Tuesday, July 22, 2008

My Need for Goals

July 22, 2008

in Works For Me Wednesday

I didn’t used to be a procrastinator, but now that I have 3 kids, I tend to take care of the urgent first.  This means that sometimes my really good plans get altered when real life sets in.   I have found that if I want to tackle a large project or extra thing (extra being not laundry, groceries, cleaning, cooking… those necessities of life) I need to make a self-imposed deadline in order for it to happen.  It needs its own "urgency" so to speak.

When my first born turned one I made a scrapbook of his first year.  I finished it shortly before his first birthday so I was able to sit it out at his first birthday party for friends and family to skim through.  2 years later when my daughter was born, I made a similar book for her.  As I sat down every night for a month working on it I told myself with my next child I will work a little each month so I don’t have such a monumental task in front of me with three kids vying for my attention at the same time.   I really intended to work on it a little each month. 

That’s not exactly how book number three happened.  In fact, I didn’t even leave myself a month.  I cropped the first picture only one week before her party and I spent every night last week working on her book.  I finished the book at 3 am the night before her party.  I knew that not many people would look at the book at the party but I also knew that if I didn’t sit down and finish it before her party, chances are she would be graduating high school with a half finished baby book.   So,I cropped, taped, and laid out the pages of her book, driven by this self imposed deadline. 

IMG_5391 It worked!  I now have a completed 45 spread baby book for my baby girl.  I know without this goal, I’d be sitting with an empty book right now. 

The only way I can make progress on "extracurriculars" is by setting goals and working to achieve them.  Often times I give myself a monthly to do list.  This approach works for me, it keeps me from getting defeated when life gets busy.  For other tips that work for others, check out Rocks in My Dryer.

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Most Recent Quotes from Our House

July 22, 2008

in Darndest Things

In college I had some friends who had wipe off boards and would write up some funny or amusing phrase they’d over hear and it would stay on the "quote board"  until the next memorable statement.  Anyone else do this?

Well, I guess I am using this blog post as my quote board… here are a few memorable ones from the past several weeks.

 

While drinking some water one hot evening my son said to me, "Mom, soon this is going to be pee!"

 

When my son was sick last week I told him not to get too close to his sisters so they wouldn’t get his germs and get sick.  When my middle child came over to him later in the day he told her, "You have to stay away, I have germs."  to which she responded in a whiny voice, "I want germs… I WANT germs too!" 

 

I looked over at my baby girl yesterday afternoon to find her standing on the toy box.  This was not safe (since she is just learning to walk) so I took her down and every time she tried to climb up I told her no.  She’d look up at me and mutter some unintelligible babble.  But it was the same unintelligible babble each time… I swear to you it sounded like she said, "what’s up with that?"  Her siblings were on the toy box (which they are now no longer allowed to do)  and each time she went over to climb up, I’d say, "No Baby" to which she’d look up at me and mutter, "whutzupitat"

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