Best Intentions Scuttled by a Crazy Week

Last week I was so excited and renewed.  I had great plans for blogging, organising and generally moving on from the horrid start to 2012.

I fell victim to a crazy week.

Today I am renewing my commitment to getting on with the Plan. (I'm giving it a capital P from now on - it's that important!!)

It's been two weeks of The Workaholic leaving before 6am and getting home around midnight, so single parenting time again.

Although my personal stress really started on Thursday when I had to make cupcakes for The Little Man's 100 Days of School party on Friday.  I could have done without the extra task on Thursday evening.  Of course my child free Friday was hi jacked by the party at 12 till 1pm, mind you.  With pick up at 2:45 (meaning I need to be parked by about 2:20 - the traffic issues continue), my day was pretty well out of my hands.

Saturday was the usual Soccer for The Little Man with the added bonus of The Munchkin's presence.  He hates being there, making it a bit of a nightmare for me.  The rest of the day was spent referee their many scuffles and doing the washing.  No relaxation for me in there!

I worked all day Sunday, till very late, helping an Event Manager friend prepare for her biggest annual conference.  It was physically hard but brainless labour.  I spent most of my day with my ear buds in listening to Adele, Florence + the Machine, Carly Simon and Heather Nova (I sense a theme).  It was a welcome break from my kids and house to be honest!  The bad bit was that The Workaholic decided at lunchtime that he really needed to work (I only gave him two weeks notice) so he let the boys run wild.  They got EVERY toy out of the boxes sealed up and ready for the bin or the Salvos, from my epic toy cull a few weeks ago.  He still does not understand why I got angry when I came in the door at 9.30 to discover said toys strewn throughout the house.

Just a taste of the mess I came home to.

Anyway, that was nothing.  Monday was a write off because the Munchkin had been so overindulged by Daddy on Sunday (think soft drink, lollies and MacDonald's for dinner) that I could not inflict him on the rest of his Gymbaroo class.  Luckily I made this decision early, because by lunchtime I was unable to keep my eyes open or stop vomiting.  Not a good day.

Tuesday, I briefly considered doing a make up Gymbaroo class but decided on a trip to the park pre day sleep so he could burn off some of the remaining energy before My friend N dropped off two of her kids for a few hours babysitting after school.  Magically all four kids behaved wonderfully and ate their dinner quietly.  I made it through the day!

Yesterday and today I have to pick up, feed and look after my Event Manager friend's two kids.   I've been looking after them a fair bit this year so we have a good routine and it's not too taxing for me, on a regular week.

This week is not regular.  I'm hanging by a thread!

It's the start of a new month.  I've realised that this is a big mental factor for my ability cope.  We've had such a run of months where we did not have the rent, insurance etc on time, that its like my brain shuts down.  This month should not have been stressful.  The pay should be in, bills should be paid.  It's not and as a consequence, they are not.

I was not expecting the pay to be late.  It was not part of the Plan.  I did a run to Medicare to claim outstanding money.  I feel better with that cash in my wallet.  I even spent $10 on some orange PJ's for my orange loving Munchkin and $15 in the $2 shop on assorted items for his birthday at the end of the month.  Retail therapy really does help.

Tomorrow is Friday.  I have no commitments outside of the promise I made the Little Man this morning of some quality Mummy time after school tomorrow while the Munchkin is still in daycare.  It sounds like heaven.

So I am writing this, tidying up and resetting my attitude. Yet again.  Back to the Plan!!

I used to deal with being busy and broke so much better than I do now.

So how's your week been?

How My To Do List Crippled Me So I Threw it Away

What do I need to do to get away for a few days?

Seriously it has come to me crying on the Workaholics shoulder declaring "It's just too hard to go away. I'll stay home."

I am completely tragic.  What a martyr!

This weekend is my annual SWANKY Gals scrapbooking retreat.  It starts after lunch on Thursday and goes through to Sunday afternoon.  It is the 10th anniversary, this year, so it has been a much anticipated event by all.  I love to go.  I get to relax, scrap and enjoy time with my friends, child free.

Last years theme was "Be a Sport"
I was a cricket ball...

This year I am wondering how I will even get there.

I have 3 baskets and a pile of washing to put away.

There's a massive list of instructions for the Workaholic as there are a stack of things on during this period and he needs to organise the lot.

