Growing at Green Acres

It’s been a long week. Work commitments, design projects, and an unexpected trip out of town coming up this weekend for Lila and me has meant several late nights and cranky mornings. I’m uninspired, but I really want to at least make an effort to keep up with my challenge – even if it is half-hearted.

Four things I should be doing instead of writing this post:

Getting ready for bed.

Folding laundry.

Packing.

Sleeping.

What should you being doing instead of reading this post?

So… I didn’t post last night because I was in an Easter evening food coma and the new Mad Men wasn’t going to watch itself, was it?

Surprisingly, the most difficult thing about having two kids isn’t making sure you’re meeting the needs of both children. It’s trying to get a decent picture of them together.

Case in point:

Now here is where you should see the perfect photo, with both children looking adorably at the camera, but yeah…I didn’t get one of those. Maybe next year.

I’m squeezing this one in just in time…

If yesterday was a fun day, then today was definitely a work day. I took advantage of the fact that my in-laws took Lukas to an Easter party and that The Farmer was home to watch Lila by giving the house a decent cleaning. It looks pretty nice, for now. It’s far from my old cleaning standards (prior to kids I would wipe down the top of our kitchen cabinets WEEKLY, I think I’ve done it twice since we’ve been on the farm), but it’s still better than it’s been lately.

My biggest problem with cleaning is that I can’t seem to stay on task. I’ll go into Lukas’s room to dust his bookshelves and end up elbow deep in his closet or dresser packing up old clothes. I always end up tumbling down a rabbit hole of organizing instead of scrubbing the toilet. This is why I tend to like chores that have a definite end – I know exactly when I’m done and I can usually see it through without running off in fourteen other directions. I don’t necessary hate any chore, but there are some that give me a much higher level of satisfaction than others:

Making beds. A little bit of work for a big impact. If the rest of the house is a disaster I try to make sure the beds are made. It often inspires me to do more housework, but even if it doesn’t our bedrooms look better because the beds are neat.

Laundry. Putting away the laundry was one of the very first chores I was given as a kid. I found out later it was because my mom hated doing it so much. Of all the chores, I think laundry is my favorite. The sorting process satisfies my OCD tendencies. The machines do all of the actual work. It smells great when it’s done and once everything is folded and put away I feel such a great sense of accomplishment. I also pride myself on my ability to fold fitted sheets.

Ironing. I know this is a hated chore for many, but I sincerely love it. I don’t do it as much now, but I used iron whenever I felt like I needed to relax. Something about smoothing out those wrinkles soothed my anxiety…

Meal Planning. Since going back to work, having a meal plan each week has really saved my sanity. I don’t have a fancy system, but so far it’s working really well for us.

Do you have any chores you love to do?

I took a vacation day today. Good Friday used to be a holiday for our company, but it isn’t anymore. After several long and stressful weeks completing a catalog project, I really needed a break. Today was a holiday for The Farmer, as was yesterday, so he kindly offered to stay home with the kids so I could get some time to myself.

In my six hours ‘off’ I did the following:

Sold all of my maternity clothes to a consignment shop. I ended up making more than double what I’d anticipated. Yay!

Looked fruitlessly through at least two dozen stores for new work clothes. I ended up with a skirt that I’m lukewarm about and a black cardigan that I already own in another color. I think I’ve forgotten how to dress myself. I didn’t even see much that I wanted to try on. It was frustrating.

Bought a new pair of running shoes. My old ones were a casualty of the move, or so I thought. I pulled the new ones out to show The Farmer when I got home – and he brought in the old ones that he’d found buried in the garage while I was gone.

Purchased all of the ingredients for the desert I’m bringing to Easter dinner. Lemon. Poundcake. I’m so excited to bake tomorrow!

Did you have today off? What did you do?

I’m trying to knock this one out during my lunch break, so it will be a quick one.

Four Random Anna Facts

I can’t sleep if our closet doors are open. Making sure they’re closed is part of my bedtime routine.

I have incredibly dense hair (even with the postpartum clumps that are currently falling out). I generally shower at night now and go to bed with wet hair. When I get up in the morning it’s still damp enough to require the hair dryer.

I listen to sports talk radio.

When I was born I didn’t have a name for three days. My parents couldn’t decide until a nurse threatened them that they wouldn’t be able to take me home until I had a name.

Do you have any random bedtime habits, hair issues, radio station preferences, or stories about your name?