I would like to start keeping better track of my goals. I've been writing them down in my binder, but it's not in a place where I feel accountable to them, and not a place where I see them daily, so I'm trying to do better by posting them here.
The Kids/Schooling:
1. Relax and enjoy the last month of the summer schedule! We're trying to get in 2 day trips this month and a weekend trip with my in-laws.
2. Less TV. TV is a weird thing in our house. Brian and I are big geeky fans of a few shows/show creators and so TV is a regular part of our lives. A large portion of our get away trip 2 weeks ago was to go to Comic-Con for goodness sake! But, I try hard to limit the boys to good viewing and a reasonable amount of time. My in-laws and my parents don't feel quite the same way that we do about the boys' TV viewing, so while we were gone and they were in the capable hands of grandparents they watched WAY more than we ever let them. So this week has been a giant whine fest for the Big Kid over how we should let him watch TV all the time. So I'm thinking very little- even less than usual- for awhile.
3. Finish Unit Lesson Plans through October.
4. File Printed Papers/crafts/etc.
5. Stock up on school supplies while the sales are great!
Home:
1. Keep my morning routine every week day.
2. Start a new evening routine with Ender to incorporate some new responsibilities and activities. We're going to start reading chapter books before bed instead of 3 or 4 picture books, and I'm ready to start teaching him to lay our his own clothes the night before, picking up his room before bedtime (which is generally clean anyway, but there always seems to be a few toys scattered about) and taking better care of his hygiene routine- specifically not leaving the sink a disaster area after brushing his teeth. I don't mind a mess for a good reason, but I want him to start cleaning it up if he's going to make the mess. We're with him for all these steps, but our first habit we're working to build in the next few months is responsibility.
3. Figure out a new homemaking schedule to work with my fall teaching schedule. I will be working more this fall since the business has grown so much, but at the same time it cuts back on other areas. Since I won't cut the time with my kids, housework is quickly becoming the first thing to go, and I'm not terribly happy about that, because it takes no time at all for this place to become a disaster with 2 little boys!
4. Frugal goal: Bake on Fridays again and cook on Sundays in preparation for the week ahead so that meals will be cheap, quick and healthy. It takes so much planning on my part (which tires me out lately) but it is so worth it!
Business:
1. Complete 2008-2009 Studio Policies and Print.
2. September Billing Statements (By August 15)
3. Write out monthly financial forms for August and September.
4. Finish putting new clients into quickbooks!
5. Complete evaluations scheduled for August.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
Getting Back Into Things
Wow- being gone for a week has really thrown me off! We left on a Sunday morning and I spent the whole Friday before we left cleaning from top to bottom and then spent Saturday making sure the boys didn't undo what I'd done Friday.
We got back on Monday evening (28th) I worked from 9-6:30 on Tuesday and 9-4 on Thursday. Wednesday we got groceries (since the fridge was bare of necessities like milk and eggs after the long trip!) and went to piano lessons. Today we left the house at 9 a.m. to run errands and didn't make it back home until 12:30- ate lunch, played just a bit then the boys went down for naps. We've barely been home at all and the house looks like a train has been through it!
For what it's worth I've been getting tag-teamed by the boys. One will nap but the other won't- the older one gets up 50 gazillion times for one last drink, one last book, one last potty break, etc. while his brother sleeps, then when the older one finally decides to go down the little one gets up. *sigh* Brian came home from work a bit early tonight because his work phone started having seisures so he had to take it to the phone store to have it looked at. He took one look at me after the tag-team afternoon and volunteered to take Ender with him to the store. Ezra and I spent the better part of the evening cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the living room from general toy pick-up down to dusting and vacuuming, and keeping up on laundry. Hard to do with a 12-month-old running all over the place!
Getting back into my routines will be the most helpful. I'm trying to get a few things taken care of over the weekend (finish unpacking the suitcases, get the thank you notes written from the baby's birthday, etc.) and then we'll start fresh with regular routines on Monday.
We got back on Monday evening (28th) I worked from 9-6:30 on Tuesday and 9-4 on Thursday. Wednesday we got groceries (since the fridge was bare of necessities like milk and eggs after the long trip!) and went to piano lessons. Today we left the house at 9 a.m. to run errands and didn't make it back home until 12:30- ate lunch, played just a bit then the boys went down for naps. We've barely been home at all and the house looks like a train has been through it!
For what it's worth I've been getting tag-teamed by the boys. One will nap but the other won't- the older one gets up 50 gazillion times for one last drink, one last book, one last potty break, etc. while his brother sleeps, then when the older one finally decides to go down the little one gets up. *sigh* Brian came home from work a bit early tonight because his work phone started having seisures so he had to take it to the phone store to have it looked at. He took one look at me after the tag-team afternoon and volunteered to take Ender with him to the store. Ezra and I spent the better part of the evening cleaning the kitchen, cleaning the living room from general toy pick-up down to dusting and vacuuming, and keeping up on laundry. Hard to do with a 12-month-old running all over the place!
