Maybe It's Monday?

We got into Raleigh at 7 pm last night. Matt was right. Coming back home is much worse than going jet lag wise. I finally dozed off at 2:30 am last night and after waking up about 5 times I got up at 6 am. While I was exhausted, I really wasn't all that tired –– until about 2pm this afternoon when I stupidly slept for a few hours. Now I am wide awake again. Ho hum.

Don't worry I plan on doing lots of blogging about the trip. I have uploaded all the pics to my computer and now I just need to upload them online and start descriptions. I will probably blog in waves, so just be patient. After all, I have 10 days to catch you up on.

So while I am still steaming over last weeks American Idol (I just watched it on my DVR –– flipping Ryan), I will spend some time catching you up on things around here.

• Sami is learning how to ride her bike without training wheels. She is able to do it for about 15 seconds before having to stop. She is pretty proud of herself.
  
• Chris's baseball team is just starting practices. This season he starts kids pitch instead of coach pitch. I am hoping this will make games much more exciting than in previous years. Wednesday he will be representing his elementary in a county wide sporting event as the fastest boy mile runner at his school.
  
• Emily landed her full on the floor while I was gone. This is a huge huge huge thing in gymnastics. This is not her, but this is what the skill looks like.
  

• Matt is scheduling a trip to Brazil for the beginning of June. He will be gone 13 days. He is tired of traveling, but excited because he has never been to Brazil yet. he is bummed that he will miss the last week of the kid's school. I guess it is only fitting as he also missed their first week.
  
• Well I did not get that position that I blogged about last month. But when one door closes another opens, right? Well today via email a new client confirmed that he chose me for a project. I am very excited about this one as it is a whole new market, yet one that I love. Shopping! I will be writing online catalogs for furniture and other items like sporting goods and door hardware. Pretty cool!!!
• My parents leave tomorrow for Ohio (my dad drove down on Saturday and will leave with my mom tomorrow) It has been great having them here and showing them around a town that I have grown to love. Thank you so so so so so much for helping with the kids. You guys rock.
  
• Did I mention that I am yanked with last week's American Idol? (the results, not the Idol Gives Back portion)
  

WIll It Ever End

Three weeks ago the flu struck our house. Well technically it struck the girls while flying back from Ohio (I apologize again to anyone who may have been sitting near us on the plane). Then I was sick. Then Chris. And the following week when Matt left for Japan Emily got sick again.

So at 5:15 this morning I slowly got myself out of bed to make Matt coffee since he was leaving for another trip and had to catch a 7 am flight. (This was not a good day for "spring ahead".) I come back upstairs, crawl into bed, slowly drift to sleep as Matt finishes packing when we hear Sam start crying and yelling "Mama!" No she wasn't talking in her sleep. And no she didn't miss me and want me to come crawl into bed with her. Rather she puked all over her bed. Yes. She. Puked. Again. And while I changed her bed she continued to puke in the bathroom and then again in a bucket.

Now I am just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Emily stayed the night at one her teammates house last night so hopefully she is okay there. I am sure it is just a matter of time before Chris starts up. And if I get sick we are totally screwed as Matt just left to work the Cat booth at ConExpo in Las Vegas. He better just enjoy whatever time he gets laying by the pool at his hotel in Vegas because when he returns he may just find himself with our lovely children alone for a few days.

Getting Back on Track

The holidays are over, our Vegas trip is done, the Poultry Expo is complete and Kate and Matty have come and gone. Matt leaves tomorrow for the start of his whirlwind traveling and I am ready to get back on track with things around here.

So as always, I have made a "to-do list" for this week while Matt is in Tucson. I am hoping that this will help start get me caught up to where I need to be around here. Maybe... hopefully...

1. Order my new camera
2. Prepare for gymnastics board meeting that is Thursday evening
3. Get all tax documents organized and everything we have so far entered into tax software. If W2 comes this week (crossing fingers it will) then go ahead and finish and file.
   
4. Update calendar and sync with ipod
5. Update contacts and sync with ipod
   
6. Return large stack of massively overdue library books
7. Invoice chicken client (providing they issue me POs to do so)
8. Finish one outstanding Cat project. Begin three new ones.
   
9. Organize office and work files better
10. Send potential new client business proposal
11. Pay bills and balance checkbook
12. Call Illinois bank and close out the remaining $75 left in there **sniff sniff**
13. File reimbursement form for Matt's trip to dental specialist last month
14. Finishing burning photos that are on laptop
15. Send in Verizon rebate (fingers crossed it isn't too late. I hate rebates)
16. Get rid of this stupid cold
17. Make it to the gym at least 3 times
18. Finish the book I am 1/2 way through
19. Vacuum out van

We will see how many I actually get done. But hey, it's a place to start. Right?

Reviewing My List

Last week I listed everything I wanted to get done while Matt was gone two weeks for work. Well he comes home late Friday night and where does my list stand? Due to a few unexpected circumstaces, not very well.

• Finish buying the kids school supplies and last few items needed for school
• Open houses at both Em and Chris's school
• Help host teacher's supper at Chris's school on Thursday
• Gymnastics and football practices
• Prepare for Gymnastics Booster Club board and general membership meetings. (I may have forgotten to mention that I have been elected president- gulp)
• Organize pancake breakfast fundraiser
• Organize all photos on computer and online
• Clean and organize office & receipts
  
• Work on one three large projects for work
• Thoroughly clean house top to bottom, including dusting all lighting
• Organize master bathroom cupboards
• Go through Sam's clothes and pull out outgrown clothing
• Organize music on ipod
• Pick out paint colors for house
• Finish books for reading challenge

I still have over 36 hours left. Maybe if I am lucky I can cross a few more off. But if not, oh well. There is always the next business trip.

And He's Off Again...

After flight delays and Matt forgetting to have booked both a rental car and hotel he is off for the next 2 weeks to Illinois then Japan. I am sure the next two weeks will fly by with the start of school, practices, meetings and a bunch of things on my to-do list.

So what is all on my agenda over the next two weeks?

• Finish buying the kids school supplies and last few items needed for school
• Open houses at both Em and Chris's school
• Help host teacher's supper at Chris's school on Thursday
• Gymnastics and football practices
  
• Prepare for Gymnastics Booster Club board and general membership meetings. (I may have forgotten to mention that I have been elected president- gulp)
• Organize pancake breakfast fundraiser
• Organize all photos on computer and online
• Clean and organize office & receipts
  
• Work on three large projects for work
• Thoroughly clean house top to bottom
  
• Organize master bathroom cupboards
• Go through Sam's clothes and pull out outgrown clothing
• Organize music on ipod
• Pick out paint colors for house
• Help neighbor pick out new kitchen sinks
• Finish books for reading challenge
  

That should keep me busy... ya think?