the truth is...

happy 2nd birthday little miss lucy!

my little "station." this is my desk, a cabinet mike made with a roll-out tray for my laptop (obviously not being used in this photo. i have it perched on top), my notebook, my palm pilot, etc. my attempt to be organized.

the truth is, despite all my talk about organization, earth friendliness, and frugality (these are three areas we know and have lived fully), i feel we have slowly started slipping from them in recent weeks and months. this past weekend, while in the car (because that was the only time we had for such a conversation), mike and i talked about our schedule. it has been a bit insane.

the truth is, mike's job is a 3 hour commute, round trip. there is no public or carpool transportation that shortens this time for him. layoffs mean there is too much work for too few people.

the truth is, on a good day, he is able to have breakfast with us and drop lala at school, returning right as or after i tuck them into bed. recently, his days have him working longer in the office, logging back into work from home and on weekends. i am on my own for the dinner/bath/bed routine 99% of the time. (and the truth is, this is not my finest mamma hour.)

the truth is, this is the life we have "chosen." we are so very grateful for the employment, the income, the benefits. but we cannot afford to move closer to his workplace and we cannot afford to move away to our "dream" place without a new job secured.

the truth is, i have been managing my online time poorly.

the truth is, while i love all the ideas and suggestions and discussions online about rhythm and flow of a family and day, our "rhythm" is a schedule. a plan that literally puts us in certain places or activities at certain times, right down to scheduling "family time." (thank you, renee, for posting your schedule.)


so, while that might sound rather pathetic, owning up to that and making such a schedule and sticking to it (more or less) this week has been immensely helpful. during that car ride, i wrote out our week and immediately saw gaps of time i should be able to use effectively. (why have i not been?!)

mike and i saw each other very little this week and were not the best company for each other when we were together, simply because, though completely different jobs and demands, we have both been feeling like there is no time in the day for ourselves or each other. we've needed to shift some things around to change that.


so with our new schedule in place, i felt pleased to continue, resume, or add (yes, add) the following this week:

• at my friend liz's urging, i started an evening "scramble." we set the timer for X number of minutes and tidy up like crazy during that time. as soon as the timer beeps, we are done. shockingly, lala thinks this is good fun (so far).
  
• i tried folding the (mountains) of laundry somewhere different. amazing how tiny changes make a big impact! (i usually fold on the living room floor, but get really frustrated when the kids walk all over it and finn picks up the folded stuff and flings it. i end up procrastinating until i have 4+ loads i must fold in order to use the 2 laundry baskets again. i got no hassles while i folded laundry on the dining table and they played.)
  
• i made our bread and other portable snacks. there is something so grounding in that for me.
  
• i made yogurt. (it failed, again. no clue what is happening, but i will play around some more. failed yogurt is fabulous in smoothies and in lieu of buttermilk in waffles.)
  
• i limited my online time
• i exercised daily (i had been missing this so much!)
• i planned meals ahead, started preparing them early in the day, and ate nicely all week
• i got one-on-one play time with both my children
• i organized my shopping needs, limited my grocery shopping, and used only washable or reused produce bags (my one small change)
• we bought an apple tree. i have been wanting one for a long time. i am not even sure where to plant it, but i will be forced to now and it has me thinking forward to spring and the food garden i really want to expand upon.
• i realized bedtime routine on my own is one of the reasons i am uncertain about having another child. (seriously.) i need some tricks up my sleeve to make teeth, hair combing, and using the bathroom take less than 30 minutes of torture. (and yes, the chart is helpful, but not fool proof!).
  

what i didn't do this week (lest you begin thinking "who is this woman complaining she doesn't get anything done!"):

• have enough time with my best friend (aka my husband)
  
• hang laundry to dry. (in fact, this is something i haven't done in weeks now, a personal guilty torture, actually. part rain and part illness are all the excuses i have.)
  
• iron. i have four weeks (yes, 4) of mike's shirts i need to iron.
• sew. once i finished a specific project, i rolled my eyes at the overflowing mending pile and walked away.
• read a book. i have a pile i really want to read, so i need to cut something out to fit this in.

so, the truth is, this is the first weekend in awhile i am looking forward to. it is well scheduled...with plenty of much-needed mike-nicola-bella-finn time!

wishing you a relaxing, stress-free weekend!