The consensus on my posts regarding my House of Chaos is that I have too much toy clutter in my house. Thank you for this feedback!
I agree and I am setting a goal to eliminate toys once again this week. I am a sucker for toys, but this clutter has reached a painful level recently.
I will let you know how it goes!
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
House of Chaos Part II
So, here was the plan of action. The house was a mess and I organized the kids. I told them that we would set the timer for five minutes and work as fast as we could all together to put things away in the room. When the timer went off, we stopped and went on to the next room. Pick-up time lasted a total of 15 minutes, 5 minutes per room. Look at what we accomplished in 15 minutes!
*It's fun to tumble in the room when the toys are out of the way!
But, as you can see, three days later, my angels are happy in their chaos once again!
Oh well! At least we know that 15 minutes can make a huge difference
if someone important is if stopping by!
Monday, January 25, 2010
House of Chaos
My house is in a state of chaos.
First, my 3 and 4-year-old have done this:
And this:
And this:
The visiting dog who has been here for
nearly one month now has done this:
And this:
First, my 3 and 4-year-old have done this:
And this:
And this:
The visiting dog who has been here for
nearly one month now has done this:
And this:
And let's just say that I am tired.
I have had it.
All of this clutter and work just clogs my brain.
Soooooo, at 4:30 p.m. today, I will organize my kids to assist in putting order to this chaos.
I will corral them and direct them and I will surrender to the idea that I cannot do this alone.
And they will learn.
Right?
I will let you know how it goes.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Random Thoughts ....
Health and Fitness ...
I am feeling really good about my new eating and exercise plan. I want to be healthier and I want this change to be permanent. I am really happy right now that I am not having any cravings, thanks to the Abs Diet http://www.amazon.com/Abs-Diet-Women-Six-Week-Flatten/dp/1594866244! This is a great eating plan btw. It highlights 12 power food groups that are healthy, fairly yummy and highly filling. I am especially excited that this plan endorses eggs and it explains why eating them is a good thing! I looove eggs!
Bickering ...
Why do my girls have to bicker, bicker, bicker?? Whine. And bicker some more?? I know they are 3 and 4 and have a lot to learn about getting along with others, including each other. But, it is SO tiring to listen to it. It feels like it goes on All. Day. Long. On some days anyway.
Rigidity ...
What is the deal with rigidity? Why not be flexible? It's more fun.
Goals ...
I continue to work on my New Year's Resolutions http://divasuzanne.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-year-new-goals.html. I like having goals and my goals this year are very doable ... and energizing. I am not convinced I need to work quite so hard as I have been though on my housework. My kids are young and I don't need a crisp, clean, perfect home. I want them to enjoy and explore ... I want to teach them good habits, but I also want this to be a lived in and child-friendly home. I am going to ease up a bit on some of the toy pick up. It is not worth the effort. My focus will be on the bigger things ... dishes, laundry, bathrooms, floors, tolerance ...
Cooking ...
I want to be a better cook. Tonight I made a good dinner, using some carefully selected recipes. I am going to begin to make marks in my cookbooks when my family likes the meal I cook. I tend to cook from recipes and then rarely go back to them. I think it would be easier to have some regular dishes that I know my family loves to eat, aside from spaghetti and chicken & rice.
Turning 40 ...
I will be 40 in a few weeks. I always have a hard time on my birthdays. This year, I want to end that trend of mine and just enjoy who I am. Who cares how old I am, right? Age happens to us all and the alternative is much worse. Still, this is going to be hard for me. I tend to get blue on my birthday.
I am feeling really good about my new eating and exercise plan. I want to be healthier and I want this change to be permanent. I am really happy right now that I am not having any cravings, thanks to the Abs Diet http://www.amazon.com/Abs-Diet-Women-Six-Week-Flatten/dp/1594866244! This is a great eating plan btw. It highlights 12 power food groups that are healthy, fairly yummy and highly filling. I am especially excited that this plan endorses eggs and it explains why eating them is a good thing! I looove eggs!
Bickering ...
Why do my girls have to bicker, bicker, bicker?? Whine. And bicker some more?? I know they are 3 and 4 and have a lot to learn about getting along with others, including each other. But, it is SO tiring to listen to it. It feels like it goes on All. Day. Long. On some days anyway.
Rigidity ...
What is the deal with rigidity? Why not be flexible? It's more fun.
Goals ...
I continue to work on my New Year's Resolutions http://divasuzanne.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-year-new-goals.html. I like having goals and my goals this year are very doable ... and energizing. I am not convinced I need to work quite so hard as I have been though on my housework. My kids are young and I don't need a crisp, clean, perfect home. I want them to enjoy and explore ... I want to teach them good habits, but I also want this to be a lived in and child-friendly home. I am going to ease up a bit on some of the toy pick up. It is not worth the effort. My focus will be on the bigger things ... dishes, laundry, bathrooms, floors, tolerance ...
