My Two Cents...

MY opinions, thoughts, ideas, suggestions, things I like, things I don't, part of who I am.

Tired!

I’ve decided I’m gonna try writing about something and nothing at least once a day.  I’ve been neglecting this blog and putting it on the back burner, when in reality I want to journal about my life every day.  So here’s to day one in starting a habit.

Nothing really important to write other than I’m tired.  Andy has started a part time job in the evenings and lets just say I wait up for him most nights only tonight I’ll be going to sleep right after this post.  Staying up till midnight to one in the morning and getting up when my Munchie gets up is rapidly starting to catch up.

We had a busy day today.  We were out the door at 8am to head over to an Easter Egg hunt.  It was great to see my Munchie picking up eggs and putting them in his Easter basket.  Andy tried to bowl while I ran around trying to keep track of an energetic one year old!  We saw the bunny and after the hunt we headed home.

Once we got home it was time to get some stuff ready for a Baptism at church. (which was great by the way).  Then we came home with the Missionaries, Andy had some stuff he needed to help them with and I ran over to Sams Club to get dog food and diapers since we were completely out.

Got home sat down for about 30 minutes and then my Munchie got up and well I was tired an wanted to stay home, but I managed to get him dressed to head to the park, which seemed to be the right thing to do.  We had tons of fun!  Great little park.  Then it was back home to eat dinner, clean the kitchen, bathed my Munch, read a story, gave him a bottle, sang a little and put him to bed.  There is more my day but like I said I’m tired and my bed is calling my name.

I have no energy what so ever!  I honestly can’t believe how tired I am.  As I sit here and think on the day I ask myself, could we have done anything differently than we did today.  It seemed to be a good day but a crazy hectic day.  I want my life to be simplified.  Not easy, because there is no growth with easy, but simple.  I don’t like all the running around we’ve been doing.  Seems like it’s always a game of catch up with the cleaning, car maintenance, washing the dogs….you know all those things that NEED to get done, but aren’t necessarily on the top of the priority list.

Any time I feel like this I ask myself, what could we change, what are we doing wrong and how could we improve?  We normally have a planning session on Sunday nights together so we are on the same page, but I think we’re gonna have to add to the planning session and be a little more detailed.  I think there needs to be a day not just Sunday, where we just stay home read books, relax and hang out.  Even if it’s just watching a movie or taking a nap!

So here’s to an upcoming planning session to simplify our life again!!

Do you have any suggestions or things you do to keep it simple?  If you do, I’d love to hear them!

P.S.  Due to being tired I am just gonna post this and review it later….I hope it all makes sense!

Have a good night!

 

thepolkadottedzebra!

Cleaning Schedule

Update on my cleaning schedule.

Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life.
Alan Lakein

I have to say I wish I would have thought of this cleaning schedule idea SOONER!!  It has only been in effect for a week, but already I have seen a difference in how my days and week went.

So I followed my schedule this week, the only day I missed was Wednesdays…I completely forgot to clean the bathrooms.  It has been liberating….if that’s the right word to use.  Before the cleaning schedule it seemed as though my mind was always on the things that needed to get done.  I am normally really good about scheduling and having order in the things I do.  For example, when I was going to college I would schedule everything by the hour, my classes, my workouts, work, church stuff, it kept me organized.  When I was working, the same thing.  I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to do the same thing for my home, our one and only true safe haven from the world.  It’s even more important now that  I have a family!!

Anyways, Andy and I were running errands and while in the car I could really focus on what he was saying and talking about, I felt I could really participate in the conversation instead of thinking of all the things I needed to get done (when I started the cleaning schedule I also managed to put to order other things that need to get done around the house).

You can’t change the past, but you can ruin the present by worrying about the future.
Unknown

My mind was free and clear of clutter.  The best part was when I was able to just let certain things go, for example, I didn’t get the bathrooms cleaned on Wednesday, I had to have the attitude of “Oh Well”, it will get done next week, this enabled me to continue to get the things done that were “planned” instead of piling up and stressing me out,…I was able to let it go.  In turn, I was able to spend my evening FINALLY scrapbooking and doing something I wanted instead of trying to play catch up.

I need to make a few little changes to my scheduling some days I have more to do than others, so I need to lighten the load on those days, it’s also more important to me that Eli gets good quality time with Mom or Dad, and although he’s little, finding new things to do with him is important!

