Thursday, March 22, 2007

Spring Cleaning

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Spring Cleaning
Current mood: cheerful

Something about Spring tends to make me feel like organizing a bit. I must not be alone in this, considering the "spring cleaning" cliche. It seems a little odd to me that the urge seldom strikes in the Winter- wouldn't that be the best time, when you are holed up inside anyway? Wouldn't it make sense to concentrate on your interior spaces when you are staring at them all the time? But no. . . in the Winter, I feel like hibernating. I feel sluggish and unmotivated much of the time, and staring at the same clutter all the time can easily make one blind to it.

No, it's the Spring that starts to awaken my senses- I throw open the windows and breathe fresh air, and suddenly see my rooms in a new light. I get the urge to finally finish storing and labeling the outgrown baby clothes and diapers. I want to overhaul my closet, and banish all that stuff that Billy and I will never wear. I want to turn out the kitchen pantry and cabinets, purge my shelves of ancient specimens and put everything back in some sort of logical order (unlike the current haphazard storage). I still want to finish storing and labeling my art supplies (a project long-since begun, and long-since suspended). I want to sort through the toys and banish some of the junk that's crept into the collection. And I want to scrub the inside of my fridge, wash all the windows, and really clean the floors.

In the course of cleaning and organizing, I would like to set up some areas to be more condusive to the Montessori philosophy- so that the boys may have more freedom to do things independantly. I'd like to have an accessible cleaning station in the kitchen for them, with child-size tools (broom, mop, bucket, dustpan, rags, duster and a spray bottle of vinegar-water for cleaning with). I'd like to have the bottom shelf of the fridge organized to be accessible to them, so they may help themselves to healthy snacks when they want them. (Including a small pitcher of milk that they may pour from). I have other ideas in this vein, but you get the general idea.

My tidying trend doesn't stop there- I want to trim shrubs outside, fill in the doggie excavations in the backyard, and dig out/level/mulch a path. And of course, I'm preparing the vegetable garden! I let it go sadly over the last couple years, but with a little TLC I think we can have a rockin' veggie garden again. It's a wonderful thing for Littleman to be a part of at this age- I have everything ready for us to start planting seeds tomorrow. Hopefully the garden will be ready to receive them by the time they sprout. Therin lies much of my motivation- any time I start to feel lazy or intimidated by all the work that needs doing, I remember that these things work right in to my preschool "curriculum"- my unwritten, loosely defined set of values and goals that I am using to guide us in our current homeschooling. Organization (to some extent) is important. Fostering independance and responsibility at home is important. A comfortable learning environment is important. Just being outside is important. And learning about plants and growing things is important. So, even in my extremely limited time, I am making time to do these things. (The organization has made minor progress so far, since being outside comes first. . . but there has been progress!)

It feels good. I love Spring.

P.S.- I know something you don't know. :)

Sunday, March 18, 2007

kid fun

Saturday, March 17, 2007

kid fun
Current mood: indescribable

Rustles, muffled thumps and murmuring voices. "Boys", I call- (sudden quiet) "Boys, go to sleep!" No response, of course. Here in the rocking chair in the next room, Mr Sweetcheeks is nearly asleep. I keep listening until I hear the rustling begin anew. I wait a few moments before calling to them again. Who knows how long it will take them to go to sleep? After all, I guess, isn't that part of the fun of your first sleepover? Littleman is so excited to have his 5 yr old cousin over to spend the night. I set up a little tent in his room for them to sleep in, and when they do finally drop off it's in a mingled heap of blankets, arms and legs. LOL, what fun.

* * *

(Sweetcheeks says excitedly as I start the yoga DVD) "Gogo! Gogo!" (translation: "Yoga! Yoga!)

Speaking of yoga, when we were in Disney's Animal Kingdom Littleman was looking at the flamingos. He turns to me in surprise and says, "They're doing yoga!!"

Sweetcheeks likes to say "Bye bye", but (like his brother did at this age) usually waits until you're out of sight.

Littleman was looking at a picture in a National Geographic magazine with Billy. It was about tourists who go scuba diving with sharks, and it showed several scuba divers amidst a swarm of swimming sharks. The guide is off to one side, and next to him is a prominent underwater sign with the name of the Cove. Littleman points to the sign and knowingly informs his Daddy: "That sign says, 'Don't Eat Me'."

Sweetcheeks will now say "please". It's the most darling little thing ever.

Littleman is currently fond of telling anyone who will listen "I'm going to grow up to be a Daddy!" Then again, he also explains that "Daddy will grow up to be a boy".

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Breathing room!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Breathing room!
Current mood: cheerful

Whew!
As usual, my accountant had to e-mail me to remind me that corporate taxes are due March 15 rather than April 15. Dammit! I seem to have a mental block going with that one. It's my true feelings about income taxes asserting themselves in my subconcious. Regardless, as usual I had to scramble to get all the required information together for him in time. Don't get me started on the waste of my precious life that is the income tax. What a ridiculously unwieldy system. . . but I did say don't get me started. So the good(ish) news is that the returns are prepared and postmarked, and I don't have to do that again until I forget about it next year. A bonus (of sorts) is that the personal return is done too, so I have some breathing room again. (Until next year).

That's not the only reason I went AWOL- we've been super busy, mostly with fun stuff (just that very large exception of tax preparation). My Uncle got married, and we adore my new Aunt. (Plus we get some cool cousins in the bargain!) The wedding was really nice- for me, the highlight was after I pawned the boys off on their Daddy and other relatives, and I spent a few hours in a loungechair on a sandy beach at the lake, feeling pretty, digging my bare toes in the sand and reading Harry Potter. (again, but who's counting??) THAT was a rare delight.

My Uncle works at DisneyWorld, so after the wedding we were able to take the boys down for a day of Disney frolic. We all had a great time, and Littleman is already planning his next trip there! LOL. To top off a great little trip, I snagged 5 letterboxes on the way home. Very nice.

Between trips I've been struggling to keep getting the house back in (semi)order, and then along comes taxes. Now that those are done, it's time to prepare for the fast-approaching family campout in Jekyll Island! I'm assuredly not complaining, though- just explaining my blog disappearance. I do prefer to post much more regularly than I've managed lately. I'll try to get back to it!

One nice little note: yesterday, the boys and I met up with Aaron and my high school Art teacher at the High museum. It was so wonderful to catch up with my former teacher- she has been a lasting and very special influence in my life. The boys had a blast just playing in the courtyard and in the playroom there, then at closing time we all went to Houlihan's for an early dinner. It was a lovely afternoon.

It can be all too easy to lose touch with the meaningful people in our lives. Most of us keep up with our family in some way or another, but think of all the other wonderful people over the years that have had a lasting positive influence in our lives, but whom we just haven't managed to keep up with. Sometimes it's because we do not realize their importance until they've disappeared from our lives, and sometimes it's just that pesky life details keep getting in the way of reconnecting. Or perhaps we just procrastinate, or forget. . . I know I am guilty of all of the above. But when you do reconnect with someone extra special, you wonder "What took me so long??" I really intend to keep in regular contact with my dear Art angel. She's a true gem.