I suppose I should resume posting my “Weekend Happenings” since I don’t get very far with posting anything else!  At least this way you’ll know what we’re up to, or not up to as the case may sometimes be!

So let’s start with this weekend….

Starting Friday.  Friday I had my sub here but didn’t have any full-day plans, just a couple quick errands to run.  The first was taking the Corvette to the DEQ.   After Bob passed we put the car in Jim’s name so that selling the car would be a little easier to do (no death certificate required).   Jill currently has ‘custody’ of the car, so I had to check with her to make sure it was available, and that I could use her copy of the key since I wasn’t sure where our copy was.  I had Jim sign the renewal application before he left for work, then called Jill to see if the car was available…..and that started my day!  Trevor and I walked over to her house to grab the car, we went straight to DEQ where we were next in line.   The car passed, we paid the bill, got the new stickers and headed for home.  We stopped at several yard sales along the way but decided that garage sale-ing in a Corvette is less than ideal.  First off it’s a pain to get in and out of the car…..secondly, there’s no real trunk or storage space.  It is certainly not a car I’d want to use as an every day driver!  We bought 6 dinosaurs and a book and called it good.

Next up- Nikita’s Rabies vaccine at the vet.  No, we didn’t take the Vette.  Can you believe Nikita is six months old already? Look at her!

She’s doing really well with her training.  She’s a good dog.

The rest of the day was spent working on various home tasks, a short trip to the library, and after work we had a Pool Party to go to.

The kids had tons of fun there and there was lots of good eats and good company.  It was after 10pm when we left to come home.

Saturday morning we went garage sale-ing again, this time in the Expedition- MUCH more room for goodies!  We saled until after noon.  It was getting HOT, too….we were thirsty, tired, hungry.  But we sure got some good deals!  We got an umbrella stand (heavy duty cast iron!) for two bucks!  A picnic tablecloth, a dog crate for Nikita, a crab ring, a curtain rod, several books, earrings, a few daycare toys, Brooke got a velvet and satin sequined winter dress.

We were supposed to spend that afternoon cleaning out the trailer to get ready for our upcoming camping trip, but it was TOO hot.  Instead we stopped by to hook up the battery and make sure the popouts would slide out, and they did, so we left them out with the intention of me doing the cleaning on Sunday when the weather would be cooler, and while Jim was at work.

One more stop on the way home to register the kids for swim lessons at our neighborhood pool- and talk to the head lifeguard to find out what the policy is this year for my kiddos to hang out at the pool without me.  The ruling is:  10 years old to go to the pool by yourself, or you can go with a sibling age 12 or older IF you’ve passed the swim test.   WHEW!  I know Riley can pass the swim test, but I’m not sure about Brooke.

Back home, we relaxed indoors for a bit (still haven’t turned our AC on yet!) then the neighbor’s called to see if Riley could join them at the pool.  Brooke wanted to go, too, and I wanted her to get the experience so she could take the swim test in a few weeks.

Jim and I took advantage of the kid-free time to watch the True Blood season premiere.  When that was over I walked to the pool to see how the kids were doing.  It was the first day the pool was open….our kids had been there for over two hours already.  Here’s Trevor’s hands:

Ha ha ha…all three of the kids were pruned up nicely.  AND…. Brooke and Riley BOTH passed the swim test!  I was totally shocked that Brooke had passed.  Riley told us she had been working with Brooke in the pool to get her ready and she did it!  The swim test is swimming the width of the pool across and back doing a front stroke/crawl stroke, then swimming across and back doing a backstroke, then one-minute of treading water.

Here’s the proud kiddos:

After we got home we had sandwiches for dinner and watched the movie IMMORTALS.  Wow what an intense movie!  Geez!

Sunday morning- Jim went to work, left before 5am!  I woke up around 7am and Brooke woke up shortly after.  She wanted to go clean the trailer with me-  I had told the kids the night before that I was planning on going first thing in the morning and they could stay home if they wanted.  Brooke said she wanted to go with me, so I was glad she woke up early.  We took a short trip to Starbucks for hot chocolate and a white mocha, then grabbed a couple donuts from Thriftway, and headed to my parents’ house where the trailer is stored.   I’d remembered to load the Dyson, and several cleaning cloths and a spray bottle of vinegar and water…..but forgot the extension cord. The trailer is about 100′ from the nearest outlet.  Ugh.  Fortunately I found an extension cord in my parents’ garage so I plugged it in and we got to work.

It probably took me about 2 hours total.  DEEP cleaning- wiping every surface, vaccuming everything, reorganizing stuff, etc.  Hundreds of dead ladybugs, with hundreds of ladybug “poop” stains on the walls and counters.  The tub/shower had many many dead bugs in it..  YUCK.  And of course our friendly mouse who visits every spring (or his cousin, sister, whoever).  Poops in several places.  We got smart several years ago and now store all our linens and dishes and supplies in large totes to keep the mice out.  We also cover the beds and couch with sheets so we can just take the sheets off and have a head start on cleanliness.

Brooke said she had fun.  “I’m not bored like I used to be”, she said.   She spent most of her time reading, then organizing all the toys in the toy drawer, and checking out the games and activity books.  She helped clean the windows and vacuum the bugs out of the tub/shower.  She actually didn’t want to leave when it was time!  I think I might have a new cleaning partner!

Back home Trevor and Riley cleaned the kitchen some, then we headed to Washington Square to do a return and a little shopping at H&M.  Brooke scored on several clearance shirts, got a dress and some black sequined high-top sneakers, Riley got a Minnie Mouse shirt and Trevor chose a ballcap.  Oh, I got a shirt, too!  Brooke wants to model her new dress:

Trevor surprised me by asking if he could get a haircut.  A short haircut!  Here’s the before:

And the after:

I think his new ‘do makes him look a lot older!

Back home for some more thorough kitchen cleaning, then the kids went to the pool for a couple hours.  Yay for them being able to ALL go this summer!

I threw some beef ribs on the Traeger and Jim got home from work a little after 3:00.  We spent our kid-free afternoon fine tuning the drip system in the backyard, bleaching the fountain, and training Nikita.  When the kids came home we ate dinner at the big patio table- ahhhh. I love our backyard!  Beef ribs, not so much.  We’ll stick to the pork baby back ribs from here on out.

All three kids met their daily minimum reading goal- Trevor and Riley chose to read on the way to/from the mall, which was 15 minutes each way….plus both read a little extra later in the evening.  Brooke logged her first hour while I was cleaning the trailer, then logged additional minutes later.

That pretty much wraps up our weekend….

A little bit of productivity mixed with a lot of relaxation…..the way weekends are supposed to be!