Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Endless Summer

 

Saturday:  Katie and Caleb came out to the spend the night last night.  Katie's AC went out at her house and since none of the windows can be opened, it seemed best to have them come here.  We all slept poorly and we were all up very early.  I knew it was going to be one long day for all of us and it was.

Katie left Caleb with me while she went to get Taylor.  The meeting place is 1 1/2 hours from my home and Taylor's daddy drives just as far as Katie.  They meet up right in the middle of the two houses.  I also had promised to keep the three from across the field.  That was planned much earlier in July.

While Katie fed Caleb, I called AC repair services to see if we could get anyone out over the weekend.  Success!  Thank you and Amen!

The day got rather wild.   Dear Isaac, 4, is about to start school and he seems determined to get into all the things he possibly can in the meanwhile.  I kind of feel sorry for him as he's both excited and reluctant because it's a scary big step for him.  We all are trying to be very patient with him but seriously, I had to put him in time out at least four times and Katie later had to promise him a spanking if he got into any more trouble.  This is not normal but it's been a constant thing from what I understand for the past few weeks.   We're all assuming it's a phase and I do believe it is, but goodness!  I had to be full on with just him.  Caleb is pretty much a full on sort, too, so I was well and truly pushed to my limits today.

Sweetest moment was when Millie came in.  Caleb walked right up to her and gave her a big kiss, lol.  Those two took turns crawling into mine or Grampa's lap.  It was guaranteed if the other saw a child in our laps, then the second baby wanted to be there as well.  It was quite a juggling act to have the two of them clambering up our legs and into our laps.

Second sweetest moment was when the five children were eating lunch.  They were having the best time and Caleb and Millie were being included in all the fun, too.   At one point Josh laughed and Caleb laughed and laughed right along with him.

About 3pm everyone had gone home and I was so tired.  John insisted I sit down in my chair and take a nap.  I didn't need much encouragement.   About 5pm I got up and we sorted out some of the fridge contents for our supper.  Then we cleaned up the house.

Sunday:  Katie's AC is running and cost a pretty penny but it's not keeping as cool as it ought.  I'll have to call the company back again on Monday.  Fortunately it was enough cooler to allow them to stay in the house last night and tonight.

We were up early this morning to head to church.  Home again and I put dinner on to heat and waited for Katie and the children to come out.   Caleb stayed with me this afternoon while Katie took Taylor back to her daddy.   He was overtired and had gone to sleep.  John headed out to mow the yards.

I took an unplanned nap myself. I'd managed to clear up the kitchen, do dishes and stripped our bed and bath and did all that laundry and folded it.  I suppose between the hectic pace of the weekend overall and the lack of sleep over the past few nights my body was just worn out.  I told John I remember sitting down and crossing my legs and hands and when I woke they were still crossed and sound asleep.  

I had to wake Caleb up at 4:30.  He was still sleeping pretty hard but I knew he needed to be up if he was going to sleep tonight.  He and I were playing in the kitchen sitting area when Katie returned.

John came in to ask if I wanted to go lay mulch at the town house tomorrow.  I hate being asked if I want to work tomorrow when I'm tired today.  I told John as much.  I know the job needs to be done and I know I'll have to do it but still...Just didn't want to think about more to do tomorrow when I was so tired.   I probably will do it tomorrow as I shall never get it done once I start keeping Caleb full time this week.   I had thought I might cook ahead for the week tomorrow, but I doubt I'll have the energy to get that done after working outdoors. It's humid and it's hot and saps you.

It took John about 4 hours to mow our yard today because it was so heavy with growth that he had to double cut it all.  We're supposed to have more rain this week ahead which means more growth.  However, coming across the river swamp today we noted that some of the trees have started changing at the tips.   Another sign that the season is winding down...

Monday:   I was so sure I'd sleep well last night but I did not, even though I could barely hold my eyes open when I finally went off to bed.  I woke several times in the night.  I think the TMJ discomfort I've had the past couple of days is what has woken me.  I really have to get some of the essential oil mix that was suggested.  It's on my list of things to do, it truly is.

