School is coming, school is coming!

I've been off work now for three weeks.  I'm getting some great sleep, I'm getting my house organized and I'm doing a lot of cooking and reading.  It occurred to me Monday morning that I should probably create some kind of schedule for myself and the kids each day - or maybe get up before 8 am.  School is coming and we are all going to have to get up at 7 am soon and get out the door by 8:15 am.  It's going to be a shock to their little minds, and mine.  We have all of our school supplies and we are counting down the 14 days until school starts.  Since I was feeling motivated and all scheduley on Monday, I got up at 7:45, did some research on the internet, got the girls to clean their rooms and did a few loads of laundry.  The one thing we do every evening is go outside from 6:30-8pm and play with the kids on the block.  They ride bikes, go to the playground and play hide and seek while the other moms and I hang out and chat about our To Do lists. 

 Things still left on our summer fun list include - a second visit to Cedar Park Resort, a visit to Ontario Place, a bike ride at a local conservation area and camping overnight - just me and the girls - at a nearby Provincial Park.  There are a few other things I'd like to do with the girls this year - but I think I'll wait until cabin fever sets in around February to visit Science Centre, Casa Loma and the Royal Ontario Museum. 

We've already had a great summer but it feels like it will all be over before we know it.  Maybe getting up earlier won't be so bad - it will mean some extra time to myself and a longer day of fun.  What is your summer looking like?

Things that I looked up on the internet this week:

What came first?

What is Missy Elliott saying backwards in her song Work It?  I’ve always wondered and when the song got stuck in my head the other morning I decided to look it up.  She is saying “I put my thing down flip

it and reverse it” backwards.  Whew, another of life’s mysteries solved!

How do you make peanut butter cookies with natural peanut butter?  I know it’s easy with regular peanut butter – add an egg and more sugar! – but I wanted to see how much more sugar I needed to add with natural peanut butter.  Turns out after checking with a few of my favorite sites, you still use the same ratio of sugar to peanut butter (1 c PB, 1 c sugar).  Using the natural peanut butter saves you the extra sugar (and whatever else) that is actually in the peanut butter but that’s all.

What is a uvula for?  My eight year old asks the most interesting questions these days.  Do you know what a uvula is for?

What came first, the chicken or the egg?  Hah!  A common back and forth in my house these days with my oldest, after puzzling about it for a while we looked it up.  My interpretation of the answer on Wikipedia - the egg.  

Picky Eater

My 8 year old daughter, Maddy is a picky eater.  I blame myself.  I fed her jarred food (blech!) and for years I asked her what she wanted to eat and gave her options instead of just giving her what we were having.  My daughter Tee is a great eater, she'll try anything and eats everything we put in front of her.  I started her on natural foods that I made myself with a lot of variety.  This is one of the great things about having two children, that you learn from the first and try not to make the same mistakes with the second.  But I digress.  Maddy rarely branches out and tries new things and would eat hamburgers everyday if I let her.  She likes to eat cereal, vanilla yogert, plain pasta, toast, rice, chicken and some veggies.  So the other day I gave her a hamburger for lunch on a bun I bought at a bakery.  It looked a little different than the buns we usually buy but it was still white bread (not those dreadful wheat buns that Maddy doesn't like).  But when I came back with Maddy's cup of milk, this is what I found.  She had taken her dislike of crust to a whole new level - and peeled her hamburger bun.  Sigh.  Before and after. 

Who me? I've been working.

