All Most There

We spent out Saturday cleaning.  Blake was a huge help!  It feels so good to have the house cleaner.  We will have a few more things to do tomorrow but we made a huge dint in it today.  I have gotten so behind trying to get caught up on everything because it was just wearing me out.  Now that we are cleaning the entire house this weekend I should be able to take 1 or 2 jobs each day and keep up with everything.

Here is a run down of what we did and what we still have to do.  It might sound like our house was just a disaster but it was just…well kind of a disaster.

I did 2 loads of dishes and deep cleaned the fridge.  We had so many dirty dishes after a few days with no electric.  I still have to finish washing some pots and pans.
Blake cleaned all the tools and some construction trash out of the bathroom.  Then he took on the huge task of cleaning off the dinning room table.  This has been our dumping ground for a while.  It is so bad because we still don’t have any chairs to sit at the table.  So we just dump everything on it.  He also cleaned out some boxes that were under the table that were just a bunch of things with no home.  Now that we have our closets we have homes for lots of things.

We still have to put away a few loads of laundry, find a place to store our Christmas ornaments (they have just been sitting around since Christmas), pick up a few things in the bedroom, and a few things in the living room.  Those are all pretty small tasks.  The big thing we will do tomorrow is vacuum all the floors, clean the the baseboards and trim, mop and dust the floors, and dust everything else.

Not the best way to spend your weekend but it feels so good to get so much done.  Now I can do some of the small projects each week that need done before the baby.  Like cleaning out the pantry and going through odd drawers and baskets.  Finding appropriate homes for things that have yet to have homes.  We are still getting moved in I guess.  I just hope to be more settled before the baby comes.  I will post pictures of how great everything looks on Monday!

Moving in the Wrong Direction

So this week was just an absolute terrible week!  I did get a slight start to my Spring Cleaning then it just went the other way!  I got trash picked up from around the house and started on some things that could get cleaned out.  I did manage to get 2 big baskets cleaned out and was ready to move on to something else.  Then we lost power for 2 days because of an ice storm and the house got trashed!  We had to drag out some camping supplies to help survive the freeze and also candles and stuff like that.  On top of that the dishwasher was full of dirty dishes when the power went out so everything we used landed on a counter.

I think the only good thing that came from any of it was that I had to pull everything out of the fridge and freezer to keep from loosing it.  I figure since everything is staying nice and cold on the porch in the cooler I should clean the fridge before putting everything back.  Speaking of the freezer, I almost lost the few meals I do have left in it.  I was doing really good about freezing extra meals so we would have them when the baby gets here.  I had a few lazy days recently and had used most of them.  I was feeling really guilty for doing so but now I am glad.  I would have lost them all!  We only had a few meals left and since they are defrosted we will just go ahead and use them.  Now I need to have a big cooking day to get it stocked back up.

Hopefully the rest of the house will recover from the past 2 days without wearing me out too much.  Blake said he will help me get things back in order!  That just might be how we spend our weekend…

Spring Cleaning for Normal People

Crystal over at Biblical Womanhood is hosting some Spring Cleaning.  She is preparing for baby #3 and is actually due just days after Piper is due.  She and her family moved into a new home at the beginning of her pregnancy and she is trying so hard to get things organized before the baby comes.  I feel her pain!  Remember that I have been trying to keep up with Fly Lady to get our house in better order.  I love Fly Lady but she just has lots more energy than I do at this time in my pregnancy.  I will be sticking by her in my own way until I have the energy to have the sort of daily routine she has.

We have so many things to get done before the baby arrives and time is slipping away…quickly!  I am 27 weeks today!  That means we have just 9-13 weeks until we will have Piper here!  I just do not have the energy it will take to get this place together.  Last night I did one load of laundry and loaded the dishwasher and was exhausted.  So I think I can handle what Crystal has in store.  After all she is almost 27 weeks AND has 2 little ones to care for.

Here is the big list of things that Blake and I have decided needs done before the baby.  He will be helping with all these big things!

1. Finish the bathroom-Grout and seal the floor tiles, finish drywall around shower, finish putting up trim, put last coat of paint on everything, lay carpet in closet, put on door knobs, globes on light fixture and outlet coves.

2. Organize Bedroom-This is where Piper will be sleeping for the first few months so we are turning the sitting area into a nursery.  We need to clean out that side of the room and find homes for odd things there.  A few other things for that area would be: replace broken light fixture, install outlet covers and vent covers.  Then we can decorate!

