Housework...Ick!

Housework, housework, housework....it never ends!  Since today is rainy and cold, I might as well take advantage of it and get the house in shape.  I have plenty to do and I want to get as much done before this weekend as I can.  There's all the usual Thursday stuff:  Cleaning out the fridge, changing the litter and getting the trash ready to go out, but I also want to get the bathrooms done, dusting, sweeping, vacuuming and mopping, plus the laundry.  It's actually not so bad when I put on some music and the kids and sing and dance while things get done. :)

It's Going To Be A Good Day

In a little bit the kids and I are going for a walk.  It's a nice cool morning and I'm glad we're getting back into the swing of things.  After not going for about three weeks, because a sweltering heat and then letting my tattoo heal, I'm getting my motivation back.  After we get back, it's off to the store to pick up a few things and when we get back home, there's lots of cleaning to be done.  Kathy is coming over to spend the day with us and I'm so excited!  I miss our visits and girl time!  I hope I can get everything done before she gets here, but if I don't, I know she won't mind.  :)  I'm making breakfast for dinner tonight.  Pancakes, fried potatoes, scrambled eggs and smoky links.  Yum!  Time to get this show on the road!

The House Is Falling Apart!

Ok, it's not really falling apart but it doesn't take long for every room to be messy!  Just a couple of days ago, the house was spotless, now it looks like a tornado came through.  Two tornados actually!  One named Lauryn and one named Lucas :)  Cutest tornados ever, but boy do they leave a path of destruction in their wake!  When Lucas goes down for his nap this morning, Lauryn and I are going to start getting the house back into shape.  She's such a good helper.  :)

My friend, Kathy, is coming over for a visit today and she's doing me a big favor by sitting with Lucas for a bit.  I have to run to the bank and open an account for him and it would be pretty much impossible to do any paper work with him in my arms.  Most of time I love taking the kids with me wherever I go, but for some things, like this, it's just so much easier and quicker if I can go by myself or with Lauryn.  Lucas is a curious, squirmy little guy and sitting still so Mama can fill out papers just wouldn't happen.

Tomorrow we're having a play date with some new friends.  :)  I met Cyndi a while back but we've never really hung out before and she has a little guy who's a couple of months younger than Lucas and another son who's 10.  I think the kids will have fun and I'm really looking forward to getting to know her better. :)

Crank The Tunes and Clean!

When I was young, when it was time to clean, my mom would put songs like The Big Chill soundtrack (one of the best soundtracks, in my opinion) on, crank up the volume and we would get the housework done.  To me, that's one of the best ways to get the house clean.  Singing and dancing around makes it feel like you're not really working.  Since Lauryn and Lucas are so little, they love it too!  I'm sure they'll get to the age where singing and dancing around the house with their mom is embarrassing, but for now, we have a lot of fun.  Maybe it's a tradition they'll do with their kids someday :)

Not Enough Hours In The Day...

....and even if there were enough, I'd probably still be too tired to get everything done I need to!  My plan for today was to pick Lauryn up, run to Greenville to grab a few things I need to make cookies, make cookies, clean the house, catch up on the laundry and finish the tree skirt.  What I accomplished today was picking Lauryn up, getting the things I needed to make cookies, cleaning the kitchen and getting most of the laundry done.  The bathrooms are a mess, well, they're picked up but they need to be cleaned.  There's at least one load of laundry left, the cookies will not be made tonight (so they better turn out good tomorrow!) and I am not going to get much of anything else done tonight.  Luckily, Lauryn doesn't go to school on Friday's, so I can spend the day finishing every thing I wanted to get done today :)

Busy Week

This week was pretty busy.  It started with my 30 week check-up on Monday.  On the drive there, the doctor's office called me to tell me that the doctor had been called away to deliver a baby.  Since it was just a routine check-up, they said I could keep the appointment and just see the nurse if I wanted.  That was fine with me.  Lauryn came with us and she was really excited to hear the baby's heartbeat again.  She's heard it at home, with my doppler, but it's different at the doctor's office.  You don't need the earbuds and it's really loud there.  She thought that was cool.  His heartbeat was at 146 bpm. and he measured at 31 weeks.  Lloyd had to work late so Lauryn and I went to Taco Bell for dinner.  We ran into J.J. and Millie there :)  It was really nice to see them.  We need to plan a get together soon!  Later in the evening, I spent some time going through all of Lauryn's baby clothes and getting things organized to give away.

Tuesday was the only day we stayed home and I played catch up all day.  The kitchen counters and bar had become catch alls and I wanted to get it back in order.  Then it was on to laundry, bathrooms and sweeping.  Our vacuum broke a couple of days before so that had to wait but the rest of the house was looking pretty good.

