Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!
On Friday, I folded down the seats in “Maxine,” my station wagon, and headed over to collect my daughter’s stuff from her college dorm room, using all my Tetris skills to cram a refrigerator, hand truck, foot locker, 3 drawer units, 2 Rubbermaid bins, the Keurig she adopted after I got an Aeropress for Christmas, and assorted smaller items into the car. The doors all closed and I could see out all the windows.
There was a desperate-looking mom parked next to me on move-out day. She had loaded all the soft, squishy-looking (but bulky) things into her small SUV first. Large, structured items littered the sidewalk around her car. I very nearly offered to help her unload the whole thing and start over, but you never know how those suggestions would be taken, so I just made a joke about playing Tetris and got into the car to wait for my daughter. (I’m still wondering if I should have made that offer to help reload her car. Packing is my superpower.)
For the record, “Maxine” was a wise purchase. My old minivan had more cubic feet of space, but it was nowhere near this accessible and usable. The van was nowhere near this stylish or comfortable either. I don’t miss too much about that van.
In my slow-but-steady pursuit of Inbox Zero (AKA the Impossible Dream) I have reduced my inbox to about 1500–less than half of what it was when I started working on it.
This week I’ve made a batch of cookies and a batch of meatballs and sauce and now I’m waiting for a loaf of sourdough bread to rise.
Other than that, it’s been same old, same old, and that’s OK.
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I feel like I’m really reaching to find successes today. Yesterday kicked my butt for reasons I won’t go into here. I’m trying to reboot, a little, today.
It’s been a good week at work…I learned a couple of new things, (mostly) stuck with the workflow plan I designed for myself a couple of weeks ago, and saw a brainstorm come to fruition. It’s really cool to offer an idea and then be allowed to run with the ball.
Next week Hubs and I will be going to a long-term service awards dinner his company is hosting. That meant (eeek!) I have to dress up. My work-at-home/occasional-substitute-teacher/church-on-Sunday wardrobe isn’t going to cut it. I asked one of my folk-group friends for fashion advice because she always is beautifully dressed and looks so put together. She works part-time and offered to go shopping with me one afternoon. We had a fun time; I got a flowy sweater to go over my little black dress, a pencil skirt and blouse (which I’d never have chosen if I was shopping on my own) for TheKid’s graduation, and a pair of foot-friendly shoes–HALF PRICE. They’re too casual for the business dinner, but I can wear them just about everywhere else.
These go with just about everything!
Speaking of graduation, yesterday I got a notice from the school asking for a photo for the “Guess the Graduate” bulletin board–always a fun feature! I dipped into the digital archives and found this gem. TheKid is more than OK with using this one.
This is probably my most favorite photo of TheKid.
I’m hoping for a better day today. And I won’t say no to a Memorare for a special intention, if you’re prayerfully-inclined. (Thanks!)
I looked out the front window Tuesday morning and saw the lilacs beginning to bloom. I’ll enjoy their sight and scent, for about a week. And then they’ll be gone.
It’s important to appreciate the fleeting things while you have them. So I opened the window and savored the lilacs, and got work done while I listened to a mockingbird’s serenade.
Lilac season lasts about as long as Tech Week at the high school (10 days or so). It’s Tech Week right now, and I’m volunteering at the Tech Week Dinners, bringing chicken tacos or salad and croutons, pouring drinks, wiping tables, and marveling at the great kids who participate in the musical. People who think all high-school kids are self-centered need to show up at a Tech Week Dinner. They will see students carrying plates and drinks for someone who has full hands or an arm in a sling. They’ll see students making sure to tell the Dinner Moms that their friend has a track meet and will be arriving late for dinner, and asking if we’d save a plate or two. They’ll watch a student walk through the line with the shyest girl of all and invite her to sit at a table full of friends. They’ll hear students thanking us for the dinner from the second they walk into the cafeteria, as they pass through the line, after they say grace before the meal and again before they head to their 4-hour rehearsal.
I’ve gotten through the two Tech Week Dinners so far without any panic attacks, so that’s definitely an improvement over previous years. And it’s been nice; I remember quite a few people who ask about my Big Kids and wonder if I missed being the one who organized two weeks of food for 100 people. (No, I don’t miss running it, but I have missed being there.)
