I work Monday to Friday at my day job. So like a lot of people, I am working for the weekend, and TGIF is in my vocabulary. On the weekends, I try to relax. I usually do some prep cooking for the upcoming week. Also, I do the cleaning. I am trying to get my house in order so that I can work on my projects. It takes time, and to really make this work, I will need to make a schedule and stick to it. A schedule is like a budget for me. I can follow one, but I don’t always like it. This is one of those things. We all have to do things we don’t like. Cleaning is one of mine. I have no problem making messes, for productive reasons. Cooking, crafting, whatever I have going on may have a side effect of making a mess. I don’t go out of my way to be a messy person. And we have what we need to clean. But the gumption is almost always lacking.
How do I plan to change this? For starters, I have signed up for 2 challenges this year. A deep cleaning challenge that runs for 15 weeks, and a daily challenge for smaller scale organizational tasks, in January. One of my resolutions was to finish them both, in 2017. I am finding motivation by sharing the daily videos on my personal facebook wall, and also the other challenge has so many posts about other people’s progress that I can literally be lost in that thread for days without realizing it. There are SO many beautiful homes out there, and the ideas people have in this group are AMAZING! So there are two sources of inspiration for me.
To get in the zone for this, I used to listen to a radio station called The Bounce. They have since changed their name, so I am not as big of a fan as I used to be. I would crank up the tunes and go to work on the cleaning. Hence the Tish-ism, “Bouncing the House”! I would post regularly on my wall about how I was doing this, and a few of my friends have started calling it the same thing at their house. Music keeps me up and moving. It is a big deal in my life. Yes, I write lyrics, but I enjoy music as often as I can, and as loud as I can. It is such a good thing in my life.
I also listen to music to help with my moods. When I am having a bad day, listening to angry music, lets me scream out my frustration through the lyrics and makes me come around. If I am sad, again, I choose music to help lift me up above the clouds where I like to live. I am an optimist, and I like to stay positive.
So the next thing I have to do today is start the week long kitchen cleaning project for my deep cleaning challenge. It will be so rewarding to sit down ad write and not feel like I should be working on something else instead of what I want to, no need to do. I need to write more. I need to work on my crafts more. I need to be more creative. Setting this goal to get the house in order is a way for me to prepare to have the time to be creative, and not have the guilty feeling that I should really be doing other things. That is a terrible loop I USED to get stuck in. The result is always that NOTHING GETS DONE. I am tired of not getting anything accomplished because of this. So this is my year to give’er and be a huge success. At least in my own mind. Countdown to Bouncing my house in 3,2,1…GO!
Long weekend! Yes! I had planned to take Friday off as a vacation day. I am working on the Holiday. I earn holiday pay, it is a Stat. So I am OK with that, as I enjoyed having yesterday off.
We started the day off at a local restaurant for Brunch. It was my second time at Claudine’s Eatery on Main Street, in Fredericton. It was my husband’s first time there. When I spoke to the owner about writing about our experience, she was concerned that we took pictures of our meals. There was a new cook, and apparently, they are not trained on presentation, yet. I told her not to worry, as long as I had permission to use some pictures from her online pages. She said that would be fine.
I didn’t know if I should go for something fancy or not, but when I saw a number of choices on the breakfast menu that included lobster…I decided to take the plunge in for some seafood. I ordered the lobster omelet with a side salad instead of homefries, and also no toast.
My husband got “The Maritimer” a traditional bacon eggs sausage toast and added ham. The new cook forgot to put the pancakes on his plate. They brought them out on a separate plate. He liked his breakfast. I enjoyed mine, immensely. There were large pieces of lobster in the omelet, and the side salad was fresh. I would recommend it to anyone, it was wonderful. The pic below has toast, mine did not.
Other than specializing in many types of Eggs Benny, they also have french onion soup listed as one of their favourites. While I was searching through their pictures, I spied what I will try the next time I go for lunch.
Lobster grilled cheese with gouda and a small crock pot lobster poutine at Claudine’s Eatery.
