Summer's End

Here we are at the tail end of my summer break and I am facing all the expectations that I promised myself I would not have this year.  In the beginning of the summer I had written about my usual laundry list of expectations for my summer break and had said that this summer I will not have that list.  I promised myself that I would not stress out about not completely de-cluttering and re-organizing my house.  I am happy to say that I did not let myself get too stressed about it all.  In normal summer mode I would be disappointed with what I did not get accomplished this summer.  This summer I am happy with what I did get done around the house.  A lot of it was just the daily cleaning that occurs with a smallish house and a preschooler.  :)  I also worked on my bedroom; and even though it is not completely finished there is a HUGE improvement. (Okay, Vinnie might not agree with the huge part.  lol)

Looking back on what I had written in early July, I initially wished that I had done more craft stuff with Lilly and arranged a few more playdates.  Some people I had reached out to for playdates were not available and that is okay, even if a bit disappointing.  And sometimes the timing just did not work out.  Maybe I wasted a few too many mornings doing nothing.  And then I realized all that we did do!  But we did go on tons of fun playdates and attended our library's summer preschool reading program.  We visited friends and family down the shore and at lakes.  We explored different playgrounds in our area.  I reconnected with many of my girlfriends, attended a great free music festival and traveled to North Carolina.

Personally, I started on the path to a healthier, running me.  Of course this past week has been difficult with the area still recovering from hurricane Irene.  Not to mention my ankle/Achilles tendon is being a bit funky.  But I am committed to continuing this healthier lifestyle once school resumes next week.

I have to admit that today I was starting to feel that ball of anxiety in my belly about not organizing the basement or finishing my bedroom or insert chore.  But I stepped back and took a deep breath and looked at what I did.  And if I took a lot of naps this summer, maybe it was because I needed them.  I reminded myself that I had surgery the 2nd day after school let out and I was also ill in July. And if Lilly is disappointed that I did not play princesses or babies with her every time she asked, I console myself with the knowledge that she would have me play every possible minute.  And dinner does not cook itself!  So in that I learned about the balance of being a SAHM again.  It is not all fun and games.  Chores have to get done, too.

I hope everyone else had a fun summer!  What was your favorite thing you did this summer?  Come on...leave me some comment love!!!

My bedroom, my nemesis

My bedroom...the catchall for, well, everything.  I often start to organize it only to stop and say that I will finish the next day.  But then it doesn't ever get finished and we have another party or whatever and MORE stuff gets put into the room.  I am so tired of the clutter.  It is not restful and my clothes are always wrinkled.

I have employed a different system this time in tackling the clutter.  I have realized that it will take more than one day, especially since I have a 3 year-old "helping" me.  ahem.  I have out away in one bin all clothes that are not the right size right now, but that I will wear again.  If, for whatever reason, they are not clothes I will wear again (trend over, too short, too ugly) I am dividing into Vets bag and possible consignment bag.  I have never sold anything through consignment, but I know lots of people who do.  While you may not be making tons of money, there is potential to get some gas money or maybe a new lipstick.  :)  I need to use my dresser and my closet more efficiently.  That involves actually folding the clothes and putting them in the drawers after they come out of the dryer.  I know, it seems like the normal thing to do and I am probably making people cringe right now.  Unfortunately, I tend to live out of my laundry baskets.  It's not a great way to live.  It is probably the main reason my room gets out of control.  And plus my clothes get wrinkled and I "lose" clothes only to rediscover them at the bottom of the basket.   So the goal is to get all the clothes put away and keep it that way.  And every time I do laundry, the clothes get folded and put in the drawers.  I can do it.

That is the plan, for now.  I just took a little break so that I could sit for a minute.  Back up I go!

Summer vacation

Summer vacation always inspires in me a long list of "things I must accomplish" that inevitably include deep cleaning the entire house, organizing the basement, completing a craft or learning a new one.  Why oh why do I place such big expectations on myself?

