In Need of a Place to Feel Sane

Things have been C-R-A-Z-Y at our house the last 3 weeks. It seems and feels as though we've been non-stop...I know this is in large part to the fact that Littlest One was not sleeping through the night at all, and on some nights wasn't sleeping more than 90 minutes at a time, due to her ear infections. I know that another part of it is that we were busy unpacking, barely settling into our usual routines, when we packed up and headed away for a week at our condo in the mountains. I know too, that the biggest part was just not feeling Christmas-y this season. For whatever reason, the whole idea of a holiday requiring lots of emotional and physical investment was just not what I needed nor was I ready for. It passed me by in a blur of "I should probably" statements...

And since Christmas Day, BB's been getting crankier and crankier and more withdrawn into the world of his computers and college football.

I was expecting (because BB said) that we would spend time doing things together - getting the electrical boxes and light boxes set in the part of the basement we're working on, running wires, sealing the concrete floors to protect against the seeping of Radon gas, sorting, purging, organizing clothing, books and toys, playing games, watching movies, enjoying some shopping, spending time together as a family.

And then, last Monday morning, after my spending time with the kids, doing the basics of housework (tidying, dusting, vacuuming, sweeping floors) and getting the kids all ready to head out for a day of adventure, he tells me that's fine but he can't go as he has to log at least 6 hours each day but that Friday would be for the family, as he wouldn't have to work.

Well, we traveled to a local-ish digital photography studio to have family photos taken, purchased a new hard drive to back-up the old computer that has been clogging up our office for the last 18 months, and came home. That was the end of it.

The rest of the week, BB spent in his office, working on work, backing up the old computer, transferring files, and searching an online auction site for great deals on things we don't need, nor have the money for.

I spent the week playing with the kids, making cookies, cleaning, doing laundry, reading, playing games, building Lego creations, dressing and undressing dolls, brushing hair, snuggling.

I have not been out of this house in a week. I have been here dealing with the normal things as well as having BB here.

Yesterday, I said I was getting ready for Church. Well, I was ready to walk out the door, went down the hall and opened the kids' doors to get them waking (I refuse to wake them up because of how it sets us up for lousy attitudes, but if they wake on their own, it's all good), and went about my business of preparing for a morning of being away. It was 9:30 before any of them woke up. I got them fed, dressed and loaded up in the truck. We were halfway to Church before I realized that we would be too late for 9:30 but way too early for 11, so we went for a treat at a local coffee shop. They were closed. So we scrapped the whole idea in my disgust at myself for not being a better observer as to time of day, and I took the kids to run the errands I'd have run after Church.

We returned home at 11:57am to find BB just getting out of the shower. He spent the rest of the day yelling at the kids for inconsequential things, sleeping and watching TV.

I'm feeling a bit Lady MacBeth-ish...

However, now that I've vented to you that have stuck with yet another whiny post about my life...here are my plans for the week.

The kids head to school on Wednesday here (God forbid they should come back to a full week of school after 2 weeks off for vacation!)...so...

Today:

• put away all Christmas decorations including the tree
• laundry
• make menus and shopping list
• sort coupons and plan shopping trip to gain best deals and spend least money possible

Tuesday:

• iron
• clean bedrooms and bathrooms
• shopping trip to Warehouse Store which is the only place I can find a certain size of grocery items we use regularly
• shopping trip to bakery outlet to restock bread products
• regular grocery store shopping for rest of things on list

Wednesday:

• clean rest of house
• prepare and make-ahead morning (browning ground meat, seasoning and marinating, sauces that can be frozen etc)
• file 2010 paperwork and begin tax paperwork preparation

Thursday:

• clean out basement area to allow floor to be sealed
• wash floor in basement area
• seal floor

Friday:

• business inventory and tax paperwork
• laundry
• "normal" cleaning of rest of house

Saturday:

• go to Chik-fil-A for our Spicy Chicken Biscuits
• spend day TOGETHER doing something fun
• work on electrical in basement

The basement has to be to the next step prior to BB's heading to China and India in exactly 5 weeks. Yup, that's right, 5 weeks from today, he'll be heading to Shanghai and will be gone until the 1st of March.

Not thrilled, but at this point, I'm sort of excited at the prospect of cleaning the house up and NOT HAVING to deal with his bad habits of leaving everything behind as he goes through the house.

I have big plans for the 17 days he's gone...big plans...I'm laying the good ground work and hoping my folks can be extra hands to assist with kid-care while I'm working.

When he comes home, we'll be planning a first birthday party for Littlest One, and getting ready for Spring Break for the big kids. Then, we'll be in the home stretch of planning a trip to CA in June, our 9th anniversary, and Captain's 5th birthday (all on the same day!)

SO...have a happy Monday, and get back to normal this week - make it a new normal and be positive and happy!