The beginning of this school year brought many changes for our household. In addition to the college kid being gone, the high schooler now had a school permit and was a varsity cheerleader. These may not seem like big things, but it was an adjustment for all of us.
- Since big sister is not here to drive, it’s back to me driving her places—especially dance.
- The high schooler is driving. (That’s it. That’s the statement.)
- The high schooler now has a new group of cheerleader friends (some of whom she has known for years, but is hanging out with more) and they want to hang out ALL THE TIME.
- My husband and I are alone in the house more. You’d think we’d get more done. But no.
- The dogs are depressed because the girls aren’t around as much.
- The high schooler is working and guess who gets to driver her to work. Yes. Me.
In light of all of this, you would think that being in this state of semi-empty nesting that I would feel less stress and get more things done. As stated above—not so much. As school was getting started, I realized that we had a new schedule of chaos that involved other people’s children running in and out of my house at any given time. I decided that I need to figure out a schedule that I could use to stay on top of meals and groceries and cleaning, not feel like the house was a disaster at all times, and feel like I had some sort of control over what was happening around me.
As I was starting to work on this plan in my head, I had the opportunity to join a week-long organization and scheduling extravaganza put on by some great bloggers with experience in a whole variety of areas. I did not pay for the All-Access Pass that would have allowed me access to all the recordings for a couple of years, so I had to really pick and choose and find ways to watch the replays in the next 24 hours after they posted while still working and maintaining the mom-taxi schedule. I was able to implement some of the ideas and some I figured out on my own.
What I did:
- Concentrated Effort to clean up dishes every night. This may seem like a no-brainer and something everyone does or should do, but for us, we are often in such a hurry that the dishes get shoved in the sick or piled on the counter beside the sink. No one wants to deal with them, and I seem to always be waiting for a dish fairy to come along and take care of it. Since that wasn’t happening, I am being very diligent about unloading the dishwasher either while I’m cooking or as soon as dinner is done. I am reloading it after dinner and running it even if I think I could fit something else in there. This leaves some hand-wash dishes that I’m not getting done every night, but usually twice a week. This consists mostly of water bottles, travel cups, and the occasional pot, pan, or cookie sheet. How has this helped? Less obvious mess, more clean dishes, less anxiety about a not-clean kitchen, and feeling pretty good about taking the time to do it.
- Ironing work clothes at night. Again, probably a no-brainer for some people. I used to iron my work clothes every morning as I was getting ready. This was a part of my normal routine, but I wasn’t actually accounting for the time it would take. I was often rushed trying to get out the door. How has this helped? Picking out what I am going to wear the night before eliminates some of that frantic changing of outfits when nothing seems right and gives me a set plan with ironed clothes ready to put on in one minute.
- Thursday nights are cleaning nights. I am kind of giving up on trying to do a little cleaning each night. It made me frantic. It made me feel like I had so many things I was trying to cram into each night that nothing ever got done. Thursday nights are a little crazy with the dance schedule, so trying to fit in other things on that night wasn’t working either. How has this helped? Now, I am only focusing on the main level of the house to dust, sweep, vacuum, clean bathroom and kitchen, start laundry, and generally tidy up on Thursday nights to be ready for the influx of cheerleaders Fridays after school and various other friends over the weekend. I feel like I have only one focus and don’t really have to think too much about what I want to get done.
- Two-week meal planning. One of the seminars I watched was on monthly meal planning. This was something I did a couple years ago after watching a different seminar during the same organizing event, but then the pandemic hit, all planning went out the window, and I haven’t gotten back to it. The difference with this seminar is that she taught you not only how to meal plan but how to grocery shop for a month at a time. She suggests starting with just one or two weeks to not get overwhelmed. I started with two weeks. The planning was the easy part. Making the grocery list wasn’t too hard. Actually, none of it was too hard. How has this helped? I had less anxiety about meals this past Sunday which is when I meal plan for the week, and I didn’t have to do a whole big grocery run on Sunday when the store is completely packed. I did go get some produce, milk, and bread items in the evening that I had put off getting so they wouldn’t be stale. I don’t know if I’ll get to the full month part, but two weeks has sure made a big difference.
- End of Day prep. At the end of my day at work, I make a list of the things I need to do the next day as well as a list of the things I need to do when I get home. How has this helped? I feel more prepared for the next thing—whether it is what I do when I get home or what I do when I get to work the next morning. I am able to think through the schedule, look at my to-do list, and figure out timing of the mom-taxi and meal schedule.
The point of this post is that while these are small things that some of you may already do, and overall, they seem like small changes, and while I do a lot of other things to stay organized, I wasn’t doing these things. Those small changes have made a big difference in my mental state throughout the week. I have also found myself reorganizing shirt drawers that had become rather cluttered as I was putting away laundry. I realized that I could put it off and make an official “organize drawers” time or just take the couple of minutes to do it right then, and it was done. Don’t get me wrong—these changes are still new-ish and did take work to make. I have only fallen back to my old ways once which was this week for two nights. It made me realize how much calmer I am when I’m not looking at a sink of dirty dishes or scrambling to iron clothes before going to work.
I encourage you to take a look at a couple of small things in your life that are a constant struggle and see if you can find a small way to make them easier. And if you’re having trouble figuring it all out, that’s what I’m here for!
Peace from the Edge-
Julia
