I am always flattered when someone asks how I “do it all.” If only they knew that…GASP…
I don’t.
Not even close!
Heaven knows I don’t, and you should know too! And when it seems like maybe I have, it’s only that I haven’t done it all at once. I must be a good illusionist on occasion…just call me David Copperfield!
So, tonight we’re having a really neat couple over for dinner…and I have some getting ready to do. Let me tell you what i haven’t done yet and what i will do…between a fussy baby with an ear infection and a crafty 4 year-old who has already done play-doh and is now cutting tiny pieces of paper all over the kitchen table and subsequently the floor.
I won’t vacuum until the last possible minute…and then I’ll send said 4-yr old to play in his room and I’ll hold the baby while i vacuum it so he won’t pull out more junk!
I’ll clean off the island in my kitchen which is a repository for all things junky. Like right now it has, my coffee cup, a bunch of rotten bananas (which in 5 minutes will go in the freezer to make banana bread another day), a candle, my cell phone, a stack of bills, my Bible study guide, my wallet, a card, another stack of papers and magazines, a Netflix movie, a stack of paper plates, a coaster (that my coffee cup is NOT sitting on), and this very computer. Wow! That’s a lot of stuff…and it’s actually cleaner looking right now that most days!
I won’t stress over the pile of junk in the upstairs hallways, because it’s been sitting there for a month and out of the sight of others, means out of my mind…at least for a little while longer! And I really can’t stand sorting through clothes…so that’s what’s there…bins of kids clothing!
I will make most all of dinner ahead. And later today I’ll tell you how to do this very impressive recipe ahead too…Shrimp and Grits.
I will start my laundry and put away the stuff from yesterday (that i didn’t get around to doing yesterday.) Because THIS is what happens if i don’t!
I will play with my kids. And if it’s nice outside, I will take a walk with them outside this afternoon…partly to keep me sane, and partly to keep the house clean (which I’ll have to do most of during naptime.) And think of it this way if the playing part is painful for you (which let’s be honest, it is for everyone sometimes)…when you play say UNO for example with your kids, only UNO is what gets pulled out. Left to their own devices, kids pull out the FREE WORLD and only play with a small portion of it. Voila…playing with your kids means…less to clean up later!
And anything else that i can’t figure out where to put…in the last minutes…well, it’ll probably all go in here!
And there you have it…the secrets of a great illusionist! Or at least one…
The junk drawer!
Glad to hear you have stacks — I have them everywhere! I keep saying that I'll have more time when I get done with school, but somehow I keep thinking I'm fooling myself.
I get that all the time, it is an illusion, people see the best of you and don't see what is behind it often!
I have to see your dining room pics, you are indeed two years ahead of the trend curve, I must talk to you about other ideas you must have! HA!
Janell
HAHAHA – those drawers are life savers!!
Ok ok ok I confess….I haven't read every post but I have been "lurking"/reading and not commenting/being lazy….then I saw your fb comment…..let's see…did I read about a dare I say POOT and did I see you point out a Mr.Pennisi….that would be a YES….I'm a instant fan! It seems your creative whims don't fall sort with your gift of words…I love how when I read, I feel like I'm standing outside the nursery with a baby on my hip and you're telling me your latest greatest story!
That might well be one of the best compliments i can imagine! I love that you feel like you're standing outside the nursery too…that's exactly how I'd want you to feel! And honestly, that's how i feel when i write!