There have been some setbacks in all of this life-improvement I’ve been doing.
There have been things that have really discouraged me. I missed my credit card payment and was assessed a late fee. I mean, seriously. I have like, two things I am in charge of financially and I have screwed up on it two months in a row. That makes me feel pretty inept. I have just had so much going on, I forgot.
I have also had a major laundry SNAFU that caused me angst. Pretty much everything that could go wrong with this load? DID.
I had been doing laundry all day and juggling that with well, everything else. I was just burned out from the day. The kids were difficult and we had just struggled through some really complicated homework for them both. I asked them to gather their laundry and I admit that I just wanted to be DONE and wasn’t paying attention. I didn’t dissolve the detergent in water like I normally do, I didn’t even check anything. I just threw the clothes in, scooped in detergent, pushed start and slammed the lid shut.
Problems with that?
For one, I forgot that I had just washed a load on “Small” and “Delicate” settings. And…I didn’t check the stuff the kids gave me other than it was all a dark load.
So…Not only do I have a half-damp, half-dry load of laundry with clumped on, hardened detergent, but I discovered that one of the pillowcases the kids gave me was COVERED IN CAT POO. And not a small amount of cat poo, either.
Yippee.
THAT clean up process was just no fun. No, not at all.
BUT!
I have had some really good things that have been happening, too! I feel so much more pulled together and in control. My kids and husband are happier and I am having the satisfaction of knowing that I am working hard and any “Down” or “Fun time” that I have is well earned. It makes it sweeter, somehow.
For the last few weeks I have been trying to make a daily goal of trying to tackle one area of my house and eradicate the clutter in it. The surfaces of my house are clutter magnets, especially because it’s so small and there isn’t a lot of storage. Also, because I am a cluttery, cluttery person. So far, I’ve gotten the two worst areas (My bedroom and the living room) under control. Well, actually the WORST area is my computer desk and office, but I am just not up for it right now.So…I’m happy with that.
I have also been able to keep up with dishes, laundry and general picking up. This “Clean as you go” has always been a toughie for me. I am used to being fairly lazy and then BAM!!! I clean, and clean and clean to a microscopic, scrub with bleach and a toothbrush level. To the point of exhausted burn out that takes quite a while to recover from.
I love cleaning sessions like that. It’s very therapeutic. I clean when I am totally pissed off and it makes me feel better.
The kids have had some hiccups in their schooling, but due to sticktoitivness, we’re back on track. I still love volunteering in the classroom, and I’ve been teaching them how to cook. While we usually eat together, I have been putting more effort into the meals that I serve.
It’s been good.
Family time has been good.
I wish that Jonathan and I had more time together. Alone, couple time. Jon has been working a ton of hours and I’ve been on my own till pretty late a lot of nights. It’s been ok. I have been in hermit mode so I don’t mind staying at home a lot more. Besides, it isn’t like I haven’t seen people. I’m going to lunch with a group of Cache Valley Bloggers, so that should be fun. I am also planning on getting together with my homies sometime this weekend.
Although…Maybe I should be more concerned with my mental state after allowing “Homie” to be anywhere in my vernacular.
My next task is to find a really good shampoo and conditioner. I have thin, frizzy, slightly wavy (As in, a totally unattractive way) hair. I know that this sounds like a lame thing to worry over, but there are SO many products out there. I have a site that I love that reviews makeup, skin care, etc. (Check my sideblog) but she states that she doesn’t narrow down hair products too much because there are so many good ones. I was considering Bliss Supershine Shampoo, but I’m not sure.
Any suggestions?
Filed under: 
Um… I am the worst with shampoo. I now buy cheap shampoo. Too many times have my kids dropped the shampoo and not put it back up. Sucks when expensive product goes down the drain without even using it. /sigh
Luncheon will be great!
Hanging out will be great too!
Cat poop. Ew.
Yay for happy successes! I have problems with that continuity/consistency thing too, but you already know that. I keep thinking “maybe this time I’ll actually keep it up.” I’m still waiting for it to stick. . . .
Hmm, maybe this time, though. . . .
I used to have ‘marathon’ cleaning sessions, too. Then felt so utterly self-righteous when I was done….
THEN I realized, hey, there are four of us here. Everybody has a share! I was teaching full-time, so….
