Relaxing and Productive

I'm on spring break this week and so far it's been great! I made a "to-do" list on Sunday evening and have been slowly working my way through the list this week. I worked organizing and cleaning a lot on Monday and then took a little break yesterday and didn't do as much, then today I did a lot more spring cleaning. Little man has been with my mom all week so he could have a little spring break from us :) He loves visiting because he gets 100% of their attention and my mom takes him places and they do special activities, so it's definitely like a vacation for him.

Tomorrow we are headed to my parent's house to spend the night before we head up to R's parents. My parent's house is about half way so we decided rather than doing the trip all in one day that we'd just stay at my parent's and then finish the trip on Friday. We have to do the trip home all in one day because I ended up finding a half day subbing job on Monday. Originally I didn't think I'd find a job for that day since it's the day after break and teachers aren't allowed to take off but I ended up finding a half day morning job at one of the elementary schools. They are having meetings so they get subs to float around to different classrooms so that the teachers can attend their during the day meetings.

I have a busy night tonight though because I have to get everything packed so we can take off tomorrow mid morning. For some reason I scheduled myself to tutor for 3 hours tonight so I really don't have much time this evening to get packing done. I hope everyone has a nice East.er!

My Week

Now that my time away from Little man is coming to an end I'm looking back on my week realizing that it was the perfect balance of work and relaxation. Here are my accomplishments:

• Finished my 750 word essay for class that is due July 6th
• Almost finished my synthesis paper that is due on July 10th
• Weeded most of the front landscaping and trimmed our huge hedge
• Cleaned out most of baby boy's room and carried a ton of stuff downstairs (R has some heavy boxes that he needs to move still but the crib is set up and the changing table and glider are moved in and I still need to wash the walls and vacuum)
• Walked everyday
• Got my hair cut and bought a super cute sling and diaper bag
• Did tons of laundry, folded it and put it away
• Watched almost all of Season 10 of Fri.ends (which I will be finishing today)
• Took a few naps
• Packed for R, me and Little man for our trip up north this weekend
• Went out dinner early for our anniversary that is next Wednesday (R got us a docking station with speakers for our IPOD's that we can take anywhere!!!! SO COOL!)

That's the majority of the list I'm sure there are other little things I did that I'm forgetting to include, but I feel like I had a productive week. Today I still have to get some pictures developed so I can work on my cousin's wedding gift scrapbook, finish cleaning the house (I hate going away and coming home to a dirty house), and finish watching Season 10 of Fri.ends. Hope everyone has a nice 4th of July weekend!!!

Productive Tuesday


I concentrated on school work today and in the end it turned out to be a very productive day in every aspect. I started my day at my favorite coffee shop working on my synthesis paper. It was required to be 1500-2000 words (8-10 pages, I swore it was supposed to be 10-12, my pregnancy memory is kicking in) and by the time I left I had over 1500 words with just a few paragraphs to go. My hair appt. was at 11:45 (yes another pregnancy memory moment, I swore it was 10:45am) so I left the coffee shop and drove to my appt. I really liked the stylist and place so I'm for sure going to make that my permanent salon. The great thing is that they have full spa services too and are in the process of a huge renovation. The place is going to be awesome when it's done.


After my hair appt I wasn't quite ready to go back to paper writing so I wandered downtown and found the greatest toy store and kids consignment shop. I got the coolest sling and diaper bag from the consignment shop. The owner gets people to make new products for the store so they had a lot of homemade things in addition to upscale children's used clothing. I got Little man a pair of shoes for $6. The diaper bag however is being made especially for me with this super cute fabric. The woman was so helpful and let me try on the sling, which is also in the cutest fabric. The one thing I did not like about the store was that it was 3/4 girls and only 1/4 boys. I guess boys just wear their clothes out more than girls.

I finally did make it back to working on my paper only to find an e-mail from my professor extending the deadline and adding another paper to my workload. The new paper was actually the one that was due July 6th because they were giving us more time for our synthesis paper. That's what I get for working ahead and being on top of my game! I quickly shifted gears from thinking about my whole master's program to a few of the online learning tools that I experienced. My 750 words online learning tools essay flowed onto the computer screen rather quickly and I finished up that new assignment quite easily.