On Wednesday, Lauryn and I went to Greenville to get a new vacuum.  We picked up a few other things and then headed home.  On the way, we stopped in at the vet's office to pick up some paperwork on Cloz'r's last shots.  Lloyd called and surprised me by telling me that we were getting new mattresses delivered that night.  I hadn't slept well in quite some time and figured it was the pregnancy just as much as it was the well-worn mattress we'd been sleeping on.  I was excited to get new mattresses though, hoping it would help some.  Once Lauryn and I got back home, we vacuumed the whole house, she loves to help with that, and got the truck loaded up with boxes of clothes to take over for my sweet little niece, Emma.  We visited with my sister-in-law and niece for a little while but Lauryn ended up hitting her head pretty hard on the coffee table and she wanted to go home after that.  I kept an eye on her and she seemed to be doing fine but I was still a little worried because she hit her head so hard.  Lloyd got home, we ate dinner and shortly after that, our mattress and box spring were delivered.  They are great!  They are really tall and I have to climb up them to get into bed.  I noticed right away how much more comfortable I was able to get.

When I woke up Thursday morning, I couldn't believe how good my body felt and how much rest I actually got.  Other than getting up to use the restroom a few times, I slept well!  Lauryn and I had breakfast and then got ready to take Cloz'r to the vet.  With Cloz'r's hips bothering her, I wasn't sure she'd be able to get into the truck by herself and since I'm in no condition to lift her, I was nervous that we might not make the appointment.  Luckily, she jumped right in and we were ready to go.  Cloz'r got updated on all of her shots and her heartworm medicine and then we headed over to my friend Jen's house to pick up a yummy beer bread mix she had for me.  We went home after that, ate and then headed to the store to pick up a few things for dinner.  Lauryn was pretty tired and took a nap as soon as we got back.  I got things ready for dinner and did a little laundry.

This morning we got an estimate on lawn care and I'm finishing up the last of the laundry...although it never really is finished!  Then Lauryn and I are going to take the truck to the carwash to vacuum it.  Cloz'r left quite a bit of hair in it yesterday!  I've got some bbq chicken in the crock pot for dinner and I'm going to whip up a pasta salad in a little bit.  This afternoon, my mom is going to come over after work and we're going to Greenville.  She's going to keep Lauryn occupied while I have an eye appointment.  It's time for a new prescription and new glasses.  Then we're doing a little shopping before coming home to have dinner.

Cleaning Day

Almost every day is cleaning day as I get something done around the house but Thursdays are a big cleaning day because the trash goes out on Friday.  That means the fridge gets cleaned out and the litter, the vacuum gets emptied, I usually sweep and mop and give the house a good once over.  So all of that is on my list today plus a few extras.  I need to check out salon iris infomation.  I have to make a couple of trips to the basement to take down all of my snowman stuff.  I want to go through a couple of boxes while I'm down there and find my summer shoes and I still need to go through all the boxes of Lauryn's old clothes and sort out what's going to my niece, my mom's friend and what's left will get donated.  I might not get to that today though because I have to have Lloyd help me.  The boxes are stacked to the ceiling.  Once every thing is done,  I plan on playing with Lauryn outside and reading my book in the sun out on the patio. :)

Nesting

I think the nesting has begun!  Aside from buying some things that our little boy will be needing, I've been on a cleaning/organizing kick.  It's great because there have been things I've been meaning to tackle for a while now and either forget about it or just can't find the time.  Yesterday, Lauryn's closet got organized and all of the clothes that don't fit her anymore got boxed up for my niece.  All the clothes that were the next size up are now hanging neatly in the closet.  I also boxed up some blankets and her crib bedding to donate.  I started getting Lucas's room organized and now there are just boxes that need to go down to the basement.  The linen closet looks a ton better and everything is organized in it's own little fabric lined basket.  I love opening doors and seeing neatness!  There's still a lot to do but I've made progress this week!  One of the things still on my to-do list is to figure out just what will bring the sparkle back in our kitchen sink.  I honestly don't know what it's made of but it just doesn't sparkle like it should.  I was looking at triple undermount sinks the last time I was at the hardware store and although they are nice, I really like ours.  I just need to find what will make it look shiny and new again.

Cleaning.....yay......