Getting back into my routines will be the most helpful. I'm trying to get a few things taken care of over the weekend (finish unpacking the suitcases, get the thank you notes written from the baby's birthday, etc.) and then we'll start fresh with regular routines on Monday.
Monday, July 28, 2008
This week
We made it back from our trip, and I'll speak for both of us and say that we are refreshed and ready to head back to regular life. I've never been so glad to see my kids! A full week without them was almost too long, but my husband and I were very much in need of some extended time to be just the two of us and to remember what that feels like. A refreshed marriage spills into the other areas of your life, you know?
I'm working 2 full days this week, Ender has 2 piano lessons this week, and we have plans to get to the library at some point. I also need to restock the kitchen with a few things that we didn't need while we were gone- milk, eggs, yogurt, etc.- all the stuff that goes bad when you're gone for a week. I'm going to try to get out the door first thing tomorrow morning and get those few things back to the house before work. As for the house, I worked my tail off the 2 days before we left to get the last boxes to the basement and get the house generally clean. I'm feeling pretty good about that! I have our laundry to do from the trip, but the boys' laundry is already done thanks to my thoughtful mother who ran their clothes through this morning before picking us up at the airport.
My goal for this week is just to spend about 20 minutes a day keeping things picked up and tidy since we left the house in great shape before the trip. If I can do that and keep up on the laundry and dishes I'll be a very happy girl.
I'm working 2 full days this week, Ender has 2 piano lessons this week, and we have plans to get to the library at some point. I also need to restock the kitchen with a few things that we didn't need while we were gone- milk, eggs, yogurt, etc.- all the stuff that goes bad when you're gone for a week. I'm going to try to get out the door first thing tomorrow morning and get those few things back to the house before work. As for the house, I worked my tail off the 2 days before we left to get the last boxes to the basement and get the house generally clean. I'm feeling pretty good about that! I have our laundry to do from the trip, but the boys' laundry is already done thanks to my thoughtful mother who ran their clothes through this morning before picking us up at the airport.
My goal for this week is just to spend about 20 minutes a day keeping things picked up and tidy since we left the house in great shape before the trip. If I can do that and keep up on the laundry and dishes I'll be a very happy girl.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
About Me
Borrowed from Rockin' Granola . . .
1. What is your occupation right now? I own and teach at a music studio. :)
2. What color are your socks right now? I'm barefoot, like I am all summer long!
3. Whare you listening to right now? Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie in the background (hubby is watching it)
4. What was the last thing you ate? McDonald's for dinner last night- we're leaving to have brunch in a little bit! We're away on vacation, so meals are a little odd right now. :)
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes- That was actually my first car that I owned all on my own (I was 19). I had a 1984 powder blue Audi... in 2001. It was a terrible car. In the winter I had to tie the driver's side door to the passenger door to keep it closed because it would get so cold that the latch wouldn't work properly.
6. The last person you spoke to on the phone: My sons. Like I said above, my husband and I are away- just the two of us!- for a conference, so the boys are with my in-laws right now. We talk to them several times a day. I miss them so much!
7. How old are you today? I'm 27.
8. What is your favorite sport to watch? Ice Hockey. :)
9. What is your favorite drink? Hard: I'm a Margarita girl. Soft: Raspberry Iced Tea
10. Favorite Food? I love salsa and chips. I would eat that all day every day. Yum!
11. What is the last movie you watched? We're watching the fifth Harry Potter movie right now, but the last new-to-me movie I watched was the new X-Files movie.
12. What is your favorite Season? Summer. I'm so cold a lot of the time- it's the only time I'm warm!
13. Cherries or Blueberries? Cherries.
14. What is on the floor of your closet? At home thats where we keep all of hubby's and my shoes lined up. Also right now there's a few half-full boxes- 1 for maternity clothes, 1 of my pre-pregnancy clothes I had started to sort through again, and 1 for donations- I thought I'd finish sorting all that before we left for our trip, but it just didn't happen. Plus I'm a little embarassed to admit that I'm just now getting to sorting out my maternity clothes when my "baby" is 13 months old in a few days! I haven't worn them in ages, but also haven't taken the time to box them up.
15. What did you do last night? Well, we spent all day yesterday in a conference hall and we finished at 5:45. We called our boys to say goodnight (time difference made it bedtime for our older one, little one was already asleep), went to dinner, came back to the hotel and went through notes and things from the day. I worked for a little while, read, spent time with my husband and we both crashed early.
16. Plain, Cheese or Spicy Hamburgers? I like hamburgers with spicy things on them- Pepper Jack cheese, etc.
17. Favorite dog breed? I really don't know- I've never really been around dogs. My mother was allergic so we weren't allowed a pet and I didn't really have any friends with pets, so I don't know!