This week I also made a small tweak in my work “schedule” (such as it is; I don’t have an assigned schedule. As long as each article at CatholicMom.com is posted at its scheduled time, no one cares what time I work or in what order I do things.) Reworking a few things in my workflow has allowed me to be more efficient, which is a good thing! Yesterday I had to pick up some medical supplies for TheKid yesterday and bundled in a trip (first ever!) to Trader Joe’s where I did not buy everything in sight, so I guess that can count as a success.
And my giant sugar cookies with sprinkles were a huge hit at the school bake sale. I sent in 2 dozen and TheKid reported that only one cookie was left after first lunch.
This has been one of those weeks when I’m just glad I have a job with a flexible schedule and a husband who doesn’t get too upset when the dust accumulates to the point where you can write your name in it. It’s been one unplanned thing after another.
MONDAY during the day I had to run over to the school and deal with an insulin-pump infusion set gone bad. I spent an hour on the phone when the supplier of insulin-pump equipment called to tell me that effective last week, the infusion sets TheKid uses have been discontinued. That’s probably for the best, as they haven’t worked out super well for him (as evidenced by that earlier run to school), but it caused a scramble. I emailed the diabetes educators at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (where he goes for treatment and classes) for guidance.
He’s tried 2 out of these 3 and neither one works for him.
TUESDAY I had the whole day ahead of me so I worked like crazy and got a lot done, and it’s a good thing I did, because CHOP offered to squeeze us in on WEDNESDAY for a consultation about new infusion sets.
WEDNESDAY I did the grocery shopping and some laundry and put fresh sheets on my bed, then picked TheKid up at school to head to the NJ branch of CHOP (not his favorite location due to lack of a Food Court, but beggars can’t be choosers when it comes to last-minute appointments). He tried on a new set, likes it so far, and we were on our way.
While we were out and in the area (40 minutes from home) I returned two defective backpacks to the LL Bean store. I’d already replaced my daughter’s, and TheKid was using his backpack, broken zipper and all. He emptied it out in the car on the way to the store. I’m glad I got those packs at LL Bean, because they were super about taking the return of one pack that had a hole in it after 3 weeks and one with a bad zipper (both packs were new this fall). TheKid walked out of there with a replacement pack and I got a refund on the other one.
I had all kinds of plans for what will get done TODAY, but then my daughter texted me rather late last night to ask if I’d go through the 2 suitcases and 2 Rubbermaid bins she’d brought home yesterday from college to see if she’d left her wallet in with her stuff. Answer: yes.
So this morning after rush hour I’ll be heading over there to drop off her forgotten wallet. And then I have Adoration, and then a council meeting for Secular Franciscans. I should get busy putting together the agenda, come to think of it.
In light of all this, I think a slow-cooker dinner is in order for tonight. (It looks like this, but without the potatoes. I’ll serve it over rice.)
After that, when I get a few minutes, I’m going to unsubscribe from all the time-management newsletters I get in my email. Those “experts” have nice ideas, but I’m convinced they don’t have children with medical issues that can change at the drop of a hat. My productivity is directly related to a lack of kid-related errands and phone calls.
And you know what? That’s OK. That’s the season of life I’m in. I’m glad that I’m free (enough) this morning to run that wallet to my daughter. I’m glad I can zip over to school to deal with an unanticipated pump-site change. Do I wish I didn’t have to do either of those things? In some ways. But my time management right now involves doing as much work as I can when I know I have time to do it, because I never know if that window of work time I’ve planned for later in the week is going to be open.
So today my Small Successes is brought to you by my slow cooker, the free cup of coffee from Wawa that’s going to help fuel my trip to Philly with a forgotten wallet, and Adoration.
Last week I had the whole week off work, except for 2 or 3 quick tasks that were time-sensitive. It was a little weird at first. When you work from home, your job is always right there with you, so it took some effort to remind myself that everything that still had to be done was stuff that could wait until this week.
I read a couple of books just for fun. I didn’t get as much done on my own blogs as I wanted to, but that work’s not going anywhere.
I still have some of my Easter candy left; I did not gobble it all up on the first 3 days.
