Time to clean ....

Oh how I hate cleaning other people's dirt. Of course I don't necessarily like to clean my own dirt, but someone else's dirt is just gross!

Today, Charlie and I went over to the new house to start the major cleaning that needs doing. I got the dining room ceiling, floor and walls done, the carpets in the playroom and living room vacuumed, and cleaned the toilet and sink area of the down stairs bathroom.

We ran the dish washer, washer and dryer and all seem to work great. Tomorrow I'll work on the kitchen. I've got to scrub the appliances and the counters, they are so greasy. I also need to wash all the cabinets with the Murphy's Oil Soap. We may pack a lunch so we can stay a little longer instead of coming home like we did today. We'll see.

Right now I just feel tired and gross.

Ugh!

Its been a long day.

The day started at 5:00am, which normally isn't too bad because it means I get coffee in peace. Today, though, Charlie decided to let Mom only get 2 sips into her coffee before he woke up. Ugh!

He also woke up on the wrong side of the bed ... which is quite a feat considering his bed runs flat along the wall. Needless to say its been a day of whining and lots of grumpy rebellion from him, something very rare around here. Ugh!!

The boys arrived still wearing cruddy green noses and full of all kinds of energy, another thing Charlie wasn't up for. Tessa arrived and proceeded to puke on Jenn right as she was leaving for work. She had a very pukie day today ... all day, Ugh!!!

Luckily it was beautiful out all day and we spent almost every waking moment outside playing. For Pirates week, we did finish the spy scopes they were making and we used them to watch for trucks going by on the rode.

During nap I did get to start the purge process for the move. I filled 4 kitchen size trash bags of clothes that I'm donating to the Goodwill. Of course it was all from my closet, too. It was stuff I haven't worn in a long time, stuff that was many sizes bigger than I am now, and just random clothes. Scary, huh?

Anyways, the Purge and Pack has official begun, Ugh!!!!!

A few more new house photos ...

We're moving!

We're moving. It's official, we got the house and we're moving.

I'm psyched about the house and all the room we'll be gaining but I hate the idea of packing up what's here. I'm a pack rat in some ways. So it'll be more of a purging and packing scene. I have 4-5 weeks to take care of it all but that doesn't seem enough.

The house, here's the official description:

First Floor:

* Foyers - one for front door and one for side/back door

* Double Living Room with large wood stove, helps to take the edge of the gas heating costs.

* Dining Room with slate floor

* Kitchen has counter space for all your appliances and more, extremely long galley type kitchen.

* Office space located at front of the house with view of the street with high speed Internet access and extra phone hookups to enable second phone line for that in-home business.

* Downstairs bathroom is a MUST SEE!! It is as large as a normal sized bedroom!! A hot tub is located in an alcove in the bathroom.

* Laundry room off the kitchen with washer and dryer included.

Second Floor:

* Master Bedroom with built in drawers & cabinets and private bath

* 2 additional bedrooms

* Large sitting area (could also be used as a bedroom/or nursery)

House is over 100 years old and is a typical New England style home. Over sized 1 car garage and shed included; Some yard maintenance equipment is available in the garage. Fenced yard with additional back lot yard. Currently the exterior of the home is a little rough and needs a little cosmetic work, nothing major, just paint and general stuff. The house had an entire new roof installed December 2005 and new gas heating system installed September 2005.

I really like the ground level. The kitchen / dining space is huge and there is about 5x more cabinet and counter space than what we currently have. I have a dishwasher!!!!!! I also love the idea of the laundry room right off the kitchen ... no more yucky basement!

The main bathroom is off the kitchen and is huge! Not only does it have the typical bath/shower unit, sink and toilet; it has a fully functional four person hot tub in an alcove and a fully non-functional (at the moment) enclosed sauna.

The front living room will be specifically set up just as a daycare/playroom and the adjoining office will be my space. Yes I have my own space! A place for my sewing table, daycare supplies, etc, etc. The TV and furniture will be in the larger living room with the wood stove.

Oh, and Chuck has his own space, too. He's claimed the garage, LOL, big surprise.

The outside is nice, too, especially for being in the heart of the city. There is a fully fenced deck and yard right off the slider door in the kitchen. This section of the yard has great thick green grass, but no shade. We will be opening the fence to include the back half of the yard. There there is a great shade tree, but not the greatest grass. Its more typical of an area that has been played on, dug in, and rode all over by kiddos and all that comes with them. It needs some work but, hey I got kiddos, too, so that's where all the sandbox, bikes, truck ,etc. etc. etc. can go.

Upstairs is a little weird. The landing at the top of the stairs is the size of a nursery, complete with a small closet and a window that lets a lot of light in. Unfortunately it is not an enclosed space as all the bedrooms are off of it. The front bedroom is the one Chuck and I will take. We need the space, we have big furniture.

