I feel as though summer got away from us, which I shouldn't. We did some pretty cool stuff. We spent time at the lake, although not as much as we wanted. Matthew has yet to spend the night there, which I can't believe. I think it is me dragging my feet- I don't know if I could sleep with all that water just outside the back door. Soon though, I will conquer this fear.
We went to the Dragon Boat races downtown. We went to Cosi. I think we went to the zoo. Surely we went to the zoo? How can I not remember the zoo? We took a family trip to Kentucky. We went swimming at Aunt Debbie's and took swimming lessons at Big Splash. We hung out in my son's little backyard blow up pool. We had fires in the fire pit. Why do I feel as though we were way busier than I remember?
Time is just flying by. I simply cannot believe that I have a three and a half year old son. We just celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary. I have been at my "new" job for a year and a half. I've lost nearly 30 pounds, which I also feel as though flew by unnoticed. I look in the mirror and can't tell, really.
I am still searching for the perfect planning system for our family. I used to use two planners- one for the family that I kept on the kitchen counter and one for work. Then I went to just the one for work, going back to my old way of planning, with work items running from top to bottom on the tasks page and personal items running bottom to top. I knew it was going to be a long day when those two lists met in the middle! This really isn't working anymore. My son has too many activities and there is just to much to remember for him- permission slips and money due to school for trips and play dates and china social group activities... then there is mom. Rent is due and dentists appointments are scheduled, and insurance calls need made...then we threw in the second adoption. Forms needed completed and birth certificates needed ordered and now I have to remember to schedule a meeting with that new young baby sitter from church that we want to use while we run out to look for wallpaper for the new baby's room. And the holidays are right around the corner!
So I am going back to two separate planning systems. My work planner is usually in my briefcase in the car or upstairs on my desk. Even when it is close by I often don't open it in the evening to review the family "stuff". I still use my "family journal" when I am out of town so Brad knows what is what, but that is just too bulky to keep out on the counter and use every day. I still use a little bit of the fly lady system to keep the house pulled together, although I don't use the daily cleaning tasks since we have someone cleaning the house every couple of weeks. I do use the morning and nightly rituals and try to never go to bed until my sink is shining.
Planning system or not I still need to slow time down! Seriously, it is out of control. In an effort to assure that we do all the fun family stuff we want to do this fall, this month, really, I made a list, complete with orange pumpkins, and taped it to our kitchen cupboards. We have already checked off Fu Social Group and pull together Halloween costume. We still have to make sure we schedule time for apple picking, a visit to a pumpkin patch, a high school football game, making apple pies, the church hayride, and trick or treating. I just know that some of that would not happen if we didn't schedule it now.
Someday when I have some free time, (what?) I might just create my own perfect "working mom" calendar. I am just not happy with the choices out there right now and I am having a difficult time believing that Franklin Covey can't solve my problems. I have been a HUGE fan of all things Covey ever since my first real job. After years with the same company I came to realize that they really didn't have their act together and certainly were not able to properly plan for these uncertain economic times, but back then I was truly impressed that this organization made it a priority to send every new manager to the Franklin Covey planning class. Since then I have never had a planning situation that my hero was unable to provide for. Is it time to part ways? I don't know if I can say goodbye.
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