My husband is not a fan of seafood. Lobster ranks higher than chocolate or pizza on my list. I will be going to try this, and maybe to talk about my favourite way to eat lobster. Always Thinking…
I then made my way out to King Woolens and Yarns after I brought my husband home. I was planning to visit my friend, the owner, and check out what she set up for the new display for my Tish’s Treasures in her store. I forgot to bring my new blue flower earrings. 🙁
Blue Flower Earrings
She had found a picture of a display online that she asked my opinion on. I liked it and told her so. She didn’t need help assembling it, but I went out to look for ideas for the base with her. She had the new display assembled and ready. It makes you want to walk around it to see what else is there. She did a great job on it. I happened to bring out a few new jewellery displays I had found yard sale shopping earlier in the summer, and we made a few changes. We worked on it together, and it looks great now!
Tish’s Treasures Grape Cluster Necklace and Butterfly Necklace at King Woolens and Yarns
Snowflakes by Tish’s Treasures at King Woolens and Yarns
Tish’s Treasures array of Earrings, Dragonfly Suncatchers, Flower Pendants, and a Turtle Bracelet at King Woolens and yarns.
Necklaces and earrings by Tish’s Treasures at King Woolens and Yarns..
Sock Monkey Cup Cozy found at King Woolens and Yarns
King Woolens and Yarns is in Douglas, just a few minutes outside of Fredericton, NB
Yarn at King Woolens and Yarns
Saturday was a day for Blogging, errands and social media work. It was busy in its own way. I have been fighting a sinus headache. I think I am winning, and I finished my day with making a pot of chili. Not a lot of prep cooking today, but we have leftover chili to eat when we are hungry.
Sunday is here. I am Bouncing the House, still with plans to go to Church this evening. I then have a skype date with my cousin. Until then I busied myself with the Master Bedroom cleaning, and shopping at the local Northside Market. When things slow down and I have access to a better camera, I will be writing about the different markets in the city, and maybe guest blogging about them. If that plan works out, I will be sure to share the links.
I bought a large fresh cabbage, and some ground pork while I was at the Market. I plan on making egg roll in a bowl late tonight so I can have it for lunch at work tomorrow. I bought meat, eggs, and vegetables for groceries, and splurged on some His & Hers Samosas (we each like different kinds) and a bag of apple muffins for a treat.
It was a busy long weekend. What are your plans? What did you do this weekend?
Here comes another weekend. I am relaxing with a bottle of wine on this fine Friday night. It is well deserved and has been in the wine rack for a while. I kept it so that when I wanted to indulge, I would enjoy it. I have, indeed.
What else did I do? I started an Orphan Black Marathon of season 5. It is the last season, and it ends tomorrow night. Oh, how bittersweet it will be.
Saturday will be a full on, all out Bouncing the House day. I need to get some cleaning done, and except for the washing of my delicates tonight while I enjoy the wine, I am falling behind in the housekeeping department, and I need to give it some TLC. My husband will be drafted with a “Honey do list”, and we will get some work done here tomorrow. Update: I am visiting a friend on Saturday, and I caught up with another friend while running an errand.
Sunday involves a volunteer event. I am working with the Boston Terrier Rescue Canada group again. I am an official volunteer, and we will have a booth at the Fredericton Pride Parade. I have signed on for the walking time in the parade because if I am going to be there, I want to get some exercise. Walking is good for me. BTRC needs fund raising by people like me to help the non-profit group rescue more dogs in need, foster them, and hopefully place them in homes where they will be adopted.
Volunteers ready to walk in the parade
These t-shirts are hilarious like the bandanas
Flags and phone covers and bling!
Magnets and information about the BTRC Recycling program
Bandanas for the dogs
One of the BTRC bandanas.
The chocolate cupcakes were delicious. They also had popsicles and pup-sicles!
Just like MasterChef! Hands in the air! All done setting up!
Action shot! There were a lot of people out, it was the best turnout ever for Fredericton Pride Parade day!
The Booth is ready for business!
Katie and Sally, all dolled up and riding through the parade in style!
I made it after walking in the parade.
I met some new volunteers today
Face painting success!
