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Time Management

She Who Thinks the Fastest Wins

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My dear friend @kristinglas over at Peace, Love and Muesli has a great linky going right now. It showcases a mom’s ability to think fast, multi-task and make life just a little bit better in so many ways.

The idea is that a bunch of us will share our greatest fast thinking moments, and benefit from each other’s genius. (I least that’s what I think the idea is — Kristin can correct me if I’m wrong.)

So here’s my latest fast thinking…

I’m keeping a half an eye on my neighbor’s house while she’s in Arizona.  My neighbor happens to have some fabulous rose bushes in her front yard.  Roses she’s not here to enjoy.  So, when Nora and I walk over to pick up the mail, we bring along a pruners and steal a big bouquet for our table.  Some call it thieving, I call it good thinking.

Now head over to Peace, Love and Muesli and check out some other great ideas or add some to the collective wisdom pile…

How to Prepare for a Waxing

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Spring is here and busy moms best hustle to the spa for a leg waxing.  No sense spending valuable blogging time shaving your legs everyday.  Schedule your appointment for a Saturday morning.  There’s nothing your child likes better than to have you leave for an appointment without her first thing Saturday.

Some preparation on Friday night is needed.  You will be tired from a long week’s work and need to unwind with some knitting.  This is the perfect time for your child to bust out the crayola markers and ask to give you a special face painting.  And while you would look great with a rabbit nose and whiskers, it’s better to redirect her towards your ridiculously fuzzy legs.  “But wait,” you may be saying, “Isn’t is a bit stupid to get your legs painted by a nearly four-year-old just hours before a stranger will be seeing them?”  Remember, it’s Friday night.  You’re incapable of remembering anything, especially anything you have scheduled for the next morning.  So, relax, and have a sip of Stella.

When she’s done with your right leg, take a moment to admire her work.  It looks Japanese inspired.  Brown lines are branching up and down your calf, punctuated by orange circles that look blossoms illuminated by sunlight.

If there is more knitting to be done, offer her your left leg.  It’s more creatively fulfilling work for your child.

When that’s done, and you still need a few minutes, ask her to document her efforts, ephemeral as they are, by using your iPhone to take pictures of your legs.

Digitally enhanced to look slightly grosser than they really were.

Now, it’s time for pajamas and snuggles. Rest well.

Saturday morning, express regret as you look at your once fish-belly-white legs covered in marker.  Claim that you are about to shower and scrub it off while continuing to knit.

If you’ve done your work as a parent to this point, your child may offer to wash your legs for you, while you remain seated in the dining room.  Protest slightly and then give in, a few more rows and your project will be complete, you just need another twenty minutes or so.

Your child can gather the necessary materials by herself; this is a good lesson in autonomy.  Hand soap and the plush bathroom hand towel will do nicely.  Just go with it.  Prop your left leg on a dining room chair.  Watch your posture, now.

Not only will your legs be clean and exfoliated before your appointment, you have given your child the following lessons: thinking outside the canvas, photography, autonomy and cleanliness. And cleverly made time to knit a skirt to clothe said child. 

And nobody has to know. 

Unless, of course, you choose to blog about it.

My Brain on an “Extra” Day Off

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Oh dear, Nora has a cold.  She’s in good spirits, but she’s a sneeze factory and she’ll get other kids sick if she goes to school.  Better stay home.  I had a terrible line up of meetings today, anyway.  But too bad Ben can’t stay home, as it’s his birthday and he’d have a fun day with his girl.

Wow, a free day!  What should we do?  I can write a bunch of blog posts during nap time! We can make tamales instead of doing it on Saturday! After cleaning the kitchen of course.  I can get some exercise!  Yoga? Elliptical trainer? I can clean out some closets and gather some of Nora’s old clothes for Libby.  I suppose I should do some laundry.  And I should finish that elephant for the auction or I could work on Nora’s leg warmers.  And I was going to make a bunch of breakfast burritos and throw them in the freezer to use up some eggs and that chorizo.  And we need to frost Ben’s cake.  And we can make party hats!  Oh, and it’s payday, I need to pay bills.  And I haven’t filled out the tax planner yet.  And of course, no sick day is complete without a tea party — in our pajamas!  What a great day this will be.  Maybe we should just take it easy though?  Yes, after the tamales…

Blog Posts

Clean Kitchen

Tamales (2-1/2 dozen)

Frost Cake

Laundry

Exercise

Tea Party

Party Hats

Clean Closets

Bag of Clothes for Libby

Finish Elephant

Knit Other Leg Warmer

Breakfast Burritos for Freezing

Pay Bills

Fill Out Tax Planner

The Case for Doing More

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I know.  You’re busy.  I’m busy.  I’m not disputing that.  But I propose that the things you’re busy doing are not necessarily those things that fulfill you.

I know the feeling of wanting to collapse at the end of a long day.  But I can tell you from experience that attending only to those tasks that scream your name — groceries, cooking, laundry, work — leaves you exhausted and unfulfilled.

So, what if you decide to do a little bit more?  Something you WANT to do, but feel like you don’t have time for?

In the spring 2009, I was working on a software implementation project.  It was the most stressful thing I’ve ever done. The hours were long, the stakes were high.  I had a VERY young child at home.  There were many days I came home, did as little as I could before falling asleep.  But I made damn sure I planted my 800-square-foot vegetable garden.  No one would have faulted me for not planting anything that year.  But it wasn’t something I was willing to sacrifice.

No matter how tough things got, I could come home, hug my daughter and walk out to the garden and pick a cucumber or a head of lettuce.  That meant the world to me.

Fast foward to today.  I’m still working full time.  I also knit, write freelance articles, blog, and volunteer at Nora’s school.  I’m not telling you this as a “look how great I am”  kind of thing.  Sometimes it feels a bit selfish.  But I know it’s necessary.  If all I did was work, cook, clean and parent, I know I would slip away from myself.  I’d get depressed and start looking for a way out of the grind.  I might even do something stupid like blame my husband for my misery.

If you’re feeling this way, I urge you to start doing more*.  More of the things you love.  Take a yoga class, raise some chickens, go wine tasting, volunteer. You may find you end up with more energy, not less.

*And by all means, do less of the things you don’t want to do, if you can swing it!

What I’ve Been Doing Instead of Blogging

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There are few things more satifying than making something your child loves.  Whether it’s a knitted elephant or a bowl of cioppino with extra shrimp.  I spend most of last week cooking and this weekend doing crafty stuff.
 
Cute, but a Complete Time Suck

And this week, I’ll be putting the finishing touches on a new article for Metro Parent magazine.  This one is about bullying.

Posting may be a but light this week, but I’ll be back soon.

The Italian Gave Me My Instructions

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At quarter to five, I opened the door to aftercare and Nora spotted me. She immediately started shaking her head, “I don’t want to go! I just started playing! I just finished my snack!”

“She’s been eating since three o’clock!” Her teacher said, in awe.

“You know what Miss Erin calls her, don’t you? The Italian.” She’s into slow food.

I walked over to Nora, who was playing in a sand pail, ignoring me.

“Hey kiddo, I know you want to play for a few minutes, so let’s make a deal. You can play while I go potty, and then when I come back in, we’ll go home okay?”

“Okay, but I really want to play.”

“I know, I’ll be so slow, okay?”

“Go poop!”

“I’ll try.”

“So much!”

“Okay, kiddo. Alright.”