The middle room will be Charlie's (maybe Aydan's, too). It's about the same size as the one he has now but there is not very much light. It also has a full size wall mural of a wooded stream scene which I'm not fond of, although Charlie seemed to like it. I may try to see how hard it is to remove it or paint the room or, who knows, we'll see. The back bedroom (master bedroom) is nice and bright but with the eaves and the built in drawers I think it will just be a little to small for us. It has a private, but small, full bathroom. Hopefully we'll get Jenn to take that room for her and Tessa. Its plenty big enough for them.

The driveway is long, narrow, and sort of straight with a small incline. So, yes we still have a driveway with a hill, but nothing as obnoxious as what we have here in Hooksett. After this past winter here and the amount of snow we had, we're so happy that we'll have an easier driveway next year.

Well that's it for now. I need to start thinking (have to start somewhere) about how and where and with what to start the purge and pack fun.

Argh! Its Pirate Week

We've left the circus behind along with the movie Dumbo, our clown hats, clown puppets, circus trains, tents, and books. We're heading for the high seas and some great pirate adventures.

Saturday I picked up lots of new books with pirate stories, the DVD Dora's Pirate Adventure, and the VHS Madeline and the Pirates. We have many crafts planned staring with the pirate hats we made today. Hopefully we wont have any scurvy pirates that will have to walk the plank ;-)

She was beautiful!

What a beautiful doe! Yes, I just saw the most beautiful doe in the backyard. She wasn't very large, actually kind of on the small side but she had a gorgeous golden brown coat.



Yes, I live in NH but where I live is a very busy area and my yard is set on a steep hill as well. Its not the type of grassy area you would see a deer. It was such a surprise.



I wonder if possibly she was hunkered down there on the hill in the brush all afternoon because while outside with the kids I kept hearing rather loud rustling in the brush. We do have some very annoying squirrels and chipmunks that live here and they do make some noise, but not nearly the amount.

Friday Update

It was a really good first week with the new daycare kiddos. I was actually anticipating a much rougher adjustment then what really happened. Maybe that's why it seemed like such a good week.

Austin and Justin were very accepting of the routines a rules of the house. By Wednesday most of the kinks were worked out and everyone was playing well. Charlie has connected with Justin and they spend a lot of time playing together. Austin sometimes finds it a little difficult because I think he is used to playing and controlling the play with Justin but he's handling it. Even when Tessa was here things went smoothly.

We were able to work on Flag Day activities the 1st half of the week and then Father's Day cards and gifts on Thursday and Friday.

Because everyone adjusted so well I think we will be able to start themed curriculum sooner than planned.

Hazy, Hot and Humid ... Ugh!

Its so darn hot out today. A 4 day heat wave this early in the season is hard to handle. A person needs to gradually adjust to the climbing temperatures, sheesh.



Since it was going to be so hot today, the boys and I were out and already in the pool by 8:30. I knew I wasn't going to be taking them out in the afternoon so we played a good long time out there ... until 11:30.



Its naptime now and the house is peaceful. After nap we'll work on som Flag Day projects and try and take it easy in the AC.



Another good day. Tomorrow we welcome Tessa back and throw her into the mix of things, hopefully the rules and routines we've been working with Justin and Austin will stick. Guess we'll see.

Welcome Austin & Justin

The boys are here and Charlie couldn't be happier. Austin and Justin started daycare today.

Austin (3 1/2) has had a terrible time at his old sitters but has had a GREAT day here today. I was expecting to see some of the rough to handle behavior that I saw when Mom first came to visit (tantrums, screaming, hitting, out of control energy) but it lasted all of 1 minute while Mom was telling him he couldn't play outside until later. Together we got him inside and he immediately calmed down after I explained that we needed to wait until Mom left and we changed into bathing suit. He set off to play in the housekeeping area and was fine. Justin (2 1/2) came right in this morning and set off to play with the trains and had no problem starting our day.

Around 9:00 we cleaned up, hit the bathroom and changed into bathing suits. My plan for today was to just tucker them out and set up the boundaries and routine they needed to learn and hopefully they will nap after lunch, something they haven't been able to get the boys to do. We brought out snack and juice and played in the water and yard until 10:45.

All three boys got along great. Austin was very well behaved and when he did take toys or the likes, he readily handed them back when told to, apologized and waited his turn. Not a tantrum in sight. Justin definately tried to push the limits, testing what would be allowed or not. He did have to sit for a "time out" after not listening 1 too many times but seemed better after that. Just a typical 2 yr old behavior. Charlie shared his toys very well, as usual, and really enjoyed having friends to play in the pool with.