As a Catholic who believes in science and that the unexplained mysteries of how science and religion mingle will not be fully explained to me until I reach Heaven (which I sincerely hope to do, but realistically I expect to land in purgatory because nobody is perfect) I try to live my life guided by the church and the bible. That being said, I have spent many years in conflict with myself.
I have come to terms with how I am able to be friends with different people. That is the secret. They aren’t fat or skinny, male or female, black or white, young or old, gay or straight. They are people. And as people, we all have our own belief systems. Mine happens to be based in the Catholic Religion. It teaches us to love one another, and also not to judge. With these simple rules, I leave the rest to God. I am able to be friends with some wonderful, incredible people, and because I do not judge them, I think I am a better person for leaving the judgements aside and letting more friends into my life. Like I said, nobody is perfect, and when it is not up to me, I am free to be true to myself. I am able to open my eyes and see people as they are, people. Like me.
Lynn showing her t-shirt and flag she wore for the parade
Truck for the parade
Ambulance for the parade
After the Parade, before the Thunderstorms
They must be at the start!
People in the parade
Fire in the parade
People in the parade
Matty & Me
BTRC Group!
BTRC group!
I don’t usually write about my faith and religion. I am not attempting to erase the past wrongs done by the Church, or by other Catholics. I am only responsible for myself and my own actions. I do try to be a good person, and live my life by example, with the 10 Commandments as my guide. When I think about the state of the world today, I feel concerned. I am not confident that humankind will survive the future of what might be. I decided to write about it because change is possible. It starts with one person. I am putting this out there and making it known that I do not tolerate evil, no matter what form it takes. Hatred is evil, and there is no room in my life for it. If I had my way, there would be no room in the Universe for it.
The weather is iffy for tomorrow. There is a chance it will rain, and maybe there will be thundershowers. Not the best forecast for a parade. It will happen, rain or shine. I will try to dress for any weather (that will be challenging) and my sneakers are the best I’ve got for walking. I am thinking about wearing something fun, in support of my friends. I don’t have a costume, like some people, but then I am an ally. It’s not about me. It’s about allowing people to be true to themselves and to celebrate their acceptance of themselves and each other. Together. The way people are supposed to be. United in a common cause and belief, in a peaceful celebration. I hope it does not rain on the parade.
It poured! There was a thunderstorm indeed, complete with rolling thunder and lightning. This happened after the parade, though. People packed up as quickly as they could and ran for cover. Imagine it, if you will. I went to the Fredericton Pride Parade, and I left all wet! A little (or a lot of) rain never hurt anyone.
Laughing in the rain!
YES!
Before heading home, we stopped at the Tiki Iced Tea Bar. Yes, it was shaken, not stirred, and wonderful!
The city has implemented a rainbow crosswalk downtown. I think it is nice, and living in such a diverse city, and country, it fits in very well.
The rainbow crosswalk
The other end of the rainbow crosswalk
Feeling the love after the rain at Fredericton Pride Parade, 2017
That’s a wrap for another weekend! I won today, but the house did not get bounced properly. I will say the weekend won Saturday, even though I still had a great time meeting up with friends, I did not accomplish what I set out to do. This weekend, it was a draw. What did you do this weekend?
It’s here! The first official weekend of the summer! I am gearing up to run errands and host a BBQ today. I have been working hard at my Spring Cleaning Challenge, and I am literally at the finish line! I have made it to the Master Bedroom and Bathroom.
Last weekend, I worked really hard to have the floors done, the guest room ready, and the main bathroom was cleaned. When I did this, I had to move things out of the way. I moved them into the master bedroom. A pile gathered on my bed. When it was time to crawl into that bed, the only logical place to temporarily store these items was in the sunken bathtub in the master bathroom.
This means I made a lot of progress in most of the house, but not all. Today I plan to work on that. The word purge is now in my weekend plans again, and it does not refer to food in any way.
I have been working on this project since last fall. I started with my clothing. I then went through the kitchen and didn’t have a lot to purge there, but rather spent time cleaning and organizing. I have purged my makeup to make room for new makeup. I am still in the middle of writing about that experience. Today I plan to purge and organize my craft supplies.
