It's funny how the house takes on a different feel when things aren't working right.

For instance, when the air conditioning is working and it's a cool 78 degrees, these atmosphere within these four walls feels very comfortable and homey. I am concerned with making sure things are clean and in some semblance of order, and that things are running efficiently (or as efficiently as possible).

When things are working right, I work to make sure the kids are fed halfway decently and on some kind of routine. That the clothes are washed, folded and put away. That the floors are vacuumed and the bathrooms are clean. My things are my things...they're cherished. Since most of them are passed down, I feel the love of the people who had them before me.

But for the last week, things haven't been working right. Namely, the air conditioning.These four walls didn't feel like home. They were just a place. A hot place. A place I didn't want to be. And my things, instead of feeling like cherished possessions, felt like just a random collection of stuff. I didn't care if they were in the right place or not. I barely saw them.

I hate feeling like I don't want to be at home.

It's funny how a simple thing like air temperature can disrupt your life. I mean, if it's just mildly warm, you can go on with life as normal. It was too warm in my house for a week. We had box fans in both front windows. Christopher chose to sleep on the couch with the fans blowing on him, because it was cooler than in his room. Catie slept on my floor, because my room was cooler than hers. None of us slept well. Which meant I was even less inclined to do anything around the house. I started worrying about how the heat was affecting things inside the house...like the refrigerator. For comfort and some kind of sleep, we spent the last several days hanging out at my mom's where it's cool. But her stuff is not my stuff. I really wanted to clean my house, and take care of things in my home.

Thankfully, today the air was fixed. At least I it seems to be. I'm typing on my computer, listening to my music, sitting in my pajamas and feeling like I can really relax.

I am thankful for air conditioning, and I'm thankful to be home. But I am also deeply thankful that my mom is so close, and that my kids and I could take refuge at her house.