What a surprise it is, that we are eight whole days into the new year and I am all ready flagging on my goal of trying to do a little bit of something every day. Doesn’t help that my eldest is at home sick with Strep throat, but that’s really just a minor setback, and not much of an excuse. Coming off the winter break (a.k.a. the Christmas holidays) I’m just having a difficult time settling back into my usual work schedule, of 3 hours, mid day of day job activities, surrounded by parenting duties, school pick ups, play group attendance and chores around the house. Really, the fact is I’m just taking longer than usual to adjust to real life after fourteen days of having everyone home and no work on the books, save for one small item that took less than an hour to accomplish. I do think that as my regularly scheduled life and responsibilities start to make themselves known, I’ll be able to settle into my fully functioning schedule. I think the best part of having multiple corporate clients with very different schedules, means I can keep somewhat busy all year, rather than having 2-3 months of seriously quiet downtime.
On a much happier note, we got my eldest looked after and she is on the mend. Her fever of 104 degrees has finally broken and the antibiotics are doing what they should. She’ll be well enough to go back to school tomorrow. That will have made for a very short first week back for the new year. Given the grade she’s in, that’s not a major setback, as there are no exams or testing done at her age. I think she’ll be tickled pink to be back among her friends, and to not feel so rotten. She really looked rough yesterday, and the constant waking in the night to cry and need a drink, and wander from her bed to the bathroom, made her worse for wear.
In other news, I’m still drinking more water, which is more of a benefit than any kind of a resolution, since I don’t consume alcohol much, if at all, beyond a couple over the holidays. But I do like soda, carbonated drinks, and fruit juices. But you can only get a head ache at 2:00pm every day for so long before you really do have to adjust your habits. Although since I know my eyes are getting worse with age, I did assume some of that was due to eye strain, but it’s more likely due to my not imbibing actual proper just plain water.
Something else that I have actually been doing, was going through one or two drawers per day, and tidying up the house. I tackled a couple of kitchen drawers the other day, and sent all of the extra napkins, and plastic utensils to work with my wife, so her cafeteria could put that stuff to use, instead of tipping it all directly into the trash. Sorted out my baking drawer too. Found all of the random sprinkle shakers and put them together. I now (and don’t know for how long I will remember it) have a decent count of all of our cupcake wrappers. Next big job is the junk drawer that is full of electrical parts, batteries, rubber bands, and all sorts of manuals and bits and pieces. No rush, as long as I get to it sometime this year, I’ll be happy with myself.
That’s the goal though isn’t it, small manageable tasks that give you a small win every day. Try to do it all at once and it becomes overwhelming and daunting and you’re more prone to giving up or giving in to the mess. Maybe I do need to get more corporate clients, so I can afford to build a new row of lower cupboards with a nice countertop along the far wall of our dining room to add much needed storage space on our main floor. We have a very nice, yet not terribly functional piece of antique wood furniture there, a side board, or hutch, or banquette type thing. It’s nearly one hundred years old, and has been in my wife’s extended family for a while. We have been stewards of this heirloom furniture, but our kids are remorseless with them. Will need to refinish them, before they go to someone else for safe keeping.
I dabble in wood working, and I desperately want to build us a new dining room table, one that fits the space better than the current one. Although I think for the love of all that is good and holy, I will start by building two desks for use at the cottage to bone up on my skills, before making something as expensive as a hard wood dining table. I’m going to attempt a char at some point too. Probably something more utilitarian that I can keep in my workspace, rather than in the house.
Anyway, stay golden pony boy.
-M
Greatwall Studios Graphic Design 