to get quite a bit done, but just a drop in the bucket.  We need to do some serious decluttering around here. (AGAIN).   I should take some before pictures, but that would be embarrassing, so I won't.  :-)  I also need to get started on the exercising.  I'm counting yesterday's several hours of cleaning as the beginning of my new exercise routine.  I was talking to my mother in law yesterday and she has found an indoor pool in our area where we can swim for 5 dollars, so I may swim at home this summer (the only exercise I will consistently do) and then swim indoors for the winter, thereby avoiding the exercise all summer and turn in to a slug every winter syndrome, which is my usual routine.

The kids are out of school and can do basically whatever they want all day except for the couple of hours that I want them to clean, but you'd think I was killing them to hear them complain.  They avoided the dreaded "why do we have to clean?" question, but instead asked "Why do we have to clean right now?" which they say is different.  :-P

The anticipated/dreaded free day.

If you all have been reading my blog for long, you know that I don't have to work at my medical transcription job on Thursdays and it is the only day of the week that I don't have to get up and do anything in particular.  That makes me happy, yet, it also means that most housework and home improvement tasks get put on Thursday.  Sometimes my list is quite long.  Right now, it's pretty much overwhelming and includes spring cleaning, gardening, home improvement projects and reorganizing.  I'm trying not to get overwhelmed by it and just go at it as hard as I can today.  So far, I'm doing pretty good.  I've done some organizing and decluttering and a bit of gardening.  Right now I'm cooling off and trying to think of what to do next.   I wish that the pool was warm enough to help with the cooling off process, but it seems like it's going to be June before we can get in it.  It's a beautiful day though and I enjoy being able to get outside.

Yesterday, my daughter and I had a conversation that seems less like a homeschooling kid and mom and more like a schooled kid and mom.  She asked me to get her some books at the library on Abraham Lincoln, because she has to do a biography for her writing class.  It's funny to me because I didn't know about the biography paper and I didn't have to assign this biography paper since she is working through her own writing book and occasionally, if I ask nicely, will let me read the assignments.  This homeschooling a self-directed teenager is kind of weird.  The boys need more support, urging, nagging and checking, so even though I have graduated one kid, I'm not used to this.  Although in fairness to my older son, he did teach himself (and still does) things he is interested in, guitar, theology, Python programming, gimp, photoshop, etc.  So I guess I am used to it, just not for something as traditional as writing class.   :-P

Motivational Issues (again).

I did finally get most of the work I needed to do done yesterday, at least the basic cleaning.  If I had been on the ball, energetic and motivated, I could have gotten so much done.  I feel guilty about it, but I'm used to me now.  I know that there are things I'm feeling kind of down about and I know that does not make it a good time to clean.  I also know that I was very busy in the days leading up to Easter and I'm the kind of person who needs time to decompress after holidays.  I guess that's one advantage of getting so darn old, hmmm?  Self knowledge.  :-P   I also know that part of my problem with having a full, free day with nothing scheduled is deciding what to do and getting started. 

Anyway, today's a new day.  I'm just going to do the best I can with it.  I have to work, so for the first 7 hours or so I don't have to make any decisions about what to do, just keep typing, just keep typing. 

Sometimes I think that I think too much.

I think about things a lot more than I do them.  That's for sure.  Anyone else?  I mean if I'd just get up and clean the house rather than researching more efficient ways to clean the house, it would be cleaner.  You know?  Somehow, though, I don't know if "Do more, think less." is really a good motto for life.  Meanwhile, while I'm not doing much other than thinking about working, I've been looking at some Charlie Brown cartoons.  :-)

A.A. Milne Quote I like.

"One of the advantages of being disorganized is that one is always having surprising discoveries."
A.A. Milne.

Back to school and a mom's night out (again).

