Organizing

I know that there are a lot of times that I tend to repetitively write about the same thing over and over and over, or at least that is how it feels to me.  Here I am again writing about organization and my lack there of.  I really need to go through my kids' toys and get them organized so that I can feel like my house is not full of toys.  On the other hand, I really need to get my craft supplies organized so that I know what I have and figure out if there are things that I either have double of (because I was not organized) or if there are things that I can get rid of.  I am really getting tired of feeling stressed because I am so unorganized!  Also, maybe, just maybe if things are organized, then I will find time to be creative and enjoy my craft supplies.

The other area that I need to get organized in is meal planning.  Actually after I write this post, I am off to plan for the next week.  I really need to plan what I am going to eat and what I will eat when I have certain cravings, since I really need and want to get my eating under control.  I talked to my husband about some of these things today and we decided that I just need to do it.  I can't keep putting it of, rationalizing it, or making excuses.  It is hard without a set schedule like we have during the school year, but I guess I just need to put a schedule together for myself and plan my meals and go grocery shopping around the foods that I need to be eating.

If I can get myself organized, I am sure that I will have more time for other things and I am absolutely sure that I will be way less stressed.  I am hoping that if I get my eating under control that will help me with some of the procrastination that I am having since I think the foods that I am eating are making me feel less motivated and almost spacey.  What I need to do is just do what I know needs to be done and know that I may need to work a lot harder at it than some people who are just naturally organized and neat.

I know what I need to do, how I need to do it, but now I just need to actually follow through and do it!

Amy

What Do I Need To Do?

I have all these ideas and thoughts, but the follow through isn't always there.  With summer being here and my husband being home and Michael in school for the month of July, we have taken advantage of just having 2 kids to take out for our daily walks and have gone for a 4 mile walk usually about 3-4 days a week.  We have also attempted to spend a lot of time with the kids playing outside and maybe even getting some gardening done.  What we haven't really had is a set formal schedule other than Michael's school.  What this has done for me, is to take away some structure that I had and now I haven't gone and done a normal grocery shopping, made a normal meal plan, cooked dinner, cleaned house, done laundry, made time for creating, gone to any farmer's markets.  This means, my goals of being organized, eating healthy, being creative, etc have all gone by the wayside.  Also, we have my brother in law staying with us, and as much as it's not his fault, it has really either caused some planning issues or at least given me a way to rationalize (albeit an abnormal rationale) why I am not getting things done.

One of the reasons that I like writing this blog, is that it helps to keep my head a little more clear about what my goals are.  I may not always follow through with them, but at least I am thinking and writing and hopefully following some of them.  To give myself some credit, I have been exercising.  I have made some better meal choices, though not always great.  I have started making water kefir and milk kefir, though I am feeling like I am getting behind in that area as well.  I have been having some green smoothies, though I really want to have more.  I really want to start menu planning again.  For some reason, having my husband home has made me lazy in this area.  I need to get back on track.

Long and Short Term Goals?:

1. plan my meals for the week
2. have a green smoothie every day
3. exercise
4. be creative
5. cook/eat at home versus eating crappy unhealthy food out
6. continue to read more about aromatherapy and herbs
7. continue to research nutrition and healthy diet
8. reasearch and get new recipes
9. read and follow "the Body Ecology Diet", and allergy diets
10. go grocery shopping
11. finish Rebecca's baby shower gift!

Thanks to those who read!  I love having a place to put my thoughts and ideas down and sometimes even get comments/thoughts back!

Amy

Craziness of Life

So, this is the second post between my 2 main blogs that are fairly similar to each other.  Today was just a plain crazy day.  For some reason, I felt extremely stressed, but I have no idea why I felt extra stressed today.  My husband is going back to work Monday after being on Christmas vacation, and my goal is to get a schedule (albeit flexible) in place.  I am hoping that with a litle bit of a schedule, I won't feel so stressed at times.  As much as I hate to admit that I like schedules, I actually lilke to plan out how my day, my week is going to look.  I am not a spontaneous person, but I also know that I don't want to be too rigid.  I absolutely have to plan my meals and my household chores!  I really want to plan my days with the kids so that they don't go crazy, and I don't go crazy trying to figure out how to keep them occupied.  There are a few things that I want to add into our day, like arts/craft projects, dress up, some preschool type activities, some exercise activities to get out some energy, and most definitely some quiet time/nap time.  As much as I know that I should start this schedule now, I am definitely going to wait til after the new year.  I need to get all our EI dates into place and then plan around that and my work schedule.  I am hoping to schedule some play groups so the kids can get together with other kids and maybe I can even get together with some moms! 

I am also starting my gluten free dairy free diet today.  So far, I have done pretty well.  I went to a gluten free bakery nearby in Belmont and I know that there was dairy in what I ate.  I also added butter to my dinner, but I am not going to go crazy over it!  Hopefully this will help me overall, and I will feel better physically and mentally.  I am hoping that I will get a little more energy/desire to do the things that need to get done, like clean the house and cook dinner.  I am hoping that I am not so foggy.  I am hoping that I have less digestive issues.  I may feel worse before I feel better, but here's to a lifelong change to overall health.  I think being more scheduled with help with all of my goals!

If ayone one has some good scheduling ideas for 3 toddlers, please pass them on!

Thanks,
Amy

Routines

With my husband being back in school, I am struggling to get a little routine in.  Since I have all 3 kids all day with 2 days of early intervention and 1 day of playgroup, plus be home in time to get ready for work, I figure a routine will be beneficial all around. 

First off, I have to admit, I am not a routine/schedule type of person.  The only reason that I have somewhat of a schedule is so that I ensure that things will get done the way they need to.  Since we have things that are scheduled every week now, I am going to try to be better at organizing my day/week/month.  I keep talking about it, and I really do start to try to get organized, but I just never seem to keep up.  I'm sure following a routine will help with that as well as many other things that have gone by the wayside.

One of the things that is going pretty horribly right now is my eating.  I am trying to do an elimination diet to confirm food allergies.  I start off doing well, but then I go off track because my less than organized day is off.  My doctor said that I don't have to eliminate foods until I meet with the dietician, unless I want to.  My goal is to start eliminating so that I am closer to being done with it than trying to start it after my meeting, especially since I don't think that she'll tell me differently than my doctor has.  I guess my best bet is to make the appointment, along with the other appointments I have to make for the kids and be done with it.  I was going to start with eliminating foods again tonight, but I have a graduation party tomorrow and I don't know what foods will be there.  I know that the food allergy is not serious enough to make it important to start immediately.  I do think that I will have less degestive issues and maybe even less congestion issues if I do eliminate the foods that the test says I am allergic to.  The thing with eliminating these foods is that I will most likely eat healthier.  I have been doing better with that, except for lately, but getting into a routine and getting back on track will be good all around.

Routines and schedules are important, but for me and my family they are not carved in stone.  I know that there are a lot of people out there that swear by their routines and never deviate from them, but I am not that type of person, nor do I want to be that type of person.  My routines and schedule will be set to make life easier, but will also be flexible enough that if something comes up, say a playdate, we will b eable to attend!

Amy