3. Seed and Straw yard-Getting rid of the dirt will help keep the inside of the house so much cleaner!

4. Touch up paint here and there around house-Blake’s brother painted everything for us this past summer but there are a few places that need another coat.

5. Laundry room shelving-The laundry room is one of the rooms that will not get finished completely before the baby but some temporary shelves on the walls will help for some extra storage.

6. Do something with Jeep and vehicle situation-Blake will be selling his Jeep and we will be buying a minivan.

7. Finish up kitchen-Touch up a few spots in the drywall where we moved some wires, fix the last piece of crown molding on the cabinets, install the shelves in the corner cabinets, reorganize the cabinets and pantry.

Keep in mind that we still will have 4 complete rooms that will not be finished until after the baby gets here.  The construction never stops on a new house!

And on top of all of those big things we have to do, I have to get all the little things organized and cleaned up.  So join in with me this week as I work around the house.  I will post some before and afters of all the little things that will help make a big difference.

This week our mission is to toss out trash we find in every room.  And look for things that we can give away or sell that we just don’t use.

I think I should be able to manage this with no problem!  I hope to see everyone join in!  Let me know if you do.

New friends and new toys.

Saturday was Chloe’s 2nd birthday!  To celebrate her day we took her to the dog park so she could run and play.  We were finally able to meet up with a fellow blogger and Weimie owner.  Diana found my blog last year when they were getting ready to get a puppy.  Diesel just turned a year old a few weeks ago but he makes Chloe look tiny.  The 2 of them got along really well and just seemed to have a great time playing.  And of course we had a great time talking to Diana and her husband John.

Go by her blog and say hi and see her handsome boy, Diesel.

After the dog park we took Chloe to PetSmart and got her a new toy.  I have heard really good things about these toys from other Weim owners.
The Bad Cuz! They hold up really well and keep the dogs attention for a good amount of time.

Chloe has managed to tear up some of the feet but other than that it is holding up very well.  And the greatest part is that she is sleeping at 7:30 in the evening.  I have never seen a toy wear her out like this one without us being worn out to.  Now this toy does have a terrible squeak but we have learned to block it out already!

Her is a clip of Chloe enjoying her Birthday toy!

I finally got one!

If any of you are like me, you have been wanting a Wii Fit and just wondering how you would ever find one!  Well I just ordered mine today!  This was my Christmas present.  I thought I was going to have to wait forever to get my Christmas present this year!  Well I found one with the help of Britni.  She posted about how she signed up for Wii Alerts and was able to get one.  I signed up right away and have finally found one a Best Buy.  Check it out if you are still trying to get a hold of one!

I am hoping that I can use it some before I have the baby.  I think some of the exercises might help have a good delivery.  Of course I will have to talk to the midwife first to see what she thinks.  Then of course I will use it after the baby to help loose some of the baby weight!

Thanks for the tip Britni!  And thanks Wii Alerts!

Attitude!

Chloe cracks me up!  Last night was like many nights we have.  Blake goes to bed before I do because he is up so much earlier.  Sometimes Chloe will go with him but last night she stayed with me.  She made it clear that she didn’t want to stay with me though.  She kept going to the bedroom door and whining then running back to me and poking me with her nose.  So finally I let her in the room.  I really didn’t want her on the bed but I let her snuggle with him anyway!  She has to be under the blankets to be happy, she is so funny.

When I was ready for bed I came in and like a meany kicked her out of the bed.  She likes to snunngle so close that I just can’t handle it while I am pregnant.  She gets such an attitude over this that I almost laugh out load!  She will walk from my side to Blake’s side trying to get back on the bed.  I tell her to go lay down and she quickly runs to her bed and starts kicking it around.  She will huff and puff and throw herself down really loudly.  Then she starts groaning and moaning like it is just sooooo terrible to have to lay on this big nice bed she has.

She will get up and go through this routine a few times before she will finally give up.  I just wonder if she has more attitude than most Weims or if they all typically have this?

This is not the only way she gives attitude.  She also does it when she wants water.  She will just go up to her empty dish and smack it really hard.  Then she comes and gives us a really dirty look.  Of course I refuse to give her what she wants when she is so demanding.  Then she will get mad and go lay down and groan.  She is so vocal about what she wants.  She doesn’t bark for hardly anything.  Her noises are more like a bratty teenage girl!

