Weeks 8 & 9

I went into week 8 without a specific goal- I had been doing well at getting up by 8 the previous week, (and I'm still rockin that one out!) but when I realized that I didn't have a plan yet a couple of days into the week, I was a little discouraged. I was thinking about it last Wednesday, and I didn't want to start working on a new goal half way through the week. As I looked back over the week so far- I realized that there was one thing I had been doing every day that was on my list of goals- drinking tea everyday! Week 8 became my tea drinking week. I love tea. I might have to do a blog post about my favorites at some point, but I'm going to stick with telling you about my weekly goals in this post.

Feb 27-Mar 5 is week 9. My goal for this week is to read to DJ a bed time story every night. I know reading to him is important, and I think bedtime stories are the perfect way to incorporate reading into our schedule. I didn't get to read to him last night though- he fell asleep at 7:30, which is half an hour before his bedtime routine starts. Tired little guy! I think he slept until ~6:30 this morning too... I'm not totally sure what time he woke up. I could hear him making happy little noises in his crib while my alarm was going off, but it took me a little longer to wake myself up and get me out of bed (closer to 7:50 :P) .

If there is one thing I learned from week 8, it is to pick my goal early enough that when the first day of the next week comes, I can start right into it. Week 10 eh? I wonder what my goal should be... Getting to bed by 11:00 at the latest? Putting Menu plans in place? ooh. I like that last one. Well, both of them. I guess I've got the next two weeks planned out in advance. :D

Quick picture: A shawl I finished knitting last week, and DJ being my very cute model.

What a day.

You should see the snow outside.

It's been a crazy day, and I'm about to go upstairs and crash. Let me tell you the story:

It started snowing last night, after a couple days where we could see the green grass. David had an exam at 8:00 this morning, so I told him I would get up and shovel for him in the morning so he wouldn't have to worry about it, and so I could get him to his exam on time.

DJ woke up at 5:30 this morning, I fed him, and then soon it was 6:00- and I was up and out the door by about 20 after. I literally just threw on a sweater and pants over my PJs... put on my boots, gloves and jacket and stepped out into 6+ inches of white. It took me about an hour to get the shoveling done, but I did it!

I came back inside, David had woken up because poor DJ had been crying the whole hour- he didn't go back to sleep once I left- poor babe. I changed his diaper and snuggled him a bit before throwing together breakfast and lunch for David. I was debating whether or not I would go out and get my grocery shopping done after taking D to school, or if I'd come back and do a few things that needed to be done at home before I headed out again. With 15 minutes to get D to his exam, it was decided that I'd probably come home first before going out shopping- so I popped DJ in his car seat, grabbed my jacket, wallet & keys, and got the car running. David followed me with his backpack, and we were off!

Or so we thought. I tried to pick up enough speed with the Jetta to get out into the street where it had been driven on a bit, but on first try, I didn't succeed. It took a little bit of rocking and a push from D to get me back into the drive way for a second try. Both David and I figured once I was moving and in the tracks that were already there, we'd be golden.











Wrong.











Very wrong.











20 minutes later, we were only a block and a half from our house. David was freaking out as he was already late at this point, and it seemed like we were stuck for good. He was trying to call the school, wondering if he should just run to the main road and try to hitch a ride, go back and ask our neighbors to drive him, or get out and try pushing again. DJ could tell that daddy was upset, and so he started fussing and crying, which I'm sure didn't help daddy's stress level either.

A nice couple in a Land Rover showed up at that point- asked us if we needed a push. We explained the situation and the lady offered to drive David if we needed. The husband wanted to try pushing us out, so we did. I backed up way to far the first time. The good thing about that was it got the attention of one of the other neighbors who was out shoveling, and he came over to help push us too.

Between the three of them- a man on his way to work, David in his summer shoes and no gloves, and the neighbor who had been shoveling, we did get the car to the main road- a full 45 minutes after we backed out of our driveway.

Sounds like an adventure right? Wait- there's more:


I dropped off a 40 minute late David off, and weighed my options. There was pretty much zero chance of me being able to get the car all the way back home until either the roads were plowed, or at least more cars had driven over it to "plow" the snow that my car didn't clear. Oh how I wished I had brought my knitting! Selfish me. Not only did I not have my knitting to occupy myself for however many hours I would be stuck away from home, but I didn't have a diaper bag for DJ either. Neither of us had eaten breakfast, brushed our teeth, or gotten dressed for the day. I didn't have my coupons or grocery list for shopping- but that didn't stop me from going to Meijer. Prepared baby food, spoons, bananas, sposies (diapers), wipes, and blueberry turnovers for me. I did manage to remember a couple of the things that were on my list, but not many.

Outside to the car for a cold, odd breakfast, inside to the Meijer's bathroom for a diaper change, outside to the car to drive back towards home to see if the roads were cleared. They weren't. They didn't look that drivable either.