Cooking ...
I want to be a better cook. Tonight I made a good dinner, using some carefully selected recipes. I am going to begin to make marks in my cookbooks when my family likes the meal I cook. I tend to cook from recipes and then rarely go back to them. I think it would be easier to have some regular dishes that I know my family loves to eat, aside from spaghetti and chicken & rice.
Turning 40 ...
I will be 40 in a few weeks. I always have a hard time on my birthdays. This year, I want to end that trend of mine and just enjoy who I am. Who cares how old I am, right? Age happens to us all and the alternative is much worse. Still, this is going to be hard for me. I tend to get blue on my birthday.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
New Year, New Goals ...
This year I am inspired by Flylady's new motto for 2010 --
"The timer is my friend in 2010."
This year, I will be doing many exciting things with my timer to meet my goals. I will use Flylady as a lead resource, but I will have my own goal areas to make headway on.
If I had to sum up my New Year's Resolution this year in one word, it would be:
Fifteen
And that is because, as Flylady says, "you can do anything for 15 minutes!" And this is so true for me. There is nothing like spicing up the drudgery of housework with timer goals at various times throughout the day.
So, I will be using my timer to meet my housework goals, kick procrastination in the rear, and even to do some exercise. This year will be all about bursts of 15 minute energy. I am not even thinking of perfection in any area, just wonderful bursts of positive energy doing various tasks that are on path to my goals. And, in doing this, I will keep things all mixed up and, therefore to me -- Un-boring!
So, the best way for me to utilize this method was to make a list of things I want to accomplish this year. This will enable me to work a little bit on one thing and then zoom, boom, bang -- shift to something else to keep things fun, mixed up and productive.
So, here is my list:
1.) Master my Laundry -- as the Flylady recently said, "A load per day keeps CHAOS away." She is right. I will do ONE load per day and I will not strive for more than that unless I am just in the mood. In the past, I have ALWAYS tried to do more than a load per day and I burn out. (Boredom factor).
2.) Add daily laundry and trash pickups covering the entire house to my daily routine.
3.) Declutter regularly using Flylady Hot Spot emails as a reminder.
4.) Add a Swish and Swipe routine for the bathrooms.
5.) Buy meat on sale but that is already packaged for the freezer. Basically, this means I will spend just a bit more on meat by not buying it in bulk and then packaging it for freezing myself, but I will save a lot on my sanity. By doing this, I feel that I will be able to devote more of myself to actual food preparation (ideally creating better meals that my family will enjoy much more.)
6.) Add some exercise to my daily routine -- 15 minute increments.
7.) Eat breakfast more often.
8.) Keep Ellie home from preschool if I don't like the weather.
9.) Explore options for activities for the girls that benefit all THREE of us!
10.) Save enough money to cash flow a new roof this year.
11.) Continue with our budget and minimizing expenses.
12.) Recreate my bedroom to a room I like a lot more.
13.) Have people over to visit approximately every other month (during the last two weeks of the month.)
14.) Embrace that I like to change things around in my life frequently and do it as much as I want to! This is my gift to myself as I turn 40 this year!
"The timer is my friend in 2010."
This year, I will be doing many exciting things with my timer to meet my goals. I will use Flylady as a lead resource, but I will have my own goal areas to make headway on.
If I had to sum up my New Year's Resolution this year in one word, it would be:
Fifteen
And that is because, as Flylady says, "you can do anything for 15 minutes!" And this is so true for me. There is nothing like spicing up the drudgery of housework with timer goals at various times throughout the day.
So, I will be using my timer to meet my housework goals, kick procrastination in the rear, and even to do some exercise. This year will be all about bursts of 15 minute energy. I am not even thinking of perfection in any area, just wonderful bursts of positive energy doing various tasks that are on path to my goals. And, in doing this, I will keep things all mixed up and, therefore to me -- Un-boring!
So, the best way for me to utilize this method was to make a list of things I want to accomplish this year. This will enable me to work a little bit on one thing and then zoom, boom, bang -- shift to something else to keep things fun, mixed up and productive.
So, here is my list:
1.) Master my Laundry -- as the Flylady recently said, "A load per day keeps CHAOS away." She is right. I will do ONE load per day and I will not strive for more than that unless I am just in the mood. In the past, I have ALWAYS tried to do more than a load per day and I burn out. (Boredom factor).
2.) Add daily laundry and trash pickups covering the entire house to my daily routine.
3.) Declutter regularly using Flylady Hot Spot emails as a reminder.
4.) Add a Swish and Swipe routine for the bathrooms.
5.) Buy meat on sale but that is already packaged for the freezer. Basically, this means I will spend just a bit more on meat by not buying it in bulk and then packaging it for freezing myself, but I will save a lot on my sanity. By doing this, I feel that I will be able to devote more of myself to actual food preparation (ideally creating better meals that my family will enjoy much more.)