This is the beginning of a new day.
God has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it or use it for good.
What I do today is important, because
I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes,
this day will be gone forever,
leaving in its place something
that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain, not loss;
good not evil; success not failure;
in order that I shall not regret
the price I paid for it.
Author Unknown

See you soon!

thepolkadottedzebra

Huston….we have a problem!!

I have a problem!  My problem is this.

I love to scrapbook, I love to sew, I love to run, I love to be creative and make things.  So let me give you an example of my problem, lets say I get up in the morning and I say to myself, today I’m gonna scrapbook.  I get all excited inside, I’m feeling warm and fuzzy, I get to scrapbook!!!

Then….THEN!!!! I go downstairs to make myself breakfast and what do I see???….a mess!

There are dishes in the sink, toys scattered around, and piles of papers and bills on the dining room table.  Without really thinking and just out of habit, I get a little annoyed and start cleaning the kitchen, then toys, then going through the papers on the table, and bills, then I take the jackets that have piled up on the banister and go upstairs to hang them up and put them in the closet, and then I see laundry that needs to be washed, and bathrooms that need to be cleaned.

Soooooooo one thing leads to another, and I start to straighten up the bedroom, I need to dust so I go to the downstairs bathroom to get the dust rag (because that’s where we keep all our cleaning supplies) and I see that, that bathroom should get a quick cleaning too.  Finally I head back up to the bedroom and get the pile of laundry and bring it to the basement, stuff what I can in the wash, turn around and see that….hmmmm, the basement needs to be cleaned really quick.  So I pull out the vacuum and off I go.

Not to mention I have little Eli to take care of while I’m doing all of this, so in between the cleaning, I am playing with him, feeding him and putting him down for a nap.  Next thing you know the day is over and I’m too pooped to scrapbook!

Am I the only person out there that does this?……PLEASE tell me there is at least one other person in this world that knows what this is like!  The best way to describe the feeling is like looking at a picture on a wall that is just a little crooked, you walk by and stop in your tracks to fix it…you straighten it.  That’s what I do every time I see a little mess or a pile of papers or something on our clutter free end tables.

They say the first step to fixing a problem is admitting you have one, well I admit it, and here’s how I’ve decided to work it.

Last week I sat down and made a cleaning schedule.

Monday – Groceries

Every other Tuesday – Laundry

Every other Wednesday – Bathrooms

Thursday – Floors

And lastly we made a new rule in the house that no matter what the kitchen needs to be cleaned before we head to bed.  Out of all the rooms in the house, I consider my kitchen my work space, no one wants to go to their office first thing in the morning and see a mess, it’s not the best way to start the day.  My kitchen is the same way, so thankfully I have a loving husband who is on board and is helping me make sure the kitchen gets cleaned before bed.

So today’s experience. I went down to the basement to work out….I had to take all the laundry that wasn’t folded or washed and clear it out of the hallway and close the door, I then proceeded to enjoy my workout.  I give myself a gold star!!

My husband says I LOOOOOOVE to clean…ummmmm, not many people LOOOOOOOVe to clean toilets, or fold laundry, or wash dishes, I lovingly try to correct him and tell him what I LOOOOOOOve is the feeling of clean, NOT cleaning!

I’m learning that as nice as it is to have a clean and orderly home, it’s more important to develop our talents, and spend time with family and friends.

Balance, balance, balance, life is about finding balance, and balance includes working, cleaning AND taking a break…… going for a run, scrapbooking, and playing with Eli.

On the Right Track!!!

So as I mentioned in my last post, I had been wanting to start a blog, but at the time question if what I think about and write about is even worth sharing.  The day after my first post I received my journal in the mail from my Oprah’s Lifeclass.  ( I still haven’t attended) Opened up to the very first page and this was the quote I found inside.

“We want all to make the most of our lives…to become the highest expression of ourselves.  It begins with your own awakening.  There’s no better way to find that aha! than by keeping a diary.”  Oprah

I’d have to say I think I’m on the right track.  I just have to keep reminding myself that I’m doing this for me…this is my journal, my journey… to learn more about me, about others, to maybe help someone else who is feeling the same way or questioning the same things.

I created the tab Mommy Moments to write about the things I think about and learn as a New Mom.  I created my TwoCents to write about the everyday things I do, goals, dreams, frustrations, ups and downs.  I also have HomeMade for projects or things around the house, and Ditching Chunky, to help me stay motivated to exercise, live healthy and take it one day at a time.

Week one blogging is about to begin!….and I’m very excited!!!

 

 

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