Haus Frau List

My list is now full for a few weeks at least :) At least it will keep me out of trouble, or will it? I'll be busy and not staring at the Halloween candy at least, but needing to go back to Lowes for paint & supplies....humm, I'm sure I'll want to add new tasks to my list (& spend $$) just by walking through the aisles wondering about how this or that would work in my house :) I love Lowes.

(1) Basement Storage Area
It's back to the basement for me. Since we did a lot of work before the basement was finished & when we didn't know how we'd use certain items, some of the boxes or leftover furniture was just pushed up against the new racking system so the contractor could do his thing & build walls for the finished basement section...and still sit. So, now that it's time to bring in the patio furniture & the chairs need to go into the storage area, it's time to pull out the leftover stuff & finish the organization.

(2) Nail Hole Filling
Well what can I say, I didn't finish my job last spring. Still need to fill in the nail holes from all the trim in the family room & some of the trim in the dining room.

(3) Kitchen Drawers/Cabinets
Time to go through that spice rack again, see what's ready to be discarded...of course that's after I make my next couple batches of Zucchini bread (this feel like deja vu). Then it's time to tackle a couple of drawers that seems to have too much in them...all the phone books, note pads, school phone books, etc. Still think I have the school phone book from when Emily was in Kindergarten.

(4) Grout Sealant
Time to apply the grout sealant to the tiles floors...keep all that winter yuck out of the grout. Guess that means I need to bleach out the kitchen floor grout first, which means I have to scrub the floor versus just move the Swiffer around...no wonder why I've been putting this off. I think I just paid the cleaning lady extra to do it last time it was done.

(5) Painting
It's time to dust off my paint tray, and shake up my paint cans. For something that I really got into the swing of things before my "break", I have been procrastinating ever since.

• Need to finish prep work & paint the doorway areas of all rooms.
• Need to paint the Basement door, the Garage Door, & the 1st floor Bathroom door & trim.
• Need to paint other side of the staircase going to the 2nd floor
• Need to paint the 2nd floor hallway

The painting really doesn't stop there. It really also goes into all the bedrooms too, but that is something not added to the list yet. Need to see how long it takes for me to get to this spot first.
Further down the list is all new trim for the 2nd floor too. Maybe that can be another winter time project...or maybe I'll have my contractor come and do it for me :)

Well, since I only have 2-4 hours of workable time a day & weekends are pretty booked, I'm hoping to have the basement completed next week, fill the nail holes, spend a day or two in the kitchen, then onto the grout sealant, which isn't really time consuming, it just needs time to dry so entrance & exit strategies need to be reviewed. Then I'll be ready for painting. I'll aim to have my list completed by Thanksgiving....just in time to go do work on the other house :)

And just think, I get to do all my other Haus Frau activities as well....laundry, clean, grocery store, dinner....maybe it's time I think about going back to work, it might be easier :D

Taking A Reading Break

Well, I've been on a reading frenzy over the past few months. Mainly because books that I have on reserve at the library finally moves to my place in line, so I've got to read them...don't want to have to wait in the long reservation line :) I am also wondering if its just the change in the season & the quiet around the house with the kids back in school.

So based on my goals, I've read 46 out of 50 books to date. So for me to take a break shouldn't be too bad, but then again we have a softball tournament this weekend, what will I do with my spare time in between games. I better pick something up at the library tonight. I've cleared my reserved book list, I'll put those on hold for maybe even next year. If anyone has any recommendations, just shoot them over to me. I've got to start building my list for next year.

If you are in the mood for a tear-jerker, pick up any Nicholas Sparks. The couple I have recent read really got the tears flowing...if you wanted to choose just one, I recommend The Lucky One.

Today, I'm going out to lunch with Richard, bringing the note pad along, to get the list flowing of the "haus frau" activities that I need to complete....or really the extended "haus frau"
items like painting, hole filling, etc. At least I finally bought the painters putty I needed last week :) Time to get back to work :)

Oakland Cobras

Emily is now an Oakland Cobra. We finally broke down and joined a travel team.

In August, Emily tried out for a few travel softball teams and after being invited to join a couple of them, we decided to go with the Cobras as they were the Rochester team (less travel time for practice).

So, now a month later, we have our first all-day tournament this Saturday. Unfortunately we do not have our uniforms yet (hence no pix to post). I'm still wondering if they have been ordered. I chuckled at one of the emails we received, indicated that they keep negotiating with various vendors and the uniform price goes down. I chuckle mainly because I'm thinking to myself "Hello, this isn't a new club, why hasn't this been done already." But then I think, bummer on the previous years, as no one ever called around for competitive bids on the uniforms. Works for me as the price goes down.

Now, I'm entering the how many fundraisers do we need to do stage. Can I have a choice between fundraiser vs. just writing a check to cover Emily's cost? So faced with our first fundraiser: Squares on the MSU vs UM football game, I'm wondering what happens when we don't sell our "allotment". Neither Richard nor I are in front of colleagues all the time anymore to push the Squares. Do we have to buy them if we don't sell them? I'd rather write the check to Emily's account versus write a check to have 1/2 the money applied to Emily's account. Of course if we win...the payouts pretty good.

Of course at the parent meeting, I made the fundraiser suggestion of Scrips, with which some people are familiar. This is a nice passive fundraiser. You purchase a prepaid card for Kroger, which Kroger gives back a percentage to your organization. Hey, a girl's got eat! No extra cost for me to just do the weekly (sometimes multiple times a week) grocery shopping and voila, my organization gets $$. For some reason, people didn't understand this topic & thought Football squares & Bowling parties are great!