I have decided that I am not going to do this alone. I have asked a friend to help me with this chore. It is not going to be a hard thing to do, but it may prove to be difficult. Remember when I wrote I had purged my makeup? I gathered it all up and then was unable to throw it out until I bought the new makeup. I wanted to start with a clean palette, but I was very worried that I would not be able to afford to replace everything, and I decided to not throw it out until I had done the shopping so I would not be left without a critical item for my new makeup collection.
As I wrote, I am working on that story, and I plan to have it published sometime this week. If the zit I treated that promptly decided to cause a skin reaction to the treatment and blew up over my face would kindly heal and let me feel like I can safely try my new makeup on, that would be fantastic.
When I went through my clothing, I did it all on my own. I reduced my wardrobe by 50%. I donated it to a friend who upcycles fabric. So far, the only items I have really missed were some of the more lightweight tank tops that I gave away. One of my errands today is to replace those tank tops. I have some, but I have not had a clothing shopping budget regularly for many years. We have been working insanely hard on our household budget, and we are making some changes to that. I am looking forward to the days when I don’t feel guilty about buying a new article of clothing to wear. Or about buying a new book or magazine. Things I like to buy from time to time. Mostly beading magazines, and more recently, a writing magazine. It will also be useful to know what I have on hand for craft supplies, so I don’t purchase items that I don’t need because I don’t know what I have in my stash.
The last area of my house that needs TLC is my office, a corner of my living room. I have been building up to getting this area ready for spring cleaning. It is where I plan to do my writing, and a fitting final task for all of the cleaning I am doing to prepare for writing. I have organized the desk several times since I moved here, and it is long overdue. Time to fire up the paper shredder when I am ready to tackle the last big area. I am really proud of how much I have accomplished this year with my cleaning projects, and although I still have some smaller areas to work on after my deadline, the larger, more complicated projects will be done and over with, so I can feel confident about my home not falling apart when I start writing my book. Maybe I will even be able to make time for more creative projects after it is all finished.
Phase 2 will be starting when I am settling into writing my book. With the larger cleaning projects being finished, I will have to switch gears and get the maintenance cleaning done, to keep my home from ever becoming a disaster like it was when I decided to start the spring cleaning for real this year.
I also hope that this weekend is a start of more entertaining at my house. I am feeling good about it, and not too embarrassed when I look around at the progress I have made here, the last 6 months. Time to get going and finish this stage, so I can close the chapter of Spring Cleaning 2017, and open a new book to start writing it.
I hope my friend enjoys bouncing the house with me this afternoon, I need the extra push when it comes to purging craft supplies. She is invited to stay for the BBQ as a thank you for her taking the time to help me out. What are you working on this weekend?
Here I am in the middle of another busy weekend! I have been pushing hard at the Spring Cleaning project, as the deadline looms in the ever shrinking distance. I am getting help around here this weekend, and it had been thoroughly appreciated. Currently, it is too hot to do much puttering, so I am taking a few minutes to stop and write before I go back to work.
I have also been eating ribs all weekend long. It is the annual Ribfest here this weekend, so I have sampled and eaten rib meals all weekend long. I am ready for my last rib supper of the event tonight. I have enjoyed the dinners, but it will be good to get back on plan tomorrow and start working on my healthy eating again.
I am planning to do some more work in the Master bedroom after I write this. If I can cool down. We are saving towards getting a heat pump installed here, and that will provide a more economical source for heating and air conditioning our home. I look forward to that very much, especially on days like today.
I slowed down a little this past week, but this weekend has been the start of the crunch to get the Spring Cleaning done before crossing the finish line. I am going to start in the bedroom while the sun is out. It will be hard to not just flop on the bed and nap until it cools down. I have a deadline, and I intend to keep it.
This means I will be working at this place constantly until I have finished. I am going to have to putter all week long. There is no Zumba for a few weeks, so my plan is to house clean instead, with music. This will keep me moving, and get my project worked on at the same time. It might not be the same intensity level, but moving any way at all has been my motto since I started Zumba. I will continue.
It is a lot to accomplish in the time I have left, but if I keep at it, it will get better and over time become a list of completed tasks rather than an overwhelming list of things to do.
