Remodeling a House is Expensive and Exhausting

Granny passed away a year ago February, and we have still not gotten the house, garage, and backyard sheds cleared out.  We decided to focus this week on finishing all we can inside the actual house.  Up to this point, we have cleaned out, trashed, and donated tons and tons and tons of stuff.  We have moved the major furniture and heavier items all we can.  Now, we are down to the last of the furniture.  We have made space at our house for those items, which meant rearranging furniture and moving some things from one room to another.  We've cleaned and vacuumed as well.  Our house is ready, and the furniture and big items at Granny's are ready.

I am so grateful to our family and friends who have helped us get to this point.  We surely couldn't have done it without them.

Yesterday, the electrician came out.  Since her passing, the master bathroom lights quit working, then the master bedroom lights/fan, then the hallway.  It is all quite strange.  The electrician fixed several light switches and checked outlets.  We now need to change out the light fixtures in the master bedroom and hallway.  Do you know how much electricians make?  I need to leave education to go into electrical work.  They made in 2 hours what I make in 2 to 2.5 days. Wow!

The plumber will be out tomorrow afternoon to change out the kitchen faucet, replace the disposal, and make the guest bathroom sink quit dripping.

Thursday, the movers will be there at 8:00 am to move the furniture.  We are praying they are finished in 2 hours or less.  Do you know how much movers make???

Saturday, the painters will come paint the entire house, ceiling, walls, and trim, white, so it will brighten it and make it look so much cleaner.

Now, we have to decide about flooring. All of what we have done has cost a lot, money we don't really have, so we have to decide if we replace the flooring throughout the whole house now or just get a serious steam cleaning for now and replace flooring in about a year. We are thinking . . .

Now . . . what do we do with all the little items in the garage and backyard shed?  We are out of space at my house.

For those of you who have had to clean out a loved one's home, what did you do with everything?

Spring Break--Friday

I am so sad that today is the last day of Spring Break.  I am certain I could come up with much more to do around my house and Granny's.

Today, we focused on our house.  We swept, mopped, washed sheets/comforters, hung pictures/paintings, and moved a desk.  I wish a nap had been added to that, but I haven't napped all week--not that I haven't been tired enough.

We are planning a "bad" dinner for our last night.  We will be enjoying cheeseburgers, fried mushrooms, and ranch dressing.  Can't wait!  (I'll get back to being healthy next week.)

What did you do for Spring Break?  Do you think schools should have Spring Break?

Spring Break--Thursday

Today brought about more moving, cleaning, and organizing.  We moved tools and Christmas stuff to our house and then began organizing the sewing items in our playroom.  While we were going through some boxes, we found these pictures.  I love older pictures. (I wish I had a way of scanning pictures.)

My uncle and mom when they were in high school, I believe.

Mom in her Senior Prom dress

Mom for High School Graduation

Spring Break--Tuesday

Today, we got up and moving early again despite our sore muscles.  We finished Granny's little shed and worked on the bottom part of her big shed.  My Great Aunt helped us during the afternoon.  We filled up her parkway across the majority of the front of her house.  People came all day to rummage through it.

I don't mind people going through the trash.  We have done it ourselves, but people should clean-up their mess and reorganize the stuff when they finish.  I am too tired from taking it to the curb the first time to keep cleaning up all day long b/c people are making a mess.

We finally quit working about 4:00 PM.  Because we were too tired to cook, we went to Souper! Salad for dinner to make good choices, and we did.

When we finished, we went back to Granny's to load up all the donation stuff.  Our plan is to take stuff to the donations place first thing tomorrow morning.

One of my BFFs told me about My Fitness Pal App.  I documented my food and exercise for Monday and Tuesday.  It is very neat!  I'm not really sure about the calories part.  I gained so many calories from all the work I have been doing, but I still haven't eaten anywhere near all my calories.  Am I supposed to eat them all?  Eat most of them?  Leave a bunch each day?

Spring Break--Monday

Today, despite getting in at 1 AM, Mom and I got up early and got busy.  We went to Granny's and cleaned off the patio and cleaned out a small shed.  We worked some in the garage too.  Everything went to the curb that wasn't going to our house.  I got tons of exercise loading, moving, hauling, carrying, dragging, and pushing all kinds of things--most were heavy.  We worked and worked moving things from the backyard to the front curb. We barely ate lunch and snacks for all the work.

We then worked on the two sheds at our house.  We needed to make room for things to come from Granny's to our house.  Again, I loaded, moved, hauled, carried, drug, and pushed all kinds of things--most were heavy.  I moved things from the back acre (we have 2) to the front curb. Granny kept all kinds of craft magazines.  For years, we had tried to get rid of those she had in our back shed b/c they were just ruining.  She wouldn't let us.  Well, those magazines dating from 1964-1991 are now on our curb waiting for the recycling truck.  There were boxes and boxes of them.  She had reused Girl Scout cookie boxes (those holding a case) to store her magazines.  Our front shed is organized, now contains 4 cabinets and 2 tool organizers from her garage.

We finally quit around 3:00 PM.  We rested for a bit and then went to my cousins' for dinner with my Great Aunt.  We had a nice dinner and visit.

I wish I was able to spend more time with my niece and nephew, but we have to get all this work done while I am off work.

Teachers, Subs, and Questioning My Job

I don't have research on this, but in my experience, other than days when teachers are out for Professional Development, teachers miss more days due to illness, their own or a family member's, and take more "mental health" days when they are not happy in their job.  Right now, these are colliding at my school.

