It's been almost two weeks since my last blog post. I've had intentions of writing every evening, and somehow I just never found the time. (My list of "writing topics" grows everyday - just wish I had more time to actually write!) My husband has taken a new football coaching job in a town about 30 miles from our home, and it's "spring training" so I have no help in the evenings with the boys' baseball schedule. Not that this is unfamiliar territory: I've been carrying two little boys to their practices and games since the oldest was 4 years old. My husband's work schedule usually prevents him from helping much on week nights, especially now that he's commuting. So between baseball and football, life is pretty busy for our family right now. AND it's the end of the school year. There are standardized state tests, field days, awards programs, not to mention Big B's tryouts for middle school sports. I have to brag for a moment on Big B. He set a goal two years ago (yes, in 4th grade) that he would make all three teams - football, basketball, and baseball - when he got to middle school. Yesterday, he finished meeting that goal. He will be one of only two 7th graders (about 400 kids) to play on all three teams next year! I love that at such a young age he learned to set a goal and work hard to achieve it. His dad is such a hard-working, goal-oriented person; I'm glad he sets such a strong example for our boys. (And it doesn't hurt that they inherited his athleticism!)
Our love for sports ("Sports Mania") is what makes us a Busy Family and gives me the offical title of Busy Mom! While I normally seem to manage our lives very well, there are times (like right now), that I absolutely stink at being a busy mom. The laundry is piled up once again ("The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly"), the bathrooms need scrubbing, the floor needs mopping, and the yard needs mowing. Add to the mix that I am trying to cook healthy meals to manage my husband's diabetes ("She brings him good, not harm...") and to get myself back in shape ("My Battle"). A daunting task! We are also trying to be frugal in our grocery and gas expenses, which requires lots of advanced preparation. All of my good ideas (such as "Meal Shortcuts for Baseball Moms") aren't helping as much as I would like them to. However, I can breathe easier knowing that there is an end in sight...summer!
Oh summer, how I love thee! While there have been times in my career as a public school teacher that I have complained about low wages, long hours, difficult parents, and belligerent students, I do love my job. One thing that makes all of the headaches okay is that every year, for two whole months, I get to be a stay-at-home mom!! I love, love, love being home with my kids. And I have to say that I am the perfect little homemaker during the summers. My house is clean, projects are completed, scrapbooks are up-to-date, kids are happy, all is well. I can pack my baseball bag and head to the ball park with no worries. Can anyone truly understand the glory of summer without baseball? I certainly can't!
Showing posts with label Habits and Routines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Habits and Routines. Show all posts
Friday, May 18, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly
I have many good things in my life: my husband, my kids, my teaching career! At times, there are bad things too: lack of sleep, not enough time in the day, adult acne! But, there is one area of my life that is just down-right ugly: LAUNDRY! I have to believe that I am not alone. Surely, other folks out there feel the same way. You see, when David and I first got married, we made the deal that he would do the dishes if I would do the laundry. It seemed like a fair deal at the moment...but that was before two busy little boys. Even at my very best, when I am keeping up with all of my housework on a daily basis, it takes a minimum of two loads of laundry a day to keep up with my family's dirty duds. The busy football coach husband often wears two set of clothes a day. Oftentimes, he leaves dirty clothes in the locker room and brings home a pile all at once, easily getting me off-track with my daily wash. The busy boys have school uniforms, play clothes, and sports uniforms. When there are multiple games and practices in the course of the week, uniforms and sports gear must be washed daily. Even this busy mom wears one set of dress clothes to work, then comes home and changes into comfy exercise clothes for the evening rat race. Don't forget about sheets, towels, and wash cloths! Laundry is certainly a never-ending battle for me.
Well, as of last night, I had officially lost the battle. We have hit the peak of our "busy season" -- the one point of the year where two sports overlap. Basketball season hasn't ended, yet baseball tryouts and practices have begun! This overlap only lasts 2-3 weeks each Spring, but it is crazy nonetheless. We have stayed so busy during the last week and a half, that the laundry started to pile up. At times, I managed to sneak in a load here and there, but it was wash, dry, and DUMP! Yes, many of the clothes were clean; however, the piles quickly began to take over the living room...climaxing to the point that my living room looked like this:
Now, I had a plan to deal with this mess. My kids go to church youth group for two hours on Wednesday nights. Normally, my husband and I have a dinner date during that time, but I asked him to take a raincheck and decided to spend the evening washing and drying the dirty clothes that remained, and folding, hanging, and putting away the clean clothes. What happened next caused me to laugh in order not to cry! You southern folks will understand when I say that "everybody and their mama" showed up at my house!!! Friends, neighbors, my father-in-law, the list goes on and on... You can only imagine my humiliation at all these people seeing my mess. I pride myself on having a nice, clean house, especially when I know that company's coming. But instead, I had a messy house and no idea that company was coming! Fortunately, it turned out to be a nice evening, mess and all. We love visiting with family and friends, and now they all know that I'm only human (as if they didn't know this before)!!!
