Time

2010 is almost here! CRAZY!!! Where has the time gone?

Speaking of time, we have a love/hate relationship, you know!

Among several things, time really stresses me out. I hate not having enough of it, I hate not being on time, I hate trying to juggle my time, and I hate having to keep track of time.

Not Having Enough
There are always more projects, bills to pay, rooms to clean, food to cook, laundry to be folded, errands to run than I have time for. Yet I still always wish I had more time. Even if I did, I'm sure my lists would still be just as long.

Not Being on Time
This hasn't always been a problem for me. When I was a teenager, I could care less about being on time. Actually, my family (more my dad than anyone) had to be like 15 minutes early for EVERYTHING! I hated it. But now, I hate being late. In my mind, I've created this idea that being late is a sign of weakness and unpreparedness. Like people think that I'm a bad mom because I was 10 minutes late to something. Or, I should have done more preparation ahead of time so that I'm not late. I shouldn't care what people think, but I've built this idea so far up in my mind, that now I'm having a hard time breaking it down. So I stress over everything to be on time to anything. I even get cranky when things aren't looking like we will make it on time, which makes everything worse!

Juggling Time
One of my biggest issues with time is figuring out how to divide up the 24 hours I have in each day, the 7 days I have in each week and the 4 weeks I have in each month. Trying to see that the kids, the hubby, the house, and the errands all get enough time, then trying to squeeze in a minute of ME time. It's quite the stresser!

Keeping Track of Time
People with out kids or people who haven't had kids for a long time, or people who have kids but still have no sense of schedule and/or time kind of annoy me. When I say I have to be home by 12:30 pm for naps, that means I really have to by home by 12:30. Not 1 or 2. 12:30!!!!! Some times I feel trapped by our time schedule, but yet for the last 8 months that's all I have yearned for. I hate not being on a schedule or routine, but now that we're on one, sticking to it is hard work. People constantly try to push you for more time. I just want to yell at them (ok, maybe just frankly say) "You take my grumpy kids then!" My kids have been really good lately, when they are well rested that is! But if they are late for their naps or for bed time, then excuse me for saying this, but all hell breaks loose! And not just for the afternoon, but into the evening and even the next day! So you can see why it really stresses me out to stay strict to our schedule.



Dear Time,

Everyone wants more of you, and sometimes I hear myself wishing for more too, but really I don't need more of you. You stress me out. You make me grumpy. You make my kids grumpy. Just please help me manage you better.

Love, Emily


***My 2010 resolution: Better Time Management***

How am I going to do this you ask? Several Ways! Most of it comes from attempting to be SUPER organized!

Projects: I started a long, never ending list of house projects, craft projects, organization projects that I want to get done. I am going to pick one each week to accomplish. That way I don't get overwhelmed with my list because I am slowly working on it.

Cleaning: My husband is so awesome and helps me a lot. I really am lucky. I haven't figured out a good way to organize the cleaning of my house, so if you have a good system that works for you, please share!

Food: Our friend, Katelyn Foutch, makes up dinner menus each month. They are extremely helpful in bringing fresh ideas to our dinner table. And if there is something on there that we don't want we just switch it out. It's so nice! Thanks for doing all of the work K8!

Laundry: I'm going to continue my laundry system that I currently have, at least for now. I do all of our laundry on Tuesdays. I start it by 7 am and usually finish putting it all away after the kids are asleep! It's quite the laundry marathon, but it's been working for us!

Being on Time: My goal is to be 5 minutes early to everything. I am going to do better about preparing the night before, so we are not rushing so much last minute. BUT, if we get behind schedule, I'm going to try my best to not make too big a deal of it. In reality, being a little bit late every now and then is not huge. I just need to get over it!

Juggling Time: My goal each day is to give both of my kids at least 30 minutes of one-on-one time. Not watching them play while I fold laundry, or work on a project. Real one-on-one time. I also need to make sure I give my self at least 15 minutes of ME time. This includes blogging, showering, watching a show, reading, or just vegging! I know 15 minutes doesn't sound like a lot, but I've got to start somewhere!

Keeping Track of Time: If I need to be home by 12:30, then I will tell myself and others that I need to be home by 12:15 so that I am not disappointed when my kids are melting down because we don't actually get home until 12:45. This should solve my problems, right? Ha! I hope!

I will conquer time this year! I really will!

Happy 2010 to you all!