Thursday, October 22, 2009

Something's Gotta Give

Let me just start off by saying I do NOT like having a messy house. I HATE having dirty dishes in the sink and I DESPISE the laundry that continues to pile up. Adjusting to life as a single mom the past few years has not been easy. It isn't ideal that I work a full time job out of the home... nevertheless, it must be done. It was at that point I realized that "Something's Gotta Give" and I would just have to learn to "live" with a mess from time to time.

Fast forward to present day and add school to the mix. I have three classes for credit and one class that is required but no credit. I have calculated that I spend about 10-12 hours a week doing homework for my Computer class (this instructor gives a ton of busy work), about 4-6 hours for my Communication class and about 4-6 hours for my Criminal Justice class. That is like 24 hours a week, which is approximately 3-3 1/2 hours a night, if I did homework every night; which I do not. Suffice it to say, I can get stressed!

Some would criticize and say that if I am busy with school, I should forsake EVERYTHING else. However, if you KNEW me, you would know that I NEED other sorts of distractions too, or else I would get so sick of school, I would give up. Seriously... I hate monotony. So, I am enjoying directing the play. I am enjoying blogging, tho I can't always catch up on everyone's when I want to. I enjoy Facebook, but don't let it take up too much time (I don't play the games, etc). I love writing, although, that has been placed on the back burner until Christmas Break. I love music, and that is something I will never forsake.

I was engaging in textual relations with Eric recently and asked, "Do you ever feel like you have a soundtrack for your life? I mean do certain things in your life remind you of certain songs or vice versa?" He replied, "Absolutely! I think I try to find the music that completes that movie on a daily basis!" I texted back, "Me too! Probably why I am running out of room on my iPod." To which he responded, "That's a BIG soundtrack!" To which I said, "Roflmbo! Yes, well... a LOT has happened. I find myself adding new tunes when I am ready for something new in my life, I guess."

But it's true; that is how I feel. When I am going through another stage of my life, I actually search, and "try to find the music that completes" me during that time. Anyway, how did this post turn into something about music when it was supposed to be about my stress? I guess my point is, that I have a lot going on, hence the "big soundtrack".

Ok, back to the topic at hand... I am in school, and everything else in my life is still full and crazy, and I CHOOSE to create adventures so I do not go crazy! But, something's still gotta give. Unfortunately, that "something" is still my house. It is in worse shape now than before. And I have come to the conclusion that until I am done with school, I am just gonna live in a messy house. Thankfully, I have great kids who help clean (well, 2 out of 3 do anyway. the third one gets mysterious "stomach aches"...). FunnyMan pretty much takes care of the downstairs. Yeah, he's awesome like that. PrettyPrettyPrincess cleans the front room, the bathroom and keeps my kitchen counters wiped down. Yeah, that's how she rolls. I am grateful for the neighbor that periodically mows my lawn because I just can't seem to get a handle on it. If only the weeds and the bushes wouldn't get out of hand. :(

I have made some minor adjustments to help out... such as we are "Going White" here (as opposed to "going green"). My Pantry is stocked with disposable cups, plates, bowls, and utensils. Seriously, I love not having to fuss with dishes. I feel a little guilty, but I remind myself of all of the water I am conserving!

Now... if they could just make disposable clothes so my laundry pile would disappear...

What about you? Did something ever have to "give" in your life?

14 comments:

Susie said...

Sometimes, my cleaning has to give. There is just too much life to live:-)

Deborah said...

Cleaning is it for me too. Where I live, it's so incredibly dusty that you really need to dust every single day to avoid having visible dust on the tabletops and other horizontal surfaces. If I'm lucky I dust once a week ... I have air cleaners in the bedroom and living room that help, and I just deal with it. If it starts annoying me too badly, I just dust the tops, or better yet, grab a Swiffer sweeper cloth and use that to get rid of noticeable dust.

Denise @ Sunflowers, Chocolate and Little Boys said...