No photos have been printed.

There's a costume to prepare for the themed Dinner on Saturday night.

I have an impossible assessment task due on the Monday after I return, so I need it done and submitted by tomorrow night so I can relax.  I also have a Quiz on Monday.  I am confident that I am ready for that but the assessment task is at 10% complete and it is worth 30% of my mark.  I have been working on it for 3 weeks.  Entire days at a time.  It is kicking my butt.  I have come to the realisation that I need to hand in whatever I have ready on Wednesday night and forget about it.

Up until this morning I have been paralysed by the mountain in front of me that I need to conquer before I get to have my weekend away.  I was honestly going to pull out.  It seemed the easiest option.  Then something happened.  I remembered why I go on this retreat each year.  I remembered that I am important and that my well being is just as important as the rest of the family.  I remembered that I wanted to study and if I am not enjoying it there is no point.  It's not all about the grades, it's about learning.

So, I wrote a new list.  A shorter, less OCD list with the priorities flipped around and I have attacked the shit out of it this morning.

I can't do anything about the killer assessment task but the rest I am going to get done.  If it is not perfect, then tough.  I'm not perfect either.  I'm pretty sure they will all fare OK with me away.  They can muddle through and hopefully appreciate the millions of little things I do for them that they don't notice normally.

So I am now sorting my photos so I can whip out and get them printed in the morning.  Tonight I am packing my bag and supplies.  Only once these things are done will I think about my assessment task and the instructions for the Workaholic.  I need to think about me and get on with it.

I love an AhhHaah! moment.

Are you ever crippled by the size of your to do list? How do you move forward?

Linking up with Jess at Diary of a SAHM for IBOT today.

Fear of the Online Quiz

The mess I am making attempting to study, says it all...

Having returned to study this trimester (UNE what is wrong with semester??), I have been struggling to get through the online reading of the discussion forums, read the texts and keep up with the gazillion assessment tasks there seem to be in the two subjects I am attempting to do while being a Mum and Wife.  But by far the one thing that is proving to be my Kryptonite is the online quizzes.

They scare the pants off me.  I have always hated tests.  It's pretty weird as I have mostly studied quantitative subjects like, maths, physics, mechanics etc and they are all assessed via tests.  As I write this I have hit the final 48 hours of an 11 day test window for one of my subjects.  The fact that I have blogged daily this week speaks volumes.  I suspect I may get down to the last 2 hours though.  I just can't bring myself to log on and complete the test.  I have done the reading and all of the exercises associated.  I like the subject.  I just can't do the bloody test!!

They stay online for 11 days.  I have two hours to complete them once I log on and start it.  This should be way more time than I need.  What is my problem??

This is a serious problem.  I have realised that it is the major contributing factor to my incredibly out of character, inability to organise myself this year.  There are lots of these quizzes in both subjects.  If I can't work this out now I might as well just withdraw.

Anyone studying online that can help with ideas for me on how to conquer this crippling fear?

Where O Where Have my Time Management Skills Gone?

I'm not sure what is happening to me in 2012, but I am STILL struggling with time management and settling into our new normal.

I have worked out how to get the Little Man to school on time in the morning, but that is without taking the Munchkin.  The Workaholic will soon go back to his early morning starts and I will need to get the Munchkin up and going as well.  He will not be happy.  He usually sleeps until well after the Little Man has started school for the day and does not take kindly to being woken up.

Each night before I go to bed I make up the lunchbox, iron the uniform, polish shoes and lay out undies for the morning.  It means that all I have to do in the morning is feed the Little Man his breakfast and while he dresses, have a shower and get dressed myself.  We then get into the car and drive over to his school.  Including the grumpy two year old into this mix is going to be a disaster!!!

Currently I have the Munchkin home with me on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  I have worked out how to get him fed into bed by 12.15 for his nap so we can get back to the school in time for the Little Man's teacher to march the class out onto the oval.  During his sleep, I try to do a little housework and get in some Uni work, with child free Thursday and Friday for the bulk of my study.  Most days  so far I have not dane any study and this week I have the Munchkin home all week with a chest infection so I have lost my child free study time.

Today I managed to submit an assessment.  I was so happy.  Then as if on cue, the reminder I have in my phone for the next assessment task due chimed completely ruining my buzz!!  Of course I then realised it was school pick up time...

