I expected to have gone on some major cleaning binges, this week, but so far, at least, I haven't. This is possibly because I'm still running pretty short on sleep. This is not, however, to say that I haven't had some variety of domestic fits. I've gone on minor cleaning binges, I actually cooked dinner, over the weekend, I actually walked to the mall with the kids, yesterday, I've developed a wicked case of finish-it-up-itis in my knitting, and I've got homemade granola in the oven.

I still have a lot to do in the kitchen, but a few rounds of dishes on consecutive days has resulted in the ability to actually SEE the counter, on the "dirty" side of the sink. I even, on some days, have all the countertop appliances put away in the appliance garage. The point I need to get to is to have everything put away, so I can clean the ceiling fan (which is completely gross), without showering clean dishes or appliances with dust.

The mall trip yesterday was perhaps a bit ill-advised, but one of the department stores was holding a pair of shoes for me (nice practical, comfortable everyday shoes) from the night before, when KB and I went up there, found shoes that almost exactly fit my mental image of what I was looking for, only for me to discover I had forgotten the checkbook. So, I needed to get back before closing, yesterday. Since we had stuff going on in the evening, that meant a daytime run. Perhaps partly in reaction to my long period of inactivity, from late pregnancy, to a few weeks postpartum, I decided that I'd walk, rather than drive. I actually told myself it would be easier to take the kids in carriers that I didn't have to get them out of, and back into, so... Kate in the stroller, and Lily in the front-carry "baby pack". The walk to the mall is about 12 minutes. Getting there went well enough. Getting my shoes, and a couple small items for the girls likewise went well, though KB was starting to get a bit restless. I thought that, since she'd been so good, and was now fidgety, that a bit of time at the mall's play area might be a good idea - let her get some energy out, before we went home. Besides, I figured I could use a bit of time to sit down and rest, before the trek back. I offered my firstborn a deal - she could get out of the stroller and play for a while, if she promised that she would come get back in the stroller without fussing, when Mommy said it was time to leave. She agreed. Those with toddlers will not be surprised that she did not keep up her end of the bargain. I ended up having to bodily drag her from the play area, after all coaxing and warning failed. Strapping a struggling 2 year old into a stroller, with a three-and-a-half-week-old baby strapped to your chest, is not an easy proposition - at least, if you're going to prevent the baby from either falling out of the carrier when you lean over or getting kicked by her flailing sister. I had to wheel the stroller out of the mall in perpetual "wheelie" position, as my eldest continued to try to throw herself out of the stroller. Fortunately, she mostly calmed down, by the time we got out of the building. I think it'll be a while, before I try that, again.

My computer was having some keyboard issues, last week, so I took it to "Family Tech Support" (aka, my dad - it's nice to have a family member with an electrical engineering background, plenty of workspace, and a full complement of tools). This meant, however, that I was without my computer for most of the weekend. This, in turn, meant that I set aside the socks that I was knitting, because I've got the pattern on my computer, and decided not to fiddle with printing it out. So, I switched to a sweater that I started for a friend, a long time ago (had the front and back done, but stalled out on the sleeves - not sure what it is with me and sleeves). I did not actually finish said sweater, but I made some progress, before I got my machine back. At that point, I switched back to the socks, because I'm on a deadline. During my "find something other than the socks to knit" stage, though, I found myself contemplating picking up any number of things I have lingering in uncompleted states, and wanting to work on them all... once I'm off deadline knitting, I'm going to go nuts with the finishing, for a while, I think.

Today, I'm running on about 4 (interrupted) hours of sleep, so the extent of today's domestic fit is making some homemade granola. I don't have the energy to do a whole lot, but granola is pretty low-effort. I used to make it regularly - can't quite figure out why I stopped, for so long. Right now, I'm eyeing the sleeping baby on my lap enviously, and my unfinished sock speculatively. If I had to choose between knitting and napping, right now, I'm quite sure I'd take napping. However, since only one of my children is sleeping, that's not really an option. I guess I'll go sample the granola, to see how it came out, then return to my sock.