Home again, Home again

It's nice to be home.  We returned last night to a clean, calm home and I was able to just warm up a meal I had in the freezer, put the clean clothes away and start a load of wash and then I was done.

This almost never happens. Often when we return home I walk into a house that reflects the chaos that happens when we leave. I hate that and it makes homecoming as stressful as leaving. I had a secret weapon this time though, two words…

Cleaning lady.

She came after we left, straightened up and cleaned the house. Heaven, I tell you. Absolute heaven.

There now you know my dirty secret. I can't keep my house clean without help.  I can't tell you how much this pains me. It really does. I feel that I should be able to do this and not pay good money for clean toilets but try as I might I can't make it happen.  So I make sacrifices in other areas and I pay. It's money well spent since I don't function well in disorder and I am much happier when the house is neat and tidy.

Ok, justification over.

I have another travel tip for everyone. Check with the Department of Transportation website for the states you will be traveling through. They give really important information regarding construction and road closures. This made the trip home much more enjoyable since we were able to pinpoint where all the traffic would be and plan alternate routes ahead of time. Having the GPS helped with that as well.

I never would have thought to do that but my husband is a genius and actually thought to check while I was driving down after hearing how much trouble I was having on the trip down. North and South Carolina have sensors on the actual interstate that can give real time updates about slow downs and accidents. Pretty cool huh?  He was able to tell me over the phone exactly at what mile marker the traffic slowed and where it sped up. These little things can make or break your trip if you have little ones in the car.

Now I need to get going on clearing out the learning room and planning next year.    I think it would be much easier if I just went over to Jennifer's house and left the children there. Honestly, have you seen that learning environment? It's just absolutely beautiful, a real inspiration.

Jennifer? Honey, could you come here and do that for me? Plllleeeeeaaaasee!