Tick Tock, it's Back to Work and School

It's been fun having extra kids off and off as we've muddled through another Spring Break. Jeff's taken a lot more time off than I have because I wasted my time being sick. (Blech.) But it's back to the salt mines in the morning.

Today was cold and rainy, and Alex ditched Ali, Hannah and me to play with one of his guy friends. Prior to a spontaneous shopping trip, I was sitting on the couch in the living room under a blanket while the girls were doing who-knows-what downstairs. Every once in a while, I'd hear Ali come beating a path from the stairs to her bedroom, running like the wind, her stops pounding a fast track from linoleum to wood and back again. It was like she thought if she slowed down, she'd miss a minute of fun and she couldn't let that happen.

At one point, though, I looked up and she was inching silently across the floor and scared the bejesus out me. She'd "made" Hannah watch a show Hannah doesn't like and now it was Hannah's turn at the remote. Ali was trying to waste time walking as slowly and silently around the upstairs, waiting out the tv show.

Later, on the way home from shopping, the girls and I checked out an open house that Karin had mentioned. It was in the neighborhood on the "right" side of the Monon Trail. (We're on the other side.) So it was on the way home. Jeff's been talking about moving and I don't know that I want to move at all. I know I don't want to go far.

So we go into this house. The girls immediately wanted to go upstairs and they liked what they saw. Floor two had two bedrooms -- both bigger than Alison's, but the master bath wasn't at all as nice as my current one, and I'm not sure the master bedroom was bigger than mine. But there was an attic room that was way cool -- though it would have to be a library or play room because the slanted ceiling wouldn't accommodated Ali's bunk bed.

The kitchen was smaller, an odd shape and it had an electric range, but the breakfast nook overlooked a fabulous yard and huge hot tub. "Hannah! That could be ours!" Ali chortled.

The main floor was OK. The side porch better than my back porch. The fireplace was gas, which I liked. "I prefer "real" wood," sniffed my daughter.

Then, the basement. Totally unfinished. "Ooooh. Creepy," they both said, nearly in unison, and repeatedly. "And there's no laundry chute!" they shouted in dismay, looking everywhere for a sign of how to get rid of dirty clothes fast.

They might have been able to live with the basement if we put some work into it, but the fact that the house didn't have a laundry chute was a deal breaker. Even the hot tub wasn't enough.

"We like your/our house way better," they decided. I guess we'll keep looking...

I somehow conned Karin into letting me keeping both Hannah and Alex tonight -- it's the last night of our Spring Break. I can't imagine school will be on high learning alert tomorrow. And they have such fun together.

As I was getting them ready for bed, I found three cans of Frebreze downstairs. Apparently there had been a Febreze war at some point while I read upstairs. It's possible that I should have checked on them more...

They've been in bed 30 minutes and I've barely heard a peep out of them. The Febreze war must have taken its toll.

We've actually had a series of great events in the past week or so, and I don't think I mentioned them all.

10. Drew Tokash's hockey team is the city champion, and Drew scored one of the goals that led to said championship.
9. Butler's in the Final Four!
8. We had a fabulous time at Great Wolf Lodge and the Newport Aquarium with Rachael Weir.
7. Ali's friend Anna came over for a sleepover and we had a great time! She's a fairly new friend, but it was a great, great time and we expect to do it more.
6. I finally got off my lead butt and ordered new contacts.
5. Team Ogden came over for a sleepover Friday, which you think would have led to some fun for the elder members of Team Reed. (see No. 2.)
4. Ali had a sleepover at Team Ogden HQ on Saturday night, which you think would have led to some fun for the elder members of Team Reed. (see No. 2.)
3. I found a copy of the latest Kim Harrison "Hollows" series books.
2. Ali, Hannah and I went crazy at Target and redecorated Ali's bathroom --updating her tropical fish look to a more trendy, but fun young girl look.
1. Jeff's done with his two-days of baseball fantasy drafting and weeks of non-stop prep for the drafts -- well, he will be tonight -- and if I'm not deep into the Hollows, I might just remind him that he's married...