Back to Reality

I have had 2 full kid-free days. Today, it's back to reality. Thankfully, I love my reality. I can't wait to see my kids. I have spent the last couple of days doing the least possible amount of anything. I have not cooked, cleaned, done dishes. I have watched 4 movies. Gone on a date with my hubby. Slept in an extra 30 min! (i used to be able to sleep til noon! now I guess I just wake up because I'm hungry). I went to lunch with a friend--with no kids!! This morning I sat on our back porch drinking my coffee and watching the Today show. Quite a treat  A: to actually SIT and drink my coffee uninterrupted!  and B: to watch morning TV. I try not to turn the TV on at all during the day--at least when the kids are awake.  After relaxing with my coffee and blueberry muffins, I decided it was time to get my booty back in gear. The rest has done wonders for me. I haven't had nearly as many contractions today and I'm starting to get a little bit of energy back. But I am starting to feel the need to be productive. I got some laundry started and finally made an appointment to have someone come and fix our washer! (Good News--our 4 year service plan expires in a couple of months so it won't cost us anything!!) There is a huge consignment sale in our area next week and I (almost) have all of my clothes tagged and ready to drop of to sell.

This weekend will be a fun-filled weekend including: Dad taking brother to his first baseball game!! (luckily it's in the suite so it won't be too hot!), sweet baby G's first birthday!, Sunday lunch with new friends, and presale shopping at the Consignment sale!! (something I look forward to twice a year!).

Next week, we start some REALLY big projects. Perhaps it is crazy at this point in our lives to start a big project, much less 3!! But maybe it will be a good distraction.

Project #1: I am finally buckling down and potty training Brother. He is totally ready. I have just been super lazy and preoccupied. So now, it's go time. wish me luck.

Project #2: We decided now would be the appropriate time to remodel our master bathroom. we're not talking repainting and getting new towels. We are talking gutting it. yikes. We will be totally redoing all the finishes, fixtures, shower and tub. Knocking out some walls. Removing a closet (whoever thought louvered bi-fold doors was a good idea is very wrong) and rearranging the space. By "we" obviously, I don't mean to imply that we will actually be doing the work. No way Jose. I don't plan to do so much as lift a paintbrush. In fact, I may move away for 2 weeks and come back to a beautiful new room! in my dreams.   Luckily, we will be able to move upstairs during the process and not have to live in the mess. That does however mean that in the next couple of weeks, we (and by "we" I mean my husband) will have to move ALL of our clothes and bathroom items upstairs and move all of our bedroom furniture out of the way for the demo. poor guy.  I'll post a before/after pic when it's done so you can see it!

Project #3:  I decided (yesterday) that next week was a good day to start homeschooling. Yikes. For those of you that don't know me, I have always planned on homeschooling our children. I was not homeschooled growing up and I know approximately one family that homeschools. I know very little about it, other than the fact that when I picture our family down the line, that is the only picture I see. I never envision sending them to school, packing their lunch, dropping them off. I know that God has given me this desire, bc there's no logical explanation for it.  I know it's not for everyone by any means, but it is totally for me. I was not really planning on doing much until Brother turned 4 at least, but lately, he has been so interested in reading and writing, that I hate to miss out on this window. Plus it will be good practice for me to have to prepare lessons, schedule our time, etc. Basically my plan is this: Each week, we will focus on one Letter and one Color. When we run out of colors, we'll do shapes and numbers. I plan to do no more than an hour and probably only 3 or 4 days a week. This will allow me to utilize Sissy's morning naptime and still be able to attend Bible Study one day and have one other day for playdate or an outing. I spent about an hour this morning printing off some activities for the Letter A and the Color Red. I think Max will really enjoy having a little bit of structure to his day and getting to do some fun stuff! I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

I think that even though we might feel really busy this next week, I still plan to take it pretty easy physically at least. I don't want to get myself worn out and having all those contractions again if I can help it. I'm so excited about our new ventures! It's nice to have something to be excited about. :)  Speaking of which...My kids should be arriving any minute. I better go get the laundry switched and dinner started so I can spend some time getting caught up on my snuggles!  Hope you all have a great weekend.