I kept making loops around the city- over to my local yarn shop, which thankfully wasn't open or I might have bought myself a new project to work on while I was waiting, down to where my church is to the McDonald's for a sweet tea cause I didn't grab myself a drink in Meijers... each time circling by my neighborhood to check on the progress. DJ eventually fell asleep, but he only got about 1.5 hours of sleep between his 5:30 AM original wake up and when he woke up at 12:15.

It was around noon when I decided that one of the roads looked like it might be clear enough to attempt. I approached it at a running start to get over the initial snow plow hump, and proceeded fairly smoothly down the street. With no cars around anywhere (but with plenty of neighborly witnesses) I made a nice "rolling stop" through the 4 way, (read: slowed to 18mph from 20- any slower and I would have been stopped permanently) and bravely took the curve towards my house. For every inch of ground I covered, I lost momentum, and by the time I was at the base of my driveway, I was at a stand still. Totally stuck. Luckily, it was my driveway, with my shovel nearby, and it didn't take too long for me to dig myself out. With only two cars behind the Jetta waiting for me to get out of the way, I rocked and edged my way closer until my tires caught the cement of the bare driveway from my amazing shovel job that morning, and I soared up to the garage.

We didn't take the car out the rest of the day, and I am so hoping that the roads will be plowed before tomorrow when I have to take D to school at 8:00. Today he got a ride back to the edge of the neighborhood with a classmate, and he walked from there.

Well, I'm going to go crash now. I hope you enjoyed hearing my crazy story about my crazy day.

Wake up! (week 7)

I know I'm a few days into the week with this post. (strictly, the weeks this year start on Saturday, but I have always used Sunday as my first day of the week) Oh well.

First- let me report back on last week. My goal was to "have a time for everything, and everything in it's time." I definitely didn't follow my schedule exactly. I tried hard, but I wonder if I didn't bite of more than I could chew. I'm trying to lay a foundation for a life-long routine, so I'm not giving up on this one. I'm just breaking it into smaller, more manageable parts.

This week my goal is to wake up on time. Small & simple. I had hoped for a wake up time of between 6 and 7 on week days, and 7 and 8 on weekends. I've quickly realized that I need to modify that a bit. Not every day has the same schedule, so it is a little easier with a two our wake up window than a one hour one. So now I need to get up between 6-8 on week days and 7-9 on weekends.

Yesterday I did well. Today... well, I got up, but I'm tired. I sure didn't want to get up. I try to encourage others on this blog, and now I need your encouragement. What do you do to help yourself wake up in the morning? Caffeine? Music? Do you do something the night before?  Once you're awake, what is your motivation for getting ready for the day? (especially when you've gotten up earlier than you "have to"- a big problem for those of us who don't have external appointments.) It's really easy for me to wake up, look at the clock, talk myself into a few more minutes of sleep and hit the snooze button.

Thoughts?

DJ is a good morning person. His secret is eating a banana every morning. See:

My what a big bite you have son. :)

A New Week (week 6)

Last week (week 5) wasn't the best week as far as working on a new habit. In fact, I may have even forgotten to keep up a couple of the things I had already started working on in previous weeks. Let's just call week 5 a "lapse week" 

Lucky for me, this week is a new week, and a chance to start over. 

Week 6 goal: A time for everything.

My goal for this week is to follow my schedule as closely as I can. That means bedtimes, rising times, devotions in the morning- suppers ready when they are supposed to etc. David and I are both working at getting to bed at a more reasonable hour- and getting up earlier too. I woke up a little bit later than my schedule this morning, but we're trying to ease into things. I'll let you know how it goes. 

Oh ya- Today is David's birthday, so if you know him, wish him a happy one eh?

Laundry

Tuesday is Laundry day. I know it's not anywhere near Tuesday now, but I started writing this post while doing laundry...

Laundry is really hard for me to get done in one day. While I start on Tuesday, but often it's Saturday before all the laundry is washed. And putting them away? Let's just say there have been many weeks where I've had to dig the laundry baskets out of clean clothes so I can pick up the dirty ones off the floor for wash day.

Not a pretty picture at all! Not at all where I want to be as far as taking care of my castle.


A couple of weeks ago, I gave myself a challenge. On my way to bed that Monday night, I hadn't cleaned the bathroom (That day's task) and I realized that I hadn't been using my time very efficiently that day. I decided that $50 said I could get both Monday & Tuesday's chores done in one day.  I got it done though- and learned a few things on the way.

I thought I'd share a few of the laundry tips that I've got floating around in my head while I'm working on it... and if you've got any to add, please let me know! This is a work in progress, and my one success a couple of weeks ago does not make me anywhere near close to having mastered this beast.