I have never been the best housecleaner and when I got sick it got WAY worse. I hate the way it is now, but it is just too much for me to handle alone. My boys arent quite old enough to handle real chores (they still make more of a mess when they try to help) so it pretty much all falls on me. And I can only get stuff done on good days.
You have so much going on and I know that being a single parent is rough. Throw in school along with parenting and work and you have ZERO time left for yourself. How much longer will you be in school? Hopefully only a semester or two.

deb@virginia blue said...

you have so much going on, emma, that the last thing you need is to add guilt about your house not being perfectly clean all the time! when i was working full time it was REALLY hard for me to make peace with the fact that the house wasn't going to be as clean as i wanted it to be all the time...letting go of that control took me a long time to conquer.

balance is a tough thing to achieve with all the things people are trying to accomplish these days. it seems there's ALWAYS something that's gotta give, we just have to find out what works for each of us.

okeydokeyifine said...

Yeah, that is when each child started to do his/her own laundry. And we did not have too many clothes so that the laundry day of said child would not be too much to handle. Each child did a supper one night a week and that included the clean up. We still had RID the house day and such. I love chore charts and organization and I think it helped me get through it. The house was never spotless but it was not a month worth of mess either. Honestly, I had 2 sisters that would take 2-3 days to dig out just so someone could come over. So just don't let it get to that stage. We want your house to have that lived in look.

kissypoohporter said...

unfortunately the first thing that i "give" on is schoolwork...i do independent study, which is wonderful and horrible all at the same time! blessing and a curse!

next is housework...then cooking! it's so hard to be motivated to make dinner when my kitchen looks like something exploded!

i guess i just do the best i can...i let it go...i sit down and watch a movie...

some call these things avoidance...i say i have to try and keep some sort of sanity...i'm on the brink of a nervous breakdown everyday! why push myself over the edge when i know i don't like the bottom?

hang in there...and ask for help...there is no shame in that!!

Alice in Wonderland said...

I HATE living in a mess! I feel just so stressed and upset if there is a mess of any sort!

Ruthykins said...

my apartment is a mess. i need to clean it today. basically, i can live the bedrooms being a complete disaster, but i need to get the livingroom, diningroom, and kitchen under control. the bathroom never really gets too messy and i recently scrubbed the toilet, so i can usually let the bathroom slide. unless i'm having special company (a clean freak) over.

BlueCastle said...

"engaging in textual relations"

I'm dying. That is hilarious. :) You always make me laugh.

Kudos to you for getting your kids involved in cleaning. It's good for them, and good for you too. :) Maybe you can find a "cure" for those stomachaches...

Puphigirl said...

My housework is the first to go too since I have to make time for homework, attending classes on campus and fulfilling my church callings. Luckily my husband and children pick up the slack (mostly dishes and laundry).

One thing that motivates me to clean the house is have a party. This past weekend I FINALLY got rid of some piles. Yay! I can see the tops of tables and desks! I even washed walls and the wood floor. But, I'm terrible at the turn around (the putting everything back after the party).

Our Two Blessings From Above said...

I too hate dishes in the sink! I don't do well with a messy house so with 2 boys I find I never get to sit down. I guess it is my fault in a way, but sometimes it gets done faster if I do it. The laundry is off the charts with the amount of showers they take. For me, the laundry has to give!! I hope your busy schedule slows down soon.

Rhonda said...

you KNOW I'm in the same boat with laundry. I can't do my calling, my kids activities, my wifely duties, my shuttling, and all the other junk that goes on and STILL always be caught up on the laundry. But ya know, it waits for me. lol

dorneys said...

wow I am ready for a nap now :)

Charlotte said...

Parties are definitely good motivators for me too. I'm having a big Halloween bash next weekend so cleaning the house is my only plan this weekend. Most of the time I'm ignoring several messes at once, but luckily I have a wonderful hubby that takes care of me!