I herded 3 wet and muddy boys to the porch, stripped them, dried them, and sent them into the house. I think the AC shocked all their little bodies, they were very giggly. We all did the "potty" thing, got dressed and played cars.

During lunch, I established the sleeping arrangements for the boys so they would know the drill....Charlie upstairs in his bed, Austin on the couch, and Justin on the cot. Everybody seemed agreeable to the plan.

After they were each done eating and washed up, both Austin and Justin went directly to where they were to sleep and settled in. It was GREAT! So all three are sleeping, I've enjoyed a peaceful lunch and have had time to sit and relax here at the computer...and I was expecting a rough day.

Summer Curriculum Themes

I've stared working on and putting together plans for the daycare/Charlie's curriculum. We'll be working within themes to learn the basics. To start with, for the summer our themes will be camping, the ocean, and pirates. The new boys start daycare next week and the first week will definately be a time of adjustment. Routines, expectations, and rules will be worked on and one day we'll make a Father's Day gift for their Dad. We'll hopefully be able to get into some of the fun ideas planed in our themes the following week.

Tessa & Jenn

Jenn called at 8:20am asking if I could go and pick up Tessa because Meagan had a 9:30 Dr appt. and Mims was supposed to watch Tessa. Mims was suppose to be there for 6:00am to take Tessa for the day.

Jenn said he called at 7:15 and woke her up and said he was on his way. Because Jenn was already late for work, she said she didn't press the issue. Apparently Meagan called Jenn at work around 8:15 saying Mims still wasn't there and not answering any texts or phone calls. After Jenn tried to reach him to no avail, that was when she called me.

After talking with Chuck, we agreed I should pick up Tessa. I left by 8:35am. While driving there, I saw Meagan walking with Isaah. I pulled over and asked where Tessa was and she said Mims showed up and will bring her down to the car. I pulled up across the street from the apartment and beeped. After waiting, and beeping, for 15 minutes I left.

I drove to Jenn's work and went in to speak with her. I told her what happened, that no one came to the car and that Mims was there with Tessa. I just wanted to know whether I still needed to take her or was Mims going to keep her. She was very angry, stated that "Mims was going to end up in jail by the end of the day if he keeps it up". I asked her to meet me out in the back of the parking lot so she could call Mims and decided what was the deal.

After speaking with Mims, she said he would come out with Tessa when I got there. Charlie and I drove back over to Jenn's, parked across the street and beeped. Mims came out with Tessa shortly after.

Tessa --- she had no coat, socks or shoes, blankets, binky, or a diaper bag. She was holding a 1/2 bottle that she was in the middle of.
Mims --- looked like either he was just crying, sleeping, extremely mad or stoned. He said nothing, handed me Tessa and just stood there.

I asked him if he had the diaper bag and he went to get it while I buckled Tessa into our car seat. Tessa immediately fell asleep for the ride back to our house. We got back to the house about 10:00am.

Tessa was very whiny and clingy and didn't want to be put down. I changed her diaper at 10:30 and it was near explosion level and she had a very bad diaper rash that wasn't there the night before. After the diaper change she just wanted to be held and curled up on my chest. She had peas and squash with rice cereal for lunch and then she ended up going down very easily for a nap by 11:45. I gave her the binky I keep here and Charlie's quilt.

Tessa woke up at 1:00 inconsolably screaming. She basically cried, whimpered, snuggled and dosed and then repeated it all over and over again on my chest until I had to put her down in her chair at 3:00 so I could get Charlie up from nap. She had a pastey poop when I changed her after nap and was still extremely sore from her rash. She has been clingy and whiny right up until Jenn picked her up.

Jen picked her up at 4:15 with a ride from her friend Natasha and was in a hurry. She had no carseat so she took ours. She needed to pick up Aydan, make dinner and then go back to work for 8-10pm. I assume she is having Meagan watch them.

Summer's coming ....

Today Charlie and I dragged the pool out from winter storage and gave it a thorough cleaning. Puddle jumping is a fine art he seems to be mastering very well. Its amazing how far water can splash.

After previously mentioned washing, the pool was filled just high enough to fully cover the drain hole and plug. I wanted to make sure it was in good working order before summer temps arrived this coming weekend.

A 2 yr old boy, ankle deep water, grass & dirt, and water shoes make for lots of fun but a very gross wading pool very quickly LOL

Charlie the Conductor

Charlie is back on the the "potty train" and sitting in the conductor's seat again. Since it's going to be such a nice day today, and there is no other kiddos around, he's going pantless. Except of course when we head outside to play. Wouldn't it be a wonder to have this over and done with before the new crew starts Monday for daycare. One can dream, right?