For 20 years I've been an employee, save two maternity leaves where my boss was a squalling baby.  And now I'm unemployed.  I had a great sent off from my job and am genuinely happy that I'm at home with my kids.  So now what?   I'm going to have a great summer and start writing my business plan.  I'm in no rush to get back to work but I am thinking about what I'm going to do when the kids go back to school.  I will be blogging and waiting.  And that's all I can do.  For now, I'm enjoying two weeks off with my husband and kids and not thinking too much about the future.  And it's nice, and I'm happy. :)

Losing weight is hard

I'm turning 37 this year.  My body is changing and shifting.  My elbows ache and cramp.  I try not to have a full bladder, ever, just in case I sneeze and  my feet ache when I get up in the morning.  My metabolism has slowed down quite a bit in my 30's.  Yes, its incredibly sexy to be 36.  I can't eat what I want either which is the most painful for me.  I love me a good poutine or whopper, a chicken nugget or three and cheese, wonderful cheese. Suddenly "everything in moderation" doesn't apply.  I am watching carbs, sodium, sugar, fibre and fat content. I thought I would lose this weight like I did in my 20's but I was wrong.  These are the things I have cut from my diet:
Raw sugar
Peanut butter
Processed foods - except pasta, salami and trisket...and including cake, macaroni and cheese, frozen burgers and chicken nuggets
Chips
Bread 
Baked goods 
Cheese - except for skinny cow and the occasional slice of pizza 
Roti - Omg I love roti but recently found out the sodium and calorie content is more than a big mac!
Fast food - including French fries
Eating between 7-9 pm

Basically I'm eating a lot if salad, tuna, veggies, fruit, meat, home made soups, whole grains and high fibre granola bars.  I'm not restricting myself completely though.  I will occasionally (meaning once a week maybe) I'll have some French fries, cake or veggie dip so that I don't feel deprived. 

What about you?  Have you found found that you've had to change your diet over the years?  What do you cut out when you are trying to lose a few pounds?

Weigh loss update

I'm happy to report that I'm down 3.5 inches and 4.5 pounds :)

Tag Team

Today was a tag team day today.  Do you ever tag team with your spouse?  The tag team reference is from wrestling where one wrestler would tag out of a fight so that he/she could get a rest while the other one fought the battle.  Yes, I watched wrestling, lol.  I like this term because parenting can be like that.  With family day being a holiday Monday this year in Ontario today was our Monday.  My husband was off work today which made things so much easier.  He got up with me and the kids and while I made French toast (tag) he got them dressed.  Then he drove me to work (tag) and took my seven year old to her appointment.  He picked me up from work and brought me home to a mostly completed dinner .  I made broccoli and cheese sauce while (tag) he relaxed and after dinner (tag) he took my oldest to brownies and got gas for my car while I (tag) made banana bread with my youngest.  Then the little one had a bath given by me and (tag) he put her pjs on.  Then it was time to pick up our brownie so I went and now (tag) he's giving her a bath.  The little one is having her banana bread and after her bath so will the big one.  Soon it will be bedtime which we alternate and it's his turn.  Teeth brushing, stories and back rubs from daddy tonight.  Having a partner who helps makes all these tasks so much easier and it occurred to me that these everyday tasks would be much harder if I had to do them all myself, especially when they were babies.  Imagine not having a break from a baby unless family or friends came over...GAH.  But tonight is a good night so I'm enjoying it because there are nights when it's not so easy and when my spouse isn't so helpful.  There are still lunches to be made and clothes to be put out for the next day but I don't mind because tonight it's been a good tag team night.  Thank you honey. 