Now the Little Man wants to play soccer with his mates in a Saturday comp.  Training is on Thursday afternoons.  There goes another chunk of my time if I let him, which of course I will.  The Workaholic can't do either day.  I am sooo not a soccer Mum!!

I think I need some sort of time management refresher course.  I swear I don't remember ever having this much trouble getting organised when I had a job!

How's your time management?

Adjusting to Changes

2012 has been challenging so far.

image from here

I can not believe we are approaching the end of February and I am still not settled into my new normal.

The Little Man starting school and the Munchkin starting pre-school have meant much earlier mornings and for this little black duck that has been rather traumatic.  I am soooo not a morning person!  The Munchkin is also not a morning person and I think he is suffering the most in this change.  I have to wake him and he holds that against me all day, "Mummy you woke me up!" ALL DAY.

The Workaholic is still between jobs which has been extremely disruptive.  We are used to him being gone at 6am and not home until the boys, and often I, am in bed.  Having him around has been great for school drop offs and pickups when the Munchkin is asleep, but it messes with any sort of routine.

Croup struck the Munchkin down a few weeks ago and I had him languishing on the lounge instead of at pre-school.  He was so generous he passed it on to me.  I of course got a super version of his virus and spent 7 out of 9 days in bed.  So so sick.

University started and today is my first test.  Minimal study has occurred as my laptop is still dead.  I've been too sick to get it repaired.  The Workaholic has given me his to use but it is dying too and drives me mad!!

Frankly, January and February have been total right offs!  I am starting to feel that I am getting on top of the changes 2012 has brought, I am so hoping that by the end of March I will be able to say I am in control!

How has 2012 been for you so far?  Are you having a better time of it than me?

Ahhh, The Best Laid Plans...

This little Bub is the one who has started school. Wasn't he cute??
His teacher has already discribed him as a "Big Personality". Hmmm

The Little Man starting school has not gone exactly as I had planned.

I have not started culling toys.

I have not even begun organising the house. If anything it is worse than ever!

It has been so difficult getting used to the early starts and the day flies by so that before I know it I am waking the Munchkin and getting him in the car to hit the traffic of the school run.

The whole week has been complicated even more by the Workaholic being home off and on.  He was retrenched the week he went back to work after Christmas.  He has been splitting his time between a couple of contract jobs and job interviews.  I cannot wait for him to get back into some regular routine so we can aim for the same.  It would also be great to know where the money for this months bills will be coming from!!

I am starting back at University in the next couple of weeks.  At this point nothing I had planned to have sorted before then is going to be achieved and I have an assessment one week in!

Woe is me Huh?

I'll be OK tomorrow but today I'm exhausted and it all seems just too much.  I've been up the last three nights with the Munchkin who has croup and ended up on oxygen yesterday because his airway was so closed off.  He has embraced the Ventolin and is much improved today but I am just wiped.

I'm starting to believe all those wise Mums who told me I would not get into a decent routine until term 3! Say it isn't so?!

How long did it take to get into an organised routine when your kids started Big School?

Off the Air, Mentally

I have no idea where I found this image, also a symptom of being off the air.

I am most definitely off the air mentally at the moment.

After many weeks off way too much stress in the House of O, it has finally abated but now I find myself unable function and plan.

My brain has just said, Enough and I am in a mental no mans land where I seem to get through each day but not achieve anything meaningful.

Blogging has fallen victim in a big way.  I like to try and keep my blog ticking over, be it with meaningless, trivial bits and bobs, but in my current state I am totally unable to even post a Wordless Wednesday photo or think of anything I know.

I'm hoping to do a hard reboot this Saturday and return to something like normal next week.

Stay tuned, I have not abandoned you...

Things I know and a Flog!

Joining in with Shae from Yay for Home!, things I know as well as Where's my Glow for Flog Ya Blog Friday again this week.

Just because I can.  You can join in too.  Just click on the links above or below.

Have a great weekend!

***

- The weather is divine in Sydney. Just Deeee-viiine!  It's so good we went swimming and the boys have spent most of the day running around the backyard enjoying the sun.  The house is wide open and the washing is done.

- Yesterdays trip to Ikea is still inspiring me.  I have rearranged my lounge room and sorted out my kitchen cupboards.  I am about to attack the hall (or as it is known in the house of O - the shoe cupboard) and work out just what can be done to organise it so I don't need to keep organising it!!

