I feel like I have been going and going.  The house preparations to have a for sale sign out front on Friday have kept us crazy busy with lists of to do lists.  I literally have four different lists going.  The good news is we are making progress.  At times it has felt like I don’t know where to start, since there is so much to be done.  So, in the middle of working on one project I get side tracked onto another project.  It all has to get done, so it doesn’t ultimately matter  that parts here and there are getting done except that it drags out crossing something off as DONE.  We all like that step.

It really has been fun to feel the change in the house in the decluttering and simplifying.  To date, we have now taken 21 bags to Goodwill and filled two trailers of junk that have been hauled off to the dump.  That is a lot of stuff.  I’ll spare you pictures galore, but a few things we have done this week are:

• switched out light fixtures
• gone through more closets
• found the boys’ room and brought it out of the dark pit state that it was in
• cleaned out the kitchen cabinets
• taken a picture gallery wall down, repaired holes from screws, and repainted
• painted the front door
• layed pine straw in the front yard
• spray painted like everything (railings, mailbox, etc)…Matt said it was probably a good thing when my black spray paint ran out.
• repaired rotten boards
• painted most of Matt’s office
• added siding to Matt’s office
• created a Welcome Sign for back door
• made a wreath for the front door

I know I am missing some stuff, but you can get a feel for what its been like around here.  I have felt bad for my kids and missed hanging out with them as they have  not gotten the quality time they are use too.  I have tried to include them in as much as I can.  They have helped sort through clothes and toys, and even helped paint their daddy’s office and trim the bushes.  They are excited, but there is only so much they can do as well.  This week, I have aimed to give them my mornings.  I didn’t want to do anything but school and hang with them.  It’s been fun to see the change of things we are talking about as we prepare to move.

Over the weekend, we took a good look at our front yard and door, and we decided that the dead plants in the planters on the front steps would have to be replaced.  We talked about beauty, color, and life and what we would get for our pots.

On one of our many trips to Home Depot this weekend, we picked up some new plants and the kids helped me plant them.

We talked about the different parts of a plant and what they need to live.  We got plants that required the right amount of sunlight for our steps, and I truly hope we can keep them alive for a little while.  I don’t have a green thumb.  All this talk lead to us looking through books and learning more about plants yesterday.  We talked about the three parts of plants and all the variations of plants.

This led to us talking about stories we knew with plants, and ultimately we referred to Jack and the Beanstalk.  Since I couldn’t find our book of Jack and the Beanstalk (hopefully it didn’t end up at Goodwill!?), I knew we could find some readings of it on You Tube.  We went to the computer and spent a while browsing and watching different Jack and the Beanstalk videos.  This was so fun.  The boys were interested and were comparing and contrasting the different versions of the stories without realizing they were remembering/reciting details and doing so many other great reading tools.

Our favorite video was by Debbie and Friends and you can see it here.  I think we watched it four times and the boys laughed out loud every time.  After our videos, we painted our own beanstalks.

All of the sudden, I realized we had done a whole unit of study on plants and all because we were preparing our house to go up for sale.  It is so fun to study and learn about life in what is the everyday manner and routine.

I love enjoying my kids, and I am very thankful for the gift of being able to step back and gain perspective.  We all needed time away from the to do lists for a bit yesterday and just laughing together.  Do you ever find yourself annoyed and irritated by the very things that ultimately give you the most joy?

Today, is our last BIG push on projects, cleaning, and packing up all the tools and supplies.  We have our first showing tomorrow.  Yes, the day before the for sale sign is out!  Ahhh we are praying the Lord keeps directing us each step of the way.  Thank you for your prayers!  I am not sure if I will have a post ready for my usual Friday post.  Please forgive me if I step away for a few days/little bit.  I will be back and I will be checking messages.  I spent a long time last night re-reading all your messages and ended up in a heap in front of my computer in tears.  I have the best readers.  Thank you for being in this with us!!

Ps.  I am so sorry, but I am taking a break from my All About the Kids Link Up party.  Please visit one of my favorite link ups from last week. Dollie with Teachers of Good Things gave a great list of tips on how to build attentiveness in toddlers and preschoolers.