Summer's over. Thank God. We were on the go the whole summer, with an extra push right at the end.
Then school started, which is its own version of chaos.
Then DD pulled the World's Dumbest Stunt and got suspended. We're just over halfway through her 10 days. I've been stunned, sad, angry and despairing, but we've kept up with her school work and we're just making it through.
The story I contracted back in April is through edits and should be available in November.
The house is in decent shape, mostly because my ILs were here for the weekend, so the kids and I did a mega-clean. The trick is to keep it this way.
Now I'm finally finding my mind again and looking around to see how I'm doing with those New Years Resolutions. Eat, Drink and Be Merry.
Eat - Well, I've lost 3 lbs so far this year. Yeah. Woohoo.
Drink - Good wine, good coffee, could use more water.
Be Merry - You know, it's been kind of a tough year so far. It really has. The Be Merry thing has worked out about as well as the Eat thing. But I'm going to keep working on it. '
Glad to be back.
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Home. Show all posts
Monday, September 20, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Ok. Here's the plan.
I like making plans. They look so pretty on paper. Real life tends to make them messy, but at least I have a direction to head, right?
Yesterday was my last day of work! Yay!!!
I have a rather dreadful feeling that DH intends to rip out a chunk of my kitchen this weekend, so that means I need to clear off the counters so he has space to work.
Honestly, the plan is to finally clean the damn house. Since I started working, housework fell completely off the radar and I’m starting to ick myself out here. So that’s the first priority. Tidy first, toss the junk, sort the rest, then scrub. That’ll take the weekend, working in small chunks.
Tuesday will be at the library, at the grocery store, running all the errands that need to be run. I’m on my last roll of paper towels here, and I gotta stock up. We were supposed to go to the case lot sale at the Scott AFB Commissary last weekend, but we blew it off, so now it’s just me and Sam’s Club.
Still have family administrative stuff to do — things to register and de-register for, bills to pay, forms to fill out. Just all the little stuff that falls through the cracks while mommy’s brain is in neutral.
And then? Once all that stuff is either done or sorted by Wednesday or Thursday?
Then, I write.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Catching Up
It's been a few weeks since I've checked in at Home Sanctuary, which is kind of base point for my blog.
You know the story -- life got busy, projects came up, and the dh and I had a huuuuuge fight over the once-a-month housekeepers. Still working around that one.
I spent a chunk of last weekend at an academic conference for the Popular Culture Association of America. OMG SO COOL!!! Surrounded by geeks! Smart geeks! Brilliant geeks! Geeks who make me feel small and humble and not-real-bright, but they wanted to talk to me anyway!! I went as part of a panel discussion on romance publishing, and because they spend their time analyzing the literature (yes! They actually do serious literary critical analysis of popular romance!) they were fascinated by the writing and publishing process, market influences, cover art decisions, etc. All the stuff that romance writers take as part of their regular business day. It was way cool. :)
Anyway, I'm back. I have been keeping up with my reading log on the side, and I'm up to 39 books. I don't normally have reading goals, since I read all the time, but I'm pretty sure I can make 100 this year without too much effort.
Getting a new freezer today! In fact, the delivery men are here now. We joined a local Community Supported Agriculture group -- kind of a food co-op where all the food is local, from small farms, and as naturally raised as possible. We're splitting our share with another family, so we'll get a box every other week, but we needed a freezer anyway. I'm not able to take advantage of big sales on meat and other things because I have nowhere to store it. Now, I'm ready!
The house looks pretty good. And not just because the housekeepers were here. I've been keeping up with it on my own! I still hate to do floors and dust, but the rest isn't so bad.
I got a contract on the story I submitted in December. After I got the e-mail from my editor, I looked over the story for the first time since I turned it in. It's rough, but fixable.
And that's about it.
Yay freezer.
Yay contract.
Yay conference.
Sad about fighting with hubby, but we're working on it.