- This photo makes me smile:

Marilla & The Workaholic snuggling in their sleep.

I woke at 12.30 the other night, I'm pretty sure because subconsciously I remembered I had not put the cats in the laundry, to see this!  I grabbed my phone & uploaded it to Facebook immediately.  It's really funny because he swears she is terrified of him!  They were both snoring gently and it was a really beautiful thing to see, especially as she is on her way out (which is why she has been relegated to the laundry at night - she is losing the plot) and it is such a great memory of the old girl.

- I can't get enough of Dream On by Aerosmith today.  It's on a loop in my brain and I'm not unhappy about it.  It makes me happy the instant I hear the intro and I sing along like a looney at the top of my voice much to the horror of the Little Man who has taken against all things Steve Tyler (I do suspect me singing Dream on may have contributed).

- I finished reading Monica McInerney's  'At home with the Templetons' and was disappointed by the rushed and rather bland ending.  It had such potential.  I hate when a book seems to be heading somewhere that could be great and then fizzles out.  I need something else to read.  Any recommendations?  I have Fiona McIntosh's 'The Quickening' series on my bedside table but I have resisted it, I'm trying to make sure I have a block of time to read them all at once and enjoy!

- I know that participating in these link ups are my blogging life line that make me write on a Friday.  Thanks ladies!

- I know that Friday is Macca's night for the boys in the House of O and I don't care what anyone thinks about that!

I'm having a happy day! What about you?

Ikea Inspires

I don't usually go in for retail therapy.  I would normally do pretty much anything to get out of going to the shops.  Today I found it therapeutic.

I had decided earlier in the week that today would be a lazy home day, so we could all have a bit of a relax after our busy week last week, but as we ended up doing that on Tuesday, I wasn't too upset when my Mum rang to ask us to meet her for a coffee.

So we decided on Ikea which is roughly in between our two homes.  It was an unexpected bonus to have an opportunity to 'window shop' instead of rushing into the place with a mission and battling trolleys through those ridiculous self service checkouts (don't get me started on those...), I was inspired.  Now I am determined to sort out those niggling things around the house that are driving me mad.

I am going to replace the kitchen table and chairs.  We bought our current table from Oz Design as a space saving option in a previous house.  It is round and has two drop down sides.  One is completely buggered and the other has a slant which is getting worse by the day.  Also it is a 90cm circle.  We definitely need a bigger one these days.  The chairs we are using at the moment are from Ikea and cost me $15 each 6 or 7 years ago.  They were my student chairs in my bead shop and have seen a lot of butt time!  They are now at the point where two of them cannot be tightened with the allen key, so when you make the mistake of choosing one of these little beauties, you take the risk of it falling apart but at the very least get a little sea sick...

It looks something like this:

Truly uninspiring ugliness...

We test ran these potential replacements today:

Urban - It stacks, it's solid and it is an indoor/outdoor chair

Urban Junior - This little beauty is also available & both boys want one!

This is the table.  I'm not sold on it.  I would prefer not to have the pedestal as it means the chairs are out a little further than I would like.

Docksta Dining Table

They do have a glass table which is cheap and I love it, but I'm so nervous about glass around my boys and believe me, that includes the Workaholic!!

I also spotted a desk that I would like for my use only.  You see we have a perfectly good sized office.  I was really enjoying using it up until June when the Workaholic moved all of his paperwork and office equipment, including 3 massive office chairs, in when he shut down his office.  He then proceeded to spend his month off muttering about My clutter and refiling MY things and reducing MY desk space and MY cupboard space.  The cupboard space is so annoying.  I had spread myself out in a very organised manner (so I could find things) in one of the three stationery style cupboards we have in there.  He has reduced me to one shelf!!  I moved most of my things out the other day and they are now located in boxes on top of my bedroom dresser.  They need a home and since I removed the crib from my bedroom, I have the perfect spot for this:

Micke Workstation

It has pretty much the storage I need (I really don't need much) and it fits in my space perfectly.

I also discovered some yummy shoe storage that I really, really need.  I'm pretty sure every woman needs shoe storage...

Skubb - $19.95 for a four pack, hmmm how many packs do I need...

