Back in the Saddle

After nearly 4 full weeks off, I'm back to work.
And to be honest, I don't like it.
It's not that I don't like work.  I do.
I just enjoy my time off more.

I will miss my full days with my kids.
I will miss sleeping in.
I will miss being spontaneous.

Only 4 weeks left until school starts.
Only 4 weeks left of late nights outside in the park.
Only 4 weeks left of friends hanging out and sleepovers.

We still have more things to do.

Checking off the list.

Bake sale. Check.

Brownies, cookie, rice krispie treats and milk oh my.

Another item off our Summer List is a bake sale.  With the recent cool days outside, we thought it would be best to spend some time baking inside.  So we I baked.  So we I packaged.  So we I prepped.

Perhaps I didn't pick the best time to do this.  Sofia was gone.  JH was gone.  It was me and Alex.  And as we all know Alex, his "new idea" excitement lasts a nano second.  He helped for about 10 minutes, then something else caught his attention.

Lilia was eager to help, but I limited that to licking the bowl.  We are serving potential strangers.  Let's keep the fingers in the "pot" to a minimum if you know what I mean.

1:30 am.  Baking done.  Packaging done.  Kitchen cleaned.

11:00 am Sofia and Alex help set up.  Lilia colored the sign.  Sofia and Bailey posted signs throughout the development.

At noon we opened shop.  Andrea and the kids were probably our best customers.  They arrived and stayed and kept the customers entertained.

We made roughly $45.  Enough for about 1/2 a ferry ticket to the San Juan Islands.

Bake sale.  Check.

Today

I have been really struggling to be productive while being on vacation.  Nearly 4 weeks has gone by and I really feel I don't have much to "show" for it.  Yes, we've put a dent in our "summer list", but I don't feel like I've done too much here at home.

Today, I'm still up trying to accomplish a bathroom cleaning.  Not only the essentials, scrubbing tub, toilet, sink and counter.  But a cleaning of under the sink and counter top, specifically of junk.  You know, stuff that's just been collected.

For example, the dozen or so 1/2 used bottles of conditioner, shampoo and lotion you get from the hotels.  I don't know why I bring those home.  Dumped.  Stale lotions and deodorants.  I'm really picky about deodorants, I must have at least 5 used just once.  In the bag for Lita.  Dental floss.  Probably 10.  I do floss, but I guess not enough.

So you get the picture.  I'm dumping, collecting for Lita and cleaning it up.  Feels good.

Next up.  Collecting and organizing my jewelry.  Then, the closet. Dun dun dun.

I live the vida loca.

Drive In Movie. Check

Checking off another "to-do" on our Summer List, I took the kids to the Valley Drive-In.

We watched Sorcerer's Apprentice and Toy Story 3.

I took Rhea and Mateo and met the other Canas family.


(I feel asleep, so did Sofia, JH and Lilia.)

We had popcorn, candy and drinks (from home).

We had a blast.

Dry

Isn't she pretty.
I got her for my birthday.
She reminds me of my Tia Licha and Grandma Tita.
Washing dishes by hand and air drying.
Brings back good memories.
I like it.

Full House

I have been entertaining a niece and 2 nephews.  Ratio 1:7.  I can handle 7 kids.  For the most part they listen.  Really, they do.  We laugh.  We're silly.  We play cards.  I like having them here.

Last night we went to the pool.
 (you know how many loads of towels I've done this week, LOTS)
We ate pizza.
Lots of ice cream.
Played cards.
Summer fun.

Then they left (without Sofia and Lilia).  R&A are taking them to Kent Cornucopia Days.  I'm heading to Bellingham with my mom and the girls.

*********************

Here's our first Wednesday Craft Day project.  Painting $1 birdhouses.  Sofia's isn't shown.  She is a perfectionist.  What took the three of them 15 minutes will take her hours.  So she hasn't completed it.  I think I'll give them a coat of polyurethane and put them in the garden.  

And do you see how pretty clean my screen is?  I washed all the downstairs windows (12) and screens.  I can see!

Have a great day!!

45 things

I turned 44 on June 18.  An uneventful day.  Lilia had a doctor appointment and I met my padres for lunch at our favorite birthday place....Puerta Vallarta.

Another year older.  Getting close to another hump.

This past year, at times I've felt that I have no purpose.  Well, I know I'm a mom, that's a given.  I provide for my children.  Home, food, love.  But days, months, years, go by and the 24 hour routine does not change.

And I forget about me.  What I want.  What's important to me.  I have no resentment to my choices or my family.  But I'm working to be more purposeful in what I do.

So I'm trying a new approach.  The summer list.  And my list of 45 things I want to do before my 45th birthday.  I did get the idea from Meg.  Who also inspires me.

So here it is.  My list.  Don't laugh.  It's long.  I created in while in a staff meeting (shhh!)  Changed it up a bit.  But it's in ink now.  I'm happy with it.

And at nearly a month gone by, I need to get busy.  Because I don't think washing windows, window tracks and screens (today's project) was on my list :)

Night.

I'm back

It's been a while.

20 days to be exact.  Where did 20 days go?

It's been a busy summer thus far in the CK house.  I've been off for 8 days now, hard to believe.  They were filled mostly with Sun Lakes.  Then the 4th.  And really only 3 on "vacation" here at home.

I'm trying to be "purposeful" with my time off.  It's so easy for me to get in a bad routine of staying up late, sleeping in, piddling my day away.

I'm making lists and checking things off.

One thing, is to blog daily.  Share my "day".  So I'm working on that here.

Today I was up by 8am.  Not bad.  Putzed (not on my list) until Lilia woke up.  Then breakfast.   We left to swimming around 10am.  Back on the road at 11:15 and stopped at the NEW library for an hour.

Home, lunch and watched the tail end of a World Cup game (Go Spain!).

Then some laundry, yard work, go thru bills, paperwork.

Kids fill the garage -- my 4 plus 6 neighbor kids.  Popsicles shared.  Drinks.  Rice crispy treats.  Kid drama.

Baked cupcakes.  Dinner.  Clean-up.  Reading (20 minutes ... on a summer reading program through KCLS).  Water plants.

Wednesday Craft Project (samples to come)
Soccer practice.
Write out my "45 list" (future share).
Wow, it's 9:30.
Clean kitchen.
Fold laundry.
Kids teeth brushed and in bed.

Here I sit.
I've blogged today.
Check.

Another thing on my list.  Exercise and diet.  I was at 50% today.  Walked and sit-ups while kids were in swimming lessons.   It worked.

And a pic of Ms. Lilia about an hour ago.  She so wanted me to lie down with her tonight.  She fell asleep on my bed while I washed my face.  With her pillow-pet as her blanket.

Long day in the heat.  They all fell just as quick.

(see the cut on her chin.  she fell out of bed the other night and split her lip.  poor baby.)