Reflections on Monday

It was one of those nasty, frustrating, difficult days.

After we have breakfast and I get my daughter out the door to school (which will happen Thursday) my morning routine is:

Swish and swipe the bathrooms (5 minutes)
Wash breakfast dishes, put them away once dry. (10 minutes)
Sweep through the house and pick up and put away for 15 minutes.
Pick up master bedroom and put things away. (5 minutes)
Laundry: fold a load, transfer one, start one. (10 minutes)
Review my calendar and to-do list. (10 minutes)
Then, I allow myself some computer time as a "carrot."

Today, the goal was to implement it. But, it took all day to do this hour-long routine. All day! Every step I took was backwards.

As a result, it looks as though a couple of teenaged theives ransacked the place.

I think I expect myself to do too much on Mondays, though.

Hub's Work Food Prep:
Prepare for husband's work week:
1) make muffins
2) make granola bars. (This should shift to Sunday, as my daughter should take one in her lunch, too.)
3) make either a large pot of soup or a huge bean salad.

I got the muffins baked.

Housekeeping:
The MM list schedules the vacuuming of the main floor of the house on Mondays (among other things). It makes for a very heavy day. I think I'll just make an executive decision to transfer all those items to Tuesday's list. It's what I do anyway--though I feel "behind."

I didn't get any of the items done on Monday's list. I didn't even look at it!

But we did get our homeschooling done. I did a bit of puttering in the yard, and ironed three summer shirts (while watching the pilot episode of the British show Touching Evil. My husband picked it up from the library yesterday.)

Sorry for the downer of an entry. Some days just don't go well.

Reflections on Sunday

Have you ever noticed that when you clean up one area of your home other areas start to look shabby and in need of attention? That those spaces, which before you cleaned up were perfectly quiet (though messy) and didn't bother you at all? But now that you've cleaned up--even just a little bit--you can't stand the messy parts anymore? Something must be done! Now!

That happened in my yard, yesterday.

We decided to (finally) get rid of the junk by the fence.


Once that was gone, I started noticing there was junk everywhere!

by the back door:


under the kitchen window:



and underneath the lilac tree.


Once I'd finished preparing our homeschool week, I went out and started tidying around the yard and pruning up the lilac tree. I didn't really get too far by the time they returned, though. I think I'll make it an area to focus on this week.

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In order to make this the "perfect" week, Sunday is designated "Prep and Errand Day."

Prep:
Mark son's schoolwork.
Make up homeschool schedule for the week.
Any other homeschool preparation, as needed.

Plan lunches.
Make up shopping list.

Make up focused project list for the week:
1) taxes.
2) slipcover for couch
3) yardwork

Errands:
Groceries.
as needed.

(Today we bought the last of my daughter's school supplies, printer ink, a new phone and a laundry hamper. We left at 2:30, we got home after 6.)


I do not like this schedule, really. We are a one car family: that's a decision we have made for very good reasons. But it means that Sunday is really the only day I have for running errands like this. As well, though, Sunday is the only day we have available for the four of us to be together. Today, all we had time for together was dinner.

Maybe tomorrow after supper we can do something.

Reflections on Saturday

Saturday is an odd day for us.

My husband works Saturdays, so it's not really the "weekend." On the other hand, I'm not teaching my son and both kids are underfoot.

So, yesterday, I decided it was "catch up on laundry day" and "clean the basement day." I also went through my closet and got rid of a few clothes I know I won't wear whether I shrink into them or not.

Everything on the couch will go.

As I did that, my daughter cleaned her room across the hall. (Yay!)

I also planned some school work for next week which took quite a few hours and totally destroyed any sense of "break" I might have had. However, I am glad it is done!

Then, I ventured into the basement. Most of it was just stuff that simply needed to be put away. But as I stood in the middle of it, I wondered how on earth to begin. Where one thing needed to go, there was something there already. I couldn't move that thing until something else was dealt with--and on it goes.

This is what is at the foot of the stairs--and has been since mid-July when we got home from camping--and I had to re-pack the kids and send them out on their own camping trips.

These are the shelves where we store out camping gear and suitcases.

The kids were a big help (until they decided to blow up balloons, pin them to the dart board and pop them with darts!)



Actually, they were great and I was happy for the company.

In the evening, while hubby and I watched an episode of a British Crime series drama (Wire in the Blood) I folded, and folded and folded.

Today is errand day. Lots of those, unfortunately!