Life, Luck and the Universe

Ever wonder about how you got to your place in the universe?  How did you end up in North America , raising kids, living where you live, with the job that you have?  How did it end up that you fell in love with the person you did?  Most of us are here because our grandparents or their parents emigrated here from other places, such as my great grandparents, who settled as farmers.  My great-grandparents settled at a lake an hour north east of where I currently live.  My grandparents inherited the land but settled in Toronto.  So there are the basic logistics of how I got here.  I should explain, that the reason I’m even thinking about this is because I want to go on a vacation.  Don’t get the connection?  Well.  I was thinking about how some people are so lucky.  They were either born into a place of privilege or just were given opportunities along the way that propelled them into their place in life.  I had to work for every single thing I’ve ever owned.  I started working in fast food places when I was 14 so that I could afford Doc Martin’s and leather jackets.  I worked through college (2 part time jobs and a full course load) so that I could rent an apartment.  (Graduated with honours too tyvm).  I’ve had about 10 different jobs in the last 10 years.  Some of them similar, some very different to what I went to school for.  It’s been an interesting ride and I’ve worked very hard over the years.  But I’ve never had a tropical vacation.  When I was 24 I went to work at a full-time career and bought a house.  All of my savings were used for the house and then for my wedding.  And now, my car is paid, my daycare costs are declining and I still agonize over paying for a vacation.  And yet some people, also through hard work, and some just by luck or privilege have had many, many tropical vacations.  Or traveled abroad a time or two.  And then there is the exact opposite of the spectrum, those less lucky than us, who worked hard but were not lucky enough to buy a house or who were plagued with health problems.  I guess I fall right into the middle.  Neither lucky nor privileged (financially but very blessed family wise) and not doing too badly either.  I just want to take my kids someplace warm, for a week, and do nothing but play and sleep and eat.  That's all.  It would be great if it could happen without me having to save money for it...lol.  I think I'll try something that has worked in the past for me, visualization.  Because feeling sorry for myself isn't working for me.  I’m going to tape pictures of sandy beaches, blue skies and tropical drinks to my fridge to motivate myself to get to that vacation.  And maybe, just maybe, I’ll win the lottery, or a promotion will fall into my lap or the stars will align and I’ll get that vacation just by sending it out there into the universe. And I'll take that negative energy I'm sending out by wishing I had more money or status and turn it into something positive. 

If you need me, I'll be in the kitchen.

One sure thing about becomming a mom, you will spend more time in the kitchen.  This weekend I was off 3 days and a lot of that time was spent in the kitchen.  It was mostly because I didn't have any other plans for the weekend (bliss!) and my husband did all of the running around, picking up kids, dropping off kids etc.  So I got up at 7:45 am twice this weekend -(without the kids waking me?!) and headed to the kitchen to make coffee and breakfast, cleaned up after breakfast and it started from there.  I got the girls 30 glasses of milk or water or juice, plus snacks, lunch and dinner.  I grated, I crock potted, I fried, boiled and baked.  And it occured to me today that my kids don't even like my cooking much but there I am anyway toiling away.  I spend so much time in the kitchen, preparing lunches, throwing stuff out, rinsing and sorting recycling that my kids will actually come to me while I'm sitting in the living room - while their dad is in the kitchen - and ask ME to get them stuff.  I don't mind the kitchen that much though, it's cozy and warm and to keep up with eating healthy I try to make a lot of things from scratch.  And the kids?  They love to help with mixing or slicing mushrooms.  Now if I could just get them to eat the good stuff I make, I would be thrilled.  Where do you spend a lot of your time?

Throwing stuff away

This month I've thrown away:
A blender
A heater
A cool air mist humidifier
A small food processor

There were all broken and couldn't be fixed.  It seems like such a waste to throw away these large items.  I wonder if I had purchased a higher quality item, would they have lasted longer?  Likely.  Oh the things you learn about consumerism as you get older.  The blender I had for 10 years and the small food processor at least 7 because I used it to make baby food.  They were all old items and I finally had to let go.  Funny how they all seemed to give up their life around the same time but they don't owe us anything, they all lasted a good length of time.  I also had to re-purpose some old towels into rags and donated a large bag of clothes this month.  It seems like the more I look and reconsider, the more items I realize I can do without.  I still have a long way to go as our garage walls are full of items I don't use but it's a work in progress.  With every month I get rid of a little more and try not to purchase too much to replace them.  I was given a new food processor for Christmas and will likely buy a new humidifier and the cycle will begin again.  Good bye crap!

