Summer Prep, One Small Thing at a Time

I didn't realize how much June prep I'd been putting off until I sat down Tuesday and looked at the list. It wasn't dramatic. Nobody called with a problem. The roof contractor drama is still a Saint Paul thing; this week was just Minneapolis, just the house, just a string of small tasks that had been quietly waiting.

The one that felt the most satisfying was the blackout curtains. I added and completed "Install blackout curtains in Eli's room for summer sleep schedule" on June 10th, which means I added it and hung them the same morning. That almost never happens. The problem was obvious: it's staying light until nine now, and Eli's body does not care about the calendar. His routine says bed at 7:45. The sun disagrees. We had about a week of that before I finally ordered curtains, and the week after they arrived they just sat in the bag on the floor like a soft accusation. But I got them up. They're not perfect — one side has a small gap I need to fix with a tension rod — but the room is genuinely dark now, and bedtime has been quieter.

The air filter situation was less satisfying to document but more overdue. I ended up logging several air filter checks across the week — there's some redundancy in the list that I'm blaming on myself opening the app at different times and not remembering I'd already added something. Useful reminder that the system only works if I'm actually paying attention when I use it. Anyway, the filters got replaced, the AC got checked. The air does feel better. Eli's been less sneezy, which may or may not be related, but I'm taking credit.

The one I'm most glad I didn't skip: on June 11th I marked "Test backup power for sensory room equipment" complete. I'd added it a couple days earlier because we're heading into storm season and I want to make sure that if the power goes out, the noise machine doesn't. That room needs to work. It's not a nice-to-have. I tested everything, it's fine, and now it's logged. Future me will know it was checked.

Also: window safety locks in Maya's room, done June 8th. She's been asking to have her window open at night. Now she can.

None of this is a big story. But I logged it, I did it, and the house is a little more ready for summer than it was last week. That's the whole thing, most weeks.