The last two days have been pretty busy and other than a little laundry, I have done nothing to this house.  Today is going to have to be a cleaning day.  I am always amazed at how little it takes three people to mess up a house.  You would think not cleaning for two days would mean there was only a little bit to do but there's so much I need to get done today.  Both bathrooms need a scrubbing, there's sweeping, mopping, vacuumming, more laundry and if I feel ambitious, the windows could use some TLC too.  All the while, I have to try to keep my three year old occupied or find ways that she can "help."  Sounds like fun, right?

One Tired Mama

I am whooped!  Lauryn and I were up a little after 4 am because she had weird dreams and couldn't get back to sleep.  We fell asleep on the couch a little after 7 am and got a little more sleep but it wasn't enough.  Once we were up, we ate some cereal, showered and got ready for the day.  We went to the library and got a few new books, ran to the bank and then to City Hall to pay a bill.  After that, we visited my grandparents for a little while.  Lauryn was a character, as usual, and we had a really nice time.  We stopped at Leppinks on the way home and then shortly after that my mom came over for a visit.

I tried two new recipes tonight and they were both yummy!  I got both recipes from Pinterest.  Dinner was honey sauced chicken done in the crock pot abd poured over white rice.  It was really tasty but I think the next time I try it, I'll try a different cooking method, so maybe the sauce will thicken up a bit.  The second recipe was dessert.  Mini pineapple upside-down cakes.  They were made from scratch and are delicious!  Pineapple upside-down cake is my all-time favorite dessert and when I saw the recipe I had to try it :)  I am so glad I did!  Lauryn shared one with me before bed and she loved it too.

Tomorrow will be a little less busy.  I'm hoping to visit the preschool we want Lauryn to go to, drop off her paper work and check everything out.  Then I need to spend some much needed time getting this house clean.  For the most part, other than a few toys around, it looks clean enough but I have neglected a few things and don't want it to get out of hand.

It's Going To Be A Long Year!

Since the day after Christmas, Lauryn has thought of a million things that she didn't get.  We told her that she must have forgotten to tell Santa and that she'll have to tell him next year.  Now, daily, when she sees something on tv or that someone else has, she says, "Santa forgot to bring me that, but I will ask him for it next year."  I have a feeling that the list for next year is going to be longer that a skein of yarn! 

I have a ton of stuff to get done around the house today and I've been stalling.  Pretty much the entire house needs a good once over.  Floors, bathrooms, kitchen.  There's only a little bit of laundry to do and I need to sew two buttons.  One on a coat and one on a pair of pants.  The house may need a good cleaning but it's smelling pretty awesome right now.  I have a "Going Bananas" bundt in the oven from a mix I bought from Do You Bake.  I can't wait to give it a try!

Uh, I Meant Thursday :)

All day, I've thought it was Wednesday and kept thinking that this week was going by so slowly.  The title of my earlier post was even "Just Another Wednesday."  It wasn't until this afternoon that I realized it was Thursday.  I thought about going back and changing the title but decided not to.  It's silly but who cares? 

After watching my sweet little niece for a little bit, Lauryn and I ate lunch and then I got her down for lunch.  Since it is Thursday, I had to get the fridge cleaned out and the garbage ready to go out to the road.  I spent some time talking to a friend who is interested in Networking & Telecomm Jobs and to a few other friends about nothing in particular.  When Lloyd got home, we ran over to the house we've been looking at for a final walk through.  We're closing on it tomorrow and I'm so excited!  We ate leftovers for dinner and now I'm relaxing on the couch, thinking about calling it an early night.

What To Do?

I cannot decide what to do today.  Of course there's always some kind of cleaning to get done but it's going to be nice again and I really don't want to spend the day inside.  I'm thinking about taking Lauryn to the park.  Maybe I'll pack us a picnic lunch and we'll head down to play for a while.  I can get the cleaning done later!

It looks like we're getting closer to closing on the house we want.  If all works out, we'll be closing on Friday and I'm really excited about it.  There's still a lot of things that need to be done to this house before we're ready to move and a few things that need to be done to that house but we can't do those unless we own it.  We're still deciding if we want to rent or sell this house.  That aren't a lot of houses for rent here right now and I think that will work in our favor if we choose to go that route.  There's so much going on right now and I'm so excited about it all!

Lots To Do

We're getting ready to go camping again this weekend and there is a lot to do today.  I have to go shopping to get some food, pack our clothes and a few odds and ends, I want to give the inside of the camper a good once over and I still have my usual Thursday cleaning to do in the house! 

If I get some time, I need to get out to the garden and do some weeding!  My flowers needs some TLC too!  I think we need to get Lauryn her own set of kids gardening tools because she's always trying to take mine when I need them.  She's a very good helper out there.  As I'm pulling weeds, she's sweeping them up and putting them in a bucket.  Gotta love it!

