Maybe it's just how the week ended, but I feel good about all the stuff I got done this week. The word I have in mind for this year is 'industrious,' and that's never far from my mind as I make my way through the days. I've been able to check a few projects off my list this week, but of course, there are always a million more waiting. It never ends, does it? ;)
Let's recap the week!
MONDAY
Oof! My hips were so sore on this day. My son pointed out that it might be due to the cold rainy weather, and that was definitely a possibility.
I started the day by going out to our unattached garage to retrieve some previously roasted and frozen butternut squash, then came back inside and went down to the basement to grab both my crockpot and bread machine. I tossed the ingredients for Tomato Butternut Squash Soup into the crockpot (using onions I'd sauteed the night before), put the ingredients for bread into the bread machine, cleaned up the kitchen, and ran the dishwasher. I took down the laundry that was hanging on racks in the basement and folded it, cleaned up my daughter's room, then put away that laundry in both her room and mine.
I started a load of my son's laundry, got the bread in the bread pans to rise (does anyone actually cook bread in their bread machine? I'm not a fan of how it turns out), unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher, then overhauled the cabinet underneath my kitchen sink. YIKES, was it terrible.
So, when my mom was here watching my daughter so I could go to physical therapy this fall, she looked for something under the sink and...um, well, it was a mess. I clean and organize that area once or twice a year, but this was at an off time, and so for Christmas, she bought me a shelf to go under the sink! (Not as judgment, more as a, "Ooh, this will help!" My mom is fantastic at gifts like that!). And so I condensed items, tossed stuff out, moved a basket of candle-making supplies to the basement, recycled things, it was glorious. It's not perfect-looking, but it's organized and I'm thrilled about it!
I can actually find stuff now!!!
Do you have an organizational system under your sink? I had everything in baskets before, but the amount of stuff outgrew the basket space and it ended up just really not working out. I'm so happy about this shelf!
I hung my son's laundry to dry, baked the bread, and read my library book. When my daughter woke up, she and I waited at the library to pick my husband up (the train station is right behind, so we do this often). At home, I cleaned the kitchen, took the trash and recycling to the curb, and did my PT exercises. My husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before bed.
TUESDAY
Yikes, the hip pain was still going on this day, and got worse at night. :(
Today was the first day I had to start driving my son to school for early gym (something he's doing voluntarily, in order to make space for another class), so I dropped my husband off at the train, and then dropped my son off at school at 6:30.
My daughter's behavior on this day was less than exemplary, and although it was a bad morning, I gave her another chance and we went to play at a library out of town. Unfortunately, she continued to not listen to a single word I said, and so we left after about twenty minutes. Oy.
At home, I scooped the litter box and read my library book, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. For dinner, I made Rice Cooker Spanish Rice and stirred some cooked Soyrizo into it (my daughter had leftover soup and grilled cheese; the Soyrizo is too spicy for her still). I swept the living room floor, then brought in our two containers of old Halloween and Christmas candy, and I sorted through it, pulling out all the old chocolate (and separating whatever was left into plastic bags). And I took that old chocolate and melted it down and turned it into a batch of brownies, going off of a recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. They turned out pretty good- I saved three for my son's lunches the rest of the week, and my family devoured the rest. It's a great way to use up candy that doesn't get eaten before it turns old and just sits there. :)
I read more of my library book, and when it was time, we picked my husband up. At home, I read *more* of my book, and cleaned the kitchen, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before bed. :)
At home, I scooped the litter box and read my library book, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. For dinner, I made Rice Cooker Spanish Rice and stirred some cooked Soyrizo into it (my daughter had leftover soup and grilled cheese; the Soyrizo is too spicy for her still). I swept the living room floor, then brought in our two containers of old Halloween and Christmas candy, and I sorted through it, pulling out all the old chocolate (and separating whatever was left into plastic bags). And I took that old chocolate and melted it down and turned it into a batch of brownies, going off of a recipe from the Fannie Farmer Cookbook. They turned out pretty good- I saved three for my son's lunches the rest of the week, and my family devoured the rest. It's a great way to use up candy that doesn't get eaten before it turns old and just sits there. :)
I read more of my library book, and when it was time, we picked my husband up. At home, I read *more* of my book, and cleaned the kitchen, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before bed. :)
WEDNESDAY
GAH, that hip pain! It kept going throughout the day and ended up traveling down my legs as well. HMPH.
