Life Happens

I've had some nice new visitors come to my humble blog over the past few weeks -- other Christian moms who have checked in for some reason or another. I returned the interest and went over to their sites to see who they are and what they're up to. Interestingly, I've been reading a lot about homeschooling (which I don't do), sewing (which I really don't do, except for the random popped button, or a ridiculous repair to a torn hem), and -- what really caught my attention -- some very detailed weekly scheduling, more specifically in regard to housekeeping. The coincidence of it all made me chuckle, since several weeks ago I imposed my own weekly "chore-challenge." I humbly bow and admit I've got nothing on these women. I'm in awe.

But it made me realize something about myself - it's just not me. Sure, I did the structured weekly thing for a while, really trying hard and setting my sights rather low (giving myself an entire day to dust and vacuum, for example, leaving room for all of those uncertainties that were bound to crop up). But despite my efforts, I found that, while my apartment was clean, it didn't look any different. There were still toys around (which we pick up at the end of the day), there were still dishes in the sink (I can only wash so much at one time without going crazy!), there were still papers lying around because there just isn't a lot of surface space to put things in our apartment. While I still have my compartmentalized weekly list hanging on the cupboard door in my kitchen, serving as a "tsk-tsk" reminder of what I should be doing, I find that I just can't seem to stick to it. Yes, I do my chores -- but as they come up. I have found that I'm more of a "let's-see-what-needs-to-get-done-today" kind of girl. For example, Tuesdays were designated as "dusting and vacuuming day" but I doubt I'll get to that today because:
- I have to pay the bills
- I have to take care of the recycling
- I have to put the pile of clothes away in my room (I ran short of hangers after my awesome garage sale shopping spree)
- I have dishes to wash, and clean ones to put away
- I have coupons to clip and paperwork/clutter to find homes for
- my son is sick
- there will, predictably, be about 50 other unexpected things that will pop up during the day as well
- I have children to cuddle and read to and play with
- I need to enjoy the beautiful outdoors for my own sanity and need for fresh air

Besides, I just dusted on Saturday, for whatever reason (getting out of order), so that leaves me free to take care of these other random things today.

I find all this stuff interesting. What makes structure and scheduling work for some folks but not for me? I am not a lazy person, and in theory I am an organized person by nature, and yet I still find that imposed schedules just don't seem to work for me. It's got nothing to do with being more diligent, or working harder at it. It's just ... well, it just is. I think part of the issue is that I live with 3 other people and a dog, all of whom operate in their own ways and all of whom have needs. I might implement a certain code of living, or designate a certain spot for the dumping of all clutter and correspondence ... but then my husband comes home from work and puts his stuff somewhere else, thus upsetting the fragile balance I have tried to establish.

And I think another part of it is that life just isn't that predictable -- at least not for me. I might say, "On Tuesday morning I will dust and vacuum," but then my son gets sick and I need to run to the pharmacy, and I see that we're out of juice or whatever else he might need ... and oh yes, I see that we have no fruit in the house because the bananas ripened prematurely so I need to run out and get that ... and oh yes, those movies from Blockbuster have to be back by noon or else we'll get fined so I'll add that to my unexpected errand trip this morning ... and oh yes, the library books are due today and we don't want to get fined for that either ..." Now THAT is what my real life is like. It's kind of like creating a budget, seeing that every item of expense and every bit of income look so perfect on that piece of paper, and according to those calculations we should be almost-millionaires by now ... but then LIFE kicks in. Our dog gets sick and suddenly there's a massive sucking sound as $200 gets wiped out of our account quickly, efficiently, unexpectedly, and painfully; Grace pooped way too many times this week and we used up all of the diapers sooner than anticipated; Aidan's sick and needs medication that wasn't in the budget; we're having guests for dinner and I need to buy more food for them, thereby increasing our beautifully budgeted weekly grocery bill and throwing everything else out of whack. Life Happens.

Interesting stuff. Obviously there isn't one "right way" of running a household. If a schedule works for some, awesome! But in my case, it seems I am definitely a take-care-of-it-as-you-go kind of girl, at least in this phase of my life. And now, with that said, I am off to the Black Hole called my kitchen to take care of what needs to be taken care of ... Dusting and vacuuming? Maybe later.