Basements, Garage Sales and Summer Break (really? this is a break?)

It is 2 weeks and a couple days past the countdowns and goodbyes of the end of the school year.  Since spring break I kept saying- it will get better after May.  Which, in all fairness. it did.  I love that I can make dinner with the windows open and listen to the kids playing happily in the yard, I have been awake before the alarm every day, and we have added picnics and walks by the lake to our weekly agenda. 

Picnicing at the gazebo...

Then come the projects-  first up- community garage sale.  We do it at my house, I have a nice big garage, it is a good excuse to clean it up, and everyone comes over which is fun. My kids loved having time to spend with "Auntie Pam", my good friend from college.   But, garage sales are totally time consuming!  Plus our dryer decided that this was the week it should catch on fire!  So we had to add a few trips to the laundrymat because I like to wash my kids stuff before I sell it.  (I know that is crazy, but I think they sell better- plus I get really nice compliments every year! and I prefer to buy garage sale clothes that are fluffy and clean! Totally worth it in my opinion.)  Also adding to the stress is that one year a local morning show filmed for a few minutes in my garage for the whole Rockford area to see. So now I feel that my garage sale has to look "TV ready" just in case! :)   But that was a week ago, so now- done!

Next up-  my basement.  or the dump underneath my house.  I have other phrases to describe it, but I like to keep my posts rated PG so I will keep them to myself.   It is where my dog has been sleeping at night, curled up in an old chair or a big box with a comfy old comforter in it.  So it smells like dog and musty basement.   I took pictures, which thankfully, don't include the smell. However, I will not be sharing them until I am finished and have an after photo I can be proud of!  So my project this week has been to eliminate the smell and paint the basement floor.  I have gotten rid of a huge pile of garbage and have another one ready to go.  ICK, but so far so good! My goal is to turn it into a room that I can send the kids to play where they can  run around and play with those huge toys we don't have room for upstairs.  Someday, I want to finish it, but until then I found a little money in the budget to put into it- so I am working on getting it decent for a couple hundred bucks.  Good Luck to me!!!!!     

So that is my "break".  (and working on a Common Core Curriculum team a few days a week)  Hopefully I will get this all behind me soon and really get more relaxing time in!  :)

Hope you are all enjoying your summer!
Julie