I drove everyone where they needed to be, and after my daughter and I got ready for the day, I made out a list and we were off to grocery shop! On this day, we hit three different stores. I spent closer to my normal total this week, because we needed perishable things like cheese, bread, milk, and fresh produce, but everything I got was fresh; I'm still committed to eating down what's in my garage freezer and some of my pantry. At home, we put groceries away, I took out the compost, loaded and ran the dishwasher, and got some white beans into the Instant Pot. I started a loaf of French bread in the bread machine (not my preferred method of making French bread, but my regular method needs to be started much earlier in the morning, so this would have to do!), and started a load of my son's laundry.
When the bread machine beeped, I put the bread out to rise, then unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. I took out the recycling and compost, and for dinner, I made an Instant Pot full of veggie soup (using up some frozen corn, along with the last of my fresh spinach), because it was bitterly cold outside. I cleaned up the kitchen, swept the basement, then folded my son's hanging laundry and hung up the wet load. I delivered the basket to his room, baked the bread, and finally finished the library book I'd been reading- which meant, of course, that I could start a new one. Which I did. ;)
When the bread machine beeped, I put the bread out to rise, then unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher. I took out the recycling and compost, and for dinner, I made an Instant Pot full of veggie soup (using up some frozen corn, along with the last of my fresh spinach), because it was bitterly cold outside. I cleaned up the kitchen, swept the basement, then folded my son's hanging laundry and hung up the wet load. I delivered the basket to his room, baked the bread, and finally finished the library book I'd been reading- which meant, of course, that I could start a new one. Which I did. ;)
I picked my husband up, and after dinner, I put the leftovers away, then loaded and ran the dishwasher. I swept the living room and kitchen and did my PT exercises, and my husband and I watched two episodes of Supernatural before going to bed.
THURSDAY
THURSDAY
My son didn't have to go in early on this day, and I was hoping my daughter would sleep in, but nope! Up at 6:15 am. I was tired and got a slow start to the morning, but once I got going, I threw my daughter into the tub and organized one of the hallway closets.
It's a weird closet- its location is such that it's situated over our downstairs stairway, so the door and floor of the closet is about at chest level for me (and I'm about 5'8"). It's also long and goes back stupidly far, so it's easy for stuff to get shoved to the back, lost, or forgotten. For the past two years or so, I've been going through it every six months or so, in order to organize and pitch, and it was time today. I found a mesh laundry bag, which I used to store all our bedsheets in (along with one of those plastic bags with a zipper that comforters come in- I *knew* that thing would come in handy!), so those are all organized and not falling all over the place now. I tossed a few things, placed two more things into the giveaway pile, organized my shampoo collection, and pulled out a box and some extras of diapers that my daughter never needed. There's an organization in town that hands out diapers to needy families; they'll gladly accept open packages as well as closed, and a local school is doing a diaper drive for them. A mom of those students had posted on FB a few days ago, and as I knew I had some to donate, that was my impetus to clean out that closet. (I messaged her and she came and picked them up later on in the day. She's thrilled to receive them, I'm happy they're going to people who need them and happy they're out of my house!!!)
Also in the closet was a bag of too-big clothes for my daughter. I went through it and found a few things that will fit her now and in the summer, so I put those away in her closet (tidying up the area in front first so I *could* put them away!) and I went through the other bags of too-big clothes in her closet and condensed them down into two bags (clothes sizes 6-10; when yard sale season starts, I'll focus mostly on sizes 5-6 and larger; that way I never have to go out and buy new clothes, I can just shop what I've already bought at ridiculously low prices).