I am going to end here for this week. It is so windy outside that I have experienced a couple of power brownouts while writing. I hope the power stays on so I can continue bouncing the house. It is much harder to stay motivated without music.
As the Spring Cleaning comes to an end, I am going to be changing the focus of these stories in July. I will still be writing about my weekend activities, and maintenance cleaning routines as I develop them. I am also going to start writing about the second half of this year’s project, writing my book. The gears are going to shift here soon, and there will be lots to write about as I start a new adventure!
Here we go again! It is the middle of a sunny, not too hot but a little too breezy weekend. I say that because it is BEAUTIFUL out, but not quite warm enough for wearing shorts. Perfect weather to cook and clean in. Too bad yesterday was an errands day, so not a lot got done around the house. We did take some time to enjoy the sunshine, though.
We went out to a fundraiser for Great Danes yesterday. Roy bought a t-shirt to support the cause. I am holding off because I would rather buy one from the Boston Terrier Rescue Canada group, BTRC as I volunteer with them. We had lunch and hit up some stores.
There was a bead sale, so I went there first. I then went to Bed Bath and Beyond. I would spend more money in there if I had it to spend, well who am I kidding, I love shopping, and money flows faster than mercury through my hands. Blink twice, and it’s gone, kind of like my awesome time management skills, I have the same ability in both of those areas. Amazing talents to have…not! My husband went to the pet store. He is working really hard on his 75-gallon fish tank set up. I cannot wait to finally post some pics when it is all done! I will share the finished setup photos when he is happy with it and ready to show it off.
At the second store I found some coffee on sale, not as good of a sale as the last time I was there, but still, a sale is better than full price. The reason I went was to get an organizational drawer for my fridge. There is a drawer on a slider in the middle of my fridge, but the space underneath that drawer is a nightmare to keep organized. My husband does not want to open the fridge and see multiple organization containers inside. I see the value of the system, but don’t want to buy more bins for the fridge until he changes his mind. This is the beginning of that transition. It may never proceed past the initial phase, but at least I get to tackle one huge problem area in our fridge.
I started my Sunday off in Church. I do like going and was a little late, but better late than never, I thought. So I went. Then I went to a coffee shop to wait for my ride home. It was a good start to the week, and to my Sunday.
I am headed back into the kitchen today. I NEED to run the dishwasher and get the dishes back under control. I think I am starting to feel better, hurrah for antibiotics and trying a different kind! I am wanting to do things again. Still not feeling completely healthy, but feeling like I want to get some things done around here again is a big plus.
I didn’t get things done last weekend. I was really feeling awful, and sometimes what you need to do has to be prioritized. I needed to rest so that I would get better, and be able to get some spring cleaning done this weekend.
I am not going to focus only on the kitchen today. I have an issue in the Master Bedroom that needs attention. I am notoriously famous for piling things up everywhere I go. My desk, my craft supplies, clothes or anything and everything. I do not like putting things away. So today, I am going to take the time to change the sheets and put my clothes away. Then I can rearrange the dresser and assemble the 6 cube shelving unit I bought a while back. If I really get on a roll, there may be pics here next weekend! I am still not feeling the motivation to finish the kitchen, so I am going to change the plans for today after I get those dishes done. I have some prep cooking to do also. I want the kitchen clean before I start cooking. I have 3 lbs of ground beef and a whole chicken to work with today when prep cooking. The beef will make 2 different meals, and the chicken is going into my crock pot. I really love making this recipe with whole chickens, ever since I found it online a while ago.
So, I intend to fully bounce the house today. That is a Tish-ism. You can read about it here: Bouncing the House. The tunes will be cranked, and I will be doing a little singing and dancing while I work. After all, if it isn’t a little bit fun, I will never get it done!
I have been a little lacking in the cleaning department in February. I have been planning but not doing. This weekend will be different, and therefore today’s story will be short.
I added to the mess, last night. My butt bumped a tray of beads. So along with my list, I have to play a game with my broom called 5 million pick-up! Ugh. At least I had the covers on the bead containers I had already finished sorting. 10 million pick-up would have been much worse!