You know the story -- life got busy, projects came up, and the dh and I had a huuuuuge fight over the once-a-month housekeepers. Still working around that one.
I spent a chunk of last weekend at an academic conference for the Popular Culture Association of America. OMG SO COOL!!! Surrounded by geeks! Smart geeks! Brilliant geeks! Geeks who make me feel small and humble and not-real-bright, but they wanted to talk to me anyway!! I went as part of a panel discussion on romance publishing, and because they spend their time analyzing the literature (yes! They actually do serious literary critical analysis of popular romance!) they were fascinated by the writing and publishing process, market influences, cover art decisions, etc. All the stuff that romance writers take as part of their regular business day. It was way cool. :)
Anyway, I'm back. I have been keeping up with my reading log on the side, and I'm up to 39 books. I don't normally have reading goals, since I read all the time, but I'm pretty sure I can make 100 this year without too much effort.
Getting a new freezer today! In fact, the delivery men are here now. We joined a local Community Supported Agriculture group -- kind of a food co-op where all the food is local, from small farms, and as naturally raised as possible. We're splitting our share with another family, so we'll get a box every other week, but we needed a freezer anyway. I'm not able to take advantage of big sales on meat and other things because I have nowhere to store it. Now, I'm ready!
The house looks pretty good. And not just because the housekeepers were here. I've been keeping up with it on my own! I still hate to do floors and dust, but the rest isn't so bad.
I got a contract on the story I submitted in December. After I got the e-mail from my editor, I looked over the story for the first time since I turned it in. It's rough, but fixable.
And that's about it.
Yay freezer.
Yay contract.
Yay conference.
Sad about fighting with hubby, but we're working on it.
Monday, March 1, 2010
A fresh Monday
I've been pretty lax in the household area for a few weeks now. One of my inevitable downturns, I suppose, but it's not too late to try to pick it back up.
It's the little things that are piling up. I haven't been doing my Minimum Maintenance, so I've got bits and pieces everywhere, on the verge of becoming overwhelming. But if I can pull it together now, then I'll still be on top.
So.
7:30 - Starting with laundry, then a shower.
It's the little things that are piling up. I haven't been doing my Minimum Maintenance, so I've got bits and pieces everywhere, on the verge of becoming overwhelming. But if I can pull it together now, then I'll still be on top.
So.
7:30 - Starting with laundry, then a shower.
Friday, January 15, 2010
My week in writing
2000 words on The Misplaced Marriage.
2500 words on the Gorgon/Mercenary (no title yet).
Finished A Dark and Stormy Knight, part 1.
Not a bad week's work. Not bad at all.
Also, the house is clean. The laundry's caught up. I've been making dinner -- ok, one night we had pizza -- but other than that, it's been all homemade.
Yes, indeed. This has been a good week, even with my three schedule freakouts. (Three separate links.)
2500 words on the Gorgon/Mercenary (no title yet).
Finished A Dark and Stormy Knight, part 1.
Not a bad week's work. Not bad at all.
Also, the house is clean. The laundry's caught up. I've been making dinner -- ok, one night we had pizza -- but other than that, it's been all homemade.
Yes, indeed. This has been a good week, even with my three schedule freakouts. (Three separate links.)
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Libraries
I like Thursdays. On Thursdays, I volunteer at my son's school library. I spend two hours reshelving, sorting and tidying, chatting with the librarian, and helping little kids find the magic that exists within the binding of a book.
I love that I get to keep up with the latest trends in kid lit, which is very different than what I learn every other Tuesday, which I spend at the middle school library. There, it's more about YA and the sad discovery that most middle school kids don't read. I was there for 2 hours and checked out 3 books.
But I love it when the readers come in. I'm sure that the 13 year olds are not expecting to be able to talk about PC Cast or some of the other hot YA authors and series with a squishy, middle-aged mom, but once we start talking books, it all goes away. It's just two fanatics, mutually loving the written word.
In another life, I might have been a librarian. DD is actually considering it as one of many career options, along with dog catcher, rock star and author/illustrator of children's books.
