Swiffer

The inventor of Swiffer pads has my undying gratitude.  Once I gave up on using Windex and towels to dust and started using Swiffers, things went much more quickly.  And good thing, too, 'cuz we've been at it most of the afternoon and still have so much to do.

We have culled out two full boxes of carefully wrapped crystal and glassware.  As we put things back in the china hutch, we let things go that we seldom use and/or will never use.  It's nice to have things we really love displayed lovingly on the shelves instead of mixed among a bunch of seldom used pieces.  Still more to do but we're getting there.

The construction dust is unbelievably thick and I'm so glad Swiffers are picking it up quickly and easily.  We've dry mopped the dining room floor again and are working on getting up some glue smears before H. and J. move the table back in.  Then the sideboard.  Hoping to have a clear living room floor before the cleaning crew arrives Tuesday.

I took H. to WalMart with me yesterday - he needed pants and some socks.  He also hit me up for a PS3 game but I was OK with buying it - anything to keep him busy is something I'm in favor of.  He also found a blanket for his bed - what would have been a quick trip for some additional Swiffer stuff turned into a shopping spree!  Oh well - it was nice to have him out and about with me - and to his credit, he kept insisting 'no' to my frequent 'do you want to try this?' as we took at trip through the frozen food section attempting to find things he might want to eat.

He found a gym that was less than $20 a month (with initiation) - but $199 if you paid for a full year in advance - so we paid for him.  He is allowed to bring a guest every time he goes so he can take B. with him when he's home over Christmas.  $200 a year is far less than the $1260 we were paying for the old gym.  No swimming pools, etc. at the new gym but plenty of cardio machines and weight training which is what the boys do most, anyway.

J. went to the nearby grocery (as opposed to across town to Winco) to get a few things for dinner and for our morning smoothies.  We bought a Ninja blender and while it sounds like a jet taking off, it works well and provides way more fiber than just juicing.  Though the texture is interesting and a little hard to get used to - but I will.  Still plan to juice as well but will try to do a healthy veggie-based smoothie most mornings.

This week, J. will track down the paint for the wood trim in the house and hire a painter to work on painting the stair risers and touching up other wood trim throughout the house.  I think we could do it ourselves but the trim work on the stairs is going to be tricky.  I want to use an easy to clean, durable paint since the scuff marks on the white risers is really hard to handle - already.  I'm glad they're white 'cuz at least the scuff marks show - but it's going to be a real PITA to keep them clean.

A busy work week ahead.  Big report looming and I'm out of the office for a few days for our trip to Phoenix - so I've got to get going - I'm aiming for earlier arrivals and later departures vs. any weekends. I'm really trying hard to avoid weekends and haven't worked one since June!

Yes, that feels pretty awesome!