Sunday, March 25, 2012

The Road Of Life Is Full Of Potholes

This weekend was my son's state championship for wrestling.  The coach's wife gave the hotel information to my husband, who apparently was not listening when she was explaining it.  He simply told me to call and make a reservation at that hotel so I did but they said they were sold out.  We made other arrangements to stay with my aunt that night and then come home the following afternoon after he wrestled.  When we stopped for him to weigh in, he asked if he could stay and hang out so we agreed.  A little while later the coach's wife called and asked if we were headed to the hotel.  Apparently she had made all of the reservations in her name and had paid for all of them.  We then had to scramble around to get all sorts of things we hadn't brought to stay with family or for two nights.  The rest of the weekend was filled with computer glitches, getting lost, and a bunch of other mishaps.  In the end though, our son had a great weekend even if he didn't place and we survived.  My husband and I even got some alone time on the way home!  :) 

Remember... When life hands you lemons, make lemonade!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Cleaning Out The Car

With the really nice weather outside today, I decided to finally clean out my car.  It was VERY messy after the winter.  I frequently envision having a nice, clean car but in reality when carrying in the baby carrier, diaper bag, and purse, plus any extras like my work bag or groceries, there is the tendency for lots of odds and ends to get left in there for longer than I would like to admit.  There was even some popcorn left on the floor in the back seat from a movie we had went to a month or so ago.  I removed a grocery bag of trash, a grocery bag of pop cans/bottles, and a bag full of items that needed to be put away (a baby bottle, reusable coffee mug, book, etc.) from the car.  I still need to vacuum it out, but since my husband ruined our shop vac sometime the end of last year, that will have to wait until I go somewhere I can get it done.  I am hoping I will be able to keep it more clean now that I've got it all emptied out, but I know I have to figure out a good way to do that if I'm going to succeed.

What are your best tips for keeping your car clean?

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Hooray for Spring Break!

I am on Spring Break this week.  No work.  No school.  Just lots of things on my to do list, or so I thought...  My break started with us taking the baby to the doctor on Friday.  We thought she just had a simple cold but then she'd had a fever for a few days.  What it turned out to be was pneumonia, which meant I would have to give her breathing treatments and medicine.  So much for my days off from nursing, only now I was nursing my daughter back to health.  I haven't got hardly anything accomplished that I wanted to, but at least she is getting better by the day.  I am getting my kitchen cupboard organized, but instead of doing them all at once as I had originally planned, I am simply completing them one at a time as I can.  I've got my coupon binder more organized and was even able to run to Rite Aid last night and get a really good deal on diapers.  I also have been able to cook us actual dinners and am planning to go swimming and to Pizza Hut tonight to try and enjoy some of my time off.  Tomorrow I am FINALLY getting my haircut, which hasn't been done in over 7 months, and trust me, you can tell!  Overall, Spring Break hasn't been what I had planned, but that's how life goes.  I'm making the best of it and trying to enjoy the time off as much as possible.  Hope you all are having a good week!

Friday, March 2, 2012

Why I love mornings...

I love mornings!  It's when I feel most productive and it's really the only quiet time at my house during the entire day.  On the days when I don't have to work, my husband and I get up and I pack his lunch while he gets ready and then we are usually able to chat for a few minutes before he leaves.  Then I get my son up and on the bus.  After that, my daughter usually sleep for a few more hours so I am able to get so much accomplished during that time alone.  I get a load or two of laundry started, put away the dishes from the night before,  make my bed, spend time reading my Bible, enjoy my morning cup of coffee (I know I drink way too much caffeine, but I'm ok with that!) and usually have time to get started on my homework or grading papers too.  Once the baby is up, I do what I can around the house when she is entertained for a few minutes and then complete anything else that needs serious attention after the kids go to bed.  If I have to do that though, it takes away time I could be enjoying with my husband, so I try to get as much done as I can in the mornings to make the rest of the day go more smoothly.  On the days I work, it's a whole different story, but the same principle of getting a lot more accomplished in a shorter amount of time when no one else is up still applies.  I get up at 4 am and am out of the house by 5 am (sometimes 5:30 am if I'm subbing at a facility close to my house), but in that time, between getting ready, I can usually unload the dishwasher or answer emails and get something started for dinner for my family.  

Today's tip for getting the most out of your day is to get up before your family (or at least your kids) in the morning and take the few extra moments of quiet to accomplish something you have a hard time fitting in later in the day.  I hope you all have a blessed day!