What’s getting done these days

The answer is: not a whole lot.

I’m behind in just about everything and trying not to let it get to me. I’m still fighting sinus issues that either leave me with a headache or raw throat or random sneezing that’s not a cold, not really anything, but just.. blech. Not enough to bother me, but enough to be annoying when it happens. I have some other health issues too, that, well they’re annoying to possibly bad. Probably not life threatening bad, but.. you know. I’ve had things before (appendix) that the doctors ignored and yet it was eating me away inside, so I suppose I can just go in and see. I have to take the newbie in for her FOUR MONTH!  check up anyway, so I swindled my way into seeing her pediatrician (family doctor) too, so we have a double appointment on Thursday. My friend noted that when I mentioned one problem that…well moms often go to the bottom of the list, but I was taking myself off the list. At first, yeah I was annoyed. But like most things, it’s hurtful because it’s true. I started ignoring my hand/wrist after birth because it had been dealing with carpal tunnel throughout the pregnancy so a little bit of pain didn’t bother me too much. But then about the time of my friend’s oh so true statement, it got real: when you can’t hardly wipe your own ‘self’ after you go to the bathroom, and when you can barely hook your bra… it’s time to go in. I’m okay with having trouble opening things, or the random pain…but let’s face it, if you can’t wipe your own @$$ then you’re not much good to anyone, and my goal is to be there for my kids. If something is in the way of that, then I need to have it looked at, whether I want to or not. I’m just not the ‘go to the doctor’ type. We never did as kids unless something was broken, needed removed, etc. This has carried over to adult life, and let’s face it, being responsible means taking action on your own illness and injury, whether you want to or not. My motto has long been ‘I don’t see doctors, I have surgery’… but if I can avoid surgery by going to the doctor, or at least put my mind at ease, then I guess it’s worth it. Because of course not knowing is driving me up the wall. I’m crazy like that.

My latest attempt at 40 bags in 40 days started last week with clearing out and downsizing our cloth diapers. I’ve done some of it, but not all. This is what I started with:

There is still some work to do. We sorted through the oldest ones, I kept most of the newer ones, and I just have a few details to iron out before I change my mind and donate a bunch. Some haven’t been used since Keeley because I never wanted to pay for them to be fixed. Now I feel like a jerk. I should have done it, but never did. Oh well. You live and learn, right? So anyway, this will have to count for several days worth of 40 bags, because they were in boxes, and bags, and buckets…I have a solid number that I am keeping, and a few more I might sell or donate just depending on how it goes.

I’ve been weeding things out as we go, stuff that we don’t use being tucked into the giveaway box for the church thing in the fall. I’ve been rotating short sleeved items into the kids’ drawers and long sleeved items that are too small back out and into storage. Since we’re not sure if we’re done with kids or not, we’ll just have to hang onto the smallest stuff for a while longer. Even some of that (cuss-ed snap sleepers anyway) will be donated and a fond farewell knowing they will go to a baby in need, whose parents need them to be warm and don’t care that they snap instead of zip because their baby is clothed. I can be picky and I thank the good Lord (and my husband’s paycheck and very kind friends!) for that. So anyway….little bits at a time.

One thing I have learned in the last 4 months, that I keep learning over and over again is that slowing down is okay. I’d love to sit and weed through the kids clothes all in one day and have them tidy, but the weather, lack of storage and oddity of sizes (oh B, you are still so tiny at 2.5!) has me sorting each season, going back for things from the last year for the middle one, digging through hand me downs or hand outs for the oldest, and sighing when we’ve only worn half our 3-6 month onesies because it’s been too cold and it’s likely they won’t get used again. So I do it in fits and spurts and attempt to keep the kids in something they like that’s appropriate! Bless their hearts they just go with the flow for the most part. One day it’s 70 and the next 35 and there’s just no rhyme or reason. The bad thing is that once summer stuff is out, I’ll be having to desperately check fall items for school.. oh the injustice! Every time I start a project, it gets interrupted by a kid who screams and wakes up a baby who really needed that nap thankyouverymuch. Again, I just have to patient and try and do things as time allows. It might not be perfect, but at least I’m trying, and that’s what counts!

I’m doing less for ‘me’ than I wanted to, but see above. There’s not always a lot of time. At least not time where I can do things for me without disrupting the whole household. I’m continuing to pray and fighting off the jones for candy, but man…jones is a tough b@$tard. Give me chocolate! One thing that actually stays pretty well caught up is laundry. I still don’t have it perfect, but at least everyone is in some sort of clothing.. and that’s my last of my challenges for myself, so there’s your update: laundry, sweets, clean, pray, me.

If I need a pick me up, I can always turn on 5 seconds of Hoarders, or Maury and suddenly feel so much better about my own life. Truth? Truth. (I do this sparingly because it is so horrifying, but I do it, yes, yes I do!)

How are you doing on any Lenten challenges, or what’s going on in your life?