We're back to school this week after a week of spring break last week. We didn't get as much done as I had hoped, but we never do, really, so I'm fine with what we did get done. I plan on doing spring cleaning/painting activities in June like we did last year. I know everyone will be happy about that. The trouble is, I'm working a couple hours more per day than I was last year, so I have more trouble fitting everything in. But, on the other hand, the kids are a year older and better at helping out, so they can do more. We started back to school yesterday with a minimum of whining, but also I think they did the bare minimum of work, so we'll have to see how the week goes. I had another mom's night out last night. I met up with some old friends and we talked and laughed for 2 1/2 hours at Cracker Barrel. It was such a nice evening. We should do that more often. In other news, both of my younger 2 kids won "top prizes" in the 4H poster contest and won 8 dollars. I was very excited for them. It's fun to win.

Spring Cleaning.

I was working and/or gone all day yesterday it seems and the kids chose spring cleaning instead of school work.  I had hoped that they would.  The spring cleaning really needs to be done.  It's amazing what a motivator 'no algebra" is and I also promised them pizza one day this week as a payment.  I am done with work today so I guess I'll have to join them for today's cleaning.  Can anyone think of a reason I shouldn't?

Please.  I really don't want to.

:-P

On the road again.

Yesterday was a nice day of staying home pretty much all day.  I did go see my mom, but she's only 3 miles away so I'm not counting that.  She and I played a game of UpWords and she beat me for the second time in a row, but that's still a restful kind of game and it was a restful kind of day.  Other than work, of course.  I always, always, always have to work.  I considered letting the kids take the week off and get the spring cleaning done but one of the kids (guess which one?) had already done a lot of his/her school work yesterday afternoon when I mentioned this so we didn't do it, but we are ahead this year and the spring cleaning bug has been biting me (this is very unpleasant) and I think next week we might do it. 

Today, we've got to go to 4H and someone else is teaching the lesson so I always like that.  I feel like I am coming down with the cold though, so I might have to make the decision to stay home due to possible contagion.  We will see.  I'm using Cold-Eeze zinc lozenges and I believe I feel better than I did last night.

I've got

a busy 3 days ahead.  Today, I've got to take Mom to the pain clinic (which I pray will not be as long as usual!) and then tonight we've got the Wednesday evening stuff that lasts from 5:30 to 9:00 pm so I'm really hoping to be able to get a break in between the two events.  I'm tired just thinking about it.  Then tomorrow, we're getting up early and going on a field trip on our own with one other family..  Then Friday, we've got a meet and greet with the homeschool group, just to visit for a while since they haven't planned any field trips lately (hence the need to plan our own, I guess).  I don't know if we've got anything for Saturday because I haven't looked ahead that far.  Really, I think I prefer a minimum level of busy-ness outside the home because if I am here all the time I will start to think that I really should do housework and I don't want to.  :-P


Wow today is a pretty day.  I hope we get a similarly nice one for our field trip tomorrow.  This one is going to be wasted on the pain clinic, but hopefully my mom's back will feel better afterwards and she will be able to get out and do her spring gardening, so it will all be worth enduring the abysmal way that place is managed.

Not much.

That's what we're doing today.  Oldest son is sick again and he's watching a McGyver marathon and the younger 2 are being supportive and watching it with him, because basically it's free screen time.  I loved McGyver when I was a kid, but now, it doesn't really hold my interest, so I'm not really watching it with them.  I'm doing other things.  Just to say we accomplished something, even though we didn't have much in the way of motivation, my daughter and I cleaned out half my closet and put in a shelving unit for it that I bought back in January.  Tomorrow, we'll try and get the other half, I guess.  We might need to take some time off from school and get some spring cleaning done.  I wish I could take off work too, but I can't.  I can, however, get up earlier and hit my work a little harder each morning, so that I'll have the afternoons to do the spring cleaning.  Doesn't that sound like loads of fun?  Yeah, I thought so.  That's how I did last years spring cleaning in the afternoons after work, but last year I wasn't working as many hours as I am now.  :-/

So far today

I have not really accomplished anything.  I did help my son a little with his resume.  I did load the dishwasher.  My son and I looked at colleges online and tried to make some decisions for him, but really haven't come up with anything yet.  That's pretty much the sum total of my accomplishments so far today.  In a little while, I'm going to the doctor and then my daughter and I are going to go to Hobby Lobby since my doctor's office is right across the street and then we are going to visit a friend's daughter who is in the hospital.  After that, if we are not too tired, we need to clean up this house.  I intended to get up today and clean the house before the doctor's appointment, but sometimes I just don't do what I plan to do.  :-P  I really don't like cleaning so I will use any excuse.

