Weekly Wrap-Up: The One Where My Baby Turned 16

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Happy Friday! I thought I’d better get this week’s wrap-up posted early because there’s a chance that I’ll be knee-deep in another cleaning project this afternoon and will forget.

Monday I tackled the living room. I thought that was a job until Tuesday when I worked on the kitchen. Oh. My. Word. I thought I was going to clean the kitchen and dining room since the dining room is really just an extension of the kitchen.

No, I spent about 3 hours just cleaning the tops of my cabinets! They’re the kind that don’t go all the way to the ceiling so that you can put collectibles or what-have-you up there. First of all, whoever invented those things should have to clean them. Second, apparently, in addition to cute, old canisters, I collect dust and grease.

Let’s just say that, having been overweight for so long, it had been awhile since I’d been able to climb around on the countertops to get all the way up there to clean. Yuck!

They look great now, though. I may just climb up there from time to time just to look at how clean they look. I have to thank one of my fantastic Facebook readers for giving me the idea to put wax paper down when I got finished. Next time all I’ll have to do is pull up the wax paper, throw it away and replace it. I’m loving that idea!

Wednesday, I took a break from cleaning – partially due to sheer exhaustion from the day before and partially because the girls and I got our hair cut that afternoon. After the long, busy day Tuesday, it was nice to just relax a bit. I did get some laundry done.

Thursday was another day off from cleaning because it was Brianna’s birthday! I can’t believe my firstborn turned sixteen. *sigh* Where does the time go?

It was a wonderful day. First of all, we surprised her, having Dad take the day off and going to lunch at Olive Garden. She’d been wanting to go, but we had her convinced that we weren’t going to be able to go. She was very pleasantly surprised.

She was even more surprised when when opened her card to discover Six Flags tickets inside! That’s where she and Brian are today. They try to go once a year and they both always look forward to a day of daredevil rides. They didn’t get to go last year, so this year should be extra fun.

After lunch, we picked up a friend of Brianna’s and headed to the mall – where else would a teenager want to hang out on her birthday? Later that evening, we had dinner at my sister’s house where we had birthday cake and Brianna was showered with gifts.

Today, I’ve got to get some laundry done and I’m going to try to finish the dining room and work on the master bedroom. Josh and Megan are supposed to be working on their rooms.

I may or may not have bribed them with the promise of a Chick-Fil-A milkshake if they get their rooms done by this afternoon. Hey, there’s got to be something in it for the kids who have to stay home and to clean their rooms instead of going to Six Flags. (For the record, Megan isn’t tall enough to ride most of the rides and Josh won’t ride most of the rides, so we always stay home.)

I’ve got my fourth 5K tomorrow, the run to raise money for tornado relief in our area. I’m excited about it, but also dreading it a little bit. The course is supposed to be very tough with challenging hills. I don’t expect to set any personal time records or anything, but I’m still looking forward to racing. It’s been more than a month since my last 5K. I’m going into withdrawal.

Those are the highlights of my week. What about yours? Be sure to post about it and sign up with MckLinky. If this is your first time to join us, be sure to read the Weekly Wrap-Up guidelines. You can also follow the guidelines link to grab the banner code.

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Kris Bales is a newly-retired homeschool mom and the quirky, Christ-following, painfully honest founder (and former owner) of Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. She has a pretty serious addiction to sweet tea and Words with Friends. Kris and her husband of over 30 years are parents to three amazing homeschool grads. They share their home with three dogs, two cats, a ball python, a bearded dragon, and seven birds.

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21 Comments

  1. Man, what a busy week.  Thanks for the tip about the wax paper.  We just moved into a place where the cabinets don't go all the way to the ceiling, so that info will come in handy.  Happy Birthday to your daughter… and happy cleaning!!!

  2. Kris,
    The tops of my cabinets need cleaned as well.  I love the wax paper tip!  I'm going to have to do that when I clean them this summer!  Happy birthday to your daughter!  Is a driver's license looming in the future?

