Thursday, April 26, 2012

How To Eat an Elephant--er, update my blog

We're getting settled.  Yay!!!  We're renting a house that everyone that sees it says is really, really cute.  And it is.  I was ambivalent when we first saw it, but it's really growing on me.  There are some things that I adore, like the LIGHT!!!  There are windows everywhere.  I don't have to turn on a single blasted light during the day.  Even in the basement!  It's so great.

Every day I blog.  In my head.  I miss blogging.  And I'm not exactly sure how or when I'm going to catch up.  But I've had an idea, and I hope it will work.

For years I wasn't able to really keep a schedule.  Sort of, but not really.  And there are so many things that beg to get done every day, that I'm feeling rather overwhelmed.  Unpack boxes.  Hang photos.  Finish the will paperwork.  Clean the kitchen.  Fold the laundry.  Feed the baby.  Pay bills.  Change our address with a handful of entities.  Pull weeds.  Exercise.  Read with Cora.  Plan a menu.  Make dinner.  Sweep.  It's endless, and I feel like if I spend lots of time doing one thing (like cleaning) that other things suffer for it (like hanging pictures, and I'm just waiting for a really nice one to get kicked, then stepped on).  So I've come up with something that hopefully will work:

My Schedule
6:45--alarm
7:00--get up, do 7-minute ab workout, read scriptures, pray
7:30--kids' alarm, breakfast, pack lunches, take them to school
9:00--quick tidy
9:30--computer time (email/blog/facebook/billpay/freecycle/craigslist/diaperswappers/youtube)
10:30--yard/garden time
11:30--shower
12:00--lunch
12:30--read with Cora
1:00--household stuff/errands/laundry/unpacking/menu planning
3:15--pick up kids/snack time
3:30--outside for either gardening OR play/exercise time at the park
4:30--homework/meal prep
6:00--dinner
6:30--clean up
7:00--bedtime routine
7:20--5-minute clean-up
7:30--family scripture study/prayer
8:00--bedtime story/tuck-in
8:30--ME time
10:00--BED

It hasn't worked yet.

So I know it still needs some tweaking.  Everything's okay until after school, when everything falls apart and we're not eating dinner until 7:00, and I never did get any exercise in.  I'll work on it.

Riah told me he's proud of me for making this up.  He said that he's glad that he'll be limiting my facebook computer time.  Not like I was an addict or anything, but we are both aware that sometimes it uses a bit too much of my time.  Like every day.  When I first showed him my schedule, his first question was one to verify that I'm not going to freak out and get frustrated and angry that little things keep messing up my SCHEDULE!!!  Crazy things like, say, feeding a baby or looking at my children when they talk to me.  Phht!  What does he think I am?  OCD?  Of course not!  O.C.D. isn't in alphabetical order.  Duh!```

Anyhow, hopefully this will help me to be able to eat my elephant in teeny tiny bites instead of being overwhelmed at the sheer size of the herd.

Wish me luck!

4 comments:

  1. Good for you! The only thing I would add, that I found is the key to me feeling a sense of accomplishing what I needed to by the end of the day, is that 60 second part of my morning prayer where I ask the Lord to let me know what his will is for each day, and then grant me the willingness (and flexibility) to put my own agenda aside to follow His will. I don't usually get all my to-do bullet points crossed off--but always the ones that matter. Keep fighting the good fight; as we both already know, life with a little one still nursing is always a challenge.

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  2. You can do it! I'm a firm believer in schedules, but they definitely made to be tweaked. Daily. It looks like a great schedule, too, I just might steal it.

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  3. I am cheering for you, Dyann! Go go go!!!

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  4. I'm cheering too!

    How's the schedule working out for you?

    Mine is basically: "get as much stuff done as you can, then carve an hour out of sleep in order to catch up on blogs" :)

    Miss you!

    Fudgeoreo....

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