TToT – Summer Break Week One
I feel like I should have a whole lot more to list here this week and somehow I’m struggling to remember what to add. I’m also struggling with a good title and so please notice the lame one I’ve settled for. Since I’ve already missed half the weekend, I guess I’ll just go with what comes to mind and hope the Guard Virgins will give me a fast pass this week…
I am pretty thankful for summer vacation – it’s been one full week of no school for both me and Kidzilla so we’re officially in summer break mode here. I hate the feeling that life has been waiting for this school year to end. So that’s a big one.
And on that note, I’m thankful that the Hub, Zilla, and I have not driven each other crazy yet. No, really. With all three of us home right now, it’s been a bit of a challenge to figure out our routine. We’re not there yet – there have been so many things to tackle that we haven’t quite settled in.
I’m thankful that we purged all of our closets and have about six big bags of clothing ready for hand-me-down or donation deliveries. Hard to believe we had that much sitting in the closets and drawers that wasn’t being used. So I’ll add on here that I’m thankful that we don’t want for things to wear and have enough to pass on and share with others. That feels good.
I’m thankful that we are cleaning out and purging pretty much the entire house over the next couple of weeks. We need to for about five different reasons. The primary reason is to prepare the rooms that are having hardwood floors installed next week. We need to get just about everything out of the room except large furniture items so the crew can take care of business. That covers all three bedrooms and the three rooms on the main floor where we do most of our living. Since that takes care of the bulk of the house, we’ll just finish up with an overhaul of the kitchen cabinets and just give ourselves a clean slate. I’m looking forward to a cleaner, more organized, more streamlined and simplified atmosphere at home.
Since we’re already in clean-out mode, it seemed only logical to do a Clean Out the Kitchen Week while we’re at it. We’ve already had a couple of good smoothies from just what was handy, and at least two dinner meals and a soup (posts forthcoming). It’s a good feeling to finish up the ends of supplies and figure out how to create something delicious from just what’s on hand. And it always reinforces my feeling that we keep good, solid ingredients in the kitchen that can easily become meals.
I am very thankful for CSA season once again! We’re three weeks in and I am so happy to have farm fresh veggies each week. A secondary item of thankful comes from the CSA box, too, because the arrival of the veggies each week makes meal planning just a bit easier – I don’t have to think about what vegetable to get from the market; we just choose from what’s available and make the meals work around that. And let’s go one more for the CSA (indirectly, I guess) because it has inspired a couple of good recipes this week that kept us from having to waste some of the bounty that was just slightly past its prime.
I’m thankful for the change in schedule allowing for more time to think and write and read.
I’m thankful that the Hub knows that when I’m frustrated and stressed I’m not that pleasant to live with and manages to still keep me around anyway.
I’m thankful to have more hours with Kidzilla to do whatever – chores, errands, reading, playing, napping. I miss her terribly when we’re both at school and having this time together is grand.
I’m thankful that Cat One is feeling better. He was some kind of sick for several days earlier this week. Every now and then he gets like this and it always worries me because he’s just so not himself. He’s up and around and getting into trouble again so that’s a good thing.
I’m thankful in advance that the Fab Hub is going to vacuum like crazy today because…well, three cats, that’s why. I can’t WAIT for those hard floors…so much easier to keep clean than this nasty carpet.
OK, that feels like ten to me and I have some work to do this afternoon, so I’m out. And oh, look, I don’t even have any cool new photos to share, so let’s go with another look at Zilla’s artwork from this week’s Rotten Cats story because how happy is this scene?
![20140617_124111[1]](http://www.themeaningofme.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/20140617_1241111.jpg)
Link up with us to share your thankful moments from the week or tell about them in the comments!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Love this? Share the love and tell someone!
20 Comments
Comments are closed.
You have quite the artist there! 🙂
I’ll tell her you said so! Thanks! 🙂
Hard wood floors and sorting the entire house? WOW! That sounds intensely stressful. I’m so impressed with how you’ve taken a positive attitude towards that, and turned it right around.
It is nice to be able to pass things on once they’re surplus to requirements. Good for you 🙂
Well, the house kind of has to happen for the floors to happen – we have to move everything but the heavy furniture out of the way. At the moment, I’m pretty steamed that the contractor just called to tell us he’s coming on totally different dates than our contract says…so we’ll be hashing that out with the boss tomorrow. Let’s see if I can hold on to the positive attitude through this little speed bump!
I would just love the clean out and reorganize my basement. Nice that it is a family project. It feel so good to be organized and neat. At least I think it would.
Val
Well, we’re working on it! The process is definitely not easy, but I think we’ll all be better for it when it’s over!
Yay for hardwood floors! We have no shedding pets, but I can’t tolerate carpets with my dust and dust mite allergies, and I wouldn’t look at houses with them (carpets,that is). And yay to summer vacation and losing track of time, and cleaning things out, and wondering what day it is (that’s me).