I'd meant to wake early and thought honestly that I had but no, it was nearly 9am.  I wanted to go do the work on the house in town, spreading mulch and laying out the rest of the weed mat before it got hot.  It was 83 when I left home a half hour later.  I missed the cool part of the morning.   Thankfully laying mulch went far more quickly than I'd hoped it might and then I started spreading weed mat over the rest of the beds.  I was over half done with that when John came over to weed eat and trim more of the bushes and weeds.  He helped me with my task a little and we both felt the front of the house was taking on the appearance of someone caring for it properly.  Katie painted the front door and changed out the porch light and now that the flower beds are looking better without the hugely overgrown shrubs in front of the house and John has been weed eating about the edges of the yard where the neighbor can't mow, it's starting to look better kept.

As I rested I looked at the house itself and felt overwhelmed with all the work it requires.  However, there is only so much I can do and that can be done at present.  I'll do all the little things and we will eventually work on the bigger issues.  This is not how I planned to spend my time this year.  I had so wanted to work on my own home but there you are.  We do what we must.  

Came home worn slap out.  I sat down in the kitchen sitting to cool down.  So glad I'd taken time before leaving to close the curtains and blinds so that we could keep that end of the house from heating up so much this morning when the sun was shining in from the east.   It was very refreshing to sit there and let the fans blow on me.  When I got my legs under me once more, I took a shower and by then John was home.    

I put together a few gathered fragments to make a quick and nourishing lunch.   There's work to be done here but it shall all wait patiently upon me until I feel able to tackle it.  I usually start to get a second wind when I've done quiet work for a couple of hours or so.  Then, if I find I tire easily, I'll work in 15 minute or small task sized increments and rest and work until all the things are done.   

later:   did much in 15 minute increments today.  The bedroom is looking neater and nicer, the kitchen is cleared up and supper is made from freezer and fridge items and is cooking in the slow cooker.   

I've emptied the compost, watered plants outdoors (how can it be so very dry after all that rain these past two weeks?!) and went over the bill box.  I took time to phone an agency about a bill that still hasn't dropped.  I ran into town once again this afternoon to watch Caleb a few minutes while Katie went up town to do a quick shop for the week.  Not a hardship to sit with him.  Katie very sweetly 'paid' me by bringing me a bag of carrots and a Cherry Dr. Pepper.  If carrots sounds like an odd item I'd mentioned over the weekend that if she went shopping I needed a bag and she was good enough to remember them.  Now that I'm home again, I shall rest quietly for a bit.  Then supper and clearing up and then more rest is in order.  I want to be fresh as a daisy tomorrow when I keep Caleb.  

Tuesday:  A miserable night for me.  Found John leaning to one side complaining of vertigo when he moved about.   He huddled in his chair under an afghan.  Not sure what's going on with him but there we are.  It likely is allergies, since there is no nausea presenting itself with this.  I had a shower, made both beds (I'd gone off to guest room with my restless self) and started breakfast for us all.  Katie arrived with Caleb who is happy as a clam being here.

After we had eaten our breakfasts, I rinsed and stacked dishes.   Then Caleb and I went out on the front porch.  He was pleased as peaches as Maddie and Rufus both came up and he loves Doggy as he said.  They are both most excellent dogs to have around a baby, as is River but she wasn't here.   We stayed outdoors for a good little bit..  Tomorrow morning if it's dry and nice on the front porch, I'll take out some of his cars and toys and let him play outdoors for a little while.  I used two chairs laid on their sides to create a barrier to keep him from trying to go down the front steps.

Indoors I read my Bible and did a few simple tasks then Caleb and I both came into the living room.  He pulled many things from the toy box.  I took that as my cue to do what I'd been meaning to do for quite a long while: clean the thing out.  I sorted out the things that were broken, or which went unused by the children overall and the things that represented some danger to a little boy or girl digging about in the box.  I found 14 more cars...I bagged up some of the ones suitable for Caleb to play with to go to his house.  He does love to play with cars!  

John and I were amused when he took up the baby doll and a box John had fixed for himself yesterday and put the baby to bed in it, covered with her blanket.   It was not John's intent for the box to become a baby bed, but it's one now.

