Another 2 Week Catch-Up Post

Lets see, in the last 2 weeks, Mike went from 3rd back to 1st. He wasn't liking the hours, and wasn't getting enough sleep. Our room is on the first floor, where all the noise and action is all day long, and also doesn't have a door on it. Add to that 3 boys and a girl who all like to start stuff with each other allllllll day long, and fight and scream and run up and down the stairs, and you can easily see why he had such a hard time sleeping.
We've pretty much put moving on hold, as we can't really find anything that suits us well enough to go through the torture of packing, moving and unpacking. We looked at a few places, but a good majority were the "no pets" kind of places, and he's really unwilling to get rid of the dog if it comes down to it.
So for now I'm going to focus on making this place feel more like home to me. In the year we've been here, we've never completely unpacked all the boxes. I have 10 or so in my closet and 4 or 5 more in my room, not to mention the ones in the upstairs bathroom closet and in the kitchen. I want to focus on getting things the way I want them in the house and de-cluttering to the point where I can unload those last billion boxes. I want to focus on getting out credit straight so we can get a house of our own in a few years. I want the stability of not moving for a few years. And most of all, I want a home that my kids are familiar with and comfortable in, especially Gabe. He has such issues with moving, and still cries about the "big old house" on Park that we used to live in. We bought that house and lived there for 5 1/2 years. It was the only house he knew and he still talks about how he wants to go back "Home".

Dad and Colleen are coming down for the 4th, we're going to have a big cookout with Mom and Dave and Dad and Colleen, and Jaime and her kids, and us and Adrian. Brats, hotdogs, hamburgers, pork roast, chicken breasts, macaroni salad and a bunch of other stuff!
We're also gonna do sparklers and maybe a few fountains.
Not much else has been going on here, more of the same old same old. The kids are good, and so are we. Just going with the flow, and trying to make sure that the ends meet in the middle.

So Much For That Idea...

Well, they came to deliver my washer and dryer on Tuesday, and it was going great until they went to measure the basement doorway to make sure that the dryer would fit without having to take the back panel off. Nope. Not gonna happen. And then the great news that even with the back panel off, it would still be 2 inches too big to fit. Crap.
So after taking several DEEP breaths, we talked about what we could do about it. We could either take it ALLLLLL the way apart, and reassemble it in the basement, hoping that they put it together correctly and that it would still work. Or we could have them take it back to the store, and I could come pick a different pair that WOULD fit. We opted for the latter.
And then when I was looking at the sets that they had, I decided that I only wanted to get a dryer, because the washer still works just fine.

So, they came Friday to drop it off, and got it to the kitchen, and guess what????? IT WAS TOO WIDE to fit!!! By like an inch. So, we took off the back panel, and unhooked some stuff, and Mike manhandled it all the way into the basement. I now have a dryer that works! And dries clothes!

Not much else going on here, except that I have Adrian and Austyn this weekend. 6 kids under 12 in the house, and its quieter now than with just my 4.

This Week So Far, And My New Washer and Dryer

The dryer bit the dust again some time ago, so for the last few weeks I've been hanging things to dry. I figured with as bad as our credit was, we'd have to limp on through the rest of this year hanging things and hitting the laundromat at least every other week until February when we get taxes done. That's a LOT of laundry to hang.
Mike thought though that we might be able to get financing through the rent-a-center near us, so we stopped there on Friday evening after grocery shopping. They took our info and ran it through, and long story short, we are getting our new washer and dryer on Tuesday between 3-5pm. It's a Whirlpool Cabrio set, the only set they had there.

The kids are doing good, glad to be done with school. We'll still be doing at least an hour a day during the week, to make sure that they retain what we've gone over the rest of the year. Next year, I want to do a 4 day school week, that way we have Friday-Sunday off, or maybe Saturday-Monday depending on how things are going. We're still going through things that don't fit/aren't worn/too torn or stained. We have 2 full 30-gallon bags and another about 1/2 full.

Mike's doing good on 3rd shift so far, and is getting used to sleeping during the day. And I'm adjusting to not doing the "noisy" housework til after he wakes up. Nothing like forgetting and jolting someone out of a sound sleep by vacuuming! It's been working pretty well though, and I can usually manage now to get most of the housework done by noon or so, then we do lunch and go out for a bit so he can sleep a little longer.

Not much else going on here. Mostly same stuff different day.

Crazy And Chaotic, As Usual!

Another 2 weeks or so between posts, but mostly because I've been busy packing things up and looking for rentals. Plus finishing up the end of our "homeschool" year. Officially public school here ends on June 10. Been cleaning and de-cluttering, getting rid of things we don't use, or haven't used in quite some time.
Today we got rid of a frying pan (visionware) that I've had since we got married(12yrs!) and NEVER used! Not even 1 time! Also got rid of an extra toaster and a bag full of tupperware, plastic bowls, lids that don't match anything, and old plastic plates. I also have 2 big 30-gallon trash bags FULL of outgrown/barely worn/stained/torn clothes to go through and get rid of.
We also cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, swept, mopped, packed things in there, and partially cleaned and washed the fridge. I scrubbed cabinets, wiped walls and baseboards, and went through things bit by bit to see what we can pack (read live without!) and what needs to be left til we move.

This past couple weeks went pretty well. We had Adrian's birthday the 16th, Jane's 24th birthday was the 29th, the twins' was the 30th, Colleen's son Justin's 18th was also the 30th, and Daniel's was the 31st. Went up to Miwaukee the 30th to get Dad and Colleen, and took them back up the same day. Also saw aunt Rae, Pete, Aaron and Pete's son Bubba. They were moving and had to be out by Monday, so Mom and I and the kids went up Monday to help move, and Tuesday to help unpack. Kind of a crazy weekend, but not too bad. Going to call on some houses in Watertown tomorrow, and a few more here as well.

The kids are doing well, and Mike is too. Since he started working 3rd shift as a smokehouse operator, it's been a little chaotic at bedtime, but the kids are adjusting well, and we are making sure that he gets his sleep during the day by doing our quiet chores and things we need to finish for school while he sleeps, and going out for a bit near lunch time to get other things done. Seems to be working well so far, and he usually gets up around 2pm or so.

Been waiting to get my computer fixed, and until I do, I'm tethered to the ethernet cord in order to have internet. Windows 7 OS is nice, but doesn't have the drivers that I need for my wireless. So, my wonderful brother in law is going to re install Vista on it and fix my issues. Until then, I'll probably not be on too much, as chasing kids is WAY more important than updating the blog.