After we get a video camera I hope to get her acting like this!  It is just so funny.

Do you have a Weim?  If so do they give attitude like this?

BIG!

I met with my mid wife again today.  Everything went really well but we did have a little surprise.  I am 25 weeks today but I am measuring 30 weeks.  It is nothing to be worried about but I am just really curious to find out why!  She says that she will be back in 2 weeks rather than another month.  If I don’t grow in the next 2 weeks then we are good but if I do then we have to start trying to figure out why I am big.  I don’t feel like I have twins in me and she says she don’t think it feels like twins either.  Maybe we are just having a big baby!  I guess we will find out more in 2 weeks…

Fly Lady day 1

I started Fly Lady and I am happy to say I will be going to bed with a shiny sink!

Mission: Organization

I have been so stressed out and frustrated with the disorganization and just plan mess our home has been in.  I knew when we moved in before everything was finished this would be an issue.  I think I underestimated how frustrating it would be.

Our biggest problems are:
Lack of space- We have not completed the areas of the house that will help us be most organized.  I am actually going to share with everyone just how bad it is.

This is our walk-in closet.  It is big!  7×5 feet to be exact.  Since we don’t have much storage space designed in the house we made a rather large closet that will serve as storage for clothes as well as other items.  The problem is that we have not finished it.  Good news is on the horizon!  We are putting the shelves in tonight and laying carpet one day this week!

In the mean time we have been living out of laundry baskets in the bedroom floor.
Some of it was just too bad to show!  Here you can see that there area few baskets behind the ironing board that will one day sit nicely on closet shelves.  Also the ironing board and floor serve as a place to do my hair.  We have not moved these sort of things into the bathroom yet because we have not finished that space.

Behold the linen closet in the bathroom.  This will one day house bath towels, bedding, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and the like.  Above the water heater we will even have space for things like a tool box, light bulbs, and other items like that.

In the mean time I have a rooling cart full of all our personal grooming items that sits in the dinning room.
Our closet will be ready to use this week too so everything is sitting waiting to be put in its home.

It gets worse too!  We have been taking our laundry upstairs to my in-laws house since our laundry room wasn’t finished.  We will be getting a washer and dryer tomorrow and installing it before the room is finished to try to make things easier but this is what it looks like.
As you can see we don’t have any walls yet.  Minor details right!

We have four rooms that look like this.  The laundry room, office, the nursery and a spare room.  The spare room is on the other side of the laundry room.  You may be able to see that it is home to some odds and ends right now.  Mostly things like the trim that has to be put up in some of the rooms still.

This will one day be our office.  It is now home to tools and items being used to build the house.  Oh and a bike, a few pieces of furniture and some items that need to be put in the shed or attic.

And the nursery!  Poor baby Piper!  She has such a messy room.  We know she will be born before we can finish this completely so we plan to keep her in our room.  This will make midnight feedings easier anyway.  We have a large sitting area in the bedroom that will serve perfectly for her until this is finished.  This room now houses some odds and ends that we are storing for my in-laws.  Most of this just needs to go in the trash or to Goodwill but must be gone threw first.  The rest is our stuff that will go in the laundry room or the office…someday!

This week many things will get completed that will make life easier.  I am sure you can see why I feel like pulling my hair out trying to keep the house clean!

BUT I want to make sure I have a good plan to get organized.  I am so used to living among the mess that as things get better I am afraid of not knowing how to keep things clean.  I need a daily plan that can help us have good habits.  Also I want to be organized so I know what to do each day so that I don’t get over whelmed.  I have heard so many good things about the Fly Lady so I thought I would turn there!  I am starting with baby steps so that I can create habits of these everyday tasks.  I hope to have a weekly routine to keep the house clean and organized by the time Piper arrives.  It will be hard work but well worth it.

I will keep everyone posted on my progress.  If I don’t mention it please ask!  I need some accountability in this task!

My 2 Girls

Chloe loves to snuggle on my ever growing belly.  She noses around and sniffs it like she knows there is something there!  Finally she will just settle down and lay her head right where Piper is at.  Then Piper starts kicking so hard that I can see Chloe’s head moving up and down.  But she just lays there so peacefully.  It is so sweet!  I had Blake take some pictures of her on my belly because I thought it was just so cute!

What a big round belly at 24.5 weeks!

I love my girls!