Thursday, February 26, 2009

I Believe

I believe

...in quiet.
And in the therapeutic effect a quiet, empty house has on me. I need bits of solitude to continue to function well.

...in the power of nature.

...in organization.
I want to be organized. I just struggle with getting there and on those rare occasions that I actually get there, I have trouble staying there. Just ask all the unused organizational tools found in the nooks and crannies of my house.

...in being prepared.
At least in theory! This is related to my organizational struggles. To be prepared requires advance planning and advance preparation. My procrastination doesn't help any. I know what to do. I just hardly ever actually do it. What is the solution? Is there a solution?

...in balance.

Now back to my office... I'm supposed to be doing my taxes today. Instead I am chipping away at the mess that is my procrastinated, unmotivated, unorganized house.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Cause and Effect

Cause: The kids are hungry.

Effect: They make their own breakfast. Which they frequently do, especially Ryan. I went downstairs this morning to see if anyone needed breakfast. Ryan had eaten his already. Raisin Bran with chocolate soymilk. Eeeewwww! I told him not to use chocolate milk on his cereal anymore. Bella had decided to make her own breakfast as well. It was her first time using the toaster oven. She had lined the tray with a paper towel so the bread wouldn't fall through the grate. Thankfully I found it before it warmed all the way up and started a fire. She now knows not to put any paper products into the toaster! Felisa was innocent throughout. This time, anyway.

*****

Cause: Ron is home, full of energy.

Effect: Our basement is being rearranged. LARGE piles of junk are being created at an alarming rate. Dusting and vaccuuming is being done which is good. Junk will eventually be cleared out, I hope. Ron will feel much better very soon. I, on the other hand, will take probably a month to recover and get everything cleared out, sorted, and put away. It is something that really needs to be done from time to time - I was surprised by how much trash and how many toys we found under the desk for example - when we stay in our house for several years. No moving means no big moving purges. We're about to bust at the seams here! Ron is braver than I - he just jumps in whole-heartedly. I'm more hesitant. I know it needs to be done and I want it to be done but I know it is going to make a BIG mess so I hesitate. I don't have time for big messes!

*****

Cause: There's a big mess in my basement!

Effect: My taxes will not be getting done today. And probably not this week. My deadline is Mar. 1 so it'll have to be done soon though. Wish me luck!

*****

Ah-choo! (It's a bit dusty in here today!)

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Quote

I will conquer my procrastination problem...just you wait!

-unknown

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Missing me?

So it has been brought to my attention by more than one person on more than one occasion that my blog has been neglected of late.

It's true.

I also neglected to put Felisa's birthday on the family calendar that I sent as Christmas gifts. Oops! Guess I was too busy making sure I got everyone else on who wanted to be added. I did have a birthday picture of her adorning the January page. So I at least gave a hint about her birthday. Better luck next year Felisa!

Things have been busy as usual. January was pretty much devoted to family time. After the cleaning frenzy to prepare for Ron's return, the two of us went to Camp Lejeune for a week. Then two days spent packing for our family trip to Disneyworld. In case anyone is wondering, a 10 day roadtrip to Disney requires just as much stuff as a month-long road trip across America. I didn't realize that but it turns out to pretty much be true.

The trip to Florida was fun. All until the last day when the starter on the van quit working. The guys over at the Disney Car Care Center took care of us. We spent the day buying DVC membership and shopping at Downtown Disney. We hit the road at about 5:30 p.m., just in time for rush hour traffic through Orlando. We had to cancel our stop in Rock Hill to see Lana. There was also a snow/ice storm headed for Virginia so we decided to just drive through the night. We arrived home just as the first snowflakes began to fall. Ron and Ryan slept all morning and then I had a nice afternoon nap. The girls apparently slept fine in the car because they just played all day. Wednesday was a snow day from school then Thursday was a 2-hour delay. Which brings us all the way to Jan. 29. See - told you there wasn't much going on in January but family time!

February has been busy so far as well. I spent 6 out of 10 days subbing at Parkwood. Felisa's class was my favorite. The one day I spent with the 2 1/2 year olds was good birth control. I have obviously forgotten how crazy-making a 2-year-old can be! The day spent with the young 4's was okay except for the three boys who just couldn't stop wrestling. Oh and the two pee-pee accidents. I enjoy the work but it takes a lot of energy and being in a different class each time is hard because you have to learn a new routine each day.

So now you all can stop complaining. There is clearly nothing interesting going on around here. And what little is happening has drained all my blogging energy!