I'm going to finish up the synthesis paper tomorrow and have my hubby proofread it, just so it will be done. We have a lot of work next week to get done and I'm going to need to have this paper out of the way. There is about 1 week left of this course and the culmination is a big portfolio exhibition chat where my group and I meet in a chat room and share and discuss our online portfolios. We have roughly 2 big assignments that relate to this exhibition and then the actual event to complete, so it will be busy. I can't believe that I'm almost done! Oh and for the best news I received today................................I got a 4.0 in my class I finished last week!!!!! YEAH! So only one more class left to 4.0 and I'll have my perfect G.P.A. that I've been working so hard for.

Lazy Monday

I think I got more of my wants done today compared to the things that I have to get done. I did get a lot of stuff cleared out from baby boys room and now I'm just waiting for R to get home so we can do the rest. He unfortunately is stuck with all the heavy lifting and hauling. I think we need to make a run to Tar.get and get some storage containers because I'm running out of places to put things and therefore the stuff is going to need to go into the basement. I don't like putting stuff in the basement unless it's in a container with a lid, plus it helps everything be more organized.

So far today I've slept in, walked and watched three episodes of Frie.nds Season 10. I am designating tomorrow errand and school work day since I have my hair appt. I made no plans for today so I figured that I could semi schedule tomorrow. My goal is to get ready early, go to my favorite coffee shop with free WiFi and have breakfast and work on my synthesis paper until time to get my hair cut, go get my hair cut, have lunch somewhere, and then continue working on my synthesis paper in the afternoon. R has to work late tomorrow night so I'm on my own until around 10pm so I figured that would be a good time to catch up on cleaning and laundry.

So Much to Do!

The bridal shower went great and I think my cousin really enjoyed herself, though she's not much for attention. My mom just stayed in the kitchen the whole time so the maid of honor and I did all the talking which was a bit annoying because though I'm a teacher I hate talking in front of adults. The food and cake turned out really nice so overall it was a success. Little man is staying with my parents this week so I can get some things done. I'm feeling stressed out right now because I feel like there are 10 million things that I need to do.

Things I HAVE to do:

• The baby's room- at least get all the non baby junk out of the room, wash the walls, vacuum with all the attachments to get the corners and places that often get missed, the crib set up, and the glider and changing table moved in. This is going to be a big job because right now it's an office/mismatch of everything room.
• Write the 10-12 page synthesis paper that I just read about and realized that the due date is July 6th! So pretty much I have a ton of work to finish for my second class :o( I'm almost done though!
• Pack for the 4th of July weekend at R's parent's house. Luckily all of Little man's things are with him at my parent's house so it's just packing for R and I which shouldn't be too hard.
• Attend my haircut appt on Tuesday at 10:45am

Things I WANT to do:

• Weeding- the landscaping is covered in weeds and since our whole yard is pretty much landscaping it's a huge job
• Deep cleaning- I'm in need of another spring cleaning session for pretty much every room :o( I wish I could get someone else to clean my house
• Laundry- This is probably something that should be in the above list!
• My cousin's wedding present- I'm making her a scrapbook from her shower. I had all the guests write a piece of marriage advice for her and then we took a picture of each guest so I was going to put their picture next to their advice and then put in a bunch of love quotes and other pictures of the shower.
• Read my latest chick novel that I got from the library
• Walk and do yoga everyday
• Sleep in

I love breaks because they are like a vacation but yet I always have so much that I want/have to get done during that time that it doesn't feel like much of a vacation. I really want to concentrate on relaxing and not stressing out about the above lists. Wish me luck!

Spring Cleaning

I have a three and a half day vacation so I'm spending it spring cleaning our house. Little man went home with my mom and is staying until Saturday so I can have a little break as well as clean. They left yesterday afternoon around 12:30 and I got the master bedroom and bathroom done. There was so much organizing that I hadn't done and things were just stuck in the closet and cupboards in boxes. Now everything is in bins, organized and labeled and it looks so nice! I ended the night tutoring for 4 hours and watching I.dol Give.s Ba.ck.

