Nora got to choose a punkin’. We didn’t COMPLETELY abandon her.

Saturday was innocuous enough; a few errands and appointments and general loafishness. It was Sunday that hit him like a ton of bricks. 

Over coffee (mine), Ovatine (Peej’s) and Costco waffles (all Nora’s- she doesn’t even begin to think about sharing those), I made a list. A little list. Of stuff we HAD to get done before this coming week. And before the winter. Or really the shank of the Fall. And certainly before we left our daughter for four and a half days. 

P.J. agreed. Warily. Because, sadly, there is no “right” answer. (You’re either on board with the overhaul or against my personal freedoms.)

So I sent him out to Home Depot (where everybody knows your naaaaame…) and I got to work. You see, regardless of the heaps of laundry, personal correspondence or the positively Sisyphean battle of child-proofing left to do…I had a little thorn in my side called the Storage Room.

It should not have been called the Storage Room. It’s actually a second kitchen, on the lower level. Same size as our main kitchen, huge picture windows, enough room in which to house a bouncy castle. (Ooh!) But it has been a way station for building supplies, actual storage, and friends’ furniture. And it was filthy. And more than a little musty. And- most importantly of all- the paint was awful.

SO. Despite all of the tasks looming before me, I’d decided that I could not live another day without putting new paint on those walls. Cinchy. 

Trouble was, to even get to the walls, I needed to remove an entire Home Depot’s worth of oak doors, baseboards and planking, and random pieces of wood that WE ABSOLUTELY NEED, KEELY. 

During Nora’s first nap, I secured the cats in the laundry area, propped open the side door, and lugged a potentially unwise amount of heavy lumber up the stairs and into the backyard. (Once there? Who cares? It’s like I tell my Littles- if we don’t find places for your toys, maybe we should put them in the yard? Where other kids might like them and want to put them away? Honestly, the best case scenario would’ve been if someone robbed our yard then and there.) I got some serious elbow splinters and more than one ugly scrapes from broken hardware. The neighbors think I’m totally crazy. Crazier.

Side note- Did I mention my tetanus shots aren’t up to date? I have a bit of a sulfa allergy. Not sure whether it’s worse to be violently ill for a week or get TETANUS, but we may soon find out. 

The look on P.J.’s face when he returned home was one of shock (How did you CARRY all of that?) and dismay (So- we’re doing this?) And I kept on keeping on: scrubbing, degreasing (did I mention it was an olllllld kitchen?) and paint-taping until my fingers threatened to fall off. And this was just the prep work. 

Long story kinda short, I finished up at 10pm. (Fun tip: Find a paint edger at around 8:30pm. Then you’ll realize how much of your edging/paint taping/finger misery was rendered completely superfluous! Seriously. Then go back and re-edge the entire room in- oh, about five minutes. Then- and this part is really important- jab out your eye with a corner of the paint edger in protest of your lost afternoon.)

And I fully realize that the cleaning and organizing frenzy of which has consumed the past month is solely due to the fact that I am freaking out over my impending trip. (Not the trip so much- that part will be AWESOME- but the leaving of my kiddo.) So yeah, nothing has been done in terms of actual Stuff We Needed To Get Done…but hey, at least Nora has a rec room in which to console herself over the lack of clean clothes/secured cabinets. In “spring morn” [green], no less. 

That sorta makes up for your parents jaunting off to northern California for awhile, doesn’t it?

Doesn’t it?

(p.s. Please go vote for her on the left-hand side! The sting of bad parenting is easily soothed by a huge prize from Baby Gap.) 

Her therapist thanks you.