Remember having all those possibilities stretched out in front of you when you were 12?
In other news, we've now been playing Risk for 5 nights and we're all still on the board. Gah!
I love that I get to keep up with the latest trends in kid lit, which is very different than what I learn every other Tuesday, which I spend at the middle school library. There, it's more about YA and the sad discovery that most middle school kids don't read. I was there for 2 hours and checked out 3 books.
But I love it when the readers come in. I'm sure that the 13 year olds are not expecting to be able to talk about PC Cast or some of the other hot YA authors and series with a squishy, middle-aged mom, but once we start talking books, it all goes away. It's just two fanatics, mutually loving the written word.
In another life, I might have been a librarian. DD is actually considering it as one of many career options, along with dog catcher, rock star and author/illustrator of children's books.
Remember having all those possibilities stretched out in front of you when you were 12?
In other news, we've now been playing Risk for 5 nights and we're all still on the board. Gah!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Schedule
I checked out today's Small Thing and, honestly, it's not as bad as I was afraid it might be. In fact, it's extremely generous, as far as schedules go.
I still can't do it, but it's nice to know that I can let go of my FlyLady/Martha Stewart/June Cleaver sphincter-tightening impulse. (Sorry. Having a Wayne's World moment.)
I tend not to say, "It's Wednesday. That means it's time to ... whatever." Because I guarantee that trying that is the surest way to get me to park it in front of a marathon of Lifetime movies.
Instead, I think I'm liking the Min Maint thing because as long as I'm picking up, I often do a little bit more.
For instance, this morning I was putting a load of towels in the wash, which meant I had to do some clearing out of DD's last load, which she had left folded, but on top of the machines.
I got the towels in the machine, then realized that I had finally used enough of my bucket of homemade detergent that I could probably pour it into an empty bottle now.
As long as that was done, I suddenly had space where the 5-gallon bucket used to be. May as well clean off some of the other stuff on the counter. 15 minutes later, my laundry room is tidier than it's been in months! I even cleared out the drawers of gloves, taking the singles and putting them in a basket in the hall closet where I collect the strays.
So it may not be scheduled, but it's in my head. Maybe that's all it ever needs to be.
Hmm. Something to think about.
I still can't do it, but it's nice to know that I can let go of my FlyLady/Martha Stewart/June Cleaver sphincter-tightening impulse. (Sorry. Having a Wayne's World moment.)
I tend not to say, "It's Wednesday. That means it's time to ... whatever." Because I guarantee that trying that is the surest way to get me to park it in front of a marathon of Lifetime movies.
Instead, I think I'm liking the Min Maint thing because as long as I'm picking up, I often do a little bit more.
For instance, this morning I was putting a load of towels in the wash, which meant I had to do some clearing out of DD's last load, which she had left folded, but on top of the machines.
I got the towels in the machine, then realized that I had finally used enough of my bucket of homemade detergent that I could probably pour it into an empty bottle now.
As long as that was done, I suddenly had space where the 5-gallon bucket used to be. May as well clean off some of the other stuff on the counter. 15 minutes later, my laundry room is tidier than it's been in months! I even cleared out the drawers of gloves, taking the singles and putting them in a basket in the hall closet where I collect the strays.
So it may not be scheduled, but it's in my head. Maybe that's all it ever needs to be.
Hmm. Something to think about.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
So I freaked out a little
Ok, kind of a lot. See? That's what the word "schedule" does to me.
Cleansing breaths, Susan. Breathe in, breathe out.
The house is clean. Even DH noticed! In fact, it was so clean that as soon as the last dishwasher cycle finished, I realized that the inside of the washer was gritty-grimy, so I unloaded it, took the racks out and scrubbed it, too.
Now it's running empty but for a cup of vinegar. I've never cleaned a dishwasher before -- yes, that's right. I never realized you were supposed to clean your dishwasher -- so I had to look online for instructions.
