274: happy friday! happy crocktober!

274

It’s Friday, yippee! I’ve got a slow cooker giveaway happening at Totally Together Reviews, so please make sure to enter. It’s for a programmable 4-quart, woo-hoo!

I’ve also announced the forums on A Year of Slow Cooking. I haven’t been as active on the boards as I would like the past few weeks, but I’m currently without a large writing project, and am looking forward to playing!

Who watched the DC Housewives last night? oh my. what about Project Runway? I have it on the DVR, but haven’t watched. This season isn’t quite as interesting to me, but my girls really like it. We all are ready for Gretchen to leave.

Today:

daily 7

gear up for the weekend, catch up on the stuff you didn’t get to yet

family game night? maybe dig out the Brain Quest decks?

thursday: plan a family meeting and some fun

273

We’re about a month into the school year, and I think everyone (at least in my house) is ready for a break. Thursday is our normal freakout and meltdown night, but we were overachievers and started early this week. The kids are tired, Adam is tired, and I’m tired too.

Today we’re keeping the TV off completely and sticking to the basics: homework, play time, dinner, bath, story, and bed.

We’ve got a busy weekend to look forward to–we’re hosting a slumber party on Saturday for 6 nine-year-olds. I’ve got to gear up!

Today:

daily 7
company clean

I found these two articles today and thought they were interesting (they were on the Yahoo! homepage)—what do you think?:

9 signs you’re happy

8 friends every woman should have

I have had all of the friends listed on and off, just not all at the same time. Many of my friends overlap these categories, and I prefer hanging out with Adam more than anyone else. As for the happy thing—I think they missed the boat by not including anything about sleep. I’m the most happy after having 1) time to myself–even 20 minutes counts and 2) after sleeping solid for 4-6 hours.

I’m spending two nights away from the house/kids next week for BlogHer Food. I’m rooming with Michelle, and I’m anticipating the best night’s sleep I’ve had in the last two years!

oh! and I’m on the radio today at 9am eastern. Martha Stewart Living on Sirius. If you get it and hear it, let me know!

Wednesday, clobber the cobwebs and other things

272

I finished a deadline last night that was hanging over my head. I was practically-but-n0t-actually late but it’s done and over and I feel SO MUCH BETTER. I know I’ve written about this before, but I am a really bad procrastinator when it comes to writing deadlines. I like writing, so when I’m “told” I have to write about this or that by a certain time, all creativity seems to fly out the window and I push it to the absolute last minute.

This is kind of problematic when you’re trying to make a living as a writer. The year I did the crockpot challenge, I also was in charge of the local parenting magazine’s event calendar. The job was pitched as 10-15 hours a week, and my deadline would be the 6th of each month for the following month. I was supposed to process the press releases as they came in and write the blurbs on the corresponding calendar date. Easy.

I only did it this way once. After January was complete, and the editor wrote back that she was thrilled with the work, I began to push the envelope. I’d start working a week before my deadline. Then three days before. When December was due, I did it all in one sitting and pulled an all-nighter. It kind of felt exhilarating, like I was back in college BSing my way through Shakespeare class.

I’m learning that I can’t do this anymore because it isn’t fair to the family to be glued to the computer for an entire day (or more), grumbling about “being on a deadline.” The baby HATES the laptop with a firey passion, and whines as soon as I pull it out of it’s hiding place in the armoire.

or maybe I just need to be more creative. I don’t see me tackling work as soon as it’s assigned–it’s just not me.

yet.

Today:

daily 7

sweep, mop, dust, vacuum

begin ordering Holiday gifts (don’t get mad! )

the weekend: 268 & 269

saturday and sunday

Hello there! I hope you all had a fantastic week and are off having fun this weekend. Try to be gracious and caring in all your interactions this weekend—even with the cranky lady who cuts in front of you at the grocery store.

This weekend:

daily 7

yard work

cross some stuff off your punch list

gear up for the fall—you have Halloween all set, right? Don’t buy candy now. You’ll just eat it.

Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.  ~George Eliot

Wednesday, day 265

265!

Thank you so much for all of your help and suggestions yesterday about Jennifer’s situation. I’ve emailed her all of your comments, and know she greatly appreciates your input.

you all rock.

Today:

dust, vacuum, and quick mop. Oh! and does anyone have one of those Hoover Floor Mates they are showing on TV? Is it bad to covet a mop/vacuum?

daily 7

make sure your meal plan is up to date. Plan stuff for the weekend so you’re not tempted to hit the drive through or a restaurant. Unless someone else is paying—then you should go for it!

Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now. –Alan Lakein

Monday: weekend recovery

263

Good morning! How was your weekend? We had a great one, and it started off with me sleeping in until 9:30! I know! Completely bonkers. I knew Adam got up at 6 with the baby, but just assumed that I’d get up very soon after. The next thing I knew, the clock spelled out 9:27. woah. I forgot what it feels like to have so much sleep!

Today:

weekend recovery

make sure you’re on track with your meal plan

is Halloween in order?

do you have your Holiday shopping list made?

daily 7

Tuesday, sept 14

Tuesday.

We have PTA tonight. Right after soccer. And last night was a Daisy Girl Scout meeting. I’m a big fan of saying no, I really am, and it’s only once in a while when our weekly schedule gets (what I think is) too much, but when it does, I HATE IT.