Update

I'm still at it!  Going to the gym 3 times a week and still enjoying it.  I'm still finding it hard to stay away from the french fries and candies but this change isn't about totally changing my eating habits - it's about getting active.  I'm happier and feeling stronger and more toned.  I haven't "weighed in" yet, I'm going to wait until a month goes by to do that - but I am more conscience about what I'm putting into my body.  I don't want to ruin what I've started or want to feel that I've just lost a workout by eating badly.  Eating well was never really been my issue, it's the inactivity.  So on Sunday nights I make some roasted vegtables and eat them for lunches instead of a sandwich or a burger and I think that's a good enough change.  I bring veggies and fruit for snacks and I'm staying away from the potato chips.  I'm sleeping better too.  All in all it's been a great start and I am looking forward to keeping it up and seeing and feeling the changes I'm making for the better. 

Me

Firstly...I have been trying to post pics but they are posting sideways so I had a pic to share but decided not too because of this. Any tips?

OK so I did my first workout last night and it felt great.  I also was weighed and measured and my body fat index was taken.  Big sigh.  Here goes...
Weight - over 200 pounds.  Suffice to say that I'm heavier than I've ever been, even heavier than I was at the peak of both my pregnancies. 
Height - 5'9"
Measurements:  bust 46 inches, waist 40 inches, hips 46 inches.

So there we are.  Yep, I'm overweight.  And I won't even mention my body fax index...gah!

Onward and upward....or in this case downward :)

The journey begins

My weigh loss journey that is.  I have a goal and that is to be fit by fourty.  I have never been this heavy except for when I was 8 month pregnant.  I want to be in the same shape I was 50 pounds ago, three years ago, 1 year after having my second child.  I was doing yoga and pilates at least 3 times a week and walking 20 minutes a day.  After going back to a sedintary job and also trying to manage the lives of two little ones and their schedules, I've have had little time for myself.  The time I do have I spend on the couch or cleaning my house.  We do get out and enjoy activities together but it's not enough for my 30 something metabolism.  So tomorrow begins my journey as I've joined a program that gets me to the gym three times a week.  It feels really good.  And you know that book I'm reading?  It has been a great motivator for me.  And it advised to make your goals public so that you stick to them and so that you are accountable for them.  So here I am world wide web, make me accountable!  In 6 months I hope to drop at least 20 pounds and by next January be close to my goal.  Go me!  I'll post a "before" pic tomorrow as I'll be weighed, measured and ready to share more of the details.

Just a little update

Hello – I’m back, crazier than ever lol


Happy Holidays! I realize it’s been a while since I posted – we had three birthdays in November to celebrate and then the Christmas madness began. It’s Dec 20 and I finally feel inspired to write. I also have a few posts that I wrote throughout the month that I will be posting this week as well.

I just started reading this great book called The Power of Less and I’m excited about it. I’m inspired – which usually means that this book will probably inspire change in me. I really need to work on my Fit by Forty goal. My goal to streamline my possessions – imagine choosing only 200 items in your house to keep – what would you keep? And most importantly – I want to save money so that I can go back to school. More on these another time - and if you want to check out the author’s website its ZenHabits.net