But yay for a clean house! This makes me Merry!
Cleansing breaths, Susan. Breathe in, breathe out.
The house is clean. Even DH noticed! In fact, it was so clean that as soon as the last dishwasher cycle finished, I realized that the inside of the washer was gritty-grimy, so I unloaded it, took the racks out and scrubbed it, too.
Now it's running empty but for a cup of vinegar. I've never cleaned a dishwasher before -- yes, that's right. I never realized you were supposed to clean your dishwasher -- so I had to look online for instructions.
But yay for a clean house! This makes me Merry!
To schedule or not to schedule
Today's "Small Thing" is to write out a timeline of your day and see where you actually spend your time. I know where I spend my time. I'm online most of the day until it's time to make dinner.
I'm writing, I'm reading, I'm talking.
For the last several months, I've been making time to get up and do a Min Maint sort of thing around the house so it doesn't all go to hell. It's usually in the mornings after the first fires have been put out, but it could be around lunch time or sometime before the kids get home. Whenever the words aren't coming, or I'm stuck on a scene and just need to get away from that blinking, taunting cursor, I'll get up and get the dishes into the dishwasher, or swipe down the bathrooms or something.
Yesterday, the Small Thing was to write down all the stuff that we need to do to keep the house manageable. I did that, and discovered that, yeah, for the most part, those things get done as often as they should. Ok, not the mopping, but it DOES get done.
Today's Small Thing, however, seems to be leading up to something that makes me intensely uncomfortable. A daily/hourly schedule for cleaning.
I've been working on my housekeeping skills for the last...I don't know...five years? Every year, I made a schedule. Dust on Mondays, Clean bathrooms on Tuesdays, etc, etc.
I even did an hourly schedule. From 9:00-9:15, dust living room. That didn't even last a day, much less a week.
Last year, for the first time, I stopped doing that. I decided to work with what I really am, instead of trying to force myself into a mold of what I Should Be and Should Do.
I am 39, smart, funny, snarky and I'm ADD. I don't take medicine because, dammit, I don't want to. My life isn't perfect, but it's who I am. I screw up, I fall behind, I make mistakes, but you know what? So does everyone else. Including people who aren't ADD. And it has taken me this long to learn to start playing to my strengths and not focusing on my weaknesses.
I suck at schedules. There. I said it. Every time someone puts the word "schedule" up, I start to get twitchy.
So, I'm not going to do today's Small Thing. Today, I'm going to sit back and watch where it's going.
And even if it gets all scheduley, I'm not going to freak. I like the Company Girl concept and I like the Min Maint thing, so I'm keeping those. I don't have to keep everything. It's going to be okay.
I'm writing, I'm reading, I'm talking.
For the last several months, I've been making time to get up and do a Min Maint sort of thing around the house so it doesn't all go to hell. It's usually in the mornings after the first fires have been put out, but it could be around lunch time or sometime before the kids get home. Whenever the words aren't coming, or I'm stuck on a scene and just need to get away from that blinking, taunting cursor, I'll get up and get the dishes into the dishwasher, or swipe down the bathrooms or something.
Yesterday, the Small Thing was to write down all the stuff that we need to do to keep the house manageable. I did that, and discovered that, yeah, for the most part, those things get done as often as they should. Ok, not the mopping, but it DOES get done.
Today's Small Thing, however, seems to be leading up to something that makes me intensely uncomfortable. A daily/hourly schedule for cleaning.
I've been working on my housekeeping skills for the last...I don't know...five years? Every year, I made a schedule. Dust on Mondays, Clean bathrooms on Tuesdays, etc, etc.
I even did an hourly schedule. From 9:00-9:15, dust living room. That didn't even last a day, much less a week.
Last year, for the first time, I stopped doing that. I decided to work with what I really am, instead of trying to force myself into a mold of what I Should Be and Should Do.
