Thursday, March 6, 2008
Simplify
I have been thinking and talking a lot with Curtis about ways to simplify my life. Sometimes it feels in the crazy world that is my life I am surrounded by distraction after distraction, I am not sure if it is spring fever or what but I feel like I need a breath of fresh air. We are in the process of buying Curts grandmas house (HURRAY!) and Curtis just started a new shift so things are a tiny bit hectic, amazing and wonderful but hectic. I feel like I have baby toys and makeup coming out of every corner of my house. Yesterday I put Deacon in his sling and he snuggled right up to me and we walked through the neighborhood (which I will miss soooo much) and after that my world felt a touch calmer. BUT I want to know YOUR ideas for living a calmer simpler life (besides moving to Hawaii I already thought of this) and does every mother feel this way? Or have I lost my mind? Don't get me wrong I have so much joy in my life but I am selfish and I want more and I know you all have some great ideas you are keeping to yourself!
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13 comments:
The first thing I would do is stop worrying about your older brothers eating habits. That would really simplify your life.
I am not the person to ask, as you very well know. I would say, though, that figuring out how to be happy with your life as it is, to enjoy what is, is key. It's hard, because sometimes you really have to make changes, but a lot of time it's figuring out how, in your mind, to be calm. I love that you walked around your neighborhood with your darling boy, and that made you feel calmer. That's a good piece of evidence.
okay, here's what i came up with- but first let me say... YOU ARE NORMAL! at least i think you are. it's normal to feel overwhelmed and chaotic when your life becomes not your own. so here are the tricks i try that work for me.
Laundry- i like to get it done in one day. that way my laundry room isn't always feeling cluttery. and since it's right there when you walk in from the garage, it's nice not to step in dirty underpants.
Cleaning- pre-mommy life, i did it all in one day so it was all clean at once. NOW, that is not going to happen. so on my fridge i have a natepad that says the days of the week. every day i gave myself a different chore. if i do what i'm supposed to every day, then i never feel like my whole house is gross and needs cleaning. and i'll never get the 8 hour chunk of time i'd need to clean the whole thing.
in the interest of space, i won't go on and on. maybe i'll email you the other things i try.
I wish I had lots of ideas, but I think that it is important to prioritise and think of what's truly important. Raymond and I have a planning meeting every monday night and work out what committments we have during the week, and what we need to do to meet them. If we don't have that meeting, it is always a stressful week. I'll share some of my more nerdy ideas when we chat on Monday! I love this post by the way.
You know I find myself worrying and looking to the future a lot and I feel like I'm not living in the now to the fullest. Don't stress for what is to come but enjoy what is already here (this is what I have to tell myself a lot)
I'm right there with you sweetie...I am in definate need of living a more simple life. My sister-in-law had this quote on her blog and I really liked it so I'll share it with ya.
If I had my child to raise all over again, I'd build self-esteem first, and the house later. I'd finger paint more, and point the finger less. I would do less correcting and more connecting. I'd take my eyes off the watch, and watch with my eyes. I'd take more hikes and fly more kites. I'd stop playing serious, and seriously play. I would run through more fields and gaze at more stars. I'd do more hugging and less tugging.
Dian Lommas, from "If I Had My Child to Raise Over Again."
It almost works for a mom of a few kids more, but I still liked it, and the message it had.
Soph,
Sad you wont be at book club but catch ya next time...Call me if you have some books you want to include on our list. Like the post I have focused on this lately too....Back to basics making things easier in work and personal life. Enjoyed the post!
Where does Curtis's grandma live? I always wanted a chubby kid and you got such a cute one!
These are already great comments, so I really can't add too much. When I read your title "simplify" I remembered the book called "Walden" by Henry David Thoureau. (I had to read it in high school but I ended up actually liking it.)
There will be times in your life that you'll be overwhelmed and need to simplify but just think about all that you can do! :) The more you do the more you can do.
Think about the things in your life that only YOU can do. If you have two things to do and one of them could be done by someone else, then let that person do it so that you can devote your time to the things that only YOU can do. I had a church meeting that I was supposed to go to but I decided to ask someone else to go for me since my kids needed me that morning. My kids only have one mom, that's where I needed to be that moment.
Talk to Pam B. she wrote an article in Wasatch Woman Magazine and talked about Motherhood as a juggling act. All of the balls are rubber except one that is made of glass. The rubber ones will bounce back if dropped but the glass one will shatter if dropped. Decide which ball is the glass ball for you at that moment and you may have to let one of the rubber balls bounce around for a while until you can pick them all up again.
My mom had a quote on her wall when she was raising us kids, it went like this:
Cleaning and scrubbing
can wait till tomorrow
for children grow up,
we learn to our sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs,
dust go to sleep
I’m rocking my baby
and babies don't keep.
well this really won't simplify your life, but do you want to take our little ones to the discovery gateway this week. they have a 2 and under section where our kids can pick up every sickness going around. what do you think?
Soph,
I forgot to call you back last night I called Nordys back but you were in the back and I didn't have them page you...I texted Cas for your cell so I will call ya this morning! Hope you can make the next book club!
Annie's comment about taking your kids to Disc. Gateway to pick up every sickness thats going around is hilarious...I had the same thought though because I took Stocky last week. HE LOVED IT! I just kept the disinfecting wipes in full force!
All I can say to you is you are amazing!!! I don't work half the hours that you do and you are so on the ball! You should be giving me advice! Do you ever notice that when people tell stories about their past that a lot of times they talk about when their kids were young. This is probably the hardest time of your life but it will be the time where you make so many memories. I feel the same way you are feeling on a daily basis! I was thinkng about this same thing the other day and I had to just tell myself that it won't always be like this! In that it won't always be this hard, but also that it won't always be this wonderful! You are such a great mom and you must have really hit a nerve with this because I want to just reach through my computer and give you a big hug! Love you!! Good luck with your house I am sooo ecxited for you!
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