I like down time. I wrote last week on the crockpot blog that I’m kind of a hermit, and while most people  I come across on a daily basis wouldn’t categorize me as exceptionally hermit-like, I’m the most comfortable at home in my pajamas.

Just like Hugh Heffner.

I really liked the comments you left yesterday on how to help Jill out. IN A SUPER WEIRD twist of irony a different Jill emailed yesterday (hello to the Jills!) and asked if I had a regular weekly schedule. I sort of do. Kind of. Maybe. This is what I wrote back to her:

Hi Jill!

I have a loose schedule that I sort of kind of stick to, depending on outside activities/responsibilities. I work from home, so I don’t have a set time for when I do these things, I just fit it them in when I can.

Monday: weekend recovery
Tuesday: run errands/make sure we’ve got food in the house for the weekly meal plan
Wednesday: dust, vacuum, mop (I try to spot clean through the week)
Thursday: water indoor plants/garden/ I end up baking a lot on Thursdays because the kids are cranky and I like to have some sugar around to ward off the crankies.
Friday: catch up day/clean off desk (I’m not in charge of paying bills, but if you are you might want to)
Sat & Sun: yard work, punch list items, family meeting to make meal pla

I truly try to do the Daily 7 as much as I can. If I can’t get to the speed dusting/mopping/vacuuming on Wed, I’ll just spot clean and make sure the Daily 7 is up to speed. It’s amazing how put together the house is when all you’ve done is make beds, emptied garbages, and kept up with the laundry.

I hope this helps just a bit.

One thing I’ve learned is that *I’m* in charge of my time. While I typed this to you, the phone rang. I saw it was my girlfriend, and let it go. She then called my cell phone, but I let it go. I get it that this kind of seems mean, but if I stopped what I was doing to chat (technically answering email is work? I’m not sure— anyway, the baby is napping, and it’s the ONLY time I can be on the computer, whereas I can call my friend back while the baby is up, KWIM?) I’d never get the stuff done I need to.

I also try real hard to make some sort of To Do list everyday where I quickly write down the absolute MUSTS for the day—-not the “wouldn’t it be nice.. ” items. So for today, we’ve got a Daisy meeting and I signed up for snack which means I MUST make muffins, and I MUST write up a list for the moms on the ground rules.
LOL, the phone is ringing again!!!

anyway, there you go! clear as mud.

What about you? Do you stick to a schedule? Maybe schedule is the wrong word. Routine?

Today:

Daily 7

run errands

Monday, weekend recovery day

Monday, September 13

Good morning! I wrote back in January that I try real hard to chill on the weekends with the heavy cleaning and instead step it up a bit on Mondays in a “weekend recovery.”

Jill wrote to me last week and said that she was having a challenging time with this because she hosts a Sunday dinner for 12-15 each week and doesn’t fully recover until Wednesday. This wouldn’t be a problem if Jill was okay with the way this turns out, but she’s not. Instead, she’s beginning to resent her sisters and their kids and her mom—which isn’t a good thing.

Jill and I chit chatted a bit, and it looks like it’s not possible for dinner to be held elsewhere. But we did brainstorm a few possible ways for things to run a bit more smoothly so Jill wasn’t stuck with the grunt of the clean up and anguish.

1) keep the bedrooms closed. When you’ve got little kids coming over, you’ve got to kind of confine them to an area where the mess can’t spread. Bedrooms are for sleeping, and when you’re trying to wrestle over-tired kids into bed at the end of a long night, the last thing you need to do is step over GI Joes and Lego pieces, or find that all of the church dresses are pulled from the hangers at the bottom of the closet because of a dress-up party. It may seem harsh at first to lay groundrules for play, but the fact is that YOUR kids come first. They need to have one room where they know that their special soccer and karate trophies are safe and sound.

2) TAKE THE HELP. Unless you’re entertaining total clods, most people at least offer to clear dishes and load the dishwasher. TAKE IT. Use it. ESPECIALLY help from your family.

3) Have an end time in mind, and stick to it. In Jill’s case, she has an ongoing family dinner date. This makes it even easier because she can let it be known that her kids go to bed at 6 or 7 or 8 or whatever and tell her peeps to get out thirty minutes before bed time.

4) limit the alcohol. People get lazy when they drink. They’re more apt to ignore kid bad behavior, and not as likely to want to step up to help with tidying up. And if you drink too much you’re more likely to adopt a “whatever” attitude (totally fine if that’s how you want to be, but not so good if you’re annoyed the next day) and not accept offers for help, resulting in a house hangover the next day.

How’s that all sound? Doable? Mean and controlling? Any other ideas for Jill?

Today:

daily 7

weekly recovery

You don’t choose your family.  They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.  ~Desmond Tutu

monday: weekend recovery

227

Happy Monday to you! Are you ready for a brand new week, or are you waking up with dread and anxiety? The past few weeks I’ve felt funky on Monday mornings—-like the weekend wasn’t long enough, and I wasn’t ready to face “the real world” again. I’m going to try my hardest to focus on the positive today.

How about you?

Today:

weekend recovery

daily 7

goal check–sept is creeping up fast!

It’s so hard when I have to, and so easy when I want to.  ~Annie Gottlier

Wednesday, clobber the cobwebs

222

I bet you’re the only one you know who is able to confidently say it’s the 222nd day of the year.

You’re welcome!

Today:

daily 7

speed dust, vacuum, mop

when was the last time you changed the sheets?

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