I am 39, smart, funny, snarky and I'm ADD. I don't take medicine because, dammit, I don't want to. My life isn't perfect, but it's who I am. I screw up, I fall behind, I make mistakes, but you know what? So does everyone else. Including people who aren't ADD. And it has taken me this long to learn to start playing to my strengths and not focusing on my weaknesses.
I suck at schedules. There. I said it. Every time someone puts the word "schedule" up, I start to get twitchy.
So, I'm not going to do today's Small Thing. Today, I'm going to sit back and watch where it's going.
And even if it gets all scheduley, I'm not going to freak. I like the Company Girl concept and I like the Min Maint thing, so I'm keeping those. I don't have to keep everything. It's going to be okay.
Monday, January 11, 2010
A fresh week
Mondays are always filled with promise, I think.
The kids are at school, DH is at work. It's just me and the dog and the eleventy billion things that I Have to do, Should do, and Want to do. And the stuff on the Want list usually isn't on the other two.
Last night, I started reading a book called "HOME COMFORTS: The Art and Science of Keeping House." The author is a bit didactic, but I'm trying to look past that. I'm just trying to find a way to make this work.
Reading the intro, it's less about this chore or that chore, but about the evolution of making a home a sanctuary, and how housekeeping has become a list of things we check off our list to clean the house, but we never seem to be able to find that spirit of comfort and love within our homes.
I think she's got a point, there. I can clean and clean, but I *do* feel like something is missing. The cleaning is only part of it, so this journey is part of Being Merry. I want to Be Merry in my home. Feel as though this is somewhere I want to be with my family, where we can invite people over to share what we have.
Anyway, her first chapter is about setting up a manageable schedule. And what do you know? That's today's Small Thing! I think the universe is maybe trying to tell me something, you know?
So I made my list of Must Dos for home maintenance and I discovered that my absolute most hated tasks were the things I now get to schedule at least once a month for the housekeeper. Honestly, these were the things that I hated to do so badly, I never seemed to get around to them, and they caused me massive stress because I always felt guilty. Now at least they're getting done once a month, where before they would pile up for months and months on end.
I admit. I do feel bad that I have to hire someone to do these tasks. I feel selfish and lazy, but on the other hand, if having someone do these few things means that I can worry less about my floors, and be more gracious about having friends drop in, then I'm going to learn to get over it.
Also, having someone clean my house gives me a day to do nothing but write without distractions. Woohoo!
Minimum Maintenance:
Dining Room - check
Living Room - check
Bedroom - check
Master bath - check
Laundry room - check
Hall bath - check
Dishes - check
Counters - check
Tables - nope
Desk - nope
The kids are at school, DH is at work. It's just me and the dog and the eleventy billion things that I Have to do, Should do, and Want to do. And the stuff on the Want list usually isn't on the other two.
Last night, I started reading a book called "HOME COMFORTS: The Art and Science of Keeping House." The author is a bit didactic, but I'm trying to look past that. I'm just trying to find a way to make this work.
Reading the intro, it's less about this chore or that chore, but about the evolution of making a home a sanctuary, and how housekeeping has become a list of things we check off our list to clean the house, but we never seem to be able to find that spirit of comfort and love within our homes.
I think she's got a point, there. I can clean and clean, but I *do* feel like something is missing. The cleaning is only part of it, so this journey is part of Being Merry. I want to Be Merry in my home. Feel as though this is somewhere I want to be with my family, where we can invite people over to share what we have.
Anyway, her first chapter is about setting up a manageable schedule. And what do you know? That's today's Small Thing! I think the universe is maybe trying to tell me something, you know?
So I made my list of Must Dos for home maintenance and I discovered that my absolute most hated tasks were the things I now get to schedule at least once a month for the housekeeper. Honestly, these were the things that I hated to do so badly, I never seemed to get around to them, and they caused me massive stress because I always felt guilty. Now at least they're getting done once a month, where before they would pile up for months and months on end.
