right now

right now

Sep 15, 2009

Time Management Issues...

Do you ever feel that you are doing everything yet getting nothing done? This is how I have been feeling lately. I know that I am at least maintaining my household at a somewhat even keel, but it has been so chaotic here that I feel like I am just running around placing buckets under leaks, and if I don't get it together, the roof is going to cave in! Oh, yes folks, it's going to be one of those posts!

I am going to use this post as a way to list what's going on at the military "homestead" (nice oxymoron) to see if I can then go back this evening and read it and maybe give myself a break, or at least find a project that I can finish!

In the past week:
1. We said goodbye to sister & brother-in-law after a wonderful visit in which I actually had her harvesting my peppers for me - another chore that I sloughed off!

2. My husband was supposed to leave last Thursday for another few weeks, and they left him here at the last minute. While in theory this sounds good, major chaos ensued. After telling my brother and sister in law (different set of siblings visiting this time!) that my husband would not be able to make it down to their rented beach house, now I am telling them that "yes, he can"! Not exactly. On their couple of hour layover here in town, he had to go to work 3 hours before they got here and remained there until they were long gone on their way to the beach house. Another dinner party hosted alone: check!

3. Since being "able to stay home" this trip, he has been working 15-17 hour days, no kidding! My kids haven't seen him in days, yet he is HERE!

4. Bought child new bicycle for daddy to put together, followed by said child wailing "when is Daddy coming hoooommmmee and fix my biiiikkkkkeeee???!

5. Now we are tenatively back on for the beach house for Thursday - Sat morning, yet my husband says "don't pack the car yet"?!

6. Early onset menopausal symptoms are once again raging. Sleepless nights combined with hot flashes and mood swings... it's a nonstop party. Maybe this is why sailor/husband is working round the clock? Note to self: confront hubby in mood-swing style on this one.

7. The fall garden has not been planted yet....

8. On a high note, I had my first class leading to certification as a Master Gardener this morning. Let me tell you about being in school again and conversing with adults: HOORAY!!! I didn't want to go home!

Here are some random photos from this weekend:

I will allow myself a pat on the back for this one: dinner party for 7 Friday night without my husband's help of keeping the kids out of my hair, lol! We had Greek/Middle Eastern night. I made Stifado w/freshly made tzatziki, Tabouleh, Baba Ganoush with our own eggplant, crusty bread, and this Caprese salad pictured above. I love cooking the Middle Eastern region's recipes since so much of it comes straight out of the garden, herbs and all! I credit my husband for bringing home a wonderful recollection of the Stifado he had in Corfu so I could attempt to replicate it.

This was the night after my dinner party... the one evening I was to spend quietly with my husband after the kids went to bed. What happened???!!! Apparently I am becoming the neighborhood hang-out, lol. Two bags of marshmallows later I gave up on my romantic fire!

Finn's face says it all: Daddy's home again! He gets all the glory around here!

A miscellaneous picture of a disgusting fungus popping up in my front beds. Gross, gross, gross! They smell as bad as they look, and get covered with flies, the good news is that they are usually gone within about 12 hours. We just had about 4 inches of rain in one day, so I think it's appearance was due to that.

Now I need to figure out how to do my homework, help with kiddie homework, get dinner ready, baths, and bike riding time all in tonight by myself. Yeah, the hubby is sitting in the squadron only 2 miles away....grrrrr! At least when he is truly gone I don't count on any relief and he gets a little extra pay as well... that probably sounds harsh but any military gals will know what I'm talking about, lol!

And so it goes for at least the next 2 weeks...placing buckets and waiting for the roof to cave in! At least I am still keeping a clean house, so I know I am not too far gone to be saved :)

I know there is a new "normal" to be discovered here, I just haven't made peace with it yet. My current schedule is just not jiving with my OCD, lol! There is now a 4 year old behind me asking me what "munti-tissing" is... he overheard me talking about multi-tasking... with that, I must leave you now!

Peace Out...

8 comments:

  1. I already found one thing I can accomplish tomorrow morning ... I am going to plant my peas!

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  2. Yay for master gardener class! I am hoping to take the local class in January. I would love to hear about what you are learning...

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  3. That salad looked soooo good Erin. It's the simple things in life!

    Good job on managing to not pull your hair out, hope things go more smoothly for you in the coming weeks. Get those peas in, if you do it willy-nilly like I do it will only take you 5 minutes. (smile)

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  4. Looks to me like you are coping quite well, what with all the munti-tissing that has to be done around there. Don't be too hard on yourself...there's only one of you to do the job of two (or four or more). I'll bet the world will keep on turning, even if you don't get everything done.

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  5. Oh, Erin, I so hear what you're saying. If it helps any, I do not know how you do all you do. You're functioning as a single parent much of the time. If only there were some way for homemakers, housewives, stay-at-home moms to get some form of commendation for what they do. I think it would 1) keep us from striving to do more and more thinking the praise/reward would come from somewhere if we just somehow could MANAGE to achieve more, and 2)give us the renewal and strength to soldier (forgive the pun) on!

    Imagine if someone would pay a wonderful homemaker, mother, household manager like you a salary of $100,000 a year. You'd feel better about everything, right? See what I mean?

    I know what you want and need is time to do more (which is probably impossible to get) but please try to focus on the fact that YOU ARE CONTINUALLY DOING A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT and you have to give yourself full credit for it.

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  6. Ditto Mama Pea! Go easy on yourself!

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  7. Hang in there Erin. You're doing a great job! Even if it feels like you're not getting anywhere. :)

    Hey, could you share your recipe for that gorgeous dish you cooked? It looks wonderfully yummy.

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  8. Thanks everyone for the encouragement! And can you just imagine if we were compensated for being a mom? Wow, more moms would be able to stay home and raise their own children and not have to leave it in the hands of daycare facilities and such. I too, really feel for truly single moms who must work at the same time as deal with all this stuff. We live on a very tight budget, but at least I don't have to worry about the paycheck part of it, lol... that's one job the husband does pretty well, at least until my kids are in school. Then I may need to go work for my own sanity :) !!

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