Yesterday was officially the first day of Spring Break for Dave’s school — and boy was he ready for a break!!
This has been a particularly stressful year for both of us, but his class schedule is extra difficult this year with an AP Calculus class, more preps than in previous years, AND he’s the head of student council.
Add in 2 international students, a new baby, house projects, etc… and we’re both ready for a break.
Thankfully, we’re getting a nice long break… and the house all to ourselves for 11 whole days {one of our international students moved out after 1st semester and the other one is visiting family in New York} Don’t worry, we’re letting Nora stick around for the week!
However, due to the nature of my work, I rarely ever get breaks unless I plan ahead, and make a conscious effort to take time off…
…and that’s exactly what I’m doing this year!
I’ve put some of my VA work “on hold” for the week, and instead of planning, writing, and editing blog posts for Simple Organized Living, I’ll be sharing our daily life via short, daily blog updates {with lots of pictures.}
I still have a really fantastic weekend giveaway planned for Friday, but I think the change of pace will be a nice break for me — and hopefully a fun opportunity for you to get a glimpse into my everyday life.
Here are a few projects we’re hoping to work on over break:
Clean up the yard.
Since we moved in the middle of winter and were insanely busy this past summer {renovating our main floor, Dave finishing his masters, getting ready for the baby} our landscaping has been sorely neglected! We’re planning to spend a couple afternoons trimming bushes and trees, pulling weeds, spreading fertilizer, and cleaning things up for spring and summer.
Catch up on laundry.
About twice a year I try to wash ALL the blankets, comforters, pillows, winter coats, etc. The last time I did this was before Nora was born {about 5-6 months ago} so it’s about time again.
Restock the freezer.
We were hoping our fridge would hold out until our kitchen renovation this summer… but unfortunately, it bit the dust. Thankfully, we found a cheap {and surprisingly nice} fridge via Craigslist, which means we have lots more space in our deep freezer. Dave thinks that space should get filled up with baked goods… and I agree 🙂 So I’m hoping to spend a little time cooking and baking to restock our freezer!
Declutter.
First of all, you must remember that organizing is actually FUN for me and I haven’t had a ton of extra time these past few months to do any big organizing projects — so yeah, I’m super exited to tackle a few specific areas in our home.
We’ll be going through our master closet {especially Dave’s stuff!}, the kitchen, and maybe some of our storage tubs in the basement. And yes, I’ll post pictures!
Here are a few fun things we’ll be doing over break.
Sleeping in.
Yup, we’re planning to sleep in as long as Nora lets us!
Going out to eat.
Besides the cooking I do for the freezer, I’m not planning to do much cooking for us. We’re both fine with simple foods {sandwiches, salads, etc} and we’re looking forward to using several of the gift cards we’ve been saving up to go out to eat a few times.
Working on my digital photo albums.
I’ve been doing such a great job of taking pictures lately, but I haven’t made the time to work on my digital scrapbooks. So I’m hoping I’ll have some time for this in the evenings after Nora goes to bed.
Going for walks.
It’s been a little colder this past week, but we’re still hoping there will be plenty of warm weather and sun to go for daily walks — especially since that’s one of the only ways we can get Nora to take a nap!
I know we will BOTH enjoy the time away from our normal routines. It should be just what we need after a stressful year… and hopefully we’ll both be ready to get back to work the following week!
Kristen @ Joyfullythriving says
Yea for Spring Breaks! We’ve started ours off with a busy basketball tournament, so are now moving on to the sleeping in, relaxing, baking and enjoying the week portion of our break. Enjoy yours!
Tammy Skipper (@Tammy_Skipper) says
We are starting off our Spring Break today and my schedule will stay similar to a normal week but instead of as much work as I might normally do, we’ll be day tripping a few places. Our annual zoo pass is about to expire so we want to go there, we have a pass for the Space Needle and haven’t been yet, as well as just enjoying a little sleeping in! I can’t wait to see your projects.
Amy says
I will be spending time with my daughter (she’s 9). We will hang out, shop, go to our karate classes(she’s getting her 1st degree black belt in 2 weeks and I’ve got 4 more classes until I get my orange belt!), cooking, baking and getting ready for our yard sale. I always look forward to the school breaks so she and I get that special mother/daughter “girl time” to hang out! ๐
Thrifty Mom in Boise says
You take breaks like I do! ๐
Hmmm. Let’s see how much productivity we can cram into a specific span of time. We’ll be finishing up our big purging project and getting ready for our Yard Sale. I am also doing a couple make-ahead-meals and some bread baking. Then in between all of that and going to work I will be packing for our move. Always busy!
lisa says
I am … Finishing my 40 days ~ 1 whole house organizing challenge.
Having a garage sale…
Playing with my NEW i Pad… ๐
and launching my virtual organizing business!
๐
Lisa organize365
Andrea says
Sounds like you’ll be pretty busy Lisa!
J says
Sounds so nice, all that you have planned. I am glad you decided to take a break but still let us see a peak of something. Enjoy!
PS the photo of your home and yard is lovely.
A. says
how do u wash pillows? can u put them in the dryer? or do they get all bunched up?
Andrea says
Here’s a post I wrote about washing pillows and other dry-clean only items
Ann says
If your pillows are not down or feathers, do not wash them . They will get all bunchy and will only be good for the dog to lay on. ๐ (I don’t have a dog!) If they aren’t down, it is best to frequently change the pillow cases and to replace the pillows as necessary. You can throw them in a hot dyer (without getting them wet first) and/or freeze them if you are worried about lice or bed bugs.
Andrea says
Ann, I wash our “non down” pillows all the time and never have issues. Just throw in a few tennis balls and they aren’t lumpy at all.
Ann says
Have fun! It’s housework (which I HATE!), yardwork (which I love if the weather is nice), and babysitting my grandson for me for the week. I love the change of pace and no alarms!