Motivation.  I need it.

January 26.

I love my day off and I had a lot of things planned for today.  Usually it's our clean the house day but the house is in relatively good order (for our house) , so I was thinking of doing some organizing or perhaps putting down the floor tiles I got black Friday (Yes, in November!).  I've been dreading that and putting it off because I really don't think I'll be very good at it and I tentatively set today as the day.  Unfortunately, I got up feeling quite bruised in well, as Junie B. Jones would say, my behiney and I don't feel good about the thought of sitting on the cold hard floor for hours.  I have no idea why this has happened.  My son said I sit too much and that is true, but I've been sitting and doing medical transcription now for many years and I've never actually had this issue before. It's odd.  So, today I have done things that don't require that amount of sitting.  I've taken out the garbage, cleaned up the kitchen, baked chocolate chip gluten free cookies and made my son a gluten free dairy free pizza while my daughter made herself and youngest son a gluten-y, cheese-y one.  My oldest son, bless his heart, said that the pizza was really good, although it just looks sad without cheese. Now I am uncomfortably sitting and blogging and ruminating about what else to try and accomplish today.  I may work on my version of this tablecloth which is halfway done and would involve lying on the floor and not sitting.  :-P

A random act of blogging.

Often, my thoughts do not gel into any kind of a coherent blog post idea.  I have a very random brain.  I work with it.  Anyway.  Here are some of my extremely random thoughts of today.

The snow is melting.  We stayed home today and the kids got to sleigh ride a tiny bit last night and for about an hour this morning.  They got to break in their new Christmas sleds so that's good.  I was afraid we'd jinxed them for no snow this winter by getting them sleds for Christmas.  :-)  Now they are back in drinking hot chocolate with whipped cream.

I've been doing housework today, which I think I should call Random Acts of Housework, because that's what it is.  I do a bit here and a bit there.  My mom used to call it "a lick and a promise" but I call it "a lick and no promises" cause, you know, I'm pretty random.

Here's a question I ask myself.  I'm watching "The Proposal"  and I wonder why in films people carry around empty coffee cups?  Okay, I can understand the potential for spillage and ruining nice movie sets and clothes, but couldn't they weight them down so they would at least look like they had something in them?   Here's another question, when the people are casting a movie do they pay any attention at all to the actor's ages when they cast them? 

And finally, there's a really interesting article on Psychology Today about Cognitive Outlaws, basically people who have learning disabilities and have learned to work around them and become very successful.  It's fascinating. 

Not very many days left until Christmas!

It's coming next weekend! I still don't have all my shopping done, none of the wrapping is done and my house is kind of a wreck. As a Christmas present to myself, I'd like to have the house clean! I'm going to add more housecleaning chores to my list this week. I'm going to make the kids do a lot of the wrapping, except their stuff, of course! I've been making a lot of lists in the last couple of weeks, just trying to keep up with everything.

I haven't been posting as much lately because we've been busy, busy, busy. One day this week, for art, the 2 younger kids decorated the glass doors with Window FX markers. It looks cute, I think. It takes about 3 washings to get that stuff of the windows, but it's a small sacrifice to make for great art.

Yesterday, for school, we took a field trip with our homeschool group. This time, we went to the Kentucky Center for the Arts for a Stage One production of The Chronicles of Narnia. It was very well done. I want to see the movie now. Our field trip also included a trip to the Krispy Kreme donut store and on the way home, we stopped at KFC for some snackers. My youngest son pronounced this field trip as "delicious".