This week I started on Tuesday with playing outside with Lilly all morning, making a yummy lunch and then taking her nap time as me time.  I started to realize that maybe that is all I need to accomplish this summer: spending quality time with Lilly.  I am a working mom 10 months of the year.  I get to be a SAHM for 2 months and I want to cherish that and use it smartly.  Before Lilly that may have meant cleaning and organizing my basement or learning a new craft.  Lilly is 3 years old and I will never get to have moments like these again.  

So my basement may or may not get organized this year.  But I will organize playdates for Lilly and I.  And I may or may not learn a new craft this summer.  But I will fingerpaint and bake and make playdough with Lilly.  I may not re-read all those wonderful classics (another yearly summer promise) but Lilly and I will participate in our library's summer reading program.  And I'll read some great chick lit and beachy reads!  

a life changing mop?

Can a new mop change my life?  It might be debatable but it could certainly make my life easier and my house cleaner!  Confessions of a Chaotic Housewife is hosting a giveaway for the new Rubbermaid mop that uses whatever cleaner you already use and microfiber pads.  I love that it is easy to use, does not require special cleanser and apparently the floor dries hella fast!  I think my floor mopping would increase and my floors would be way cleaner!

Too much TV?

I have always been the type to have something on while I am home, whether it be the TV, radio, etc.  Even when writing a 20 page research paper I needed the TV on.  And to be perfectly honest, that is how I have remained, even with a little one in the house.  Lately I know it has been getting a bit out of control because Lilly always wants the television on now.  What it came down to was that  I needed Lilly to be able to watch a show or two so that I could get dinner ready after getting home from a full work day.  And when she is not feeling well, we let her watch her favorite Little Bear because it always makes her happy.  I know, I know, it sounds like I am making excuses, and maybe I am.

However, summer is here and I am home with Lilly for two months, minus a few days here and there.  I have formulated a plan of sorts.  My plan is to let her watch some, Sesame Street or the like, in the morning while we eat breakfast.  Let's face it, I am not at my best until I am a little awake and have imbibed some coffee.  Additionally, I am planning on doing some early morning chores that I have generally left for later in the day.  So if I can unload the dishwasher, etc. while making aforementioned coffee, I will be ahead of the game.

Then during the witching hour we might put on a little Fresh Beat Band or Yo Gabba Gabba.  That is when I can get dinner started.  Obviously things might change based on weather or if she gets sick (please don't get sick!) or if I just need a little break!

You might be asking what prompted this.  Lilly and I came downstairs this evening after we had been putting away laundry.  Vinnie had gone to pick up the pizza and the TV was not on.  Today was a beautiful day in the Northeast and I had the windows open to let in the fabulous breezes.  Lilly sat at the coffee table with some markers and a coloring book and all of a sudden I heard it.  The silence.  I have become so accustomed to background noise that its absence was just delightful.  I realized in that moment that I wanted to cut down on my need for the TV and radio.  I will keep you all updated on how I am doing with this new undertaking.  I think I will find a lot more time to get stuff done!

Sunday night

I am sitting on my favorite spot on the couch right now looking around my living room.  There are veggies from Lilly's dinner in odd places, naked babies strewn about, pull-ups that were taken off by Lilly because she wanted to be naked, 2 baskets of laundry to be folded (and there is more in both the washer and the dryer), play food and dishes scattered around, and I cannot see them but I know that there are dirty dishes in the sink and cat litter to be changed.

My hubby is out at a Mets game and I was home by myself with Lilly tonight.  She was having a really hard day.  I think she was still recovering from our chaotic, crazy weekend as well as 2 vaccines this past week.  I felt like I was cleaning all day.  I mopped the kitchen floor, did a little food shopping, ran the dishwasher, put in several loads of laundry, gathered some of the garbage (hubby did 95% of that) and cleaned out my car.

So I guess I am wondering what I did all day that I still have so much to do at 11pm.  I spent a lot of time putting out fires a.k.a. helping Lilly calm down after tantrums and part of this evening catching up on Parenthood on my dvr.  But I did a lot even so.  Oh well.  I guess it is just the life of a mom.

Thoroughly exhausted

I am just going to say a few things....