And what are your thoughts on this: You see, over the summer a nice lady watched my girls, my three and seven year old girls. She has three kids herself and I realized this summer – has a very laid back way of supervising them. I’ve known her for three years, she is very active in the school my oldest attended and as I said before she is very nice. She mentioned to me before that she doesn’t “hover” over her kids when they play. She likes them to have their own experiences. And it got me thinking about how I hover around my kids while they play. I listen nearby, I find things to do in the room next to where they are playing, I watch cartoons with them, I don’t let them out of my sight when they are playing outside, these types of things. I mean, that’s what mom’s do right? But it got me wondering if we can over-supervise our kids. When I was a kid – probably from the age of 6 or 7, I was allowed to go outside and play on my own, unsupervised. Granted, we lived in a rural area where there was little or no traffic and lots of fields and tree’s. I would go out for hours and tromp through fields, abandoned barns, apple orchards and around the lake. Having that freedom was so amazing. I think I learned to be very independent and self-reliant by being unsupervised. I learned some life lessons – like never to tromp through ponds without rain boots if you wanted to stay comfortable, to never use the front brakes on my bike to slow down quickly and that once your toes were cold it was time to go home. Thankfully I was never mauled by a bear (something I would worry about now but never thought about back then), run over by a car travelling down our dirt road or hurt myself climbing fences and trees. But these days, especially in the city, you can just never be too careful. I remember picking my kids up at school one day. It was freezing cold and the kids were happily playing on the ice that had formed in the school yard. The lady that usually picked up the girls was chatting happily with her other mom friends while the kids slipped and slid on the ice – unsupervised. I hung back from the mom’s because I wanted to make sure the kids weren’t abducted by some passing stranger or hurt while sliding on the ice. I found it appalling that this nice lady who was to be supervising my kids wasn’t even looking at them! In fact, her view of them and her own children was obstructed by a line of trees. Gah! And herein is what I’m referring too. These questions run through my head. Am I being too paranoid? Am I not giving my children enough space? Will they come to expect someone to be there for them all the time and never learn to act or think independently? I’ve been there for them everyday of their lives, and I will continue to be there if they need me, but do I need to constantly supervise them even when they are in the house? Do I need to get my own life back so I can stop obsession about them (ahem, yes)? I’d love to live in a rural area again so I can let my girls have their own experiences and be back at “home base” in case they need me. I don’t think I’ll ever be the type of mom who can leave my kids unsupervised in a school yard. I feel more content watching them than not watching them. But I will pause and reflect on how much simpler my life would be if I just let it go and didn’t worry so much.

Chicken chili soup

 It's fall in Ontario and it's beautiful. 
The summer heat has eased off and you can slow down on the whole shaving your legs and getting a pedicure thing.

And it's also soup season.  I made this wonderful, hearty chili chicken soup today that I gleaned from a recipe and made my own:

6 cups low sodium chicken stock
1.5 cups (corn, kale, spinach, potatoes - your choice)
3 fifteen oz cans white beans
2 medium chopped onions
2 tbs olive oil
1.5 lbs chicken
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp ground cumin

1.5 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
.5 tsp pepper

Place chicken broth, onions and beans in a large pot and bring to a boil
Reduce and simmer.  Meanwhile, chop chicken into bite size pieces.
Heat large pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
Add onions and saute until tender.
Stir in chicken and saute until cooked through.
Add 1.5 cups (corn, kale, spinach, potatoes or a mixture of ), plus garlic, cumin, oregano, red pepper flakes
- stir until combined
Add mixture to stock pot, return to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
Add more water or stock, if needed.

The recipe calls for more salt and pepper so season to taste.  Enjoy!




To dream a dream

I just sat down, it's 9:15 pm.  Worked a 7 hour day, rushed to an appointment that is on Thursday, not today.  I stopped on the way home to grab rice and made dinner - sausages with yellow peppers and onions, rice, homemade cheese sauce and broccoli.  I took my oldest to Brownies, did some power shopping and bought two bras, a sweater, tights, princess shoes and organic lollipops.  Once home I handed off the kids for a bath and bedtime while I folded laundry, checked homework, tidied up and did some dishes...still left...lunches for tomorrow.  To make myself feel a little better I started thinking of how nice it would be to have a few days off, without kids (but geeze I'd miss them) and what I'd do with my time.  I think three days would be ideal and at least one of the days here at the house supervising someone else clean it..lol.  The other two days and nights I would spend at a remote place in the countryside in a place near the water with a soaker tub and a fireplace.  I'd read books, soak in the tub, watch TV for at least three hours a day, do yoga by the water and go for nature walks.  Hmmm, maybe a week would be nicer and I'd have the family come for the last three days.  What would you do to relax if you had more than an hour or two to yourself?