Katie came in while we were in the midst of cleaning the box out.  Her computer decided to do a long and painfully slow update process while she was in the middle of a training session this morning.  She came here to use my computer and work through until her lunch time.  Caleb was happy to see her but not ecstatic about it. 

He's so funny.  He still watches the clock when it gets close to time for her to be off work.   I know he cannot tell time, but I can't tell you how often he will look at that clock once it's hit 5:30 and moves beyond that time.  Last night as soon as the clock said 5:30, he got down off John's lap, gave him a high five and told us both bye bye and headed to the back door.   We finally convinced him to wait with us until his mama had a chance to get here.   

He sat on my lap and listened hard.  When the dogs started to bark and he heard the bass boom on her car, he started telling us bye all over again.  He met her at the door.  That is one smart little boy!

After lunch, when I put Caleb down for a nap, I cleared up and then started a load of dishes in the dishwasher.  I peeled potatoes and put them on to boil and I mixed up a pan of brownies from that mix I made and keep on my shelf.  This is really about all the head start I need to make today for our supper.   We're going to have leftover fried chicken and I'll come up with another side, perhaps black eyed peas.  I have leftover green beans if Caleb wants those instead.

And then I settled to rest.  I find it very helpful to keep up some sort of rest period while Caleb is resting, too, especially when I've had a long restless night behind me.   

After rest time, Caleb and I puttered around from one activity to another.  He is a happy baby overall and a joy to attend to, but make no mistake that the lifting and carrying, the constant attention is difficult for me.  I allowed myself to think ahead to Saturday when, I thought, I would have no child to attend.  It began to look like an oasis at the end of the week, that day that seemed so far away at the moment.

I guess Gramma's is a tiring place for him because by the time Katie came in yesterday evening, Caleb was well and truly tired.  She texted me but 15 minutes later to say she'd laid him down and he'd gone right to sleep!

Thursday:  Last night, I was weary.  Poor sleep two nights running, and day 6 of keeping children has me feeling run down.  Add to that a very painful jaw/tooth thing going on at the moment and you've got a woman who is just hanging on, and no drama intended in that statement.   So you can well imagine, given the month we've already had, when I went into the bathroom at 9:30 pm to brush my teeth and was looking at the hundreds of tiny bugs everywhere wondering what they were, when the water from the sink tap, slowed to a trickle then quit, how I might have felt in that moment.   

While I wanted to think it was just perhaps ants playing havoc with the well once more, there was the very real possibility that we simply had no water period.   Our well is 25 years old.  I'd love to think it will be just as viable at 125, but as I said, given how July has been for us financially, I was ready to tune up and cry right then.

Whatever I felt paled in comparison to John's angst at it all.  He loathes emergencies and he loathes problems with household things period, but it was dark on top of all that and there is no decent source of light in the pumphouse and none at all in the shed where his tools are kept.  We called Sam over to help and with inspection it was determined that the well was not the problem.  They tried the outdoors hose.  No problem.  In to run the kitchen sink, the shower, the tub, flush the toilet no problem.  Turn on the sink and no water.  Why?!

Well as it happens here's where it's good to have a fresh mind.  Sam said "You know, my filters on my faucets at home are constantly clogging.  Maybe that's the problem here."   So John removed the tiny little filter on the end of the tap and sure enough, it was fully clogged.  Rinsed it under running water, put it back on and the water came out just fine.  I'm so grateful that proved to be such a minor thing and deeply appreciative that Sam was willing to run down here even though I'm pretty sure he was already in bed. 

In the meantime, while they were determining all that, I was cleaning the bathroom well, sweeping up all the bugs and am no wiser as to what they were or where they came from than I had been.  But I did recall that the night before John had something about a lot of bugs on the books about his light and sure enough when I went to look there they were still.  All were dead and they were the most delicate things you've ever seen, but I've no idea what they were nor how they came to invade those two rooms nor why they did.   They weren't in any other room.

