Sunday, June 14, 2009

A life's lesson in time management...

This is the end of Day 3 with nary a grandparent in sight. We are managing. And managing is exactly the right word for it. I never realized how much time management is involved with two little ones!

At this very moment, I am limiting my blog time to exactly ten minutes because in 13 minutes, hubby will be home, and I need to toast the garlic toast so that it will be warm when he walks in. Chloe Jane is in the tub, and will be ready to get out in exactly 15 minutes, which marks the beginning of her bedtime ritual (jammies, book, water, blanket, more water, Eskimo kisses, lights out). All this must be completed in exactly 30 minutes because, by that point, Maple Anne will be ready to eat again.

My entire day has run like that.

At the end of each of the last three days, I reflect back over the moments that didn't go so well and consider what I can do better to avoid such moments in the future.

Like the moment when I was trying to get that load of laundry hung up before Maple got too fussy from hunger. She was not yet at that critical point where, if she wasn't fed, she would go full-fledged, red-faced screaming infant. It just so happens that as she began to reach that point, Chloe Jane discovered a piece of string floating in her bath water, which caused her to scream out, "MOMMYYYYYYYYYY! IT'S DIRTY!!!! THE WATER!!!!!!!! IT'S A BUG!!!!!!! I WANT TO GET OUT!!!!!!!!!!!"

So there I was, standing with wet clothes in hand, bouncing a screaming infant while trying to reason with a panicky toddler.

It was not my finest moment. All I could do was laugh, let Maple scream, get Chloe out very quickly and leave her diapering/dressing for later, then comfort both of them on the couch - one in each arm - while finally feeding Maple.

At the end of that day, I decided that the laundry should have waited, and I should have fed Maple right when she woke up. Problem solved.

Each of the last three days have had moments like that (today more than the other two, it seems). And each day I learn something new about time management. I'm learning to do the things that really matter, and let the rest wait. And for the sake of peace in our home (and my own sanity), sometimes that means taking a nap when there is housework to be done.

And sometimes it means finishing a blog before I've said anything interesting because there is garlic toast to be made.

Toodle pip.

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The Quote That Started It All...

I myself have twelve hats, each one representing a different personality. Why be just yourself? - Margaret Atwood