Taking Time to Enjoy

Yesterday it was sunny and warm in the afternoon - warm like fifty degrees! I thought we could go play in the yard a little and soak up some potential vitamin D. I had a lot to get done yesterday, with Brother-Bugs school work, household tasks, the work that I do...

And then I thought. "NO! LET'S GO TO THE PARK!"

After all, that's why we home school, right? That's why I don't seek employment. So that we can grab the nice days and the snow days and the sick days and live them to their fullest. Sunny? School can happen in the park - at the very least it's PE! Snowy - same deal. Let's get out and play! Rainy and cold is a great time to cuddle up and read or do projects. Sick days are actually opportunities to snuggle together and read "Where The Sidewalk Ends" cover-to-cover in a day.

Because we can.

So often I find myself caught in the trap of "Do, Do, Do" that I forget what my good friend Mark says.

"We are human beings, not human doings."

Swing!! Contrary to her face, it's actually a favorite...

There's a lot to do with kids and curriculum and house and personal interests and volunteering and so on. It's a huge challenge for me to put off the work of the day for the fun that could happen if I let my vision shift a little bit. Because it will likely be rainy tomorrow and the school work will still be there. The dishes will (sigh) still be dirty. The volunteer manual will still need to be edited.

But we didn't miss the sun. We made a new friend. We ran and played and went swinging and sliding. And that, my friends, is worth a lot. Even worth extra crusty dishes.

What To Do When...

...the toddler eats a handful of raw ground turkey?
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Clear your schedule, wear something washable, and prepare for some sticky, vomiting toddler snuggles. Yuck.

Spend some time on the phone with the pediatrician and the midwife. Be grateful that the midwife is well informed and really knows her stuff - because the pediatrician wasn't much help at all.

Also, save the package the turkey came in - in case you have to visit Urgent Care (looks like we missed that adventure, thank goodness!).

Sip Pedialite slowly, an hour after the last puke. Flavor it with a little peppermint tea to soothe the tummy.

Take a relaxing bath spiked with chamomile tea and lavender oil and wash the sticky off yourself and the toddler.


Go to bed with a movie....

Oh, wait. Wipe up and change everyone's shirts again. Sleep with the toddler cuddled up on a towel.

Sigh.

Plan on laundry for tomorrow. Lots of laundry.

Sigh.

Mindful Monday: Creating A Laundry Design

Laundry is the mountain of mountains - the Everest that I seem to almost get to, and never quite climb to the top. Part of the reason it is such an issue for our house is that there is no good place to fold laundry. It's a Major Chore, right? All the other Major Chores have a place - dishes have sinks and dishwashers, washing the laundry has a designated space, there's a corner for the broom and vacuum to hang out when not in use, and so on. But not the unfolded laundry. Some people use the bed, some keep it on the couch, one co-sleeping mom I know uses her crib. But these aren't solutions.

All to frequently, our couch is unusable due to Laundry Mountain. I hate it. There is an answer out there. I just need to think about it. I need to think as carefully and thoughtfully as I did when I re-did the errands. Now is the perfect moment. Daisy Dog likes to sleep on piles of clean laundry, so I have no choice but to keep it off the couch. Papa-Bug made this wonderful folding table in our tiny laundry room - plenty of clearance for the dirty laundry sorter underneath, room on top to keep clean laundry and to fold it.

A place for clean laundry, made of recycled materials. I love my husband.

Who: Me (and the family as applicable)
What: Create a plan to keep the clean laundry flowing to its proper place...dressers come to mind.
Why: This is my Everest of housekeeping. I want to figure it out.
How: Watch the laundry dance, where it works and where it doesn't. Make a plan and implement said plan.

I can't tackle the "how" in a more detailed way right now - first I have to do some thinking and unraveling of the mountain. I'll keep you posted.

Mindful Monday: The Housekeeping Schedule

Before I delve into my Monday post, look at my new Mindful Monday Graphic! I drew it myself, drawing inspiration from The Happiest Mom's similar graphic. I like the idea of the continuity that these regular posts have, and giving some of them their own graphic adds to that feeling. And I love to draw. I drew one for Simple Saturdays also...

This Monday I want to get the house a bit more on track, as far as the when and what of cleaning. I had this going on at our old house, and when I kept up with it, the system worked really well. Now it is time to establish it in this new house. I think the system will work even better here, because this house is much more welcoming to us, and easier to keep clean. I am hopeful.

This week --  The Housekeeping Calendar

Who: Me and my weekly plan.
What: Assign chores to each day; Monday = bathroom, Tuesday = kids room & hall, etc.
Why: I have few rooms in my house, and a weekly pick-up and wipe is usually all they need to stay relatively livable. If each room has its day, it is easy to know which task to tackle. If I miss a day I know what I missed and I can plan for a little extra time the following week.
How: Make a comprehensive list of chores that need to happen around the house; make an "ultimate" list of everything I would like to get done, as well as a "good enough" list of what I must get done to feel comfortable and at home. Plan chores around 6 days, giving myself a day of rest, and getting the list settled. Start it off next Monday!

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My intention of last week, to clear off my desk, is most of the way done. I need some quality time with Papa-Bug to finish off some niggling computer/storage type tasks. I'm hopeful that we can get on those tasks this week or weekend...