Mindy Carlson

Sorry for the long absence. Things have gotten really busy here!

First, I have a middle schooler. I’m still reeling.

Second, there is the house to deal with. We still have a few boxes to unpack and I just cannot get it together to finish this gallery wall I’m working on. (Hopefully before we host book club in April.)

Third, I have an additional job. I’m now the editor for AFineParent.com! That has kept me really hopping! I’m working with authors, formatting pieces for the site, working on a conference, and writing more pieces for the site. (I just got a book review done on Thursday.)

Fourth, I’m still the Director of Admission at Rock Creek Montessori and that means open houses, marketing the school, helping out in the classrooms when I’m needed, and – lately – designing t-shirts and such. And it’s working! We have loads of interested families!

Fifth, there is the garden. I actually hired a guy to come out with his people and clean up the garden beds.  I cannot fully explain to you the absolute joy that this brought me. It was like watching an actual miracle happen. The yard is 1/3 of an acre and last year not much more than mowing got done so the yard was in need of serious attention. And it’s done!! Now we can move on into clearing other beds and replanting and building two enclosed bed so that we don’t accidentally open a salad bar for the local deer population.

Five-point-two, planning the garden. I went on some kind of crazy seed buying frenzy the other day. I could not be stopped. And I can’t even plant any of it yet. I’m not going to start seeds inside (this week at least) and so buying them as of March 9th was a bit premature. Or perhaps I need spring to just get here more than I thought.

Sixth, I’m writing my own stuff. I am working on a project that I don’t quite want to put out there yet, but I have given myself a daily word count to hit and maybe one day I’ll get this book out!

Seventh, I’m finishing a family cookbook. I’ve got recipes from all the branches of my mom’s side of the family and I’m compiling it and some photos into a cookbook. That needs to get bumped up in priority, but then I risk not getting my word count for the day. Tricky.

Eighth, I still have to feed the children. And they are eating an ungodly amount of food. It’s indecent, frankly. The fridge is constantly empty. I’m at the grocery store so often now I see my checkers Marcos and Harold more often than I see Mark. H ate an entire fish last night. A big one! 2 fillets! E is currently in the middle of hoovering down the banana bread I made yesterday.

Ninth, Cats. We got two kittens in September. One of them, tragically, contracted a disease called FIP, which is fatal in all cases. And now we are on the hunt for another kitten to keep the first kitten company. Plus there is all the cleaning that comes along with owning a cat with long, luscious black hair.

Tenth, H’s violin duties. He’s in a Suzuki program which means that he needs to practice with a parent and the parent needs to attend all lessons and function. He and I are practicing in the mornings for 30 minutes since he doesn’t have to get to the bus until later in the morning. This means I pretty much have time to drink coffee and get dressed on top of pushing the boys out the door.

Eleventh, cleaning. Children are messy and they haven’t invented a self-cleaning house. I do have a Roomba, though, so that is something. Next I want a robot that scrubs the scum out of the shower. [FYI – the children do clean. They have chores they are responsible for on a weekly basis and then each of them gets a list of chores to do on Saturday while Mark and I do our own chores. It’s just hard to keep up.]

Twelfth, these chairs! I got them off Free-Cycle in a fit of insanity brought on by watching DIY trash-to-cash shows on Netflix. I have a vision for them. One of them is badly broken and might need professional help. Or I can pull it completely apart and fashion it into a bench with its chair-mate.