Random Fodder

I thought I'd post an update on one of my goals for this year (and last year, and the year before). A year ago, I posted on 43 Things that perhaps moving into the new apartment would make things easier to keep the place neat and tidy. 2007 proved that this wasn't the case at all. I decided yesterday that I’ve got to really focus on accomplishing this goal so I can help keep my wife’s sanity intact.

Yesterday, I finally got around to getting started on cleaning up the apartment:

1. I picked up the kids’ toys after they went to bed and put the toys in bins. I warned the kids that they will be expected to keep their room clean and that some toys will be disappearing as we store them and/or give them away.
2. I ran two loads of dishes last night and mostly cleared out the sink.
3. The kids’ dirty clothes were piled on the floor, so I bought a second hamper so the kids have a place to put their dirty clothes.
4. We had a large mess on the kitchen floor where our recyclables really had no good place to go. The storage area was far too small (just two plastic drink containers and the bin was full). This resulted in plastic and cardboard spilling across the kitchen floor. To remedy this, I bought a couple plastic bins large enough to hold our standard amount of plastic, cardboard, and glass.
5. I put our futon back into the upright "couch" position — it had been in the flat "bed" position ever since we had company during the holidays.

So, for one night’s work, the place looks a bit cleaner and organized — and certainly less cluttered.

And tonight, I got some stuff accomplished, though I didn't do nearly as much as yesterday:

1. I cleared off the table of the mounds of papers and other items cluttering half of our dining room table. Not only do we have use of our table now, but we also have more of our clutter gone!
2. Sprayed and wiped off the dining room table and chairs.
3. I went through all the areas I cleaned yesterday and made sure that any disarray from today had been cleaned up. (This is the key to keeping the house clean each day!)

There’s still plenty of work ahead of us. We’ll see what the future holds. I’ve requested some cleaning / organization / decluttering books from the library to see what suggestions and hints I can glean from skimming them.

See more progress on: clean up my house and keep it clean. I'll probably post further updates there as I continue to try and keep up with this goal.

Sebastian is increasingly excited about heading to Kindergarten, and today we went to school for his Kindergarten orientation.

Originally, we were told that Sebastian would have to walk to school, but it turns out that he is able to take the bus. This will obviously be advantageous during the winter — especially for me and my wife, who would have to walk (or drive) to and from the school. Now, we get to stand out in the freezing cold during the winter and run back into the warmth of our house after the bus picks him up.

On the way to orientation, I rode the bus with Sebastian. He will be one of the (if not the) first ones to be picked up in the morning. A couple kids who went to pre-K with him also ride his bus, but they are picked up much later in the route. He noted this rather casually, so I don't think he really knows these kids too well.

Sebastian was excited to find out last week that his best friend from pre-school will be in his class. The teacher who gave him his Kindergarten entrance test will be his teacher this year. He got along with her well during the testing, and he seemed comforted that he "knows" his teacher already.

Orientation only lasted about an hour and a half, most of which we spent in a parents' meeting, filling out forms and listening to people talking about the forms we were filling out. I did convince my wife to apply for a newly created "Health and Wellness" committee . . . and by "convince," I mean "place the application sheet in front of and point out one particular committee." I'm apprehensive about the PTO, but the admission is cheap, and they have plenty of fun-sounding activities. We'll see how this pans out.

Tomorrow is the big day. Pictures will hopefully be posted then! I'm glad that Sebastian gets to ride the bus instead of walking. After all, what is a first day of school without getting on the bus?

Jerry, the fish out of water

My wife noticed yesterday that Sebastian's one-and-only pet, a fish named Jerry, was not in his tank. She explained to him that Jerry was probably on the floor somewhere, but Sebastian posited that he might also be in the sink or toilet (on the other side of the house).

Thus, yesterday morning I awoke to Sebastian yelling at me that Jerry had gone missing. This is rarely a relaxing way to start your day, unless perhaps you sleep on a bed made from shards of glass. Luckily, my wife was on the case already, so I earned the job of fighting through that "why-am-I-awake-already?" haze while trying to console my quivering-lipped son.

Luckily, my wife found Jerry on the floor. She took him for dead when she picked up the dry fish, but then Jerry blinked a bit and moved slightly. She put him back in the tank, and hours later, he seems to be doing fine, though I'm sure there must be some damage.

Apparently, Jerry had decided to end it all. Somehow, he made his way out of the fish tank, which requires a jump of at least two inches out of the water. Moreover, the only openings in the tank were a six-inch opening in the front for feeding purposes and a couple two-inch gaps in the back on either side of the filter.

Not coincidentally, Jerry's owners (Sebastian and my wife) neglected him for several weeks as a horrible amount of algae and other various gook covered his tank. He couldn't see out, and we couldn't see in. It is my belief that this neglect and psychological trauma caused Jerry to carry out this suicidal cry for help.

In order to keep Jerry from jumping out again, she replaced the lid on the feeding section on the front of the tank. The back, however, is permanently open on either side of the filter. I'm guessing that my wife chose the most convenient item on hand to cover these openings, but her choice was hilarious: The back of the tank is now covered by an army man's parachute. I'm clearly more pessimistic than my wife. If the fish gets suicidal and jumps again, I don't think he's going to grab the parachute and ride it down to the floor.