This afternoon, the entire family teamed up to get the laundry finished. There isn't a single dirty piece of clothing in the house. So for this moment, I have won the battle of the laundry. Maybe I've learned my lesson about laundry, maybe there won't be a next time, maybe I'll keep it up for a while...or maybe not! Only time will tell. For now, laundry is on the "good" list. Who knows how long that will last??
Well, as of last night, I had officially lost the battle. We have hit the peak of our "busy season" -- the one point of the year where two sports overlap. Basketball season hasn't ended, yet baseball tryouts and practices have begun! This overlap only lasts 2-3 weeks each Spring, but it is crazy nonetheless. We have stayed so busy during the last week and a half, that the laundry started to pile up. At times, I managed to sneak in a load here and there, but it was wash, dry, and DUMP! Yes, many of the clothes were clean; however, the piles quickly began to take over the living room...climaxing to the point that my living room looked like this:
Now, I had a plan to deal with this mess. My kids go to church youth group for two hours on Wednesday nights. Normally, my husband and I have a dinner date during that time, but I asked him to take a raincheck and decided to spend the evening washing and drying the dirty clothes that remained, and folding, hanging, and putting away the clean clothes. What happened next caused me to laugh in order not to cry! You southern folks will understand when I say that "everybody and their mama" showed up at my house!!! Friends, neighbors, my father-in-law, the list goes on and on... You can only imagine my humiliation at all these people seeing my mess. I pride myself on having a nice, clean house, especially when I know that company's coming. But instead, I had a messy house and no idea that company was coming! Fortunately, it turned out to be a nice evening, mess and all. We love visiting with family and friends, and now they all know that I'm only human (as if they didn't know this before)!!!
This afternoon, the entire family teamed up to get the laundry finished. There isn't a single dirty piece of clothing in the house. So for this moment, I have won the battle of the laundry. Maybe I've learned my lesson about laundry, maybe there won't be a next time, maybe I'll keep it up for a while...or maybe not! Only time will tell. For now, laundry is on the "good" list. Who knows how long that will last??
Sunday, January 29, 2012
"I'm just not a morning person..."
As early as I can
remember, this statement has been true. When I was in high school, my mom and I
used to fight in the mornings because I wouldn't get out of bed. She would
stomp to the top of the stairs and enter my bedroom fussing and fussing. In
true teenager style, I would moan and groan and refuse to budge! One morning,
she came upstairs to my bedroom six or seven times trying to get me up. The
final time she topped the stairs, I mumbled some smart-mouthed comment and
rolled back over. About that time, I hear "boom-boom, boom-boom,
boom-boom," as she tumbled down the wooden stairs. I remember reaching the
top of the stairs to see her lying at the bottom motionless. All I could think
was "I've killed my mother." Fortunately, she escaped the fall with
only a badly bruised arm, but it could have been much worse! For some time
after that, the guilt caused me to try a little harder to get up in the
mornings...but guilt will only take a person so far!
Fast forward a few years...my younger sister moved into an apartment with me during her first semester in college. It also happened to be my first year teaching, my first year in the "real world." I think they left out an important part in my College of Education coursework. No one, I mean no one, had bothered to tell me that teachers had to be at work at ridiculously early hours in the morning. Yes, I had completed my student teaching the previous semester, but I had not a clue that showing up for work at 7 A.M. would be a regular expectation! What a disaster...it was a miracle that my sister and I didn't kill each other that year. She can attest to this day that I made her life miserable because I was so cranky in the mornings.
So, at the end of that year, I married the man of my dreams, my high school sweetheart! You would think that after dating for almost seven years, very few things would surprise me; however, little did I know that he is what I like to call an "early bird." I don't just mean that he wakes up early. I mean that he wakes up early acting like he just won the lottery!! He is happy, cheerful, energetic, and full of life - long before I can even open my eyes, much less utter noises that even remotely sound like words!
We are polar opposites in this way; even after 14 years of marriage and two kids, I still struggle to get out of bed each morning. Instead of my mom standing over me fussing for me to get up, it is now my husband who has to fret about my morning habits. Quite honestly, all three of my guys are usually up and moving before I am truly awake. Yes, I am out of the bed when the kids get up, but it takes me two cups of coffee and an hour of peace and quiet (try getting that in a house full of "early birds") for me to get going each morning. Now, here's where the problems arise. My sweet husband has usually cooked breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, and started the kids on their morning routine before I even make it out of the shower.