I am going to work on my house this weekend. In the words of a sport I do not understand enough to actually spend a lot of time watching, I plan to, “Hurry, hurry, hurry hard!” at it today. I will be Bouncing the House today and tomorrow.
So a brief outline will involve the never ending dishes, prep cooking for the week, and laundry. I am not good at the putting away part of cleaning. If I manage to get this all done today, (or most of it) I will then tackle the bathrooms, which really need me to get to them THIS weekend. I need to get the basic chores out of the way so I can get to the Spring Cleaning. I need to get this done, it is holding me back from other goals for the year, the biggest one being writing a book.
I value the benefits of an organized house, so I am trying to better my environment with the challenges I have set out for myself. It will also help me be more efficient in my daily life when all the cleaning is done.
There is so much to do, and my coffee is calling me. I will report tomorrow. Maybe I will be able to start sharing progress pics by then. I plan to get a lot done today!
This picture really made me laugh. It will be the picture for my new Blogging series, called Weekend Warrior. I am working on cleaning and organizing my home so that when I am ready to dive into writing my books, I will not have to worry about what is not getting done or what should be getting done.
I just had breakfast. I like to sleep in on the weekends. This means if I am motivated and working on my house and chore list, it continues well after dark. I am a night owl, but find the weekday schedule really helps me to stay on track with my health. So I am a part of the rat race, Monday to Friday, 9 to 5, working woman. I do have a day job. The bills need to be paid. SO on a weekend when there are no plans outside of the house, I sleep in and go a little off schedule. I enjoy that. When we get a dog later this year, I hope it likes to sleep in on the weekends too. I realize that there will be necessary walks and wake ups with a dog to take them outside, but that doesn’t mean a nap won’t follow those little adventures.
I am breaking in my new coffee mug. It says, “Overthinkin’ and coffee drinkin’ ” it suits my life and my logo. It is a good size, and I purchased it last weekend on a whim. I saw it on facebook and had to have it. It is so “ME!” I will drink coffee from it while I write. It holds 16 oz of coffee, and that is a good start for my weekend coffee.
My new coffee mug. It says, Overthinkin’ and coffee drinkin’ on it. #WeekendWarrior
Plans for the weekend are developing, on the social side of things. Which means I have to make the most of the afternoon as I may be out this evening. Combining the things I don’t want to do with things I do want to do works out, somewhat. It can be counterproductive, too, though. If I am really on a roll, and getting things done on my list, then it is hard to find the motivation to keep going if I have to stop. Or sometimes I don’t start at all because I know I won’t be able to finish.
Sometimes I get a lot done, and sometimes I overthink the projects and that takes up all of my time. Music is a huge motivator for me. If the tunes are cranked, I find it hard to sit still. I like background music or TV when I am surfing the internet, or working on stationary projects, but to get me up and moving, the tunes have to be cranked.
Weekend Warrior. That is what I feel like when I am having a productive weekend. It doesn’t mean I am changing the world, or working on building or renovating anything. It does mean I am making progress on my lists, getting up and moving around, staying motivated, and having a little fun. Making the most of my free time, and getting that much closer to the goal of writing my books. Singing and dancing my way through the weekend is how I put on my game face. When I am Bouncing the House, I am getting the lists done, and that is exactly what weekends are for.
I made some resolutions at the start of this year. I am working at them, at my own pace. This week I feel like I am falling behind. We had a lot of snow early last week. I missed two days of work just digging out from under it. My husband, who normally does the shoveling, hurt his back, and is still recovering. So I did it myself. It was a lot of work, and the reason I missed the second day is because I spent more than 4 hours shoveling, and it exhausted me.
So I rested for 2 days, when I wasn’t shoveling. Eat; shovel; sleep; repeat; for 2 days. I didn’t get much done inside the house for those days. We managed. We averted the crisis of having no Pepsi in the house for my husband. It was a close one, though. He doesn’t enjoy coffee, he likes Pepsi. I enjoy coffee, and today, I am home without the car, so I can focus on what needs doing inside the house, and drink a lovely bucket of coffee.
