Pet Peeves......

I have a lot of 'pet peeves'. I'm sure most of us do.



One of mine is laundry. Now, I don't mind doing laundry. In fact, it's one of the mundane household chores that I almost enjoy doing. (shhhhh, don't tell anyone!)



It's very satisfying to see a pile of dirty laundry transformed into clean, folded, hanging clothes. I get a real sense of accomplishment from that (hey, I have to take what I can get around here! Sometimes a clean folded pile of clothes is the only productive thing I can do in a day.)



But the thing I hate, no, abhor, is washing CLEAN laundry. You know what I'm talking about.......the kids don't put their clothes away, then the clean ones get mixed in with the dirty ones and the next thing you know you're sorting through a basket of laundry and finding folded shirts and matched socks!! But you have to wash them again, because they've been sitting in with the work out clothes from wrestling practice or the wet, muddy clothes from the campout and everything smells like a campfire! I mean, really, I must do about a dozen loads of laundry a week, I really don't need more of it to do!



So, there you have it. My first (of probably many!) post about 'Pet Peeves'. Feel free to share some of yours!

And the Gold Medal Winner is.........

This blog was inspired by this blog. My friend's husband apparently has a thing about running in marathons. I think that's an amazing thing. It takes a special person with a special personality to run marathons. My oldest son is currently training to run a half-marathon later in the month. And my youngent son is in the middle of the Cross Country season at his high school and loves to run. Me?? Not so much.


But lest I become discouraged and think that I am 'out of the running' as a medal contender.....I've decided to do something about it.


I am NOT taking up running. What kind of fool do you think I am, anyways?? No, I've decided to create a few new medal categories just for women like me all over the globe. It will be called the Homemaker Games. Maybe it will even be more fun for us if we consider what we do every day 'competition'.



My first category is laundry. I will get a bronze medal for even thinking about doing laundry as that in itself tires me out. If I actually do any, I will qualify for the silver. I get gold for being caught up. There will very few gold medals given out in this event.






Next will be cooking. Feeding my family on a daily basis will earn a bronze (even if dinner happens to be Cheerios.) If I plan a menu and refer to it on occasion I will earn the silver. Planning a monthly menu, purchasing ahead of time and actually following said plan will be a gold medal performance. (again, these will be few and far between)



Another category could be children. If a day goes by where I don't threaten any of them with bodily harm I get a bronze. A day with everyone out the door on time, in clean clothes and jeans with no holes in the knees and their hair combed gets me a silver. If I survive the homework wars without thoughts of military school dancing in my head, homework actually gets finished, and the child is still speaking to me when we're done. I get the gold. I've NEVER gotten a gold.



The final category is ME. If I shower before 10 AM I get the bronze. If I shower, remember my prayers and do personal scripture study I get the silver. If I happen to do all of the above and still get the kids in bed early enough to have some 'me' time to relax in the evenings (and then actually spend the time on me, reading a book, bubble bath, whatever, instead of doing dishes/laundry, then I earn the gold.






You will note that in all categories the gold is hard to earn. It takes practice and patience. You will also note that there is NO competition between me and anyone else. They are all individual events. (Molly Mormon is in her own over-achiever category which I don't even qualify to enter!)


Let the games begin!!

Multi-Tasking......

I quit.

I'm done.

I'm giving up on multi-tasking.

For years now (too many to count) I have been making myself crazy trying to do too many things at once. I'm taking a break. I don't want to cook dinner, watch the kids, help with homework, do laundry, bake cookies, clean out the car and check my e-mail all at the same time. Not anymore. I want to simplify......I want to do just one thing at a time. It's a new concept, I know, and for years I was like the Cat in the Hat....balancing kids, chores, husband, church, friends, etc., never having time for me, and if you've read the Cat in the Hat lately, you'll remember that it ended badly for him.

Look at me!

Look at me!

Look at me NOW!

It is fun to have fun

But you have to know how!

I can hold up the cup

And the milk and the cake!

I can hold up these books!
And the fish on a rake!

I can hold the toy ship

And a little toy man!

And look!

With my tail, I can hold a red fan!

I can fan with the fan,

As I hop on the ball!

But that is not all.

Oh, no.That is not all...

That is what the cat said...

Then he fell on his head!

He came down with a bump

From up there on the ball

And Sally and I
We saw all the things fall!