Fast forward a few years...my younger sister moved into an apartment with me during her first semester in college. It also happened to be my first year teaching, my first year in the "real world." I think they left out an important part in my College of Education coursework. No one, I mean no one, had bothered to tell me that teachers had to be at work at ridiculously early hours in the morning. Yes, I had completed my student teaching the previous semester, but I had not a clue that showing up for work at 7 A.M. would be a regular expectation! What a disaster...it was a miracle that my sister and I didn't kill each other that year. She can attest to this day that I made her life miserable because I was so cranky in the mornings.
So, at the end of that year, I married the man of my dreams, my high school sweetheart! You would think that after dating for almost seven years, very few things would surprise me; however, little did I know that he is what I like to call an "early bird." I don't just mean that he wakes up early. I mean that he wakes up early acting like he just won the lottery!! He is happy, cheerful, energetic, and full of life - long before I can even open my eyes, much less utter noises that even remotely sound like words!
We are polar opposites in this way; even after 14 years of marriage and two kids, I still struggle to get out of bed each morning. Instead of my mom standing over me fussing for me to get up, it is now my husband who has to fret about my morning habits. Quite honestly, all three of my guys are usually up and moving before I am truly awake. Yes, I am out of the bed when the kids get up, but it takes me two cups of coffee and an hour of peace and quiet (try getting that in a house full of "early birds") for me to get going each morning. Now, here's where the problems arise. My sweet husband has usually cooked breakfast, cleaned the kitchen, and started the kids on their morning routine before I even make it out of the shower.
Now I know what you "early birds" are thinking: this woman is just pure lazy! And I know that at times my husband thinks the same thing. Nevertheless, I know that I have tried to become a better "morning person." It just doesn't come naturally to me. It's something I have to work on each and every day. I have not yet become the Proverbs 31 noble wife who "gets up while it is still dark." And if I do, I ain't too happy about it! (Pardon the grammar...just trying to make a point!) So, I've set a little goal for myself. This week, I'm going to get up when the alarm goes off, without hitting snooze or moaning and groaning. I may not sing a happy tune or dance a jig, but I will try to be a pleasant person for the short time we four have together before we begin the busyness of our daily lives. I challenge you other "non-morning people" to join me on this little journey, and for all of you "early birds," don't forget to encourage us along the way!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
More than just menus!!
Well ladies, I've decided to make this blog about more than just menus! I recently started a part-time organizing business and wanted to include my experiences helping others get organized!! The earliest recollection I have of being an "organizer" is from elementary school. Around fifth grade, I decided that my extensive collection of books needed to be organized. I put them in alphabetical order on the bookshelves and numbered each one so they had a specific space on the shelves where they belonged. As I moved into high school and college, I became the queen of lists. Even to this day, I have checklists for absolutely everything! As a young wife and mother, I realized that running a household was much harder than I had ever imagined. I created a "Mommy Notebook" that I have used for years, including calendars, schedules, important letters and flyers, even Biblical or other motivational passages to help keep me focused.
Today, this need for structure and organization continues. My clothes in my closet are sorted by style and color. They all face the same direction on the same style hangers. My pantry is neatly organized by food type...breakfast foods, canned goods, staples, etc. The odd thing about all of these behaviors is that while getting these systems in place is very easy for me, maintaining them has often been a struggle for me. I have a natural tendency to become overwhelmed very easily. I have a short attention span and can quickly lose focus. I need structure and order in my life to keep me sane! When I was much younger, I can remember looking at other women who seemed to "have it all together" and wonder if I could ever be that way. Time and maturity have taught me a great deal about managing my life. For several years now I have felt compelled to help other women, who struggle like I often do, to become all that God has designed them to be.
Today, this need for structure and organization continues. My clothes in my closet are sorted by style and color. They all face the same direction on the same style hangers. My pantry is neatly organized by food type...breakfast foods, canned goods, staples, etc. The odd thing about all of these behaviors is that while getting these systems in place is very easy for me, maintaining them has often been a struggle for me. I have a natural tendency to become overwhelmed very easily. I have a short attention span and can quickly lose focus. I need structure and order in my life to keep me sane! When I was much younger, I can remember looking at other women who seemed to "have it all together" and wonder if I could ever be that way. Time and maturity have taught me a great deal about managing my life. For several years now I have felt compelled to help other women, who struggle like I often do, to become all that God has designed them to be.
So what have I learned? I've come to the conclusion that spiritual and mental clutter are often the causes of physical clutter. And the more physical clutter in our lives, the more prone we are to spiritual and mental clutter. It can often be a vicious cycle. By learning to control the physical stuff, we can free ourselves to focus on our spiritual and mental health!! My goal with "The Busy Mom" is to share my successes and failures in leading an organized life in hopes that other women will learn from my experiences. Thanks for joining me on this journey!
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