We taught the kids very early how to sort their laundry, take it to the laundry room. Then, how to empty the dryer and fold their own clothes and put them away. As they got a little older, they were responsible for their own laundry from start to finish. (by 4th or 5th grade)
They also had to clean their own rooms, make their own beds, take out garbage, do dishes, vacuum, dust, etc.
Yes, they complained at times, and I told them – “we all live here, we all work here. Get over it!”
We also taught them how to cook, starting with simple things of course. By highschool age both of them could cook and bake anything I could.
Yes, they complained at times, yes, I told them I didn’t care, DO IT! The important part of this all was my husband’s support!
My hair is fine and thin, too, although just standing next to me could straighten your hair – my hair is THAT straight. I like Pantene Full and Thick when I’m buying in the supermarket and Body Shop Olive Glossing Shampoo & Conditioner when I’m in the mood to pay twice as much.
finally, SOMETHING i can help with. you need to find burt’s bees shampoo/conditioner in raspberry and hazelnut. they smell incredible, and are the most amazing antidote for my dry hair. they are each $10.99 canadian, but you don’t need to use as much. (dime-sized amount). AND the ingredients are mostly natural.
if i lived near you, i’d TOTALLY babysit so you and jonathan would get some alone time.
i hear you on being a hermit now. (hug)
I know this sounds so obsessive, but I am thinking about making a schedule of my time. I seem to waste so much when I don’t have an agenda. We have a schedule for school, why not for home? Not like I would be rigid, with no room for unexpected stuff, but it would be easier for me to get stuff done if I scheduled it. I have seen other people do it, and it actually works.
Sorry to hear about the cat poo/etc. I have also heard that Burt’s Bees stuff is really good. I’ve tried a few of their things, but haven’t done the shampoo/conditioner yet.
my favorite shampoos/conditioners are Matrix Biolage…and I am really enjoying Bed Head’s Dumb Blonde. It’s not just for blondes…it’s for anyone who colors their hair. It smells great.
Do NOT use Paul Mitchell’s Color Care shampoo. I hate that stuff. The conditioner is really heavy.
I think you should go with a liquid detergent to avoid that nasty clumping effect.
Plus, I find that Pantene Pro-V really helps add great hydration and radiance. The multi-Pro-Vitamin system repairs up to two years of damage from highlights, blow-drying and more!
Bridgy-the more I read, the more I find that there are really good, inexpensive products out there. I’m just trying to find the best one for my hair. ARG.
Hairy-I still cannot believe that you struggle with organization and consistency. You blow me away.
Sharon-I have really focused on chores with my kids this year and it is helping. My husband gets frustrated with their performance, but that’s how you learn.
Karen-My hair is fine but has this ANNOYING wave (Like, I cannot get it to look attractive, dammit.) I have used Pantene a lot and liked it.
Bee- I like Burt’s Bees. Their lipstick rocks my world. Thank you for the offer to babysit. I’d totally let you.
Julie- I have much more of a general schedule and routine than I ever though possible. I realized that this summer when I spent so much time traveling from family funeral to family funeral. I don’t necessarily have a TIME that things have to be done, but if I miss too many days without doing A,B,C and D I get CRANKY.
Jess-I’ve used Bed Head before and I totally liked it. Never used Mitchell products or Matrix but I’ve heard good things about the latter.
The Brother-It is totally obvious that you are a “Product POSER”. Still, you make me laugh. And, it is getting increasingly amusing to remind you of our HUGE AGE DIFFERENCE…so, I’ll let you live. :D
My hair is the opposite of yours, so I am no help. Glad things are going well – YOU DESERVE IT!
You also deserve a HOT DATE NIGHT. Get on that, will ya?
where do cupcakes fit into all of that?
Only LL could have that much trouble with a single load of laundry.
lol… I have to start reading blogs again.
I have very fine hair that tends to frizz too. I don’t think I’ve found the perfect combination yet, but I keep going back to Tigi Bed Head Moisture Maniac Shampoo and Biolage Daily Leave-In Tonic. Last time I got my hair cut, the stylist gave me a sample of KMS MoistRepair shampoo and conditioner, and I was able to get a few days out of it, during which my hair looked and felt great.
Pantene is the devil.
Honey, you may have a lot of things, but unattractive hair ain’t one of em. ;-)