Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Hi. Remember me? I'm your blog.



Ok. So I didn't take to blogging like a duck to water. To be honest, I think I actually forgot about it a few times over the past 3 weeks or so. We've had so much going on here that any spare moment I've had has likely been spent with me either desperately trying to catch up on housework, planning how to catch up or sleeping. Gosh, that sounds bad. Like I probably don't have it all together, huh? Well - I don't, at least not lately. And even when I'm busting my hiney to get it all together around here, I wear myself out doing it, thus the sleeping. I know I'm allowed some sleep (though over the past few years I seem to require less of it & am more productive when everyone else is snoozing), but recently I find myself needing more & more sleep....and wanting it too.


Something has shifted around here over the past 2 months.....things get less and less tidy more quickly than what should be possible. Today, for instance: Audrey, in the space of about 10 minutes, completely undid (is that a word?) all of the work I did in her room yesterday that took about 2 hours.


Here's what I did in her room yesterday:


  • Cleaned out from under her bed/dresser/chair

  • Wiped off the scuffs that mysteriously appeared on her white painted antique headboard that her Grandmother lovingly restored after it floated around in the hurricane Katrina floodwaters at their house...it is one of a set, the other one is gone (can you see the steam rising from my head??)

  • Cleaned the window & dresser mirror

  • Reorganized her closet shelves

  • Culled through her toys and freecycled most of it, tossed the rest

  • Vaccuumed the carpets/shook out the rug

  • Organized her shoes

  • Went through all of her clothing & shoes; separated by: repurpose, give away, sell

And the cherry on top was letting her finally have and put up the little heart window clingies that were left over from this past Valentine's Day. I gave them to her and just sat in the chair and watched as she so precisely placed each little heart on the window in her room. She even managed to get a few to stay on the wall. It looks adorable, of course. When school was over and the boys were home, my 5 yr old son promptly announced "I feel the love, Mom. I feel it."


It didn't last even 24 hrs. 16 maybe. The toys are everywhere, there's a scuff on the wall now, she evidently wanted to change both clothing and shoes and it was necessary to empty every drawer of its contents, etc, etc, etc. Where was I when she did this? I had left her sitting on the rug in the den with a few toys and some books while I was putting laundry into the dryer and then loading more to wash. Then I answered the phone, took a msg and went to the restroom. I don't even think that all took 10 minutes...that's how quickly it happens. I swear - we never had the terrible two's but has anyone ever heard of the terrible 3's??


And tomorrow is the last day of school. Oh, NO!! ahem - I mean - YIPPPEEEEE!!!


I'm torn about this. The drive to and from the school twice a day will not be missed, neither will needing to plan my daily activities around school times or planning for The Main Man or grandparents to pick up the boys. No more scrambling for a babysitter for Audrey so I can volunteer at the school or fill in somewhere when they call me at 6pm the night before. But my favorite - NO MORE HOMEWORK!!!! yee - haaaa My boys had so much homework this year I felt like I was back in school.....we might as well have been homeschooling.

Next week I'll be alone. Totally. Completely. Utterly. ALONE! The Main Man and the 3 little dreamers are heading to the ultimate dreamland - Disney - for 5 days and little 'ole me is hanging back here and holding the fort down. I am secretly - ok, not so secretly - ELATED about this! Yes, I'll miss my kids while they're gone - never been away from them for more than 48 hrs. And yes, I'll miss the fact that I'm not there riding the rides and seeing Mickey with them - but we're going again in November, so I think I can handle it. I am really looking forward to the house being somewhat quiet (we have chickens, peacocks, guineas and a dog), tackling a few DIY things around the house and sewing to my hearts content - uninterrupted.


Hey - maybe I'll even make a few blog posts next week. Hopefully they'll be shorter than the first few. ;P