I admit. I do feel bad that I have to hire someone to do these tasks. I feel selfish and lazy, but on the other hand, if having someone do these few things means that I can worry less about my floors, and be more gracious about having friends drop in, then I'm going to learn to get over it.
Also, having someone clean my house gives me a day to do nothing but write without distractions. Woohoo!
Minimum Maintenance:
Dining Room - check
Living Room - check
Bedroom - check
Master bath - check
Laundry room - check
Hall bath - check
Dishes - check
Counters - check
Tables - nope
Desk - nope
Friday, January 8, 2010
A week of Small Things
I did all right this week!
The house is in decent shape although my bedroom could really do with half an hour of serious effort.
The kids are on their 2nd snow day, and we went sledding yesterday! I hate the cold, but that was a lot of fun.
Dinner has been homemade and on time all week.
I interviewed a housekeeper who will come in once a month starting next Tuesday -- and I can afford her! I interviewed 3 people and the other two both charged nearly twice as much!!
Janet Napolitano is either 1) a complete and utter moron, or 2) has her foot shoved so far down her throat it will never, ever, ever come out and she should stop talking immediately. You're doing a heckuva job,BrowJanet!
The writing is going well! I've made significant progress on 3 stories this week.
*I started with a new paranormal romantic comedy short for a Free Read that will come out this summer.
*Then I switched gears to my Victorian romance. Very formal voice. Completely different from the rom-coms.
*And last night, I decided to work on another wip (work in progress). A paranormal romantic comedy about a Gorgon and a foul-mouthed mercenary.
This has been a very, very good week!
The house is in decent shape although my bedroom could really do with half an hour of serious effort.
The kids are on their 2nd snow day, and we went sledding yesterday! I hate the cold, but that was a lot of fun.
Dinner has been homemade and on time all week.
I interviewed a housekeeper who will come in once a month starting next Tuesday -- and I can afford her! I interviewed 3 people and the other two both charged nearly twice as much!!
Janet Napolitano is either 1) a complete and utter moron, or 2) has her foot shoved so far down her throat it will never, ever, ever come out and she should stop talking immediately. You're doing a heckuva job,
The writing is going well! I've made significant progress on 3 stories this week.
*I started with a new paranormal romantic comedy short for a Free Read that will come out this summer.
*Then I switched gears to my Victorian romance. Very formal voice. Completely different from the rom-coms.
*And last night, I decided to work on another wip (work in progress). A paranormal romantic comedy about a Gorgon and a foul-mouthed mercenary.
This has been a very, very good week!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Mope Day
Ok, so I didn't do yesterday's Small Thing. I also didn't exercise or drink a bottle of water. I should have realized it, but yesterday was a regularly scheduled Mope Day.
It's like the first day of a TDY. I always took that day to sit around and mope. Eat chocolate. Watch movies. Read.
Since yesterday was the first day that everyone went back to school/work, it didn't occur to me that I'd feel like I needed to mope, but I really did.
However, I'm only allowed one Mope Day. Today, I have to pull up my socks and get with the program!
Today's Small Thing is "Minimum Maintenance." Basically, spending a few minutes every day straightening up so it never becomes a real monster.
Speaking of cleaning, today I'm having a cleaning service come and do an estimate. I don't need anyone in weekly or even bi-weekly. Just a monthly service to come help so it doesn't get out of control. It's been almost two months since the last cleaning and the place could do with a good cleaning.
ETA: I did it! I just went through all the rooms and picked up for a few minutes. The house looks much better now!
It's like the first day of a TDY. I always took that day to sit around and mope. Eat chocolate. Watch movies. Read.
Since yesterday was the first day that everyone went back to school/work, it didn't occur to me that I'd feel like I needed to mope, but I really did.
However, I'm only allowed one Mope Day. Today, I have to pull up my socks and get with the program!
Today's Small Thing is "Minimum Maintenance." Basically, spending a few minutes every day straightening up so it never becomes a real monster.
