Happiness is...

...hearing your precious toddler say his prayers for the first time. I figured he was listening but had no idea he had the whole thing memorized! What a sweet memory.

Farewell, Spring Break...

It is with great sadness that we bid adieu to a school-free week. In some ways it seemed to go by like greased lightning but, at the same time, our last day of school seems really long ago. I'm pleased by what I was able to accomplish during the break but I'm not sure that I'm ready for the school routine to start up again. For one thing, that hour we were robbed of last night has really done me in! I'm tired! I know, I know... I just love this time of night when there's no one else awake but me and no one needs anything from me. My hands, hips and lap are free!

Sammy's first birthday was today! I was able to sew her the traditional Puppy Towel at the traditional last minute and I think it came out very cute. We invited our neighbors, her Godparents, over for cake and ice cream and they brought her some books, among them the Corduroy board book and stuffy to go with it. Very nice gifts! We gave her a harbor seal Folkmanis puppet as well. Her cake was chocolate, of course, round, encircled by cupcakes like a flower. The middle had chocolate frosting covered by coconut and rainbow sprinkles and the cupcakes were also frosted and sprinkled with pink sugar. The birthday girl wore a sleeveless white dress with ladybugs on it and red tights. She also wore a tiara for a short time which she tolerated surprisingly well! She seemed to know that it was HER day and regaled us all with cherub cheeks and dimpled smiles. Goodbye infant, hello baby!

Phase 1 Completed

Much better, n'est-ce pas?

I progress....

In case anyone is wondering...yes, I have made a small amount of progress on the downstairs mess. If I took a picture, you wouldn't be able to tell that I've made any progress, but I know that I have. I'm sure I would've made palpable progress had my husband not been away for the long weekend and had I not been simultaneously potty -training our 2 year old and sleep-training our almost 1 year old. Not that I'm complaining (I've given that up for Lent. HA!) That's just life with kids.

What holds me back is that I still don't really have a plan for where everything should go yet. I've done a lot of sorting and have put lots of odds and ends into containers. The work remaining involves labeling and savvy storage solutions. I may even have a label maker purchase in my future. We'll see if the finished product eventually resembles the neat, organized and humbly elegant vision inside my head!

Before....

Okay, so it's a little embarrassing to show these photos of my hopeless-looking mess. The boys who occupy the downstairs will tell you that I rarely set foot down there, except to do laundry and when I do venture into their domain, I tend to sigh heavily and make whimpering sounds. I add to their mess by putting things down there that either a)don't have a home or b)have a home downstairs and I haven't bothered to put it all the way away.

I worked a little bit down there this afternoon while the littles were napping and the bookcase looks a little bit neater. It's a long process, of course, since I end up having to go through all the stuff and sort it and get rid of some and take some upstairs...yada, yada, yada. It didn't help that I fell off the counter while trying to get the last bottle of paint off the top shelf of the cupboard. The stool wasn't quite under my foot. Apart from a nasty-looking red patterned (from my sweater, I'm guessing) bruise on my back where I hit the drawer knob, a sore wrist, and a broken belt loop, I'm okay.

Too much inspiration, not enough perspiration

I've decided on a name for my current affliction. See above. Lately, I find myself perusing other blogs (for hours on end!), purchasing craft kits (to add to my collection of unused craft kits), and ordering more homeschool materials...all because they inspire me! I am on fire with inspiration! Only problem is, I have to actually do something with it all. I could be inspired for the entire school year and we still wouldn't have a whole lot to show off. Sad, but true.

What, oh what is the cure for this affliction? Discipline. I cringe but say it again...discipline. Self-discipline. Methinks I've just found my nemesis.

I'm going to try something: I'm going to post a goal on this blog (for my countless followers...hee hee) and then I'm going to post whether or not I have completed or attained the goal. Let's get a little perspiration going here! Okay...first goal is organizing the homeschool/arts/crafts stuff downstairs. I'm going to post a before picture either tomorrow afternoon or Saturday and then start tackling it. My ultimate aim is for the domino effect of an organized downstairs family room, then laundry room and then master bedroom closet. That probably doesn't seem to make much sense but I'll fill you in as I go.

Wish me luck!