Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Penciling it in....Where's my Eraser?

Schedules.
Lists.
Calendars.
To-do's.

Love 'em.

Order and cleanliness made me happy.
Ticking things off the list made me smile.
I was all content (in an organized fashion, of course) in my Type A sensibilities.
I was a multitasking GODDESS.

Then I had a child.

Now?
As long as the boy is fed, clothed, and no one can rightfully call the Environmental Protection Agency on us in regards to our squalor,  I consider the day a success.

I often go with out showers, makeup, or proper clothing.
Piles of laundry have become part of my decor....
Chaos abounds!


What the HELL?

I am a SAHM with just ONE CHILD.

How is it that at 2pm in the afternoon, I'm still in my pajamas?

I am BEYOND tired of all the things I keep "meaning to get to"  never getting done.
(ya know, like hygiene...)


I'm starting to feel bad about my  life-efficacy, guys.

I need to pull it together!

I'm trying to make a schedule....
With a schedule, I will stay more on track.  Be more focused.

I Hope.

Obviously, caring for my son is a daily, ongoing thing, and his schedule comes first, but I needed a general overview...

So I decided to go old-school and break things up in to "Days"to see what that would look like:

Monday is Internet Catch-up Day:
Read/Answer emails
Read/Answer blog comments
Catch up on Twitter/Facebook
Maintain pages
Clean out inboxes

Tuesday is Blogging Day:
Read all my subscriptions
Comment
Write a post of my own

{I feel kinda silly devoting 2  days to just blogging/Interwebs, but my blog has been a great outlet for me, twitter has allowed me to connect with some great people/writers, and facebook/emailing keeps me sane on the days I don't talk to anyone but my son all day. I want to start writing more, and getting more involved with groups, etc...to make that possible, I've gotta carve out the time...}

Wednesday is Cleaning Day:
Duh.

Thursday is Laundry Day:
Also, DUH.

Friday is Bills/Paperwork Day
Pay bills
Plan weekly budget
Check all accounts
Check credit monitoring
Sort through and file all mail

Saturday is Family Day:
No chores, just fun...or laziness. Ahem.

Sunday is Errands Day: Aka: There Goes Our $$
Target
Babies R Us
Grocery Store
and anywhere else that didn't get-gotten-to during the week.

So far, the schedule has been been *slightly* successful....

And after a very looooong absence, I'm also trying to work out at least 3 times a week.
The last couple weeks have been good, so perhaps it will become a trend....
Yikes.

I also need to start going to bed earlier and getting UP earlier.
I just can't seem to do it....

EVERY NIGHT, I swear that I will be in bed asleep by 10pm...and EVERY NIGHT I'm crawling into bed at 12-1am....

In the morning?
I find myself sleeping until the last possible second before I drag myself outta bed to start the day and make Huz's lunch.....

If I could just get into the habit of getting up at like 5:00-5:30am?
I could shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, make lunch, and get a jump-start on my day before O was even awake.

But if you know me?

You know that it had to be an EMERGENCY for me to be out of bed that early.

Someday, like if we have another baby or when O starts school, I will probably be required to get up in the middle of the night, but for now, that's just SO FRIKKEN EARLY.

Too early. 
I used to do it when I had to take the bus to work....I swore never.again.ever.
Then, O was born and I was up every two hours for a brief time...
but he settled into such a nice sleeping pattern.
Now, I don't really get up before 7 most days....

Sigh.

But I probably should.

Can a 30-year-old night owl become a morning person?
Can I catch that damn worm?


Obviously, I need your help!



Any tips on starting your day before the Dawn of Man?

11 comments:

cake_lady said...

First, you NEED to get to bed earlier. Coming from me it's funny, but meh- Try eating a bit earlier and then brushing your teeth. That sends my body the message that it's time to shut down. Also, try reading a little in bed, or commit to a bedtime like you do with O. If you are rested and stick to getting up earlier, you will eventually do it without trying. My internal clock kicks me into LATE mode if i am sleeping past 6 any-day. Almost don't need an alarm clock anymore.-good luck!

Danna said...

Ugh, it is hard! I don't get up until around 7:15 to get kids ready & oldest to school. Hubby makes daughter's lunch the night before, that helps immensely! Also, I don't do ANY chores or housework after the kids go to bed, that's time for hubs and I to relax and unwind. Good luck with figuring it out, trust me when I say that you will figure out what is best for you & your fam. <3

Cave Momma said...

I could have written this post. I am struggling with the same thing. I have to MAKE myself get out of bed. But I'll tell you, when I get up early and workout, it is awesome. I feel good, it's super peaceful and I can enjoy breakfast and the computer without whining and "momma momma momma momma momma..."

Try it. 1 day. Oh... and I can't just say I'm going to "try". That whole yoda thing of no try, only do or whatever the eff it is... it's true. I HAVE to say at night "I am getting up at 5am". It seriously helps.

But, I'm still struggling. We should totally get together and procrastinate.

Anonymous said...

Oh my LORDY LORD LORDY!
This is my life in a nutshell.
I have given up on the early rising thing. It is SOOO not me. I just can't do it. 7am is still too early for my style, but Kaeden leaves me no options on that one.

I have discovered that, since I am comfortable being up until midnight, it is less difficult for me to use the late night hours productively than to try getting up early and bea zombie all day.

So, I would recommend you turn it around. Plan to be up a little later, say til midnight, and sleep til 7. Whatever you would have done in the morning, do at night. here is what I do at night after the boys go to sleep:

exercise, shower, every night
a couple nights a week I also check emails and catch up with that stuff
another night I balance accounts and such
another night I will clean my bathroom (before I shower)

Also, a big help for me has been bulk cooking. When I make oatmeal, I make a bunch of it and use the leftovers for future mornings. Same with dinner foods - used for leftover lunches. When I make pasta or veggies, I make LOTS and use it throughout the week. Basically anything that can be saved and reheated, I do.

Hope this helps. Much love to you Mama. Stay sane over there. Miss ya!

Jayne said...

CakeLady-Ha!That's hystericalllllll coming from you! But I know what you mean. :)

Danna-Thanks! I hope I will! I also try not to do chores after O goes to bed, so the Huz and I can just BE.

Jeneva-LOL. We TOTALLY need to get together and procrastinate! Yoda is a wise dude....

Daniella-I left you a voice mail!

thepsychobabble said...

I still struggle with this one. All. The. Time.

The Sweetest said...

I get up before the sun every day and have for years. I started doing it in graduate school, when I realized that if I didn't exercise first thing in the AM it wouldn't never happen. Now, my body demands it. The bad news is that I don't get any more done than you do. how do mothers with multiple children do anything? Also, my body wakes up at 5:30 no matter what. Even if I went to bed late.

Kelley said...

These sound like great goals! I should have a schedule like this one. One of these days...

Jenna said...

no tips, just commiseration. I hear you. I have 4 kids, but this was be when I had just one too :-P

Jayne said...

Thepsychobabble-Sigh. It is an EPIC struggle for sure!

Carrie-5:30am? Every day?? Ay! I dodn't know how mom's with multiple kids do it either!

Kelley-There's always tomorrow for goals to come true....wait...

Jenna-So basically, I'll always be frazzled no matter what? Okay, Check! Ha!

Anonymous said...

Wow we run almost the same daily schedule. I don't really have any advice for you. I have to be up early because of the kids or else I probably would sleep til noon. I miss sleeping til noon.