So, needless to say, get your football square here ;)

And all she wanted to do is play more softball....

To Wii or Not to Wii

That is the question in our household. The kids want a Wii. Why, probably because their friends have one....well good, go visit your friends :)

As I was about to make that commitment, I started analyzing it as the pricey electronic toy that it really is & will we actually get our money out of it. While it would have been good during summer vacation as a part-time activity, now that school is back in session, there really isn't any time to even turn on the t.v., let alone play electronic games.

As I have been told, "at least the Wii encourages actual movement with the kids, based on the game." Isn't the better movement still playing outside?

Our Nintendo DS has paid for itself multiple times over. Not because my kids sit on their beds and play it, but as a car activity driving up north, driving to Atlanta, driving to sport games, it keeps the "are we there, yet?" down to a minimum.

So I'm looking for feedback from all of you out there that has one. Is it worth it? Since you purchased it, is it actively played or since the novelty has worn off, does it collect dust?

The deal I made with my kids is that we'd all buy it....1/3 from everyone. Funny how they quit asking for it once they realized how much would come out of their bank account. That's right, Bank of Mom is endless :)

Back to Routine

So, today was the first FULL day of school....time to get back into routine. No more loafing around the house twiddling my thumbs by exercise received from the remote control. Time to actually get out of bed & get moving.

Emily has decided she's going to walk to the bus stop with the next door neighbor that now attends Middle School. So, now I'm thinking, humm wonder if it's time for a cell phone so she can call me when they arrive too late and miss the bus. I'm sure tomorrow when it's raining at 6:45 she'll be more interested in the car ride :)

Andrew has decided he doesn't want to walk to school...it makes his legs tired. Mind you, he has NEVER walked to school before the past two days, when I thought it would be a good time for me to get some extra exercise as well as the dog. Of course when he told me this, all I thought was that it sounds like we need to walk to school more to strengthen up those little legs.

I went back to Lifetime today...with all the other SAHMs...which was self-evident in the parking lot. I did more leg work on the elliptical, don't want to jump in too much after being idle. Tomorrow I plan to hit the cycling class again...then Friday, back to Pilates.

Now I have to pull out my list of things to do that I didn't finish when summer started and get all the little odds & ends finished from the Spring projects, so I can start the Fall projects. I also want to start on my own list that I wanted to complete when I left the employment world. What a loser I would be if I did not get something checked off the list before I decide to go back to work.

Time to find that list :)

Registration Day

Well...it's that time of year...FINALLY! No matter how much fun you can have in one summer, School Registration always come sooner than later!

Off we went...as a family at that...to West Middle School with the envelope with the plethora of paperwork (can't anything be done on-line?) to get Emily all set for school, which starts next week. First we wait in line for the $2 Planner, not required, but you get points off in certain classes if you don't use the "not required" planner. Then onto the Class Schedule with locker combination. Then onto Pictures, pull the paperwork & check out for that one. Then onto Yearbook Sales, pull the paperwork & check out for that one. Then Emily wanted a school hoodie this year, so get in that line & pull the paperwork & check out for that one. Then PTA, then Music Boosters....finally it was time to move out of the cafeteria & get 2 out of 4 books....hadn't figured that one out yet, then off to find the locker. Upon arrival, Emily opens it up & we start unloading the backpack we brought with all the locker paraphernalia that is required as the 6"wide x 9"depth locker lacks space for any storage, so you have to create your own. Fortunately, Emily passes on the locker shelving stand, which her BFF must have as she is not tall enough to reach the only shelf to store books. We jury-rigged her binder thingy she carries to class into the locker (Emily has the angle all figured out to get it to fit), quickly shut the locker so nothing falls out, then wait for Emily while she and her BFF wander off to make sure she knows where to go next week.

So a couple hours later, I ask her if she remembers her locker combination....of course not! Where did we put that thing...hopefully not in the binder thingy.

Just wait until you see how long Emily's hair is in her pictures...comparing it to last years and it must have grown another 4-6" over the year.

Tomorrow is Andrew's turn....

Meet the Cousins

So, I get home from Scotland, do wash, and a couple days later we head up north for most of the week.

My niece Jill is at the Lake House vacationing with her family, so it was a great time to (1) spend with my Great nephew & niece, as well as for Emily & Andrew to meet some cousins...and second cousins.

As usual, the kids hit it well & took off playing together down at the beach, out in the water, on the tube, paddling to the middle of the lake, and fishing.

Fishing was main priority for Levi (Jill's son), so Emily hopped right to it. Andrew came along reluctantly as he remembers getting a hook lodged in his lip or something when he was 2...everything was when he was 2...so he swore off fishing. But thanks to Tony (Jill's husband), as well as peer pressure, got him back to swing the lure.

So during a evening boat tour, all of a sudden the kids at the back of the boat, were yelling "Stop the boat, stop the boat". I'm thinking someone's falling in, or dropped something in the water...like the fishing pole, but no Levi & Emily caught a fish & needed to reel it into the boat. Emily didn't realize how much work catching a REAL fish really was. Her usual catch is something the size of my hand, but this one we ate.

Then we headed down to Atlanta the following week and stopped in New Bremen both ways...going down and coming back to visit and pop in on the Bremenfest parade. Low and behold all of my brother's kids were in town for the parade, so Emily & Andrew got to meet all their second cousins!