18. Favorite Day of the week? Well, we're busy every day of the week, but I'll say Friday. I only teach for an hour on Fridays and we have no other scheduled plans so that's the day we try to do more fun things- special outings or crafty mornings or lots of baking. It's my most flexible day. :)
19. How many states have you lived in? Five. :)
1. What is your occupation right now? I own and teach at a music studio. :)
2. What color are your socks right now? I'm barefoot, like I am all summer long!
3. Whare you listening to right now? Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie in the background (hubby is watching it)
4. What was the last thing you ate? McDonald's for dinner last night- we're leaving to have brunch in a little bit! We're away on vacation, so meals are a little odd right now. :)
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Yes- That was actually my first car that I owned all on my own (I was 19). I had a 1984 powder blue Audi... in 2001. It was a terrible car. In the winter I had to tie the driver's side door to the passenger door to keep it closed because it would get so cold that the latch wouldn't work properly.
6. The last person you spoke to on the phone: My sons. Like I said above, my husband and I are away- just the two of us!- for a conference, so the boys are with my in-laws right now. We talk to them several times a day. I miss them so much!
7. How old are you today? I'm 27.
8. What is your favorite sport to watch? Ice Hockey. :)
9. What is your favorite drink? Hard: I'm a Margarita girl. Soft: Raspberry Iced Tea
10. Favorite Food? I love salsa and chips. I would eat that all day every day. Yum!
11. What is the last movie you watched? We're watching the fifth Harry Potter movie right now, but the last new-to-me movie I watched was the new X-Files movie.
12. What is your favorite Season? Summer. I'm so cold a lot of the time- it's the only time I'm warm!
13. Cherries or Blueberries? Cherries.
14. What is on the floor of your closet? At home thats where we keep all of hubby's and my shoes lined up. Also right now there's a few half-full boxes- 1 for maternity clothes, 1 of my pre-pregnancy clothes I had started to sort through again, and 1 for donations- I thought I'd finish sorting all that before we left for our trip, but it just didn't happen. Plus I'm a little embarassed to admit that I'm just now getting to sorting out my maternity clothes when my "baby" is 13 months old in a few days! I haven't worn them in ages, but also haven't taken the time to box them up.
15. What did you do last night? Well, we spent all day yesterday in a conference hall and we finished at 5:45. We called our boys to say goodnight (time difference made it bedtime for our older one, little one was already asleep), went to dinner, came back to the hotel and went through notes and things from the day. I worked for a little while, read, spent time with my husband and we both crashed early.
16. Plain, Cheese or Spicy Hamburgers? I like hamburgers with spicy things on them- Pepper Jack cheese, etc.
17. Favorite dog breed? I really don't know- I've never really been around dogs. My mother was allergic so we weren't allowed a pet and I didn't really have any friends with pets, so I don't know!
18. Favorite Day of the week? Well, we're busy every day of the week, but I'll say Friday. I only teach for an hour on Fridays and we have no other scheduled plans so that's the day we try to do more fun things- special outings or crafty mornings or lots of baking. It's my most flexible day. :)
19. How many states have you lived in? Five. :)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Laundry
I was reading over at Rockin Granola about her quandry with laundry. I've tried many systems over the years and the thing that works for us best right now is to do each person's laundry on their own day. My little guys aren't big enough to do their own yet, but Big Kid helps bring laundry to the laundry room, and he likes to "help fold" - which usually means that he pulls out an item and says, "Mama, you should fold this one." Thanks, son.
I used to gather everything up every day and tried to do a load of laundry every day. That worked until the younger one got so tall that the boys are now just one size apart in clothing! I would spend each load of laundry checking tags on their clothes to see which child the item belonged to, and I got tired of that really fast. I already hate to do laundry, so that just agravated the hate!
Now I do each person's laundry on a certain day of the week- no more sorting or checking tags and the laundry gets put away all in one room instead of 3 different bedrooms and the linen closet. I do my husband's laundry twice a week since his work clothes come home really gross, and he's wearing at least 2 outfits every day.
I'm sure that this will all change in September when I start working my regular hours again, but for now it's working well.
I used to gather everything up every day and tried to do a load of laundry every day. That worked until the younger one got so tall that the boys are now just one size apart in clothing! I would spend each load of laundry checking tags on their clothes to see which child the item belonged to, and I got tired of that really fast. I already hate to do laundry, so that just agravated the hate!
Now I do each person's laundry on a certain day of the week- no more sorting or checking tags and the laundry gets put away all in one room instead of 3 different bedrooms and the linen closet. I do my husband's laundry twice a week since his work clothes come home really gross, and he's wearing at least 2 outfits every day.
I'm sure that this will all change in September when I start working my regular hours again, but for now it's working well.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
