we don't have seasons here.

2013 was an incredibly busy year. from january to may, i worked every.single.day at two different and (very) distinct jobs. it was like hell on earth and i'm glad it's over. the remember that awesome semester, i have an extra 30 pounds of empanadas and other fast foods because most days i just didn't have time to sit down and eat a real meal.

that over, we moved into summer, way less busy but far more frustrating. so, i picked up and went to the states with my kids. we spent three glorious weeks doing everything and nothing at all. it wasn't necessarily relaxing, but it was just what my soul needed.

to be fair, the fall of 2013 hasn't been terribly busy. i work a little bit less, and am not running from one job to the next. but it's still hard to find time for everything. you know what i mean?

every year i try to purge the house of unnecessaries. i usually do it in the spring. because, even though there aren't four distinct seasons, the anglo-nuance of "spring cleaning" is ingrained in me. spring is a time for renewal, and what better way to renew than throw away all of your garbage?

we purge for various reasons. one. we have kids and i don't know how, but their crap multiplies. i swear, i don't know the last time i bought something for my children, yet, their toybox is overflowing. two. for what it's worth, it seems unfair to have stuff just sitting around just in case. (don't misunderstand, though, i am a packrat at heart, and have things that i am physically unable to part with).

because spring didn't happen. i've made a list and have been fall cleaning the house. if i don't finish soon, i guess it will be winter cleaning, and then perhaps it wouldn't even be a "2013 purge."

here are some things we'll be doing (and by we, i mean my minions mostly):
donating non-fitting clothes and shoes, and toys that are no longer played with
throwing away old papers (two teachers in a house, y'all)
throwing away old medicines and organizing closets
cleaning "baseboards" and window frames
scrubbing bathrooms and cleaning out drains

and my favorite dominican republic chore (::sarcasm::)
SCRUBBING THE WALLS.

i break the list apart and we do a little at a time over two or three weeks. today the kids scrubbed the tiled walls in the kitchen and the sides of the stove and i did the windows and baseboards in the dining room. we also kind-of decorated for christmas.

super tedious. and i hate it while it's happening, but in the end i feel better. and who doesn't want to feel better at christmas??