Speaking of cleaning, today I'm having a cleaning service come and do an estimate. I don't need anyone in weekly or even bi-weekly. Just a monthly service to come help so it doesn't get out of control. It's been almost two months since the last cleaning and the place could do with a good cleaning.
ETA: I did it! I just went through all the rooms and picked up for a few minutes. The house looks much better now!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Happy New Year!
We made it to 2010! Yay!
I can guarantee that I've upheld at least two of my NYRs today: Eat and Drink. I'm stuffed. We had a neighborhood brunch and I feel like I ate my weight in pancakes, sausage, strata and cinnamon bread. That last little dollop of Bailey's in my coffee put the kicker on the morning and now I'm just ... bleurgh.
I ate too much. Still, I meant for today to be a splurge, so I won't regret it. Dinner will be pretty healthy -- Glazed ham, Hoppin John over rice, with cabbage on the side. Ok, so there will be bacon involved, but not in massive quantities. And I can tell you right now that absolutely none of that sounds appealing at this moment.
This blog is still pretty new, so I'm not sure exactly how I'll be using it. Probably for the stuff that really doesn't belong on my writing blog. For instance, I hope to keep track of my weight here. Trust me. Readers don't want to know that stuff.
I gained probably 10 lb this year. I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 158.5. That's not acceptable and I'm fairly disgusted that it got to this point. I belong to Curves and I know how to eat, but I gained 5 lbs from Oct-Dec. I didn't work out and I completely abandoned any principles of good eating.
I also joined a website called Home Sanctuary. It's about doing Small Things around the house that add up. Makes sense. I mean, you can do anything for 5 minutes, right? Or 10 or 15. Little things are easier than "Clean the whole house."
So we'll see how that goes. I really am getting better with the housekeeping, but I need to stay committed to it. And you know, it might even fall under the category of "Be Merry" in my list of Resolutions. After all, it's much easier to be merry in a clean house, rather than being miserable because the house is a wreck and there's so much work to do to get it clean.
I can guarantee that I've upheld at least two of my NYRs today: Eat and Drink. I'm stuffed. We had a neighborhood brunch and I feel like I ate my weight in pancakes, sausage, strata and cinnamon bread. That last little dollop of Bailey's in my coffee put the kicker on the morning and now I'm just ... bleurgh.
I ate too much. Still, I meant for today to be a splurge, so I won't regret it. Dinner will be pretty healthy -- Glazed ham, Hoppin John over rice, with cabbage on the side. Ok, so there will be bacon involved, but not in massive quantities. And I can tell you right now that absolutely none of that sounds appealing at this moment.
This blog is still pretty new, so I'm not sure exactly how I'll be using it. Probably for the stuff that really doesn't belong on my writing blog. For instance, I hope to keep track of my weight here. Trust me. Readers don't want to know that stuff.
I gained probably 10 lb this year. I stepped on the scale this morning and it read 158.5. That's not acceptable and I'm fairly disgusted that it got to this point. I belong to Curves and I know how to eat, but I gained 5 lbs from Oct-Dec. I didn't work out and I completely abandoned any principles of good eating.
I also joined a website called Home Sanctuary. It's about doing Small Things around the house that add up. Makes sense. I mean, you can do anything for 5 minutes, right? Or 10 or 15. Little things are easier than "Clean the whole house."
So we'll see how that goes. I really am getting better with the housekeeping, but I need to stay committed to it. And you know, it might even fall under the category of "Be Merry" in my list of Resolutions. After all, it's much easier to be merry in a clean house, rather than being miserable because the house is a wreck and there's so much work to do to get it clean.
Friday, December 25, 2009
What next?
I haven't done a ton of research, just a quick blitz overview on opinions about being a feminist, secular and Christian homemaker. I actually concentrated on secular homemaking and 3rd wave feminism for a couple of reasons.
First, too many Christian homemaker sites are about submission, obedience, a woman's place, etc. They're trying so damn hard to prove how holy they are that they end up being extremely angry people who can't have a discussion about an alternate viewpoint without throwing around irrational invective.