Super Mom



The Tea Chick.com image

 My husband has been sick for two weeks.  He has been told to stay off his feet and needs a lot of rest.  Enter Super Mom.  My role in the home on a regular basis -  is "doing my best mom".  I get home from work and make sure everyone is fed, homework is done, lunches are emptied and re-made, counters are wiped, dishes are done, garbage is put where garbage goes, after work/school commitments are met, groceries are got and so on.  But when my other half is sick, I have no breaks.  I have all my responsibilities plus my spouses such as taking out the recycling, giving baths, doing laundry and providing all the necessities of bedtime.  And instead of feeling resentful or tired - well ok, I'm a little bit of both - but I carry through.  Why?  Because I'm Super Mom and I know what it's like to power through fatigue and a need for a break.  I get up in the morning at 6:30 am so that I may shower and get dressed prior to getting up my children and ensuring that they are fed, brushed and dressed and if I have time I may have a bite to eat before I head out the door.  I take the kiddo's to school, drive to work, park, walk 7 mins to the coffee shop, grab myself a coffee and walk another 5 minutes to my work.  Once I'm there I finally sit down, open my coffee and relax.  Yes, I'm at work and I'm relaxing - or sitting if you will.  I work an 8 hour day and it starts all over again and for the last two weeks it includes all the little things my husband usually does...make dinner, give baths, put the girls to bed, make sure teeth are brushed, take out the recycling and so on.  But I won't wait for praise or thanks, because, like all of us, I'm Super Mom.  Impervious to fatigue and temper tantrums, carrying my cape humbly I carry on.

I do love a good quote/proverb/tidbit of wisdom.

I find quotes very inspiring.  When I need to motivate myself I often look up quotes and post them where I'll see them to remind myself of my goals.  For example, I came across this quote today while blog surfing and it really spoke to me about something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. The quote is “The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have." The happiest people don’t have the best of everything. Really? I’m sure at least some of the happiest people have the best of everything. But I think the point of this statement is that you don’t need to have the best of everything to be happy just make the most of what you have and happiness with follow. The happiest I’ve been in life was when I was making the most of what I had - which was time. When I was on mat leave I was exercising every day had all the time in the world to do whatever I wanted. I wasn’t confined by a 9-5 job or a five day work week. I went to the park, I went for walks, I visited with friends, I talked to my friends online…it was like an extended vacation...sort of. But quitting my job is not an option so I have to make the most of what I have. The difficult part is finding the time for myself. How can I make the best of what I have when I don’t have time to do it? The weekends are too short and the evenings go by so quickly. Being a mom that works outside the home is tough because my work never ends. Just when I sit down and think I can relax for a few minutes there is something else that needs to get done. What I’m going to take from that inspiring quote is that I’m just going to make the most of what I have - my kids, a supportive family, my health, my job, my husband and be happy. Just be happy.

I’ve also been thinking a lot about the quote “money doesn’t buy happiness”. For many years I thought that it did. I thought this because I had a single mom who didn’t have money and I always thought that money would make things easier for us. But the happiest I was during those times was when I was doing things that didn’t cost any money at all, so this quote has always stuck with me. Money does not buy happiness. Money buys stuff. Stuff you use for a short time and eventually throw away or give away. Making the most of what we have and making good memories is what is going to get a family through a tough time and any hardship.

Another quote that comes to mind regarding money is “waste not, want not.” I love this quote. In four simple words it states that you shouldn’t waste (food) and you will never want for (food). At least that’s the context I always think of as it always comes to mind when I’m cooking or throwing food into the compost bin. I will frequently take the kids leftover’s and put them into a container to take for my own lunch the next day and I’ll recite this quote in my head. Of course this quote could have other meanings. Waste not your time and you will want not for success! Don’t waste your money and you will have saved it for another time when it’s really needed! Indeed a great quote and a wonderful reminder that it’s not wise to be wasteful.