I finally hit the “what day is it” mark today – had no idea what day it was and kept making it Sunday. Of course I thought yesterday was Saturday, so that makes sense. It’s a good feeling, I think. 😉
Yeah, the carpet is horrendous. I don’t think we will ever again buy a house with carpeting after this mess – between Cats, Kidzilla, allergies, and just the dirt of regular life, we’ve learned our lesson. A hard one. (haha!)
LOVE that picture!!! SO precious!!! And I’m so glad you have done so much work to clean everything out. WOW. You inspire me to do the same project in my house! I try to do it ongoing through the seasons, but sometimes you need to do a full SWEEP PURGE.
Sounds like your week was wonderful with a nice productive spin. I get it about trying to figure out ‘life all at home’… oh how I get it!
Yeah, we’ve reached a point of all-out clean sweep and purge. It’s hard work, but cathartic. A bit sad, too – today we hit the playroom and Zilla (such a big girl) packed up a whole stack of her “baby toys” to pass on to a cousin or a needy child. A tough day, I think, but I also think she was ready – maybe more so than Mamma!
We have hardwood floors on the main level and tile in the basement and it’s SO MUCH easier! You’ll love it! Here’s to cleaning out closets, as well. That’s been on my list for a while now and while I did donate four large boxes of toys and books to Tucker’s school, I still need to go through the hall closet where we – *cough* – still have a 3-year outgrown pack n play. Oh and a highchair *also three years yikes* to sell. Love that it’s summer for you and Zilla! Us too now – and while I’m stressed a little about how to work and do it, I’m insanely excited because OMG the years fly and I want these memories. xo to you making and realizing yours!!
I am very stressed but very excited about the cleaning out and the floors – it’s a lot all at once, but I think it will feel SO good once everything is settled. I love your last line – about making and realizing things. I’m taking that one to sleep with me tonight!
Hope your trip to see Tucker’s BFF was awesome!
Love kidzilla’s artwork. Seriously, she has some talent. And I am so with you as you know on being in summer vacation mode now. Trying to love every minute of it and hope that it doesn’t pass us by too quickly now!! 😉
It does go by all too fast – can’t believe a whole week is gone already!
I have all hardwood floors, and I prefer carpet, but I seem to be in the minority, here. I feel like I spend all my time chasing dust kittens on the wood floors and never getting it all swept up, but on the area rugs, the hair stops right there and waits….
I don’t think I know anyone who wanted summer to come more than you did, and I’m so glad you’re enjoying it and that the three of you haven’t killed each other yet. It’s been touch and go here with the kids, but so far, no bloodshed (a little slapping and pinching, but that’s it).
Have you noticed how many of your recipes I have been pinning on Pinterest? And I haven’t even begun yet! You are obviously an awesome cook.
Zilla’s artwork makes me happy.
I always thought I preferred carpet – until we had three Rotten Cats and one Kidzilla. After nearly eight years of cat vomit, hairballs, and the occasional poop on the carpet and six years of Zilla vomit (no hairballs), and the occasional poop (you can read about that one here), plus the regular dirt of life from the rest of the people in the house, we’re pretty grossed out by the carpet. There isn’t enough deep cleaning in the world to make me feel like this will ever be clean enough. If you haven’t read my Kidzilla diaper story on that link, by the way, I promise it’s a huge laugh. HUGE.
I saw that you were pinning recipes! I love to cook and I can’t help myself when I get looking at Pinterest. I’ve made a lot of what I have pinned, but by far not all.
Zilla’s artwork makes me happy, too. Especially since she was told by someone in school that her drawing wasn’t very good…we had to work hard on that one to convince her to just do her thing.
I went to the link to read the story and realized I read it when you first posted it, and it’s even funnier now than it was then! The best part is your husband checking each time to see that he was, indeed, still naked!
Hahah – isn’t that one a terrific hoot? You can’t make up stuff that great. I think the naked part really makes the story. It’s the kind of story that just keeps on giving. And the Hub is such a good sport about it. Gotta love that guy!
Good luck with the purging and prep for bringing in hardwood – sounds like busy times. As for summer break – school here let out Friday for my daughter, but we’re really in a last week of limbo because the English boards don’t let out for another week, so her daycare friends still have one more week of school before wading pool season hits. You are so lucky to be off with yours!
The artwork is lovely – is it really bad that I initially thought they were bunnies. I TOTALLY see that they’re cats now…. we’re are just kind of bunny obsessed over here, so perhaps I’m projecting?
Haha – no, not bad at all, Louise! I sat here with her when we were drawing together for the post about the cats and I thought they looked like bunnies, too. It’s the long ears, I think!
Hope the last week goes quickly and you can be in the wading pool before you know it!