Crazy-Making, Crazy-Solving
The past two weeks — at least — I have been a crazy firefighter. Everything that had to get done got done just before it had to, things I should have done got partially completed if worked on at all, and Hans started was a cranky boy because I wasn’t paying direct attention to him. Now my commitments for helping with the Women’s Retreat are complete (and it was a lovely, relaxing retreat!) and I’ve gained some insight on what has been making me crazy. I have toned down some of the extra commitments I’d made (I need to skip playgroup if the house is a wreck, the book club Barb & Heidi and I want to have can only happen once a month, I need to consolidate my errands more and not think of Thursday and Tuesday mornings as my out-and-about days). Now I am trying to figure out how to prioritize, plan ahead, and get done what I must while still keeping my family my top priority. I have to keep the house presentable for hour-notice showings, keep on top of my lit class readings and plan 2 lessons a week (I already have the topics for each class day for the whole year, but not the outlines for what I’ll say when I stand in front of the class), and prepare for a fun thing for my American Heritage class (the badgework already provides activity guidelines). Now I must also plan more and think harder about food to keep Matt both satisfied and off of dairy, gluten, and eggs and Hans off of dairy and corn. It’s a full plate, but not overfull if I stay on top of it all. Doing it on only 4-6 hours of constantly interupted sleep is a challenge, though.
So, this weekend is a “blitz.” The house has been marginally tidy but not clean for 2-3 weeks — I must get the laundry put away and clean the bedrooms and bathrooms. I want to plan a month and a half of actual lesson plans for lit class. I also need to do some menu planning, look through the allergy cookbooks I’m borrowing from our doctor, a friend, and the library, and prepare snacks and lunches. If I can focus and do those things — without neglecting the boys — then I won’t be constantly pulled all those directions in my mind each day.
Hence the lack of posts. I have a multitude of things I’d like to post about, but I am forcing myself to stay away because it is not even making the priority list.
And if only lack of sleep produced loss of weight so I wouldn’t have that hanging around my to-do list as well…..
My sympathies.. I won’t expect any emails for a while! Keep up the good work!
Kudos for knowing when to cut back and concentrate on your priorities :) My suggestion would be to try to break down the jobs into smaller tasks that can be completed in the short time periods you have available. Then take a break to play with Hans, then back to work for another short while. Are you going to try putting Jag’s crib next to your bed? It’s worth a try methinks.
That’s a good idea. I think I’ll try the organizedhome.com-favorite timer-method today & tomorrow. I’ve put the timer in the computer room and will treat myself like a computer-addicted middle-school child: “You can only use the computer for 45 minutes! Then it’s time for more homework!”