I started bread in the bread machine, vacuumed the hallway, then scrubbed my daughter down and made her try on a few articles of clothing once she was out of the tub. (At this point, I checked my step counter and was surprised see that I'd already walked two miles just in my house!) I emptied and refilled the dishwasher, vacuumed and tidied the living room, and when it was time, I put the bread to rise in pans.
Once my daughter went down for a nap, I did 28 minutes worth of yoga and baked the bread.
Smells so good!
After my daughter woke up, I cleaned her room, and when it was time, we picked my husband up. I drove my son to a basketball game at school, cleaned up the kitchen, showered, put my daughter to bed, then had about ten minutes to read my library book before I had to leave to pick my son up.
My husband and I watched one episode of Supernatural before bed.
FRIDAY
Pain levels weren't too bad on this day; my hips finally seemed to quiet down.
I drove everyone to where they needed to be, then put chickpeas into the Instant Pot as soon as we got home. My daughter and I had breakfast and got ready for the day, and then we were off to play at a library in another town, where I also picked up a few books.
On the way home, we stopped by Aldi to pick something up for my husband. At home, I took the chickpeas out and turned them into red pepper hummus. I steamed sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot, and when they came out, I used the pot to cook couscous. I roasted broccoli, took out the compost, filled and ran the dishwasher, and tidied up the kitchen. When my daughter woke up, I used my (very loud) food processor to make a garlic tahini sauce, and then we went to the library in our town, where we read a large stack of books, picked up a book for my husband, and then picked my husband up. ;)
At home, we made Mediterranean-flavored couscous bowls with all the things I'd cooked for the day piled on top. I tidied the kitchen up, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and ran it again, and watched two episodes of Supernatural with my husband before bed.
SATURDAY
No kid gymnastics; we missed the sign-up for this session, so we'll start up again in February. No big deal!
But yikes, a LOT of hip pain on this day, to the point that walking hurt and I had to take it slow.
Since we had the morning free, we went to Saturday storytime at the library, then played in the playroom. I got to chat with a mom whose daughter had been in my daughter's preschool class last year. Her daughter is in kindergarten at the same school my daughter will be at next year, so I'm looking forward to already knowing a few people at the school!
My mom texted me to ask if we had any snow. I texted her back with this picture:
I finished a library book during naptime, and then we made a trip to Menards, where we used a gift card to buy a shelf to go under the bathroom sink and supplies to make a clothing rack in the laundry room. Closet space in my house is ridiculously limited and I have nowhere to hang up my long skirts. Since jeans are hurting my right hip these days, I either wear sweatpants, a leggings/long shirt/cardigan combo, or leggings and a long skirt with a sweater or shirt and cardigan. But since my skirts are all stored in a large Rubbermaid container, that means I have to iron every time I want to wear one, and I don't have time to do that every morning, so this clothing rack will give me a place to hang up a bunch of skirts. I still need to get skirt hangers; I'm hoping to do that this upcoming week.
At home, I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher while my husband made some boxed macaroni and cheese for him and my daughter (I can't eat that stuff; I had leftovers). I read a little of my next library book, and my husband and I watched three episodes of Supernatural before going to bed.
SUNDAY
My husband and I watched one episode of Supernatural before bed.
FRIDAY
Pain levels weren't too bad on this day; my hips finally seemed to quiet down.
I drove everyone to where they needed to be, then put chickpeas into the Instant Pot as soon as we got home. My daughter and I had breakfast and got ready for the day, and then we were off to play at a library in another town, where I also picked up a few books.
She was SO much better behaved on this day!!!
At home, we made Mediterranean-flavored couscous bowls with all the things I'd cooked for the day piled on top. I tidied the kitchen up, unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher and ran it again, and watched two episodes of Supernatural with my husband before bed.
SATURDAY
No kid gymnastics; we missed the sign-up for this session, so we'll start up again in February. No big deal!
But yikes, a LOT of hip pain on this day, to the point that walking hurt and I had to take it slow.
Since we had the morning free, we went to Saturday storytime at the library, then played in the playroom. I got to chat with a mom whose daughter had been in my daughter's preschool class last year. Her daughter is in kindergarten at the same school my daughter will be at next year, so I'm looking forward to already knowing a few people at the school!
