1. My poor children. They have inherited my ability to look for lost items, which is to say, no ability at all. I joke that when my kids are looking for their shoes (which happens at least four times a day, per kid) they walk around staring at the ceiling saying, “I can’t find my shoes anywhere!” Just now, Max, age 9, was tearing apart his room looking for his backpack, which was hanging in the front hall – exactly where it belongs.
My husband, on the other hand, can find anything, anywhere. He really works at it. He looks in obvious places and ridiculous places, and then he looks again. He keeps going until he finds the thing. I tend to be more of the mindset that if I can’t find something I am just not meant to have it. This is why I always put my keys, purse, and sunglasses in the exact spot, every time I get home. If I didn’t I would never see them again.
My arriving and leaving routine is so fixed in my behavior: keys in hand, purse on shoulder, glasses on head, or the reverse: keys clipped to purse, purse on hook, glasses in basket, that I often leave the house with sunglasses on my head even when it is already dark. You know, just in case. And once I am out, I can’t take my sunglasses off my head, because I can’t put them in the basket and I would never find them again, and that would be tragic. Really tragic.
2. Herding cats; that is bedtime around here. Just getting everyone into pajamas is half a nightmare. Who needs a bath? No, a shower? Then there is medicine. All of my kids have terrible seasonal allergies, so we have to track them all down and med them all up every night. The other morning Gus still woke up with his face swollen: the joys of wind in Phoenix. As each one is given their medicine, they scatter to the far ends of the earth house and we have to round them all up again to get the teeth brushed. On and on it goes: gather them, they scatter, gather them, they scatter. The full bedtime rundown is this: homework (Gus-2 and Molly-4 also have to be given their own homework, so they aren’t throwing fits for being left out), bathing, hair combing, meds, teeth, books, oh wait – we forgot a snack and that is child abuse, so snack, teeth again, put the girls in bed, put the boys in bed, go put the girls back in bed, one of the boys is missing now… on and on. I’m pretty sure it takes us at least 6 hours to get them into bed. At least it feels like it. By the time we are through we look at the clock in shock and say to each other – How can it only be 7:45? It feels like at least midnight!
I used to get things done after the kids went to bed. Now I am pretty much useless. The most taxing thing my brain can handle at that point is setting up the coffee maker.
3. Why is that as soon as I sit down to write I forget about everything that has happened to me or that I have learned or done, ever? Not fair. I’m trying to do better about this, I discovered Getting Things Done by David Allen. I started with a dumbed down version of a simplified version. (Both are very well done, by the way!) Now I am reading the simplified version. I’m excited because I already do this a little bit, I just need to refine some of my habits.
One of the things it stresses is “ubiquitous capture.” Any time I think of something I need to buy, or do, or put on the calendar, or an idea, I need to get it in writing – virtual or paper, in some way. Then once a day or so, I can organize all those things I have captured. So I have a running to do list (I’m experimenting with different apps for that.) My shopping list, which is held on Plan to Eat, my google calendar, and something to grab ideas on, which is usually whatever is closest. I keep a notebook in my purse and I have my phone to jot some things down. Which reminds me, I should declutter my purse a bit so I can actually get the notebook out…
There are, of course, other parts to this, but that is the habit I am working on right now, if only because Ubiquitous is such and awesome word.
4. I’m Published! (and somewhere besides here.) My first column was posted on Catholic Stand this week. I was so excited and nervous! It is actually the whole reason I wrote this weeks post on Who Do I Think I Am? Because I was terrified that someone was going to find me out for being the jello-brained, disorganized mess that I am. But no one came out and actually said those things yet, so I’m calling it a success for now. Thank you to all of my friends who shared the post for me! It was such a great feeling!
5. We are teaching the kids the 23rd Psalm this Lent. Our other plans have mostly gone in the toilet, but we are really doing this one, and the kids seem to like it so far, even though we are only three verses in. Gus-2 even does his best to say it,”The Lord is my shepherd, blah-blah-blah want. Green pastures! Water!” And when the other kids try to say it he finishes their sentence any time they pause. Drives them crazy!
6. I’m trying to get back to shopping the sales and using coupons, but it seriously stresses me out, especially when I forget my coupon box and I see something on sale and I know I have a coupon at home. It is just one more thing to work into the routine right now. The other part of shaving back our grocery budget is going to have to be eating more simply. My family is so spoiled! I have been in the habit of making a meal plan and the going shopping for whatever I needed for those meals – usually some new recipe each week too, whether or not they were on sale. No more. Once upon a time I shopped sales and then planned from the pantry. This is where I need to get again. The other way made for too high a grocery bill and too many wasted leftovers.
I just got back from two stores this morning, and while I saved a ton of money, I have the sinking suspicion that I bought things I would not have otherwise bought. I feel like I’ve been tricked!
Then I picked up Molly from preschool and saw my haul through her little eyes. Almost everything I bought is full of gluten, her nemesis. I have to scramble to make some matching foods so that she doesn’t feel left out. How is this helpful? So I chalk this one up to another learning experience, and the other kids will be happy with a few of my finds. It is so hard to find a balance between saving on the things that we need and prowling with coupons for the sake of saying I saved some money.
7. Now ‘m just going to publish this and go read some of the other people’s Quick Takes. My brain is empty. Go see Jen @ ConversionDiary and find the link up!