1.  I am exhausted.
2.  I did not get to the gym today.
3.  I did not clean my house today.
4.  I ate a little bit of junky food, but not as much as I wanted.  I still felt kind of blah after.
5.  I had a blast with my daughter when we got home.
6.  So because of #5, #1 -3 did not affect me as much.
7.  I am praying that I make healthier food choices tomorrow.  I am starting to (once again) feel poorly when I eat poorly.  When I eat poorly all the time I crave carbs (like an addict) and I don't feel how it affects me.  When I eat pretty decently most of the time I can feel it when I eat the other crap.  This is a good thing.  I was desensitized to what the sugar/flour/fat was doing to me.

I am going to BED!!

Goodnight all!

By the way, have I ever mentioned how much I like lists?

Clean hands in the kitchen!

Okay, I have a thing about washing my hands while I am cooking. I totally skeeve (sp?) pressing the little pump on my hand soap with chickeny or beefy hands. I have been saying that there needs to be an automatic one like the ones in the bathrooms. Now of course I am sure that one can be purchased if you are re-doing your kitchen. But we rent, so I need a stand-alone model. Enter the Lysol no-touch hand soap system. I just LOVE this thing. I have had it for a couple weeks now but tonight I made meatballs. When I make meatballs I wash my hands a lot. Like, 6 times before they are in the sauce. It just made me so happy to not have to touch the soap dispenser with my hands full of ground beef.

It's okay, you can call me a dork now!

cleaning my tub

I know it is not very "green" of me, but I love new cleaning products. Generally ones that allow me to work less for better results. Enter the Kaboom tub cleaner. It sprays on as blue foam and turns white when it is ready to wipe off and rinse. I used it on my tub tonight after Lilly was asleep. We have really hard water in Union so even when the tub is clean, I don't feel that it is clean. Well, tonight my tub feels clean. That foam works!! I am so excited. The downfall is that I felt like the foam was spraying into my nose a bit. But that is most likely due to my overzealous spraying action. Now if only my tub was large enough to be comfortable for me. I miss my South Orange tub. I could practically lay down in it. In my current tub, Lilly basically fills the tub when she "swims". Yeah, it is that small. I practically had to be pried out when I was pregnant.

Next week I am going to re-caulk the tub. I know that it is really my landlord's problem, but I would rather just do it.

On a WW note, I kind of went off the wagon a bit, BUT I did account for the points. And I did not go crazy, just allowed myself some treats.

the mom dilemma

Before I was a mom I had visions of grandeur involving what my life would be like as a Mom. Life was a rude awakening my friends. I am not a working-for-pay mom yet but I am assuming that these problems that I am having as a Mom would plague every kind of Mom. Here is my dilemma, in a nut shell: How does a person get everything done that is supposed to get done? Here is what I would like to get done on a daily basis: cook, daily cleaning and tidying, work out, a few minutes of alone time OR short nap if necessary, spend time with my husband. On a regular basis: big cleaning like mopping, bathrooms, etc, laundry, school work, job applications. Maybe I would even like to have a phone conversation or two. All this needs to occur with a toddler underfoot. Who takes everything out of her dresser when I am putting clothes away in the next room. Who pulls out her favorite books and walks over to me while I am cleaning and says, "BO-ok" and opens my hand and places the book in said hand.

I feel like I can have a clean house but never exercise again, ever and perhaps never let my daughter be a kid. (read: messy, independent, feeding herself, coloring and painting, etc.) Or I can be resigned to a messier house. Here is the kicker...we only have one child right now. Can you imagine what will happen if/when #2 comes along? Hopefully we will be in a bigger house where there will be a play room and toys will not be as invasive on my daily life. For instance, I could walk across my floor without twisting my anle and stubbing my toe and then setting off toys that make noise that have NO OFF switch. Seriously, who makes a noisy toy without an off switch?

It is at times like this that I remember my original blog title...overwhelmed and loving it. Motherhood is not as overwhelming as it was in those first days, and certainly not in the same ways. But life can still be hectic. It is in the handling of that chaos that our true colors show.

Oh, and I have yet to receive a phone call. Positive feelings are dwindling. :(