Earlier this week I received a kind comment on my Honey Mustard Salad Dressing Recipe post wondering how I manage so many things at once. You know, raising a toddler, knitting for Japan, managing my Etsy shop, crafting, learning pottery, gardening, cooking, reading and posting on two blogs. And that doesn't include my part-time freelancing work and managing a household!
My short answer was I don't like to sit still and I do most of my crafting and all of my blogging when Nathan's in bed -- and I stay up way later than I should. But I can do better than that. It's simple, really: I don't do it all. There are plenty of things I want to be doing (or doing better) but don't have the time or energy for, and I do get some help.
There are days when my kitchen floor doesn't get swept or I forget to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Just last week I didn't pay my car insurance bill on time (I thought I'd already paid it) and received a notice in the mail in a pink envelope (pink!) that I'd better pay or else. And I don't even know when I scrubbed the kitchen floor last.
And although I manage the household and perform most of its associated duties, I do get help from my husband. If I'm the brains behind the operation, he's the brawn. He takes out the garbage, does his own laundry, fixes things that break and takes turns with me cooking dinner. That last one is the best.
And then there are things we do together, like spend time with our son and bathing, dressing and feeding the baby who is so boylike it's becoming harder and harder to call him a baby.
It's true that I do a lot of crafting and extracurrucular activities, but they're possible because I wedge them in when I can, and sometimes that means being opportunistic or even rushing to get them done. My garden doesn't look as good as it could look -- trust me, it'll look much worse as the season goes on -- and I don't get much time to bake.
But that's okay because I want to put my family first. I prioritize my family's needs and then my wants (choosing knitting over baking, or showering, say) and when it comes right down to it, I'm not really doing it all. I'm just doing it.
On that note, I think I should go mop the kitchen floor now. : )
My short answer was I don't like to sit still and I do most of my crafting and all of my blogging when Nathan's in bed -- and I stay up way later than I should. But I can do better than that. It's simple, really: I don't do it all. There are plenty of things I want to be doing (or doing better) but don't have the time or energy for, and I do get some help.
There are days when my kitchen floor doesn't get swept or I forget to switch the clothes from the washer to the dryer. Just last week I didn't pay my car insurance bill on time (I thought I'd already paid it) and received a notice in the mail in a pink envelope (pink!) that I'd better pay or else. And I don't even know when I scrubbed the kitchen floor last.
And although I manage the household and perform most of its associated duties, I do get help from my husband. If I'm the brains behind the operation, he's the brawn. He takes out the garbage, does his own laundry, fixes things that break and takes turns with me cooking dinner. That last one is the best.
And then there are things we do together, like spend time with our son and bathing, dressing and feeding the baby who is so boylike it's becoming harder and harder to call him a baby.
It's true that I do a lot of crafting and extracurrucular activities, but they're possible because I wedge them in when I can, and sometimes that means being opportunistic or even rushing to get them done. My garden doesn't look as good as it could look -- trust me, it'll look much worse as the season goes on -- and I don't get much time to bake.
But that's okay because I want to put my family first. I prioritize my family's needs and then my wants (choosing knitting over baking, or showering, say) and when it comes right down to it, I'm not really doing it all. I'm just doing it.
On that note, I think I should go mop the kitchen floor now. : )
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| Nathan's "helping" us put his trike together. |
this is so frustating.....i have been writing comments on your posts but they just dont show.
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ReplyDeleteso finally the last comment showed....didnt knw wht happened i left comments four times in last two days but they didnt show.
ReplyDeletethanks for sharing this post....i'll be really honest here....when i read the reply of that comment i felt that u and ur life is kind of perfect..i thought of pushing myself and doing more things than i can....but after reading this post i am inspired to do more...not pushing but simply trying, being more organised and prioritise.
i read ur post on increasing food costs once and it helped me in certain ways.
i am in love that green plate from ur pottery classes and the robin looks very real with glass eyes.
Himadri, my life is far from perfect! : ) I'm actually trying to do less and be in the moment more, but it's hard with all these ideas swirling around in my head. There are times when I want to slow down and just BE...but it's hard when you're the creative type that has to keep on moving. I'm never still! : )
ReplyDeleteFinding ways of squeezing in a wealth of interests and responsibilities into a small amount of time takes some creativity and persistence, I find (like you, I work part time from home and have a lot of interests). Thanks for sharing your ideas for crafting a full and happy life!
ReplyDeleteI completely get that idea, often looking at pictures of my happy kids wearing something I just finished making thinking "I wish I thought to sweep the floor before I took this picture." Of course if I had then I would not be finished making the dresses and they would not be giddy with glee and smiling happily at me. No picture. So I'll take the floor as it is and keep the smiles. Keep at it. But I think I will go sweep the floor now.
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