Hey y'all. What's up. It's been a while, I know. I go through these phases when blogging is on my mind and I'm all into posting pictures and great commentary, and then I forget about the blog for a few days or even a week......and then I remember the blog, but I've left my camera in Dothan so I can't post any new pictures, then I have the camera back, am all excited about posting new pictures and entertaining commentary but I have a bad day, the sink overflows, I leave the filter out of the wheat mill....breadbakers, DON'T do this unless you like your kitchen/laundry room covered in a fine powder of flour......and on these bad days, I can barely remember my own name, that I am in charge of a family.......etc. I'm thinking of getting one of those arm bands with the little paper playbook tucked inside - you know the thing the NFL and college football players wear that tells them what plays to run. I need one of those. I would keep my calendar and some other basic information in it.
Here's an example of why I need one:
Yesterday was a doozy. I think I mentioned that. I had planned to go to COSTCO and the grocery store. Normally, I go on a day that V and B are in MDO but there was nothing to eat in our house, no milk and no eggs and, more importantly, there was no toilet paper. So you see now why I had to go right away.
I got everyone dressed, called Jeff to see if he'd like to meet us at Tenders for lunch, and settled down to nurse John Calvin so he'd be happy and full while we were out. Well, without rehashing all of it b/c that would exhaust me and bore you, my two-year-old, who is in the throws of rebellion about everything opened the spice drawer, pulled out a few containers and did what he does best, made a HUGE mess. So, cleaning this up and administering a "holy" spanking took up all the time I had allotted to load up, drive to Tenders, enjoy lunch, etc. In tears, I called Jeff, told him we weren't coming and then stared blankly at the wall for a few minutes trying to decide what to do. As in, hunker down, stay home, wing-it with baby wipes the rest of the day, get Jeff to pick up TP and pizza on his way home...........or cry loudly "Tawanda!" and full-steam-ahead with my previous plan of grocery shopping. I'm sure you can guess what I chose. Tawanda baby, all the way. Email me if you're clueless about Tawanda.
So the playbook armband thingy would've told me: 15 minutes 'til departure: get kids in car seats FIRST to avert any potential disaster. Carseats=confinement.
See, the problem is, my brain can't remember stuff like that when I'm in the midst of chaos. I'm being honest here, sometimes my kids are a little unruly and things feel chaotic. Who am I kidding, if they are awake and breathing, things feel chaotic.
And here's where the calendar arm band would come in handy: After one of these days/moments, my brain is like oatmeal. I'm watching Handy Manny and I'm likin' it..... Email me if you've never seen Mr. Mom.....or, if like me, you've got it memorized, email me anyway.
So when my brain is like oatmeal, I think, how can I salvage this day? Let's do something FUN! ..................and I forget that the church ladies Christmas dinner is scheduled and more importantly that I've volunteered to drive a carload of ladies out to it.............I forget this and begin thinking, "Fun, hmmmm, tonight we need to go get a Christmas tree. I'll call Jeff and get him to meet me at the Christmas tree lot at 5 p.m. and we'll get one and then we'll get dinner and then we'll get the kids settled and watch a movie and enjoy some hot cocoa......." and I plan a whole outing that cannot happen because there's already something going on that night. Are you getting an idea of the lunacy that plagues me at times???????
I have found a tactic that is working against this though - do you know about google calendar? Yes, I'm sure, like everything else, I am the very last to know about this, there are people who've been using it since the early 90's I'm sure.
Check it out - it's my latest lifesaver. Got any suggestions, any other tools, lifesavers that I need to know about? Tell me! Share!
More later.....gotta go.
2 comments:
Wow. All I can say is Wow.
And, wow that you got several conversations in with me on the phone amidst this day of chaos. I feel honored.
I know, in an armband-world, I would be one of the plays: "Ashleying," that's what it'd be called :-) And I would help you with all of this chaos AND find time to make EVERY SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT KNOWN TO MAN.
Love ya, elfie!
You do chaos better than anyone else I know......and you're the cutest doing it!
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