    Samantha

  3. Great to "see ya" again Kris.  A 16 yr old, I can't even imagine =) I like the Milkshake bribe, I would use it just so I can also get one!!! Praying for strength and perseverance on your run!!!

  4. We're hoping to get her learner's permit next week. She hasn't been in a big hurry to learn to drive and that's been fine with me! 😉

    I love the wax paper tip, too! Cleaning the cabinet tops is going to be such a breeze next time. That kind of helpful tip just has to be shared.

  5. Yeah, but I don't get one. *sigh* I'm determined to get these last 21 pounds off by my anniversary trip in August, so no 700 calorie milkshakes for me. Maybe somebody will let me have a sip, though. 😉

    Thank you so much for your prayers! That means a lot to me.

  6. Sending happy birthday wishes over your way. We're celebrating a birthday this weekend too! Your cleaning is inspiring but I'm not quite there yet. Still in recovery from a May chocked full of goodness. Whew!

  7. We just did Six Flags last weekend and I went on a total of 1 ride…..that was enough. The rest of the family had a blast and I did a lot of sitting and waiting.

    Thanks for hosting the wrap-up, I enjoyed participating regularly this year. It is now officially summer break until September! I can't believe it! So much planned for the summer.

  8. I hear ya, Kris. My oldest just turned 18 and will be leaving to be a mother's helper. I feel like I'm not so much homeschooling her at this point, as much as trying to think of all of the tidbits of info I want her to know as she moves to the next phase….of course I have 4 more after her.

    Love the wax paper tip. Great idea. I've used some kind of a shelf liner before, but I find that after a while it just gets stuck in place (ewww). 

  9. I've had trouble getting back into cleaning after my break Wednesday and Thursday. The kitchen kicked my butt Tuesday. Right now, getting back into it on Tuesday sounds like a really good plan. 😉

  10. I enjoyed having you participate, Barb! I always enjoy reading about what you and your family are doing. You inspire me.

    Have a great summer break!

  11. They grow up entirely too fast, don't they, Kimberly. *sigh* I hope the waxed paper doesn't stick…of course, I can't imagine anything being more of a mess than what I just cleaned from there. Eww!

  12. Oh! Cleaning! That is so what I need to catch up on. Doesn't it feel good when it is done. 🙂 I love the wax paper tip. Good luck on your next 5K and happy bday to your daughter. It does go amazingly fast- we just had our 4th homeschool graduate from our family. I should know by now, but it always takes me by surprised how fast time really does fly.

  13. Kris .. just wanted to thank you for hosting this weekly wrap-up every week. This was my first year of homeschooling and the tips and encouragement I received from all of the other families has been priceless. I am not at all the homeschooling mom or woman I thought I was. I was able to grow in ways unimaginable, and it was because of this forum of those who have gone before me.

    Have a great summer!

    Nicole

  14. What a nice compliment to all the homeschool moms who've participated this year, Nichole. Thank you! Congratulations on getting your first year of homeschooling under your belt and best wishes on an even better second year.

  15. Welcome to the world of having a 16-year-old daughter!  Lindsey didn't get her learners til she turned 16 either; I am totally fine with stalling this driving thing as long as possible! I hope Brianna had a wonderful, wonderful sweet 16. 🙂

  16. Not sure my post got through, so going to attempt it again!  Sounds like a crazy, busy week!  Love the parallel of you week to your run.  Active, racing, and maybe a little bumpy, but determined to finish!  🙂  My oldest is 18 today.  So I get the whole, "Where does the time go," thing too!   Thanks for letting us in on a week in your life! 
    A fan & new follower,
    Jen

  17. I LOVE the wax paper idea! What an awesome idea! I will have to use that tip myself. I need to do the same kind of cleaning around here. I mean, I already did spring cleaning last month but this month–you can't even tell. I need to do it all again. = 

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