I think the reason I’m thinking a lot lately about money and happiness is because I’ve realized that for years I took money for granted. I bought and bought and bought anything my heart desired and I ended up with a lot of waste. This has changed recently and I’m being more mindful of what is coming into my house. Moving ten years worth of crap will do this to you. I’m buying what I need only and I’m mulling over my purchases much more thoroughly. Not because I’m worried about spending, it’s more that I don’t want to clutter up my house with stuff I don’t need. I have given away a lot of things in this last month in an effort to purge out all unnecessary items out of my home and my life. The next thing on my list is a room half full of boxes – of toys, games, cd’s, and VHS video tapes.  What a big waste of money to buy toys on a Saturday at the toy store instead of going out for a walk.  I'm not doing that anymore, money will be saved and although we will always have waste, at least I'm being mindful of how much I produce.  You can really live without so many things if you really think about it and that's how I'm starting my new journey. 

An incredible journey

Vacation March 2010

I think every mom must go through the cycle I’m going through now. Some sooner than others some later but it’s definitely a big change that takes place in your life and that’s what it feels like to me. What I’m talking about is the transition from being a new mommy to young children and the absolute madness that goes with it – to being a mom of two little girls (and the madness that goes with that). I feel like I am emerging from adolescence to adulthood all over again. I have so many choices to make all of a sudden. I can no longer hide behind the guise of being a busy mom of young children. I feel like I have to lose the baby weight (again) and take a course or find a hobby. From newly wed at 27 to mom at 28, then mom again at 31. And now mom of little girls at age (gulp) almost 36. My girls are more independent now and I find more and more spaces of time where they don’t need their mommy as much. They go on sleepovers, they play independently, they get their own glasses of milk, and sometimes they even dress themselves! This makes me a little nostalgic as I long to carry them around in my arms and kiss their little faces without protests. Now I have to be content with holding their little hands and sneaking in kisses when I can. We just moved to a newer house after being in our first home for 10 years and I think the time is right for new beginnings. I’ve been exercising more and eating well – all in line with my plan to be fit by 40. It’s a new chapter in my life and as I look at my two little ducklings that follow me everywhere and still very much need their mommy but are still so independent. I’m a little sad but I also feel like I’m coming out on the other end of an incredible journey. The journey of the mom of babies to a mom of little girls.

Pockets of time

The girls enjoying a treat

A post by Amber got me thinking about how I organize my time as a mother who works outside of our home.  I am outside of my home for approximately 41.25 hours a week.  In that time, I do what I can to keep my home organized and my family happy and well fed.  And I've come to realize that the time I get at home is very valuable to me.  I am constantly organizing and preparing at lease a week in advance.  The more I can do in my pockets of time, the easier it is for me to work and prioritize on a daily basis.  When I'm home (which is usually 1-4 days a month, plus weekends outside of my working time) I try to organize my home in such a way that I get more time with my children and less time doing "stuff" at the last minute, which is frusterating and time consuming.  Some examples of this are: 

When I put away their laundry, I put it away in pre-organized outfits. 
When I go to the grocery store, I plan for big healthy meals, quick meals, healthy snacks and lunch items. 
When I have time to clean, I do a deep cleaning of all items so that they are reasonably clean until the next time I get to them.  For example, when I clean the bathroom, I clean the floors, corners, sinks, walls, wash the shower curtain and mirrors. 
I always put my keys and work stuff in the same spot every night. 
The children's sports stuff is always in the same place.
I have a bag of extra clothing, sunscreen and hats packed at all times and in the van.
I keep a case of water in my van at all times.
I prepare our lunches the night before work/school.
I have a vegtable garden which saves me time grocery shopping.

Tonight starts a 4 day vacation for me and besides the day trips I'm planning with the children, I'm looking forward to cooking some great meals and getting my house in order for the next 5 days until I can get another deep cleaning/reorganizing done.  My little pockets of time are so crutial to me and to my family and they help make the most of the time I have with them, which is so important.