My mom texted me to ask if we had any snow. I texted her back with this picture:
So pretty!
I finished a library book during naptime, and then we made a trip to Menards, where we used a gift card to buy a shelf to go under the bathroom sink and supplies to make a clothing rack in the laundry room. Closet space in my house is ridiculously limited and I have nowhere to hang up my long skirts. Since jeans are hurting my right hip these days, I either wear sweatpants, a leggings/long shirt/cardigan combo, or leggings and a long skirt with a sweater or shirt and cardigan. But since my skirts are all stored in a large Rubbermaid container, that means I have to iron every time I want to wear one, and I don't have time to do that every morning, so this clothing rack will give me a place to hang up a bunch of skirts. I still need to get skirt hangers; I'm hoping to do that this upcoming week.
At home, I unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher while my husband made some boxed macaroni and cheese for him and my daughter (I can't eat that stuff; I had leftovers). I read a little of my next library book, and my husband and I watched three episodes of Supernatural before going to bed.
SUNDAY
Busy day.
BUSY day.
With all the snow we got on Saturday, the family event that would've required us to travel was rescheduled (thankfully; I'm not sure my hips could've taken the car ride). So my husband and daughter left to go sledding with other family members, and I got to work at home despite my already aching hips.
I started out with my basement chores, then got a load of laundry going and ran the dishwasher. I headed upstairs and took everything out of the cabinet under the sink, placed the shelf in there, then reorganized everything (SO much better!), cleaning the toilet and emptying the trash since I was up there. I put the dishes in the dishwasher, did a quick tidy-up of the kitchen, and took out the recycling. I tidied and swept the living room, took down the load of my son's laundry that was on the drying racks, delivered it to his room, then hung the load of laundry I'd just washed. I started a load of my daughter's bedding and headed back to the kitchen, where I baked a batch of Norwegian kringler cookies (this was a new recipe for me, from a 1001 cookie recipe book, and they're pleasant enough. They used up the rest of a container of sour cream, so hurray for no waste!). I then set about deep cleaning the kitchen, scrubbing everything including the sink and running a knife along the metal edges of my counter to get the grime out.
I switched the bedding laundry into the dryer, then stripped the couch and chair blankets off and threw those into the wash. I vacuumed underneath the couch cushions (which weren't too bad, surprisingly!), then vacuumed my stovetop, sprinkled it with baking soda, sprayed it with my vinegar cleaner, and left it to sit while I cleaned my daughter's incredibly messy room. I emptied and reloaded the dishwasher, then scrubbed down my stovetop, including around the burners with a toothbrush (I definitely need to do that more often. And I can, now that I can actually find the toothbrush in my super-organized under-the-sink kitchen cabinet!). I vacuumed under the kitchen table, swept the living room again, and mopped it, then wiped down the bathroom sink.
At this point, I sat down and checked my step count.
And that was my week! I need to get better at getting back to my PT exercises, but I've been so sore this week (in a way that exercising doesn't help) that it's been difficult to find the motivation.
I'm noticing that I tend to organize the house twice a year, and this time of year is my counter to my big summer house overhaul. I have an enormous pile for the thrift store right now, but we've also got a bunch of snow on the ground, and I don't know how much I want to load up the trunk while tracking all that yuck into the house. Even if I bring it all downstairs first...Hmm. I'm going to have to think about this.
It's going to be another busy week around here. My son has several field trips and something else going on late one night at school, so I'll be making more trips there and back than normal. Friday, we'll take my daughter to a magic show at the library, and I'm hoping to get the closet next to our bathroom organized. It's what holds all our towels, stuff like cold medication, my and my daughter's hair ties and barrettes... It's still in pretty good shape from when I organized it over the summer, so I don't think it'll be a super arduous task, and...maybe I'll tackle my husband's many heaps of clothing in our bedroom, if I get around to it. Maybe. ;)
How did your week go? What projects did you tackle that made you feel accomplished???
BUSY day.