I don't want to fall on my head!! I haven't dropped everything yet, but I have dropped a couple of things, and lately it seems like some things are more precariously balanced. So, I've decided that I'm not taking any chances.

Starting today I will do ONE THING AT A TIME! I will carefully and thoughtfully put everything down. (we don't want to break anything, you know!) Then I will carefully and thoughtfully pick up one thing, deal with it (clean it, cook it, wash it, answer it, help it, read it, etc.), put it down, then pick up another.

Who knows, maybe I'll be more relaxed, maybe I'll be more productive, maybe some things won't get done at all (the horror!), or maybe someone else will do them. Maybe, just maybe, some things don't even need doing! I'm more relaxed just thinking about it!

I realize that it won't be easy. It is, after all, an untested theory.....I don't honestly know if it's possible to do only one thing at a time. I may have to organize my time better. I may have to delegate some tasks, I may even have to say 'no' sometimes. But I'm willing to do whatever it takes. (I wonder if I could call it a study and get a government grant for research. Say, maybe a 10 year study of productivity?)

Please feel free to pick up my slack.....if you'd like to make dinner for my family one night a week so I can finish the latest Robin Cook novel, or if you'd like to paint my bathroom while I play Candyland with Sabian.....any and all help will be accepted and appreciated.

So, here's to the new me....next time you call, be assured that you will have my undivided attention. Unless someone else already has it.

Parenting Styles.......

After 25+ years of parenting, I still haven't figured it out. My parenting style ranges from being the 'fun' parent to being a drill sargeant. There really has never been much middle ground. I'm a 'nice guy' until something just pushes me over the edge and then I swing back to 'drill sargeant'. That works until I just get tired of being the bad guy, I feel sorry for my kids, so I let up and go easy on them again. Unfortunately for them, I feel the drill sargeant coming on.....

I don't ask much, I really don't. I mean, if I'm going to be the 'cool' mom and let you bring food to the basement while you watch t.v., is it too much to ask that you bring the dishes up when you're finished? I've been missing 3 dinner plates for about a week now. I thought maybe they were in someone's bedroom, but no, they're downstairs. A while back (my very first post, in fact) I made a list of things that I found under the stove while I was sweeping. It was a fairly substantial list. I think it's time for another list. It's called:

What I found when I made the mistake of entering the basement:

3 dinner plates
5 cups
1 bowl & spoon
10 IBC bottles
9 water bottles (some empty, some not)
1 soda can
6 popsicle wrappers
8 socks (various sizes, none match)
1 pair sweat pants
1 sleeping bag (unrolled)
3 pillows
1 pair yellow rain boots
1 mirror
1 zune (think: Ipod)
1 hacksaw (I am NOT kidding!)
1 measuring tape
1 stress ball
2 towels
3 mexican blankets
1 roll duct tape
1 pen
1 pencil
2 cans air freshener

All of this was either on the floor or on the coffee table, mostly on the floor. Now I know that this room was clean just two weeks ago. We had company and they stayed downstairs. Company is also why there is a sleeping bag, pillows, sheets and blankets down there. I have been asking for the kids to clean up down there. "Hey, (insert name), roll up that sleeping bag and put it away, (or the pillows, or the blankets) will you?" "Sure mom, no problem!"
Apparently......there is a problem.
I know it's summer break, I know kids need time to be kids, relax, chill out, veg in front of the t.v. and video games. But summer break does not mean a break from ALL responsibilities!! Bring up your dishes or don't eat downstairs!! Throw your trash in the trashcan!! (Yes, I know it's filled to overflowing, SO EMPTY IT!!) If you use the tools (a hacksaw???) then put them away, too! Clean up after yourself!!
So....my kids will now be subjected to 'Drill Sargeant' mom for a while. I've already taken all the controllers for all the video games. T.V. privileges will be next if chores don't start getting done. Not sure how long it will last this time....it could be a while.

Lists

I love lists. They give order to my sometimes un-orderly world. So here is my list for today...

"Things found under my stove while sweeping"

1 rubber band
1 winter glove
1 canteen cover
2 napkins
1 small bowl
2 pony beads (1 white/1 purple)
1 row of staples
1 drinking straw
1 green goldfish (Pepperidge Farms)
2 Hot Wheels cars
3 dice
4 pennies
2 magnets
1 red crayon
1 AAA battery
1 bottle cap (IBC Cream Soda)
1 robin's egg (Easter candy)
1 acorn
2 pencils

Perhaps I need to sweep under my stove more often.....