Our impromptu coffee morning yielded another non ikea result.  My Mum had asked me several weeks ago what to get the boys for their birthdays.  The Munchkin was easy, I allocated her the balance bike (the same one his brother has in a different colour) we had decided to get him.  I opened the website and she purchased it on the spot (as well as several other things that she just had to get for my niece!).  They have great little retro things and deliver very quickly.  Here's the link, check it out - www.hipkids.com.au

This is what he is getting, the Little Man's is pale blue.

Gift ideas for the the Little Man is a bit harder.  I am struggling with the idea of MORE toys in my house, so I am trying to come up with ideas that I can live with and he will like.  He's not helping at all.  I have not been able to pinpoint one thing that he truly wants or needs.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, today we sorted out a birthday present for him.  He ran up to the window of Adair Kids outside Ikea and practically salivated over a Mickey Mouse mobile.  It sounds crazy but he was in love with it.  He's been in love with Mickey pretty much since birth.  We all went in and looked through the other Mickey items.  He scored big time, let me tell you.  They had a good sale on these items so he got the mobile, a comforter, a sheet set and some new wall stickers, all Mickey.  The best bit is he somehow missed the entire transaction and will be surprised when his birthday comes.  He is truly going to love this.

Mickey Stuff...

Anyway, I had a very cheap, productive and unexpected morning out.  I didn't spend a cent, Mum even bought the coffees.   Since I've been home I've been action woman, deciding on changes, jotting down notes and mentally reorganising pretty much the entire house.  I've already changed a few small things...

Ikea does this to me.

Ikea?

To clean or not to clean...

It seemed like a fabulous idea to cancel the Cleaner for the holiday Monday.

How could it not be? We were home and would have been in his way and he would have been in ours as we slobbed around on the lounge.  Most of all it would be $80 unspent.  In this month of no income while the Workaholic is between jobs, that can only be a good thing.

Unfortunately I forgot to account for a few factors;

1. The Workaholic and the boys and the mess that only they can make,
2. The fact that even though they make this mess, none of them feel any way inclined or obliged to assist in cleaning it up,
3. This week I am insanely busy.

Now I am left with a filthy kitchen floor (luckily the Workaholic did load the dishwasher last night in a very uncharacteristic helpful moment), the playroom is a disaster zone and the bathrooms are just foul.  I have no time to rectify the situation as my entire week is chock full of appointments.

I'm psyching myself up to at least wash the floors before the boys wake from their nap, but I doubt I am going to get to it, I'm so tired from the morning session with them.

It's Tuesday, that means Piano at 10am, which is bad enough as I have to drop the Munchkin off to a babysitter in tears, drive to the lesson and look for parking followed by walking down to the lesson, in the rain today.  The lesson itself has a few challenges lately also.  The Little Man is having a "no performing in public" period.  This is week 3.  It's very stressful.  I know how much he loves the lesson and how much practice he puts in at home, I have been spending the entire lesson trying to get him to play his solo or even just to play while the teacher is at his end of the room! Arrrgh!

Today we had the extra pressure of an O/T session just after lunch and I knew I couldn't get a babysitter for the Munchkin, so it was a session of bribing the Little Man to go along with the lovely Roslyn and distracting the Munchkin from trying to distract the Little Man.  Double Arrrgh!

On a positive note he scored well in his assessment last week even though he was very uncooperative.  She is less worried about his behaviour today.  Her thinking now is that he is a very strong willed personality and so we are working around that to improve the couple of areas he is weak in, such as pencil grip and using scissors.  We got him to use scissors today (he usually refuses) by getting him to make his own jigsaw puzzle.  He was fantastic, so determined to make is own puzzle, it completely slipped his mind that he 'can't' use scissors.

The rest of the week is just as crazy, with Gymbaroo, Avon Sales meeting, Swimming lessons and Speech Pathology.

I suspect I will plan to be out of the house for the entire weekend and leave the cleaning to the Cleaner next Monday. 

Or it that just too lazy?

Wordless Wednesday

Playroom reorganisation as a way to keep warm on a cold wet rainy day.
We are all very happy with the outcome.
I have promises to "keep it tidy, everyday, forever"
Ha!

I'm joining in with My Little Drummer Boys & faith hope and a whole lotta love for Wordless Wednesday.

Thanks for dropping by.