Posted in Around the House
Quilting, by Carolyn Watson; available at www.allposters.com
I feel a bit at odds right now. My house is mostly de-cluttered (unusual for me), the laundry is caught up (hunh, how'd *that* happen?), dinner is thawing, the school books have been purchased and are arriving daily at a steady clip, the boys are wrapping up their school year (we can count down in hours now), and I'm actually getting things done around our home. You know, those things that you always mean to, but don't ever make the time to do? For instance, I completed a sewing project yesterday that I purchased over a month ago. For me, that's phenomonally fast, lol! Oh, and last night I sewed closed holes that had been increasing in size on two of our gigantic sofa pillows along the seam. *And,* I crocheted some more on a Christmas present! I am amazed. I have a couple of theories on why these items are getting finished; see what you think.
#1 - my house is mostly de-cluttered (don't look in the garage or Jigger's room). Cutting down on 'stuff' has made it infinitely easier to get around in our home and to find things, but it's also had this unthought-of side benefit: once you do it, you have worked yourself out of a job! Those hours spent pitching and sorting are free once again - but the icing to that would be that those hours are now GUILT-FREE. A *huge* thing for us guilt-laden homeschooling mamas, wouldn't you agree?
#2 - we are staying home. Period. We leave for two things: lessons and church. What about the library, groceries, visiting friends and family? you say. We visit the library while the boy is at pipes lessons, get groceries while the other boy is at dance lessons, and visit with family at and after church. The key is to work things into your regularly scheduled outings, and to not fall prey to running out in-between-times for an item or two. For instance, I'm almost out of unbleached flour. A gross oversight on my part when making up my grocery list last week. Have I run out to get it? Nope. I'm rationing it, and combining it with my whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour. No biggie. Unnecessary trips have almost convinced us they are necessary, when all they do is waste our precious time and money.
#3 - I'm scheduling my time better. I find that if I get moving first thing in the morning, my day miraculously opens up for me and the things I want to do. For example, I get up at 5 a.m. I get showered, dressed, and then head downstairs to make my wonderful husband breakfast and pack his lunch so that he can be out the door at 6 a.m. At 6, I allow myself a little play time on HSB :), and then I get cracking. I get some bread going or prep dinner, make the boys breakfast, get schooling underway and supervise, and do my daily chores around the house. This takes us to lunchtime, and after I've cleaned up from lunch and finished dinner prep, I have the whole afternoon to do what I want to do. Crochet, sew, read, gab on the phone, visit HSB again, play games with the boys when they finish their home lessons, etc.
I think it's vital that we make time for our creativity. Without it, the days can blur into drudgery. Right now would be a great time to start those homemade Christmas cards you've always wanted to make, but never make the time for. Or, do what Robyn and I are doing, and make up your list of Christmas gifts to make and/or buy. We're exchanging them on the 15th of this month to hold ourselves accountable. Most of the time, just knowing what you're giving someone makes all the difference in the world.
So, take a fresh look at your schedule and make some time in your week for you - and you'll be amazed at what you can get done by staying home, keeping your home tidy and de-cluttered, and being wise with your time. Will you try?
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