PHEW!
Today was a whirlwind. How did it go for you?
It was one of those days where you just hold on and do your best to keep up. Where there is no down time. Where you are pulled in multiple directions at once.
But I made it through. Everything turned out fine. All is well.
And at this moment, I’m grateful to be taking the time to reflect. To appreciate the people that helped me today. To remember the special and wonderful moments that arose. To recognize that today was a good day.
I just saw this article on A Cup of Jo. It’s like the internet can read my mind.
I’ve spent a lot of time in the last week (heck, the last year) saying things like “I don’t have enough time to work on my blog.” Or “I’m too busy to cook dinner/go to the gym/finish that project at work.” Oh, poor me. But, really, am I too busy or am I just losing track of time or maybe prioritizing things differently?
Season 6 of Doctor Who has been filling my evenings and I have been chatting a lot at work, rather than working on that grant. But I’ve also done some cool things lately, like meeting up with other local working moms, attending the Boys & Girls Club Youth of the Year dinner (more on that later?), and spending time with my two favorite guys.
Maybe I just have to accept that there is a lot I want to do but not a TON of time to do it. But if I focus on my priorities and change my perspective a bit, maybe I can change my “busy” life into one that is “awesomely full.”
I don’t know how you guys are holding up but my life is WAY out of control. There are more things to do than there is time in the day. And surprisingly, my head hasn’t exploded yet. I haven’t melted. The world hasn’t come undone.
I’m holding it together.
And that’s because I have a new mantra:
JUST KEEP MOVING
If I just keep going, it will all get done. And I repeat this to myself over and over. And it’s helping me get through the day. It helps me when I have to balance childcare on my own and a full work day, it helps me when my boss tells me there are 10 more things to squeeze into my packed schedule, it helps me when catastrophe strikes our family, it has helped me get stuff done for Christmas.
Mantras are good. They’re soothing.
And really, this mantra has three parts. Three meanings. Let’s say three sub-mantras.
1) Prioritize.
Figure out what matters most, is most urgent, or is most imminent. Do that stuff first. I’m learning that an adult’s to-do list never, ever gets shorter. And I know that I’m not going to get everything done. At least not right away. So I work hard to re-shuffle my to-do list so that important bits are not neglected.
2) One step at a time.
Everything just feels so daunting when you’re busy. The other day, laundry became an awful burden. It’s simple, right?, but it felt like a ginormous hassle. So, I broke the task into smaller parts- collecting the dirty clothes, finding quarters, walking everything down to the basement, and so on. It helped. I got it done.
3) Schedule it!
My brain is goo. Stuff doesn’t get retained anymore. And nothing gets done if it’s not on my calendar. Poor hubby is learning this the hard way- I have forgotten to do many things for him and our family because they didn’t make in on our calendar. And (I can’t believe I’m going to say this) thank goodness for iPhones. The calendar app is my buddy. I’d be lost without that thing cause as soon as I hear about another to-do, it goes on the calendar, right away.
Some how or other, I’m managing to keep my head above water this week. How do you guys manage busy-ness?
Oh…hello there.
In all the hustle and bustle, I guess I forgot to pay attention to the blog. Oopsies.
Here’s what’s been going on…
1) Henry is (almost) crawling! He’s figured out how to drag himself around with his forearms. He’s figured out how to move forward. Very slowly. An inch at a time. But, nevertheless, moving forward.
2) Only three more days and Henry will be done with the helmet. Forever!
3) I’ve fallen asleep on the couch at 8pm every night for the last week. Needless to say, I’m tired. BUT, work is going well. All the youth programs have started successfully. The ball is rolling. I’m hoping, crossing my fingers that life will become more manageable soon. It will, right?
4) Deron has been amazing as always. He’s the best.
And, look at how cute Henry has been…
Let’s see if I can keep this up…
Kissy Monster 