Organizing bug hit me this weekend. And it didn't hurt... too much.

Had the.best.weekend.

(Well, okay, the best weekend possible with two kids and a pregnancy and housework and stuff I can't ignore in lieu of some R and R.)

The kids slept in (yay!) and I woke up and decided to run errands.  I had a plan to organize the laundry room and wanted to pick up some bins for sheets and blankets so Target was on my list.  It was pretty much the only thing I had to do for a change since I got to the grocery store during the week and didn't end up having to devote 3 hours to it on Saturday or Sunday.

I usually bring Katie with me on my weekend errands and we go while Jake is napping.  It's our time together, we call them our "mommy and Katie dates", and we giggle and she tells me stories and sings songs while we're in the car (and we taste samples and test out all of the couches when we hit Costco).

Well, I was feeling rested, we had eaten breakfast (homemade breakfast burritos and not homemade toaster strudels), and the kids were getting along so... I figured why not bring Jake too!

I thought I might regret it later... like when he started to get fussy and cranky but I wanted to see how things went.  I don't take him with me if I've got a packed agenda since he's still in the run-away-from-mommy phase and he doesn't like to sit in the cart for a long time so it can be... challenging... to bring him.  Plus, it's not a fast process when I help Katie down from the car and have to get him out and then he wants to walk just like she is but he can't (see above on the running away thing) because I don't have a free hand to keep hold of him... so it's easier to leave him at home.  But not this time.  I was ready.

I got Jake dressed without any trouble (he even sat down so I could get his shoes and socks on), Katie got ready without any trouble (by herself, love this age), and we left the house without any trouble.  I was still waiting for regret to set in.

We got to Target and started shopping.  Well, wandering through the aisles and enjoying some samples.  I knew I only needed the storage bins so I wouldn't have to get a ton of stuff in case things went sour.


Well...

The kids were SO good.  We shared samples of a cookie and coffee (the coffee was mine), and some flavored water, and some pasta, and a spring roll.  And I saw a really cute spring jacket that wasn't expensive and I really thought Katie would look cute in it so I asked her if she liked it.  I guess she didn't need it.  She told me that "we weren't going to buy a lot of stuff" while we were in the kids section and I was scanning the racks for something to buy...  So serious and I couldn't help but laugh!

We made it to the plastic bin area and Katie pointed out the ones she liked.  I decided to go with them and she was proud of her good picks.  I may have called her a genius because her choices were perfect for what I needed.  She also picked the color (red) of our basement bin theme.

I could tell the kids were getting hungry so we made it to the checkout and then headed to the in-store restaurant.  Katie wanted a hot dog and icee, Jake wanted mac & cheese (duh) and a milk, and both kids ate all of their meals except the apple slices.  I think they might have tasted different from the fresh apples they love, love, love to eat.

We were gone from 1:30 until 3:40.  By the time we made it home, it was time for Jake's nap and, even though I really wanted to take a nap myself, I wanted to organize the stuff downstairs more!

So Katie came with me to organize the blanket and sheet explosion in the laundry room.  I set aside at least 10 blankets/throws to donate to a charity and a couple more to donate to an animal shelter and sorted sheet sets and blankets and comforters into three piles.  I only had two bins so I could take care of two piles and had to add a bin to my "must get" list.

Then I went through all of the gift bags and "gift stuff" I keep in Katie's closet (oh, okay, things I never moved out of Katie's closet when she moved into what was the dining room) and sorted them into the other two smaller bins I bought.  It looks so much better.

Also, Katie has a bin on the shelf full of stuff that she can play with but that will get lost in the shuffle if she plays with it upstairs so she's spent a lot of time with me in the laundry room while I catch up on the wash.

Then I got ready to go to a birthday dinner for a friend.  Had a great time eating dinner and went to the bowling alley after.  I didn't plan to bowl, just wanted to visit for a little bit.  After I left, I happened to drive by a Target and remembered to pick up the extra bin I needed... and while I was there, I grabbed a few more things I needed.  Like licorice.

Got home and put the extra stuff into the final bin, put it on the shelf, stepped back and gave myself a pat on the shoulder, then went to bed.

On Sunday we had eggs with green peppers and some cinnamon rolls.  I was happy that everyone liked the food (with the exception of the eggs Jake didn't eat and the "green things" in the eggs Katie didn't care for) and was once again surprised at how much Jake can eat.

The kids played together while I did laundry*. 

*Incidentally, if your dryer ever takes 12 hours to dry a load of clothes, check that you didn't leave it on "fluff" after washing a stuffed animal on which your daughter puked.  The stuffed animal dried beautifully but it's just not a very... efficient... setting for drying actual clothes.  Of course, others might notice that it's taking forever for a load to dry and decide to check the settings on the dryer, but not me.  I didn't notice till today.  And I washed her stuffed animal last week, maybe it was Wednesday.  Anyone else ever do this?

Then Jake went down for his nap (can any parent ever say they don't like nap time?) and I took Katie with me to the library, the hair place so I could get a trim, and the Salvation Army to drop off the blankets.

And the pizza place.  Because while we were leaving the Salvation Army, Katie asked me when we were going to eat because she was "so hungry, mommy" and "can we eat at a restaurant? Because I'm so hungry I don't think I can wait to eat, mommy."  And so we ordered out.  Not only because her little voice was so precious and she was asking so nicely, but because we were super hungry by then and I dreaded the thought of going home and defrosting hamburger for dinner.  And then figuring out what to make with the hamburger that wouldn't involve lots of time (or a big stirring spoon since the kids decided they wanted to play with my utensils and hid them somewhere).  And I thought pizza and cinnamon dessert pizza would be the best thing to eat EVER.  And it was.  Really good.

The kids are sitting with me on the couch now.  Jake is sighing so I think it's time for bed.  And I have to drink my metamucil (ick).

See?  Best weekend.

Oh, I'm trying to convince Katie that giving someone a heads up before taking their picture (or a *shudder* video) is the right thing to do.  She likes to pop out of nowhere with her pretty pink camera and snap a picture without much warning.  It's not always the best time for a photo op.  It's also not too fun when you think she's taking a picture and you pose, then relax into whatever you were doing only to notice that 30 seconds later you're still the center of her attention, and she's been recording.  We're working on it.

I'm also feeling some baby kicks against my hand!  It's very cool.  Katie wanted to feel too, but didn't have the patience to keep her hand on my tummy till it happened, since it's not all of the time that baby kicks out.

The kids are still sitting next to me.  Jake is "reading" The Cat in the Hat and Katie is playing on her Leapfrog Explorer.  I hate to break up the party with bedtime but I am extra tired tonight after our fun weekend.  And the metamucil is calling my name.

Okay, closing now for real.  I'll need to post this on Monday after I can look at it again without interruption.  You know, to proof for any awkward, run-on sentences or other goofy writing errors.