Everything, including the kitchen sink....

What I am NOT going to do is give you a long and boring recap of Christmas for us.  Suffice it to say that our kids did well this year and that was before we decided to throw a new puppy into the deal.  Eric got some much wanted (and expensive) bicycle parts to upgrade his ride, I got the long coveted MacBook Pro (even more expensive) and we even put in a new kitchen sink.

Many props to Eric for the sink install. As is typical in home improvement projects, what should have been a 2 hour job turned into a 2 day job.  Props to me for only buying fast food once during the 2 days with my kitchen torn apart.  Although at one point, water to the whole house had been shut off for much longer than the 15 minutes we expected, so I had to go with Eric to Home Depot on one of his many, many, many trips just so I could use a potty that flushed.  I also learned why I shouldn't shop on the internet past midnight.  I ordered everything for this sink online and somehow in my sleep deprived state didn't notice that I ordered 2 faucets instead of one.  For the price I was paying for this faucet, you'd think I'd do the mental math and realize my cart total was $250 higher than it should have been.  At least the cost to send back the extra faucet was only $8.  I also ordered the wrong type of Reverse Osmosis faucet.  Who knew there was more than one kind?  Not me...   But overall, the sink and faucet are amazing and it's staggering to see how many dishes can be piled in there before you can see them.  My goal is to keep it empty and shining.  Flylady would be proud.  It's not empty or shining right now, though, so I better not spend all day playing with my new toy (my mac) and get some housework done.

Today is the first morning I've had home alone in almost 3 weeks.  Eric and the kids have been off since December 22 and they all went back to work/school this morning.  It feels weird to have an empty house.  I spent most of my free time yesterday reading  this book:

I hope I can have my house organized and puppy proofed by Friday morning.  Having a deadline really helps me get stuff done.  The last year has taught me that having no big time commitments just encourages me to procrastinate.  This year, I'm taking classes at the local community college and breaking in a new puppy.  Fun stuff, but busy stuff for sure!  Maybe my house will actually be cleaner because I'm more busy with other things.  Let's hope a little reverse psychology is just what I need to get my act together for 2012!

Adjustments

I feel the pull to blog today, but I don't really have anything I want or need to blog about.  Things are settling into a routine around here.  The dishes have been caught up for 2-3 days and all the laundry is caught up (Huzzah!) as of yesterday. 

It's amazing how a clean house puts you in a better emotional state.  When my house is messy, I can't focus on anything.  Cleaning is even hard, because it feels so overwhelming, I don't know where to start.  Thanks to flylady's guidance over the years, I've learned not to try to do it all in one day.  There are still a couple rooms that need a deep clean, but I will tackle them one at a time, while I maintain what's already clean.  It's all about maintenance.  I've had periods like this in the past where things were clean enough for me to be in maintenance mode, but it's been a couple years since that kind of miracle has occurred around here.

I even have a scrapbooking date with a friend tomorrow... which is very exciting... I haven't felt in control of my life long enough to scrapbook in a very long time.    I still have a very long "to do" list, but I feel like there is light at the end of the tunnel. 

So if you want to know how I like having all my kids in school all day?  I LOVE it.  I'm not going to lie.  It's fantastic... I get everything done I need to do before they come home and I can dedicate all my focus and energy to helping them with homework, etc. and not be constantly distracted by other things pulling my attention away.  And we've been swimming almost every afternoon.  The kids come home so hot and sweaty from the bus, that I throw them straight into the pool to relax and cool down for about half an hour.  Not that the pool is cool... I'm about ready to get some ice blocks if it doesn't rain soon... but it helps everyone calm down so they can focus on homework.  Our pool has gotten more use in the last two weeks than it has all summer!

So if you'll excuse me now, I'm going to go plop myself down on the couch with a Diet Coke and the book I need to have finished by Tuesday night for Book Club and enjoy my afternoon, guilt free!