juggling act

This picture is from a quick trip we made to Galveston with my parents... but this guy reminds me a little of me. It feels like life is a balancing act around here.

There is school to be taught, activities to be taken to, work to be completed, laundry to be done, a house to clean, meals to be made, bills to be paid, and all the other stuff that makes up life for us around here.

Some days, I feel that even though we are busy, we are balanced. Other days, it feels as though I am standing on a house of cards, with a few missing, and I've just been handed a couple of juggling pins.

The past two weeks have been horrible because my sweet girl has been sick but it's been nice to be "stuck" at home. As nice as that forced break was, though, I'll be glad to get back to the daily balancing act of life here in our family.

Here's to a balanced, happy Monday!

ADD with a side of OCD

Does anyone else have this problem?

Yesterday I was making lunch. While getting out the lunch meat I decided to clean out the refrigerator. Yes, at the same time. In the process, I found some molding cheese in the deli drawer and remembered that Summer needs some moldy food for her biology class last week.

I thought I'd better check the class email but the phone rang and it was my neighbor, looking for packing tape. Gee, I know there's some around here somewhere... Pickles joined in the search and found it on her dad's vanity in the bathroom. (Sounds like someone else around here has ADD... who left that there???) Neighbor taped up her package and flagged down the mailman while I corralled the dog and kids back into the house.

A quick check back at the computer confirmed that some mold was indeed necessary so I made a note for the cheese ("Do NOT throw away. This is a biology experiment.") and returned it to the refrigerator shelf.

English muffins for my sandwich were put in the toaster and then I returned to the purging. I found three old containers of cream cheese and threw them in the trash (no mold here, though!). I pulled out a few more items and disposed of them while waiting for the muffins to toast.

I fixed my sandwich and ate, while helping Pickles with her Latin, then proceeded to put up our dirty dishes. At this point, I remembered the dishes in the dishwasher were clean and decided to put them away so I could wash the lunch plates and have a clean, empty sink. (I really, really like a clean, empty sink.)

Half way through the dish-putting-away I came across Summer's water bottle so I dutifully took it to the water bottle basket in the pantry. It was here that I noticed two opened boxes of graham crackers and decided to transfer the packages to two plastic, airtight containers. (There's nothing worse than stale chocolate graham crackers.)

Then I remembered that I wasn't done with the dishwasher!! So off to finish that little chore and put the dirties in I went. Next to the sink were two empty plastic containers that needed to be rinsed for the recycling. I grabbed those and started rinsing...

And then I remembered the three cream cheese containers I threw in the trash. (Here's where the OCD comes in...) I couldn't stand the thought of those three containers sitting in a landfill forever when all I had to do was clean them up and recycle them, especially when I just rinsed out a few other recyclables. The thought became so overwhelming that I DUG THROUGH THE TRASH to get them out for washing.

I know. I have a sickness.

The containers were emptied, washed, and put in the recycling bin. The dishes were put away and the sink cleaned.

That's me... Saving the environment one (or three) cream cheese container(s) at a time.

blasted facebook

It's ruined my blogging. My journaling has been reduced to status updates like...

• "is opening the windows."
• "whodunnit? it was the mother... with the missing book... in the closet. i win."
• "tomorrow is the first day of fall!!"

To be fair, I shouldn't blame it all on Facebook. Twitter has a hand in it, too.

• "Said goodbye to Colin, Min, Ryan, and Nannie. Drowning sorrows at Container Store."
• "Waiting to help jump a stranger's car... They (3 guys) can't figure out how to open the hood. Ha!!"
• "Driving through Houston with a plastic bag stuck to the grill of my car."

Really, there is more to me and my life than these piddly little status updates. But life has gotten so busy and I haven't made time to get my thoughts in order for blogging. It's sad, because blogging helps me remember... a moment, a feeling, a funny thing said or done. I have found myself thinking in short phrases instead of stories and complete thoughts.

And I don't like it. I'd like to remember more about funny things like changing that stranger's tire. Or moments of missing my precious family who lives so far away. Or the laughter and frustration over finding a lost book. I'm so busy that I'm not feeling. And I want to feel those emotions...

happy... sad... lonely... silly... sentimental... in the moment... noticing the little things and then exploring what makes me feel the way I do about those things...

Maybe I'll be better about this blogging thing. Maybe not.

One thing I do know... this felt good!!

thoughts on a saturday morning

this blueberry and cream cheese butter braid sure tastes good. (thank you, kim!)
and it goes nicely with this fresh cup of coffee with hazelnut creamer.
if i stopped drinking coffee, i'd probably lose 10 pounds.

i think my cat is losing her voice.
is that possible?

the double knockout roses that hubby planted this morning sure look pretty.
and happy to be in the ground.

the veggie garden is dying a slow death.
all that's left are a couple of non-producing tomato plants and pitiful pepper plants.
the morning glories are doing fine, no thanks to the deer.
and the rosemary bush is humongous.
looking at what you pay for that stuff in the store, i could make a killing off that one bush.

pickles is home from summer camp.
i think she grew a couple of inches.
there wasn't anything green growing on her teeth.
but she didn't brush her hair.
because she'd already packed her hairbrush the night before.
but that was okay, because she didn't stink.

summer leaves for youth camp on monday.
she's worried that her friends will sing happy birthday to her.
for the six hour ride there.
i'm glad i'm staying home.
but i'll miss her like crazy.
and she'd better not grow at all.
because she's now officially passed me up.

that new phone summer got for her birthday (a little early) is buzzing nonstop.
with texted birthday wishes (though it's not until tomorrow).
and messages of "hey, here's my phone number, too!"
summer is going to need physical therapy to uncurl her fingers.

supergirl and pickles have a clean room. (thank you, angela!)
it's stayed that way for two days.
and all laundry has made it into a basket.
i'm hopeful.
but i'm not holding my breath.

i feel motivated (sort of) to attack the laundry room today.
but i'd rather go to the fitness club.
and sit by the pool.

hubby is working today.
and i miss him.
boo.