a nagging case of the 'just can't seem to get it togethers'

I sat down to write this post just after putting a pot of eggs on the stove to boil.  That was a mistake.  A mistake that perfectly illustrates what I'm trying to get across here, which is to say that:

Lately I'm feeling a bit frazzled,
a bit scattered,
a bit forgetful,

and things like traffic and the inopportunely timed (incessant, loud) meows of my cat are driving me significantly crazier than they used to.

I need to get it together.

I need to relearn how to do one thing at a time instead of trying to multitask beyond my ability, which generally ends up putting me more behind anyway~

Ever since daylight savings time began I can't seem to get dinner in Claire before 7pm, or that little body in the tub before almost 8pm and then by the time she actually falls asleep it's somewhere between too late and oops-that's-way-too-late.  It's great to be spending so much extra time outside getting too carried away with dirt or chickens or rocks to notice what time it is, but it does sort of make me feel a bit irresponsible on the parenting front.  I'm not going to keep this little one of mine from exploring the beauty that is the natural world, but I aim to eke out an evening routine that will work well for all of us.  No doubt it will look much like our old evening routine, wherever that's been hiding away.  Dinner, walk, bath, play, read, nurse, sleep.  Probably looks like a lot of folk's evening routine.

So that's the first thing on the list.

Next, I need to take stock of all of the projects I have going that are in various stages of completion, decide which are worthy of my time and effort, and continue on with those.  You see, I'm not so much a "finish what you started" kinda girl.  Not generally, anyway.  I get the sentiment behind that mindset but I just don't see the point of spending your precious time doing something just for the sake of finishing a task if you don't find it enjoyable.  Of course I don't mean things like dishes, washing the diapers, cleaning the toilet and whatnot.  Those things, along with many others like them, get done on a regular basis regardless of my level of enthusiasm.  But "extracurricular" projects you start that you find you don't really care for after seeing them through a couple stages?  I say forget about it.  Move on.  Next!

Then I need to continue to organize, simplify and downsize where I can.  With each additional article of clothing being swapped or donated and each piece of this or that being added to either the 'donate', 'yard sale', or 'craigslist' pile, I feel a bit lighter.  A bit freer.  My wardrobe has been drastically reduced, my spice cabinet organized, books organized, and we are working on eating our way through much of what is already in the freezer or pantry before piling more on top, but there is still room for more shedding.  The linen closet, old camping equipment, the dreaded "craft closet"..... Oh yes, much more work indeed.

Also on the list is to confront the few pesky things that seem to have taken up permanent residence on my "to-do" list, despite my best efforts to evict them by underlining and highlighting and writing them in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS with exclamation points !!! to get my attention long enough to do something about them.  Appointments to be made, emails to send, market preparations to be made, prints to order, frames to buy..... etc.  So maybe it's more than a few.  Pesky, I tell you.

Maybe the source of this scatter brained forgetfulness is my inability to just really relax for any length of time.  I used to be excellent at relaxing for quite extended periods of time but as it seems to happen, since my sweet babe came along I find myself borrowing time from one activity to work on another or vice versa.  Cramming things into little bits of time and expecting to be called away from them at any second. Take the eggs, for instance.  Instead of spending the 10 minutes it takes to boil eggs in the kitchen cleaning or prepping dinner, I tried to cram other things into that time and my reward was seriously hard cooked, almost smoked, blistered eggs.  Yum.

It makes me feel like I'm missing out on opportunities for mindfulness and for stillness.  Of course that's because I am.  Surely parenting and the "just can't seem to get it together's" don't have to go hand in hand.

I suppose realizing that my inability to get certain things done isn't actually that important because other way more important things are going on helps a bit.  Things like practicing running and stomping feet, trying to sound out words and animal sounds, dancing and pointing at body parts.  You know, the important stuff.  Mama just needs to find a bit of balance in it all I guess.  This is where my intention of establishing some kind of rhythm into our world comes in.  Not that we don't already have our own natural rhythm, but I'd like to try to add a bit more structure.  Carefully.  Gently.  Where I can.  And just see how it plays out.  Planned papa time during which mama.  can.  just.  be.  Room for planned outings and activities and room for creativity and spontaneity.  Time dedicated to weekly meal prep so that our meal times are consistently calm and unhurried, as they should be.  A bit of creative organizing throughout the home to help things flow more seamlessly.

I think we just might all like that a lot.

Off I go, to get it together.  And to breathe deeply, stay hydrated, and possibly make use of some tools I have laying around here to help me along the way: