Jun. 30: What’s happening

I’m feeling a little bit pulled in every direction this morning and need to focus. Hopefully this stolen meme from Jen E @ MommaBlogsaLot will help.

Today…

Outside my window: The sun is shining, the sky is a beautiful blue, and I hear birds singing. It’s true! It’s a gorgeous morning here in the suburbs. I’d love to enjoy my coffee out on the back deck but the dogs would follow me out there, and then the kids would follow them out there, and then my own personal sky would totally cloud over and ruin my morning. I love my kids and the dogs, but they can harsh a mellow real quick.

I am hearing: The dryer. The birds. The clicking of 12 paws’ worth of nails on the floors. My stomach growling. The High School Musical soundtrack. Non-stop noise, in fact, coming from upstairs, moving downstairs until I order it back upstairs and then coming downstairs again. Jack has a friend over and they’re tormenting Katie, which is getting her AND the dogs worked up. Calgon, take me away! Is it too early to open the vodka?

I am thinking: I’ve got so many important things I’d like to accomplish today, but just ONE thing crossed off my list would make me happy.

I am hoping: My mom gets to Colorado. She flew out of Portland yesterday but her connecting flight in Phoenix was cancelled so she’s stuck there until 3 p.m. today with no deodorant. For her seatmates’ sake, I’m hoping she finds deodorant and finally arrives at Kathy’s tonight.

I am reading: David Sedaris because that’s what I do if I don’t dive right into another book after finishing one. I’ve got several books in my to-be-read stack but haven’t taken the time to choose my next one. Ever since my head bonk last week I’m not concentrating quite so well, so I’m enjoying the lightness and laughs from Mr. Sedaris.

I am creating: A new filing system, which I think is what’s exhausting my brain. I’m just so tired of having piles of papers all over the place. The filing cabinet I moved to the garage last year—to make more room elsewhere—has sat unopened ever since. It’s just not working for me out there. A big pile of PTO paperwork, which I need to be able to access easily, has been my big prompt to get my butt in gear with this project.

I am wearing: Jeans and a white tank, my usual post-shower attire when I’m not racing right out the door. I probably would have put jammies back on if I wasn’t expecting visitors in a few minutes.

In the kitchen: We’re trying a menu plan kind of thing for the summer. So far it’s working out alright, but I’m sure some or all of us will get tired of it soon because it’s a really boring one.

• Monday: Pasta (we had macaroni and cheese last night)
• Tuesday: It’s Mexican on the menu plan, but today’s the last day to use our California Pizza Kitchen free dinner prizes. We’ve actually gotten a little tired of eating there this month. I think I’ll get a few take-out pizzas for dinner tonight.
• Wednesday: Sandwiches
• Thursday: Rice and chicken (rice and nattō for Jack, which I encourage him to eat outside because it is quite the stinkified “food”)
• Friday: Pizza’s on the menu, but we might be pizza-d out by then.

Around the house: Besides working on the new filing system, I’m also reorganizing some bookshelves and listing some books on Bookins… doing some laundry… trying to keep peace between the dogs… nagging Katie to get her room cleaned up… dead-heading petunias in the front and back… with all this stuff, how am I supposed to fit in the Law & Order marathon today??? 

Plans for the week: Send out June invoices, get an algae eater for our very green aquarium (the goldfish keep eating them, so I’ll get a big, bad-ass one this time and see how that goes), organize the piles of DVDs that have taken over the shelf below the TV, and get my FrankenBrow stitches removed.

One of my favorite things: This week, it’s listening to the Rent soundtrack on repeat. But I’m also enjoying sitting on the front porch, listening to our fountain. It’s running again, by the way—I’m not sure I ever mentioned that it wasn’t, but we were kinda pissed when it stopped working after just three weeks, until we discovered the fuse had blown—and I love its peaceful, bubbly sound. Now, if only Lovely Lori H can be convinced our fountain is NOT a bidet…

A picture thought: (click to read captions)

 

Sophie’s here! Jack and Mack have disappeared to who-knows-where. I suppose I should go smoke them out. They’d hate to miss out on tormenting Katie AND her friend.