6.) Add some exercise to my daily routine -- 15 minute increments.
7.) Eat breakfast more often.
8.) Keep Ellie home from preschool if I don't like the weather.
9.) Explore options for activities for the girls that benefit all THREE of us!
10.) Save enough money to cash flow a new roof this year.
11.) Continue with our budget and minimizing expenses.
12.) Recreate my bedroom to a room I like a lot more.
13.) Have people over to visit approximately every other month (during the last two weeks of the month.)
14.) Embrace that I like to change things around in my life frequently and do it as much as I want to! This is my gift to myself as I turn 40 this year!
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Doctor's Orders
So I went to my doctor today and found out that I still have laryngitis. Apparently, rest is the best cure for laryngitis. I guess that is why I still have it.
My doctor actually asked me if I could arrange to lay down and rest two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon and two hours in the evening for awhile. She asked if my dh could take off work. She asked if family members could watch my kids. Uhhhh .... No.
She even offered to write me an Rx for my dh saying just these things ... and to include that he should bring home dinner for the next several nights to help out.
I do get her message. However, it isn't possible to do the things she mentions unless I am in dire need. Heck, dh just found out on Monday that he will be losing all of his sick days from now on ... beginning January '10. Not sure how that will work, but dh never takes sick days anyway.
I mentioned to my mom that the doctor suggested someone take my kids for several days. My mother is wonderful and I was not really asking this of her. But, her response was that she swallowed a piece of glass this morning and she had been worried all day about internal bleeding. (What a way to say Fat Chance, huh? LOL!)
Then, my father lost one of his front teeth while at my house today. The poor man looks like a Jack-o-lantern! So, dental work for him starts tomorrow. It makes me sad that he doesn't have dental insurance; that is actually why he has the problems he has. He worked hard during his lifetime and deserves to have been treated better as a retiree.
So, needless to say, my problems are NOT that high on other peoples' lists.
It's o.k. I think her Rx was a bit out there.
My doctor actually asked me if I could arrange to lay down and rest two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon and two hours in the evening for awhile. She asked if my dh could take off work. She asked if family members could watch my kids. Uhhhh .... No.
She even offered to write me an Rx for my dh saying just these things ... and to include that he should bring home dinner for the next several nights to help out.
I do get her message. However, it isn't possible to do the things she mentions unless I am in dire need. Heck, dh just found out on Monday that he will be losing all of his sick days from now on ... beginning January '10. Not sure how that will work, but dh never takes sick days anyway.
I mentioned to my mom that the doctor suggested someone take my kids for several days. My mother is wonderful and I was not really asking this of her. But, her response was that she swallowed a piece of glass this morning and she had been worried all day about internal bleeding. (What a way to say Fat Chance, huh? LOL!)
Then, my father lost one of his front teeth while at my house today. The poor man looks like a Jack-o-lantern! So, dental work for him starts tomorrow. It makes me sad that he doesn't have dental insurance; that is actually why he has the problems he has. He worked hard during his lifetime and deserves to have been treated better as a retiree.
So, needless to say, my problems are NOT that high on other peoples' lists.
It's o.k. I think her Rx was a bit out there.
Ickies
Today marks the beginning of Week 4 for this Upper Respiratory illness. It is a bit exasperating, but I think I got what I paid for by going only to a drug store clinic for diagnosis and treatment. I do not feel one ounce better since Monday night. Mucinex over the counter is just not powerful enough I guess.
Of course I am no doctor; but, I just wish they had given me an antibiotic. I really feel a need to be better by Friday to enjoy my daughter's birthday and Halloween activities. Come on, more than three weeks of this junk is looong enough already!!!!
Perhaps I should be more patient, but what feels to me like labored breathing has just taken its toll. I think I am going to have to go back to the doctor again today ... my actual doctor if possible. But her schedule is always quite full and she doesn't work that many hours in a day ... so I will sit here and wait until 9 a.m. to call and hope her schedule has at least one opening for me.
Otherwise, I think I will just have to go back to Walgreen's again today. Because my doctor doesn't work on Thursday.
Of course I am no doctor; but, I just wish they had given me an antibiotic. I really feel a need to be better by Friday to enjoy my daughter's birthday and Halloween activities. Come on, more than three weeks of this junk is looong enough already!!!!
Perhaps I should be more patient, but what feels to me like labored breathing has just taken its toll. I think I am going to have to go back to the doctor again today ... my actual doctor if possible. But her schedule is always quite full and she doesn't work that many hours in a day ... so I will sit here and wait until 9 a.m. to call and hope her schedule has at least one opening for me.
Otherwise, I think I will just have to go back to Walgreen's again today. Because my doctor doesn't work on Thursday.
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