The tips:

             1) Start with the loads that have small stuff.
 This way, the first loads to come out are the most painstaking of them all- you can get them out of the way while you've still got your head in the game. I like to start with the whites (Lots of little things to fold- it takes some time) and end with sheets or towels (big items = not as many things to fold. :D )
             2) Fold & put them away right away. I really struggle with this part. Clothes are easiest to deal with while they are still warm from the dryer. At least take them out, dump them on a chair/bed and pull out the things that wrinkle easily.
            3) Make a list
This is what I did the day I completed my challenge. It helped to have a list of things I want to get done in between the loads of clothes. I get more things done that way, and the laundry is more like a timer for my other work. A 30 min wash is the perfect amount of time to tidy a room up, or start supper, or wash the dishes...
            4) Fold small towels lengthwise first
While this doesn't have anything to do with making Laundry day go faster, I find that folding hand towels and dish towels/tea towels lengthwise first saves me a step when I get them out to use them- they are ready to hang over the towel rack, with no re-folding necessary
            5) Wait until the very end to match socks
I know- this sort of contradicts the first point of ordering the loads so that all the small things are out of the way first. If you're always really careful with your socks, this probably won't help you any. But if you're like me, somehow those socks get their mates thrown in a different load of laundry than they are- so waiting until all the laundry is done to fold all the socks increases their chances of finding each other again (how romantic)
.

I'm sure there are many more laundry tips than the ones I've just shared, but these are the ones that were floating around in my head while I was working on the laundry. To be perfectly honest, I didn't get all the laundry done in one day this week- like I said, I'm still a work in progress.

Anyone have more ideas for me?

It is a New Year

It's a New year, with new goals, new hopes, and new dreams.

I'll admit, I'm a little slow getting some things started this year. Budgeting and record keeping one of them- I really need to work on that soon.

But let me tell you a little bit about what my plans & goals are for this year. Let me share how I am approaching things.

I have four main areas that I am focusing on this year, with the most important listed first:

1) Grow in the Lord
    a) Daily devotions- reading His word & praying.
    b) Get plugged in at our church
2) Care for my Family
    a) David- make sure his needs are taken care of (meals, rides to school, etc)
    b) DJ- Make sure his needs are taken care of (feeding, changing, loving him. Hard job eh?)
    c) Keep our home as a castle- Be a good steward of what God has given us- keep it clean & tidy
3) My body as a temple
    a) Eat healthfully
    b) Exercise regularly
    c) personal upkeep - Even if I'm not going anywhere or doing anything that day, still get ready just in case
    d) Music
4) Etsy
    a) weekly updates
    b) keep good records
    c) keep everyone up-to-date via Ravelry, facebook, twitter, and my new blog.
    d) Other mis. business goals.

I'm approaching things backwards from the way New Years Resolutions often go. Instead of making a huge list of resolutions, implementing them all at once, and then watching them swirl down the drain, I'm starting slow. I've got one thing I focus on each week. The rest of them, if they happen, great. If not, no biggie- I'll get to them one of these weeks. If I mess up on one week, I'll repeat it- not always the following week, but probably within a month. (P.S.- this is inspired by Benjamin Franklin's 13 virtues and how he approached self-improvement. More info here.)

To show you what I mean:
In the back of my journal, I've got 52 lines set aside. 52 weeks in a year right? Well, so far,
1) Daily devotions
2) Get into a daily schedule, including preparing 3 meals/day, on time
3) Better dental hygiene (Start using a water pic, etc) [I failed at this one- it'll be a re-do in a couple of weeks]
4) (this week:) Smoothie or fresh fruit + a cup of tea every day

As I think of things, I add them to a list of things I'd like to work on this year. Some goals I've already got in place fairly well, without having a specific week to work on it. Some goals wouldn't fit into the one week system since they are once/month goals- like reading 2 books/month, knitting a pair of socks a month, participating in monthly spinning challenges.

What were your new year resolutions? How are you approaching the hope that this new year brings? If you feel like you've failed already, may I encourage you with a phrase I used last year: "February is my new January" Hey- for that matter, ever day is a new day! A new chance to start working on something good. Why does it have to only be once a year that we evaluate where our lives are headed?

If you've read this far, you deserve a little treat:

Goodnight all!

Why hello!

Hello Blog world.

Its been a while.

Too long, some would say.

The funny thing is that while I haven't posted in a while, I've actually been contemplating starting a second blog. You see, I started this one to be an encouragement to others in regards to home & marriage & kids & time management, and the big stuff, or little stuff, of life. I also have a tendency to want to blog about knitting - especially since I've opened an etsy store selling my hand dyed yarns. I have this feeling in the back of my mind that many of my non-knitting friends don't really need to hear all the technical details, so I don't always include them. Then I feel badly for all my knitting friends who would love to hear my tales, full of so much knitter lingo that the average person would think I started speaking German.  It would be nice to have a blog where knitters can hear about all my projects & what's going on in the store, and that would leave this blog (for the most part) knitting (or a least knit-speak) free! I'll still post my finished products, but I won't go all knitting-ninja on you.

So what do you say...

Would you like to head on over to Ourhumblecastleyarn and follow my knitting & fiber business adventures, or would you like to stay here and be encouraged as I continue to tell you tales of being a stay at home wife & mom? Or, if you please, follow both! :)