Because I have a need to feel in control of something

Yesterday Gulley and I took the kids on our last official day o’ fun for Summer 2014. Specifically, we went to Barton Springs in Austin.

You know how some bloggers post all those gorgeous photos?

Yeah. I’m not one of them.

Photography is not in my particular set of skills.

Anyway, we left San Antonio a little after noon and made the drive to Barton Springs where we spent a few hours enjoying the frigid 68 degree water. It helped that it was a boiling hot day but, I’m not going to lie, the water takes your breath away.

Which is why Gulley and I spent most of the time sitting on the edge of the water as opposed to being fully immersed. And the kids would swim for a bit and then walk up to us with their teeth chattering to warm up in the sun until they were ready to jump back in.

We finally packed up to leave around 5 p.m. and Will announced, “Man, I’m ready to get to the restaurant! I’m starving!” while Jackson and Caroline nodded in agreement.

The problem was we hadn’t planned on eating at a restaurant. So either the kids missed that part of the plan or they Jedi mind tricked us into taking them to an early dinner, not that it was that hard to convince us. Especially since we were right by Shady Grove and, well, jalapeño ranch.

Then we made our way home and here I sit. But you know how I can tell summer is almost over? I mean other than the fact that my hair feels like straw and I can’t remember the last time I ate a vegetable?

I am on the verge of a complete obsessive clean out. I could barely sleep last night for thinking about all the things I want to purge from our home. And I’m not sure how things keep piling up when I’m pretty good about getting rid of stuff, but I’m taking no prisoners tomorrow. Everything must go.

(Well. Not everything. But a lot of things. Things like Gulley’s comforter from college that I’ve had in my possession for over twenty years. First of all, why? Secondly, how have I held onto it for this long? I have no answers to either of those questions.)

And so that’s my plan for tomorrow. To clean out and make piles of things to donate to Goodwill and to figure out a better organizational system for Caroline’s closet. I’m sure she’ll be so enthused about the whole thing.

I think part of my need to clean is because we are still in the process of updating Caroline’s bathroom and by “still in the process” I mean that there is essentially a hole where her bathroom used to be. But rumor has it that our plumber is coming with parts we’ve been waiting on tomorrow and then our contractor can start his portion of the job.

Please, Lord. Let it be.

I guess technically I should be enjoying this season of only having one bathroom to clean, but I have learned that what I enjoy more is having a sink that I do not share with my child. I carried her for nine months but that doesn’t mean I want to see her toothpaste remnants.

But maybe if the rest of my house is super organized and cleaned out, I’ll feel better about the giant hole that resides where a bathroom used to be.

And, finally, I can tell summer is almost at a close because I feel compelled to pin all manner of healthy recipes on Pinterest. I have no idea what this school year holds for us but, according to my current Pinterest tendencies, it’s going to involve a lot of quinoa.

I expect this current state of mind to carry me through Labor Day weekend, at which point we’ll be one week into the new school year, exhausted from adjusting to the schedule, and back to eating pasta that isn’t made of whole grains.