I'm a Christian, so I find that very embarrassing. You can't talk to people like that.
I also did a little reading on how people reconcile feminism and homemaking. There remains this divide between working moms and SAHMs. The Mommy Wars continue and frankly, I'm over it. It was stupid 12 yrs ago and it's stupid now.
I'm a SAHM because it was the most logical thing to do as my husband was military. I went through a period of trying to find my place in the world that wasn't just about mothering. You know what? The first 3-4 years of being a mom are just plain hard and even though some parts are great, some aren't.
They don't last forever and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
So reading up on 3rd wave feminism has been interesting. It's a movement very much rooted in personal ideology, rather than sweeping social or political change, although those aspects are still at the forefront of the movement.
But for me, it basically means that I'm not tied to my kitchen because I have no choice. Well, duh.
I've been out of the 'workforce' for...well, forever. I was never really in it. I was a professional student with a series of part-time jobs before I got married.
I recently began considering what I would do if I had to go back to work for pay. You know what? I would hate it. I am not meant to do the 9-5 cubicle thing. Even before I married and had kids, I would have hated it. Where's the freedom of choice in that? It's not that I find immense fulfillment in scrubbing toilets, but being a SAHM has allowed me the freedom to pursue a career that HAS been fulfilling. Something that I honestly would not have been able to do if I was trying to do the Supermom thing.
When DS was about 15 months old and DD was 4, I started writing. Suddenly, I wasn't just a mom. I was a writer, too. And it's been, overall, pretty awesome.
As I mentioned, I've been writing for almost 8 years now and I'm starting to wonder if it's time for another transition. I remember when an author I knew quite writing few years ago and I thought, "Who would give this up?"
I get it now. I really do. I'm burning out. It's all about production and pace and publishing and promoting now.
So now I'm asking the same question I asked 8 yrs ago. What comes next?
First, too many Christian homemaker sites are about submission, obedience, a woman's place, etc. They're trying so damn hard to prove how holy they are that they end up being extremely angry people who can't have a discussion about an alternate viewpoint without throwing around irrational invective.
I'm a Christian, so I find that very embarrassing. You can't talk to people like that.
I also did a little reading on how people reconcile feminism and homemaking. There remains this divide between working moms and SAHMs. The Mommy Wars continue and frankly, I'm over it. It was stupid 12 yrs ago and it's stupid now.
I'm a SAHM because it was the most logical thing to do as my husband was military. I went through a period of trying to find my place in the world that wasn't just about mothering. You know what? The first 3-4 years of being a mom are just plain hard and even though some parts are great, some aren't.
They don't last forever and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
So reading up on 3rd wave feminism has been interesting. It's a movement very much rooted in personal ideology, rather than sweeping social or political change, although those aspects are still at the forefront of the movement.
But for me, it basically means that I'm not tied to my kitchen because I have no choice. Well, duh.
I've been out of the 'workforce' for...well, forever. I was never really in it. I was a professional student with a series of part-time jobs before I got married.
I recently began considering what I would do if I had to go back to work for pay. You know what? I would hate it. I am not meant to do the 9-5 cubicle thing. Even before I married and had kids, I would have hated it. Where's the freedom of choice in that? It's not that I find immense fulfillment in scrubbing toilets, but being a SAHM has allowed me the freedom to pursue a career that HAS been fulfilling. Something that I honestly would not have been able to do if I was trying to do the Supermom thing.
When DS was about 15 months old and DD was 4, I started writing. Suddenly, I wasn't just a mom. I was a writer, too. And it's been, overall, pretty awesome.
As I mentioned, I've been writing for almost 8 years now and I'm starting to wonder if it's time for another transition. I remember when an author I knew quite writing few years ago and I thought, "Who would give this up?"
I get it now. I really do. I'm burning out. It's all about production and pace and publishing and promoting now.
So now I'm asking the same question I asked 8 yrs ago. What comes next?
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