Weasel Of Doom

1. Snuggling up with the kids in the morning. They are adorable when half-awake :-)
2. Husband who is willing to bring me painkillers in bed.
3. Another beautiful warm sunny day.
4. Melting snow. The sound of running water makes it feel like spring is here.
5. Christmas wreaths have been removed from the garage and the front porch. Back to boring regular lights.
6. Replaced a burned-out light in the great room. Could barely reach the light fixture from the top step of the ladder :-) YoungestOne was greatly entertained by Mommy’s m4d light-bulb-changing ski11z.
7. Kitchen floor is washed! By the end of tomorrow, nobody will be able to tell the difference :P
8. Kids cleaned up the great room (under threat of No More Candy, but still).
9. Downstairs bathroom is clean. It should return to disgustingly dirty as soon as the kids are done washing their hands after breakfast tomorrow.
10. Both of our blankets are washed and dried. They smell nice and clean now :P

We were THOSE parents this February 14th. Too bad the teachers know we do not belong to a Valentine’s-Day-shunning cult, because our actions certainly seem to imply it:

• MiddleOne did not bring a Valentine for every one of the 35 kids in his daycare room
• we forgot about the empty kleenex box to hold the Valentines he received
• did not turn in a decorated giant red heart for family homework for OldestOne
• OldestOne did not bring 19 Valentines for the classmates
• I am sure I will find out more things we missed once I actually go through two boxes of mail that’s accumulated on my washer and dryer

I feel guilty and glad that the kids seem unscathed by our multiple failures this day.

1. Beautiful, spring-like weather on Saturday and Sunday.
2. Kids played outside for an hour and a half on Saturday, with minimal adult supervision.
3. “Shadowfever” will be in my hands on Tuesday! Can’t wait (and will be very, very sad if it disappoints. just letting you know, universe)!
4. Cheeze-It. Mmmm, baked cheezy goodness!
5. My attempt at making rice pudding in a slow cooker was successful, and two out of three kids declared it yummy.
6. Christmas tree is now on the porch.
7. Laundry is done, carpets are vacuumed, and dishes are washed.
8. Talked with a girl we were friends with in the village on Skype. She has a 16-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son. Seems like it was only yesterday we were 15 and sitting around the fire at night…
9. Talked to parental units on Skype, too. Found out that my (50-year-old) uncle is expecting, and his 23-year-old son is married. For some reason, Mom was convinced she told me all of this before. I could have sworn she hadn’t. Either I am losing my mind, or she is ;)
10. I finally got motivated enough to restart looking for Grace in Small Things

When Bill took the kids to Russia last summer, I got more done in two weeks than I had in the previous 6 months: took down outside Christmas decorations (in June… the neighbors cheered); washed windows and dusted blinds, cleaned the fridge and the stove; organized baby clothes and kids toys; washed and vacuumed both cars; planted flowers; lost almost 10 pounds; washed great room curtains; went through months’ worth of mail — all that while working full time. And then Bill got back early, and my accomplishments ground to a screeching halt. In the six months since, I still haven’t hung the curtains back up, the mail pile is overflowing, the cars get washed by rain and snow, bins of clothes and toys are still sitting in the guest bedroom, the study is an “enter at your own risk” zone, we still have the (live, now pretty much dead) Christmas tree up, and my Christmas wreaths are doubling up as Valentine’s Day wreaths.

I am beginning to suspect that the only way I can get anything done is when I am alone and not distracted. This have worked well through childhood, high school, college, and before-children married years, and somewhat well through one-child and two-children years. It is so not working now, in the three-children years. I feel like I am slowly drowning under all the things I should be doing but am not. I am past “overwhelmed” and firmly into “if I just ignore my problems, they will all go away,” aka The Ostrich Approach. As a coping method, it leaves a lot to be desired, especially since I know that sticking my head in the sand is only making things worse (though the thought of getting in the car and driving into the sunset has great appeal).

It’s time for some attitude adjustments. I am going to try and focus on putting out fires one at a time, ignoring the fact that Rome is burning all around, since focusing on the whole city just paralyzes me. (OK, going to stop torturing that metaphor now.) I pray this approach works, because it truly is my last hope.