I slept poorly again last night.  Head and jaw pain combined to wake me.  I just kept trying to sleep anyway, because I knew full well that I have three more days of baby sitting.   Yes, on Saturday I am to keep Millie while Daddy and the boys join Grampa at a men's car show at church.   I won't even mention how very disappointed I felt when John told me I'd have to keep Millie if they were going to go.   Not Millie's fault, nor Sam's.  The truth is this car show was on the calendar for two full months and I'd said all along I'd keep Millie.  I just didn't realize I was going to have children for 8 days in a row at the time, lol.

Caleb arrived with his usual loud and cheerful "Hey!" which tickles me every time I hear it.  He's eaten like a champ today but he seemed tired and weary and sure enough he went down for a nap about 12:30 and went right to sleep.  I have a women's meeting tonight that is catering supper to us ladies and have been wracking my brain trying to determine what Caleb and John might have for supper that involves little work on my part.   I'm just as blank as I was this morning, but I know there are leftovers in the fridge yet and I'm sure I'll figure out something.

In an effort to keep the house from being stuffy and the AC from working so hard with rooms shut off, I put our dining room chairs on their sides across the door openings.  This allowed us to keep all the doors open and I must say the house definitely feels cooler than yesterday even though the thermostat reading went just as high, about 3 degrees above what we set it.

Friday:  Last night I went off to a church women's meeting, the first I'm aware of since we've been attending the church.  I was a bit wary that I'd not have anyone to sit with.   Truth is, when John and I attended the last Oasis meeting we ended up alone at a table and no one we invited to join us seemed to want to return to actually join us once dinner was started.  I confess, I was a bit hurt but not mortally so.

Anyway, my fear last night was that I shouldn't have anyone to share a table with once more, but the place was packed.  It was intended to hold the meeting in the student building but women turned out in record numbers to attend the meeting and it was moved to the main sanctuary.    It was so full that people were adding chairs to tables and scrunching up in order to offer everyone places to sit.   Of the 7 at our table, I'd been attending the church the longest and was the only one who had actually joined the church.   

Dinner was a taco bar followed by a cheesecake bar.  I don't think the caterer had any idea how women would attack those  two food set ups, lol.  The food was delicious, the company was pleasant and to end the meal, we listened to comedian Kay Dodd.  I haven't laughed so in years.  Our praise team was all female, too.  It was, in short, a great evening out.  I look forward to future events with other Christian women.

I'd planned, after the event, to go to Kroger and pick up some sales items that were very well priced indeed.  I found however, that once out of the building, I was really too tired to do anything but head home.  After all, it's a 35 minute drive home from there and I knew that if I went to do that shopping, I'd be much later getting in than 10pm.   I fell into bed last night and slept hard, though I woke several times.  Fortunately, I went back to sleep easily each time.

John was up at 5:15 this morning.  He's gone off to volunteer with the church.  Today they are giving away a Convoy of Hope tractor trailer full of food, passing out water bottles, setting up a prayer tent, and giving away school supply packed backpacks.

I was up before 7am myself, and enjoyed my coffee in solitude and silence.  Katie arrived early enough to sit and talk with me a little while before returning home to start her work day.  Caleb and I ate breakfast together and then sat on the porch.  He amused himself playing in the puddles under dripping plant pots as I watered them and petting Misu.  It wasn't until he started grabbing her tail and making her yowl that I came back indoors with him.

I am tired.  But as I said to Katie this morning, I'm enjoying this time with Caleb.  Part of me would like to keep him at least part time but this full time stuff is hard.  I'd forgotten how mind numbing it is to have to just sit with a child.   At the moment he's playing with the toy dishes which will keep him occupied perhaps a half hour.  And then he'll want me to hold him or play with him or feed him a snack and he'll fuss and whine and then he'll suddenly get down and go play all on his own once more.

While he's occupied I thought I'd try and finish out this week's post.   It's all about moments of time, really, isn't it?  I'm playing the Youtube play list I set up for Advent this past Christmas.   I took out a whole roasting hen to bake tomorrow morning. I've asked John for a date to the peach shed to get peach ice cream and pick up peaches.  

On Monday, school starts back...It's that time of year for us and Isaac will be going off for his first year.  I may not be able to do the fancy dinner as I'd hoped to do.  And here we go with Caleb needing his special attention.

How was your week?