And this morning, with the Science Fair looming along with the needs for color-printing presentation materials, I fixed the color printer, which would only print in color but not in black even though the black ink cartridge was 80% full. Everything’s looking good now!
Last Thursday night we headed to Gettysburg where we toured the museum (meh) and the cyclorama (WAY cool) and hired a battlefield guide who drove us around in our own car for 3 hours and told the story of the battle, start to finish. I got some cool photos!
Fences and skies of Gettysburg. All of these were shot in a 3-hour period on the same afternoon. Crazy weather! We got drenched in a rainstorm in the middle of it.
I’m supposed to be taking the week off from work (and I’ve managed to do that, about 95% of the way). It feels weird. I think that’s partly because I work from home, so it’s really always there, on the same desk as my planner and notebook with my household stuff and personal projects. So walking away is tougher.One thing that made it a little easier to put my feet up this week is that asthma has been kicking my butt. I’m finally noticing that the cough is starting to let up. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours just sitting on the couch with a decaf and a novel that I didn’t have to read for work or a book review or anything. Just a novel, to read for fun. It’s not the world’s most fantastic novel by any means, but it’s not challenging to read and that’s what I needed.
I picked up TheKid’s summer wardrobe this week. He has plenty of T-shirts but none of his shorts or swim trunks fit him, so it was off to Target:
Shorts: any color as long as they’re tan. He’s more flexible when it comes to swimwear.
I’ve been taking advantage of the lack of rehearsals, performances and other outside-the-house commitments over the last few days to get a long-neglected chore completed and doing a lot of baking (and recipe blogging! I’d had a 2-week unplanned hiatus from my cooking blog, but I more than made up for that this week.)
First, the chore. I’ll start my Walk of Shame by admitting that when I took all the ornaments off the Christmas tree, I put them straight into a box and a shopping bag and never wrapped them up to protect them in storage. Then that box and bag sat on top of the storage bins where the ornaments belong–right behind my front door–for two solid months. Yesterday I bit the bullet, turned on “Property Brothers” on HGTV (that channel is my guilty pleasure) and got every last ornament packed away properly in just 1 1/2 episodes.
That’s one of those chores that just gets put off and put off for no good reason and stares you in the face and makes you feel awful about your housekeeping abilities until you get it done.
And then, the baking (a little cooking, too!) I wanted to put my mom’s Irish soda bread recipe up for St. Patrick’s Day. I didn’t bake one this year because only Hubs and I eat it and this recipe makes a huge soda bread.
Instead, this morning I made Irish biscuits for breakfast. YUM. In this photo they look more like scones, but Granma made them two ways: sliced like scones or as drop biscuits, which is what I did this morning because I was feeling lazy and they taste equally delicious either way.
Yesterday I tried a new bread recipe that was a total hit! One of my cousins shared a link to a recipe for a certain type of bread that’s only made in the corner of Ireland where Granma grew up. I’ll be sharing that recipe on Saturday at Cook and Count.
Want some more Irish baking ideas? Try Tea Brack (and use good strong tea, like Irish breakfast, to make it!)
And a decidedly NOT Irish cooking success came when I wound up with over 6 cups of mashed potatoes after my daughter decided to try to make pierogi over the weekend while I was at the theatre. The first pierogi didn’t work so she abandoned the effort but saved the potatoes. What was I going to do with all of those?
That’s Pierogi Lasagna right there, and you’ll find the recipe tomorrow at Cook and Count. Perfect for your Meatless Friday and a frugal way to use up those mashed potatoes!
It’s felt good to be back in the kitchen cooking (and back at the desk, writing about cooking) after being so busy at the theatre. No more rehearsals until after Easter vacation, when TheKid starts gearing up for Pippin at the high school he’ll be attending next year. He can’t wait!
Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!
I’ve spent two days this week at the community theatre as a stagehand for TheKid’s show. If you’ve never been a stagehand, let me tell you that it’s a tougher job than you might think. There’s squeezing into small spaces, moving quickly and precisely during short blackouts, and doing a large part of your job in the dark while dodging cast members in (sometimes large) costumes who are trying to get to their places for the next scene.
Today they designated me Substitute Stage Manger for some crazy reason, and I had a young apprentice who wanted to help, so I decided that he’d be the Props-meister, and he did a great job taking care of some small but very important details during each show.