Cleaning....yay.

Lloyd forgot to leave Lauryn's carseat when he took my truck this morning so we won't be going anywhere until later.  It's not a big deal because we have Willow this afternoon and I have A TON of cleaning to do today.  So far, I've started laundry, cleaned out the fridge, changed the litter, cleaned the bathroom, swept and vacuumed.  I still have to make some pasta, clean the windows, finish the laundry and get stuff packed for this weekend. Fun!

As much as I'm loving this weather right now, I am looking forward to winter for one reason.  Baths!  I love relaxing in a nice hot bath on a cold night.  Throw in some dead sea minerals, light a few candles, grab the latest book I'm reading and I'm all set :)  Oh, and wait until Lauryn is sleeping, of course, so I can have some peace and quiet :)

Cleaning, Reading and Cleaning Some More

That's what today's schedule consists of.  At some point, I plan on dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, mopping, washing windows, doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen and bathroom and during all of that, I will take breaks to play with Lauryn and read my book :)  We have no other plans today so everything will get done in my own sweet time.  The kitchen sink needs a scrubbing badly.  It's clean but we have hard water and that makes it look gross.  Time to tackle it with some Comet.  I'm not a fan of using abrasives but Comet does the job nicely.

I am reading James Patterson's Alex Cross series right now.  I was never into detective-type books but I read one a while back and loved it.  I looked into the series and found that there are 17 of them so far.  I've read seven of them so far!  I plan to read his Women's Murder Club series when I'm done.

Ugh, Housework!

I guess if it's going to be too hot to do anything outside, at least I have lots of house work to keep me busy!  Not to mention the two toddlers running around.  They definitely keep me on my toes!  In between helping them with things and keeping them occupied, I have cleaning out the fridge, changing the litter, getting all the trash ready to go out tomorrow, laundry, sweeping, mopping, vacuuming and cleaning the bathroom to keep me busy.  Sounds like fun, right?

I think it's time to get a new pair of sunglasses.  The pair I have, I've had for a couple of years now, but I've let Lauryn use/play with them and they've gotten all scratched up.  I love them though so I hope I can find something similar.  It would be great if I could find a pair of cheap vuitton sunglasses!  I'll have to keep my eyes out for a good deal.

A Little Bit Dreary

The weather is dreary and this morning, so am I.  I did not sleep well at all last night and it is very much affecting me this morning.  Hopefully I'll snap out of it because I have a lot to do around the house today.  If I wasn't expecting, I might consider going out to buy testoripped for some extra energy!  LOL

Willow will be coming today and Lauryn is looking forward to playing with her.  They have so much fun together.  It's also nice for me because they get busy playing and I can get some cleaning done.  I really need to give Cloz'r a bath!  She's starting to smell like a dog and I just can't have that :)  Unfortunately, she's not a fan of bath time so it's always a big project to give her one.

Yay For Cooler Weather!

I am so happy that it finally cooled down!  I've been needing to weed the garden but with the past couple days being so darn hot, there was no way I was going to do it!  We have Willow today and after the girls get up from their nap, as long as it doesn't rain, we're going to go out back and they can play while I weed the garden and clean out the flower bed.

I have a lot to catch up on inside the house today too!  Being Thursday, with trash day tomorrow, I have to clean out the fridge, gather all the garbage, sweep, vacuum, clean the finger print smudged windows, clean the bathroom and do some laundry.  There are two loads just calling my name and I've been ignoring them.  Can't avoid it forever! :) 

I finished "I've Heard That Song Before" by Mary Higgins Clark this morning.  It was a pretty good read!  I have quite a few books that I recently picked up at sales and I'm trying to decide which one to read next :)

Productive Morning

Shortly after we got up, Lauryn and I went outside so I could mow the front yard and she could ride her bike up and down the sidewalk.  Our very nice neighbor, Millie, came out and helped me keep an eye on Lauryn while I was mowing.  Lloyd did the back yard last night but was pretty tired so I told him I'd do the front today.  It's been years since I've mowed a lawn but the mower that Lloyd got last year makes it pretty easy. :)  I do think we should get an echo blower though, to blow away the grass clippings so I won't have to sweep them up!  When we came back in, we took a shower, got dressed, Willow came over and I caught up on the laundry.  I still have to figure out what the girls are going to have for lunch and make a pasta salad to go with the burgers tonight but other than that, I don't have to much else to do today.  Maybe I'll try to clean up the back porch when the girls go down for a nap.  It definitely needs a little TLC!