With all the snow we got on Saturday, the family event that would've required us to travel was rescheduled (thankfully; I'm not sure my hips could've taken the car ride). So my husband and daughter left to go sledding with other family members, and I got to work at home despite my already aching hips.
I started out with my basement chores, then got a load of laundry going and ran the dishwasher. I headed upstairs and took everything out of the cabinet under the sink, placed the shelf in there, then reorganized everything (SO much better!), cleaning the toilet and emptying the trash since I was up there. I put the dishes in the dishwasher, did a quick tidy-up of the kitchen, and took out the recycling. I tidied and swept the living room, took down the load of my son's laundry that was on the drying racks, delivered it to his room, then hung the load of laundry I'd just washed. I started a load of my daughter's bedding and headed back to the kitchen, where I baked a batch of Norwegian kringler cookies (this was a new recipe for me, from a 1001 cookie recipe book, and they're pleasant enough. They used up the rest of a container of sour cream, so hurray for no waste!). I then set about deep cleaning the kitchen, scrubbing everything including the sink and running a knife along the metal edges of my counter to get the grime out.
I switched the bedding laundry into the dryer, then stripped the couch and chair blankets off and threw those into the wash. I vacuumed underneath the couch cushions (which weren't too bad, surprisingly!), then vacuumed my stovetop, sprinkled it with baking soda, sprayed it with my vinegar cleaner, and left it to sit while I cleaned my daughter's incredibly messy room. I emptied and reloaded the dishwasher, then scrubbed down my stovetop, including around the burners with a toothbrush (I definitely need to do that more often. And I can, now that I can actually find the toothbrush in my super-organized under-the-sink kitchen cabinet!). I vacuumed under the kitchen table, swept the living room again, and mopped it, then wiped down the bathroom sink.
At this point, I sat down and checked my step count.
Just about 4.5 miles walked without even leaving the house!!!
My husband and daughter returned home, and during her nap, I took some well-deserved time to relax and read my library book. When my daughter got up, she and I read some library books together while my husband installed my clothes rack in the laundry room. When he finished, they went to play outside in the snow while I prepared dinner, an Instant Pot full of vegan cabbage roll soup (I always use rice, because that's what I have on hand). I cleaned up after myself, then assisted my son on and off, as he was cleaning out his own room (which badly needed it!).
I put dinner away and cleaned up the post-dinner mess, tidied the living room, and my husband and I watched three episodes of Supernatural. As I got into bed, I checked my step count.
Six miles without ever leaving the house. Not bad for a day's work. ;)
I'm noticing that I tend to organize the house twice a year, and this time of year is my counter to my big summer house overhaul. I have an enormous pile for the thrift store right now, but we've also got a bunch of snow on the ground, and I don't know how much I want to load up the trunk while tracking all that yuck into the house. Even if I bring it all downstairs first...Hmm. I'm going to have to think about this.
It's going to be another busy week around here. My son has several field trips and something else going on late one night at school, so I'll be making more trips there and back than normal. Friday, we'll take my daughter to a magic show at the library, and I'm hoping to get the closet next to our bathroom organized. It's what holds all our towels, stuff like cold medication, my and my daughter's hair ties and barrettes... It's still in pretty good shape from when I organized it over the summer, so I don't think it'll be a super arduous task, and...maybe I'll tackle my husband's many heaps of clothing in our bedroom, if I get around to it. Maybe. ;)
How did your week go? What projects did you tackle that made you feel accomplished???
You are doing great with the steps. I find if I have a busy day of cleaning I can easily get 10,000 steps. You need to see if you have a disk problem in your back with the hip pain radiating down your legs.
ReplyDeleteAlong with my diagnosis of sacroiliac joint dysfunction (and that alone can cause radiating pain), I've also been dealing with degenerative disc disease since my early 20's. My back is a whole barrel of fun! :D
DeleteI don't always make it to 10,000, especially if we go to a family member's house (lots of sitting around and visiting there!), but I get close most days, if not over. :) It'll pick up when it's warmer out, I'm sure!