With a new Principal, new Assistant Principal, and second year of the other Assistant Principal, we have seen a lot of change this year.  All change for the better.  Systems are either being fixed or being put back in place.  Accountability is happening.  We have had changes in some positions already this year--as soon another secretary is hired, everyone in the front office will be new (except our phenomenal Principal's Secretary).  Teachers are being asked to step-up and do their jobs or do them better than they have been.  With all the changes, accountability, and systems, teachers are stressed, crunched for time, and finding it much easier to be negative than positive or to do what's best for our students.  It is not easy working at my school and teaching our students, but our students need to get a great education and realize there is a way out of the situations they are in right now.  It can be done.  We need teachers modeling for, teaching, and loving them.  There is so much negativity and griping that we have this core "cancer" pulling everyone down.  People are unhappy.  They want out, but they either can't find another job or are waiting until the end of the year.  The more stress teachers feel, the more they don't want to be at work, they more they call in.

This time of year hits everyone hard with Strep, the Flu, Bronchitis, colds, and so much more.  Teachers are out b/c they are sick or their children or a loved one are sick.

No matter the reason for being out, we are short subs. Every day last week, we were short 1-2.5 subs.  Decisions have to be made about how to cover those classes.

It isn't just that teachers are out.  We completely understand illness and that things happen, but the teachers have to leave their rooms ready for the next day.  Work, directions, and sub information (schedules, seating charts, rosters, etc.) must be left on desk tops before leaving every day.  It would also be nice if the desk was left in such a way that it is easy to find paper and pen when needed.   Whether or not we have subs or not, classes are being left unprepared and messy, making it quite difficult for anyone trying to work in that room or assist the teachers/subs to be able to do a good job.

The misconception in the building is that it is my job, along with my co-worker with the same position, to cover classes when teachers are out and there aren't enough subs.  That is not my job. I can help, but it is not MY job.
1.  I have been told by several people that b/c of the funds that pay me, I cannot cover classes b/c that involves different funds, and if anyone found out about this, we could all get in trouble.  (That wasn't the best explanation, but I know what they meant.)
2.  I have a job.  My job is multi-layered, involves a long list of things daily, and a lot of what most teachers probably don't realize.  If I'm constantly pulled to cover for missing subs and teachers, I would not get MY job done, and then other things would not get done across the building/curriculum.
3. If students are split into other content classes, they are going to get a better lesson.  Those teachers know the content, where they are in the curriculum, and can assist the students the best.
4. I assist people all over the building, cover for ARDs, attend meetings, and more, and it isn't always feasible for me to be in a classroom.

Twice in the last two weeks, that I know of (it was probably far more than that), comments were made about me and my job.
1. When I created a meeting agenda for Department Chairs to follow on our Professional Development day, one teacher felt I was "justifying" my job by doing that and giving it to them.  Really?  I don't have to justify my job to anyone.  Period.
2. After spending a week splitting classes every day, a teacher questioned if I ever cover classes.  Yes, I do, but not every day or even every week.  It completely depends on the class period, the day, and what is on my daily agenda.  I have huge things coming up, and I can't be in a classroom all the time.

Bottom line is that we need teachers to be at school unless it just cannot be helped.  We aren't a business where you can put work off until tomorrow.  Our jobs involve humans who must be supervised when in the building on the 177 days they are required to be at school. If teachers have to be out, they must have something for their students to do, and if they are prepared before they leave every day, it would be easier on everyone.  Also, if teachers do not want to be there, they need to resign and move on.  Let us get someone in there we can count on day in and day out so we can educate our students.

Purging and Organizing

Today, we tackled the stuff in the play room.  I took everything out of the closet & looked through it, and while I put some things back inside, I created two big containers for stuff to donate to my school's Science Dept. I have a big stack of stuff to let my sister-in-law look through and a few bags for donating.  The camping bedding found a home in the closet, and we were able to put away things we have already brought over from Granny's.  We did all we could do until we bring the bookshelves over from Granny's.  In order to do that, we have to unload them, and that will take some time. Not sure if we will start that tonight or tomorrow or after the 1st.  I guess I'll find out.  Once the shelves are in and the items from Granny's are relocated here, then we can finish arranging the furniture and choosing pictures to hang.

I love the idea of purging and organizing.  I run into problems when I am cleaning out and can't give up something. I go back and forth between--"It hasn't been used in a year." to "If it is tucked away in the closet, is it really needed?" to "I can't give this up b/c it belonged to Granny." or "I can't give this up b/c I want my niece/nephew/unborn children to have it."  If I would just stick with "It hasn't been used in a year, get rid of it," I would probably get more done and have more space.

Again, I am too old for all the lifting and moving.  I think my left hip is now out of socket.  Gosh, it really hurts to put weight on, stand, turn, bend, and more.  If I work through my aches and pains, we can get more done.

I need to tackle another room in my house, but I think it is going to have to wait.

No Signs of Christmas

Today, after returning from my niece and nephew's, I immediately began putting away the Christmas decorations.  In about an hour, everything was put away and ready for next year.

How long do you keep your Christmas decorations out? 

Mom, who is very superstitious, believes everything must be down by January 1st.  We normally get it down by the 30th or 31st.  I had the energy and the time and I knew we were going to start painting, so we just got it all done quickly.