I prep cook on the weekends. It is on my list of things to do. I need to get at the dishes and laundry. I want to finish the kitchen and move on to other rooms, but life happens. Other projects have popped up in the last month, so it was not a productive couple of weeks in my kitchen.
If you are following my blog, you are familiar with the Tish-ism in Bouncing the House. It is what I do. I crank the tunes and clean. This is in my plans for today. But where do I start? There is SO much to DO and only ONE DAY. I am a weekend warrior when it comes to cleaning, and someday, when I am more energetic or have things under control so that I only need a half hour a day in the week for maintenance house cleaning, that won’t be the case. I will be able to manage it this way at some point, and then I will have the time I need to focus on writing and crafts. What I WANT to do.
At the start of the year, I decided on three things as my resolutions. Work on me by living a healthier lifestyle, clean my house, really clean it, top to bottom, and write a book. I will not begin writing in earnest until the house is done. I will never get the cleaning done if I jump into writing and get lost in my creativity. I have a plan, but it takes dedication to stick to it and get it all done. One thing at a time, one project at a time, and one day at atime.
My creative mind travels in circles, and this can be distracting when I am working on something. I start loading the dishwasher, and go through the house to collect dishes. I find empty bottles and cans that also need to be relocated to the kitchen for rinsing and recycling. I fill the sink with really hot water, dish soap, and dishes that don’t go in the dishwasher. I wander into the bedroom and find laundry that needs doing. Get the laundry started. And realize that the dishwasher door is still open, the dishwasher is still not full and running, and the sink now has cold water with bubbles and dirty dishes in it.
So I add more hot water to the sink of dishes, and finish loading the dishwasher and take a break at my desk for a few minutes, only to realize that I lost track of time and the water in the sink, which was too hot when I sat down, is cold again and the dishwasher is finished and needs to be unloaded and the clothes in the washer need to be put into the dryer and a new load put into the washer but there is a load in the dryer that needs to be folded and put away. That was a long and busy sentence on purpose. It is demonstrating how I get in a loop.
Putting things away is a hard thing for me. I get so far with the cleaning and I just leave it forlater which essentially is never and the clean clothes get piled up and the dishes are just used straight from the dishwasher so they pile up again as the dirty dishes can’t go into the dishwasher if there are clean dishes in there and you get the idea. I go in circles, constantly, if I let myself, and when I do this, the chances of me finishing anything are slim.
What do I do to fix it? Well, I am stubborn, and that means if I make myself do all the dishes, I can get them done. If I don’t start ten other things at the same time. Some of the chores in my list are the kind you start and have to walk away from, so I try to get them going first. That is also a trap. I need a break, and I lose three hours. I have no concept of time at all.
Turning the music up LOUD helps, as long as I don’t turn it down on a break. I can’t sit at my desk for too long if the music is loud. That is another tactic I use. It works if I don’t just grab the remote and turn the music down so I can spend more time at my desk procrastinating from the things I really should be doing.
Another thing I am going to implement today is a list. I find crossing things off of my list gives me a small sense of accomplishment, it means I finished that thing on my list. I make lists whenever I travel, and go over them several times to be certain that I don’t forget anything, and I cross items off as I pack. I don’t forget things when I have a list made. So I need to make more lists. This can take time and be distracting. I can put too many things down and never get back to the list, because I need to start a new one. Or I can just spend too much time making the list and get nothing else done. Not productive at all.
I think today I will be making more than one list. I also think I need to make lists more frequently until I get things back under control. After all, that is one of the goals here, to get things under control so I can let myself do the things I want to do. I will make two, on a small piece of paper. One for cooking and one for cleaning. If I just use both sides of a small piece of paper, I can flip it over, and not waste paper that way. If the list is small; maybe, just maybe, I can finish everything on it. And that would help to get me going in the right direction again, and help me get back on track. OK. Time to make my little lists and get my day going in the right direction! When I finish them, I have two writing projects that do need my attention. That will be my reward for getting the chores done, I can then work on some other projects that will make me feel good about working on them, not just to finish them, as I may or may not finish them by the end of the day. Getting time to work on them, though, will be a reward I can work toward. Progress is progress, and that is my ultimate goal for today.