There were no Confetti Malfunctions.
I love this set! It opens up for the Beast’s castle. And check out the tiny little mouse hole!
Last weekend I ran the box office (as I will do again this weekend) and so far the register has balanced each time.
AND I’ve coordinated the food donations for Saturday afternoon’s cast party. I’m bringing a slow cooker full of vodka pasta and a batch of Oreo-stuffed chocolate chip cookies, because the kids love those and it’s become a tradition.
We celebrated TheKid’s birthday (Sunday) and his Confirmation (Monday).
I’m almost caught up on the laundry. We’re not talking about the state of the rest of the house, but costume pieces needed to be washed yesterday, and I’m going to need that “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” T-shirt clean for weekend box-office wear.
I’m about ready to stop juggling now, but it’s (mostly) been a great time, except for that little bit on Tuesday morning when I had a Near Occasion of Intimidation resulting from contact with someone who has that kind of personality that intimidates me.
Oh yeah, and that part today when I turned around too quickly after moving the set and ran SMACK into a piece that sticks out. That’ll leave a mark…
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This week it’s pretty much been prep work and cleanup around here.
PREP: TheKid is in the community theatre’s musical for children, “Beauty and the Beast Jr.” The show opens tomorrow, and I’m going to be spending my weekends (9 performances over 3 days x 2 weekends) in the box office and 2 weekdays (3 performances each) as a stagehand.
Cogsworth (the clock) is mine. The mustache is fake. The pendulum is not. We have geniuses creating costumes at this theatre. I am not one of them.
I’m trying to make sure we have good dinners even when I’m not around all day long (though on Saturday this weekend I think it’s going to be takeout). I’ve been working hard to get ahead at work so that I can miss two days in the middle of the week. All in all, my to-do list is my best friend as the show approaches!
CLEANUP: Yesterday we had electricians here to take care of some things that weren’t working anymore (2 ceiling fans, overhead lighting in TheKid’s room and one doomed high-hat in the kitchen). That meant 3 bedrooms where I had to strip beds before they got there, and 4 rooms needing cleanup after they left. I still need to vacuum my daughter’s room but it’ll be done before she returns from college tomorrow for her week of spring break.
And FUN: In the middle of all this crazy I am taking some time out for ME, to go meet one of the CatholicMom contributing writers, Lisa Hess, who is doing a presentation at the local library. I’ve read her work for years (her blog and her 2 novels) and I’m so looking forward to meeting her in person tomorrow!
For a little comic relief: I spent the dress rehearsal wondering how long it was going to be before this little boy had a mustache malfunction. How cute is he?!
I braved some absolutely crazy weather, heading out 5 minutes late and between storms to go to the Penance Service last night. My soul is now squeaky clean.
And I’ve reconciled myself to the fact that Penance Services are never going to be opportunities for a really deeply-moving confession experience. They’re a sacramental express line, and maybe their purpose really is to convince us that the sacrament itself is not so scary, not so terrible–so that we’ll make a point of going to Confession more regularly. (Did I just say that a Penance Service is a sacramental gateway drug? Well, yes. I guess I did.)
I have only 3 board games left to put away after the Game Closet Cleanout last week. I’ve made arrangements for Purple Heart to pick up the games in good shape that we’re going to donate (as well as all the high-school uniform pants I’d been saving for TheKid–because the school changed to color of the uniform pants.) All the puzzles and a brand-new set of Legos (in an open box but with all pieces still in plastic bags) are going to the school tomorrow. These are great for indoor recess, which happens a lot at this time of year, and two teachers have already accepted my offer of these toys.
Besides the closet, I’ve cleaned out 2 drawers, one bench where we dump stuff as we come in, and my van–because I got shiny new wheels on Friday!
Still dithering about a name: Felix or Maxine? TheKid suggests Julio.
No more minivan! I’m a station-wagon mom now. I’ve admired these cars for quite a while and am now trying to figure out how I’ll manage to live up to its style. Yes, my car is more stylish than me.
I’m just happy to have unloaded the 10 1/2-year-old van with its myriad annoying electrical issues (which deserve a post of their own) and a transmission that feels like it’s going to fall out of the car when you’re driving around neighborhoods at 20 mph.