Today on my to-do list are the living room and kitchen. I completed the living room in about 2 1/2 hours today and I'm taking a break until after lunch when I will tackle the dreaded kitchen. Our kitchen is huge and needs so much deep cleaning. It's pretty unorganized and has gotten completely cluttered. It's going to be a big job but I know it will be well worth it when I'm done. I'm guessing it's going to take me from about 12:30-5:30 at least.

Tomorrow I'm doing the hall closet, Little man's room, the office, and the other bathroom. I've pretty much done the bathroom but I just want to deep clean the floor and organize the vanity cupboards, the bath tub could probably use a good scrub down too. I feel bad for saying this but it feels so good to have Little man gone for a few days. I forget what it's like to really never have a break. Going out for an hour or two by myself really isn't enough to rejuvenate and get back my energy and enthusiasm. R and I really need some alone time too! It's so amazing how quickly a marriage can get rocky if there's not some couple time and time to hang out with just each other without all the responsibility hanging over your head.

Well it's time to go be productive again!

$1400

That is how much it's going to cost for a new water softener, installation, and to be free of the headache. Apparently the water softener that we have is a cheap Ken.more which is apparently only made to last 3-4 years. It's been in way longer than that from our estimation. Along with being old the person who installed it did not do it properly so it's a shotty job all the way around. It does not appear as though it was installed when the house was built so we're thinking the first homeowner put it in himself. It's just all around time for a new one and this time for it to be done correctly.

Next Wednesday we are having a new one installed by a plumper which will be top of the line and meant to last 15-20 years, probably longer than we're planning on staying but we definitely know that will be here for more than 3-4 years which is how long the cheap one is meant to last. We will also be moving the water softener to a more convenient and less intrusive place in the basement, more in the corner. Right now it's like 3 feet out from the wall and not in a good place at all. Lastly, we are getting a meter on this one so it only recycles and uses the exact amount of salt that it needs rather than recycling at a set time every couples days or weekly when maybe we may or not need it. This is more energy and cost efficient and will therefore end up saving us money in salt and energy in the long run.

Little man arrives home tomorrow. We are busting our butts to get his room done today. With the water issue we had we ended up not having enough time to have his room done by today, which was his original return home date. My mom offered to keep him an extra day so we could finish his room, get our tree out, pack up the Christmas decorations, and get his room put back together. We're well on our way. The tree is out and the carpets are swept, his room is just about ready to paint, and about 3/4 of the decorations are put away. That's pretty good considering it's only 12pm. R has some electrical work to do in Little man's room and then we'll move on to painting. He already sanded all the drywall work he had to do this morning and I washed all the walls to get all the dust off so we could paint.

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Sick and House

Well with a little bit of negotiating we got the house!!!!!!! We get the keys next Wednesday and are going to be strapped for cash, but we'll at least be home owners. R and I both agreed that we would rather go without extra things and own a house then have to rent again and have extra money. It may sound crazy but I am so sick of renting and not having anything to show for all that rent money. I'm working with my financial friend J to get 10K out of my retirement to use for a down payment.

I've been sick pretty much this whole week with a bad head cold and have been feeling pretty bad. Little Man went up to R's parents house yesterday and is coming home tomorrow so I could get better and get some school work done. I did a lot of reading today for class and have discussion questions to finish for tomorrow. I also have to read the book Harry Potter and watch the movie for my children's lit class.

It's actually bad to say this but I've truly enjoyed the time that Little Man was gone. I don't get full breaks very often. Even when my mom or husband is doing something with him or take him somewhere I can't seem to fully relax because I can still hear him or I know when they will be home. I try to cram too much into the little amount of time that I have off. This was the first time where I actually wasn't thinking about when he was coming home. He was so excited to go with them so I don't feel bad about sending him up there. I think he needs a break from us once and awhile too!

R starts his new job next Tuesday and then that way we will get benefits December 1st! I'm going to keep my eyes open for a job just because two incomes would help with having the house but we'll see if anything comes along. I really hope that R likes his new job, it's a different avenue from what he was doing down in FL. I think he'll enjoy the work more and hopefully like his new job duties.

I hope that my cold gets better soon! I'll keep you posted on the new job and house!!!!