The Big Routine - Part 2 only took 2 years!

I amuse myself. Someone has got to be finding this funny.  I decided to trawl back through anniversary posts - somewhat in disbelief that I've been blogging for 2 years!   Around this time two years ago, this was the post I came up with:

The Big Routine - What do I need?

Vegetable gardening week has thus far been an abyssmal flop.  I did have one day of planting, and managed to acquire some cuttings of Nasturtium, that are excellent for keeping away pests.  So instead of updating on the nonexistent veggie progress, I’m taking sometime out to review my month’s blogging to see what kind of routines that have been on my mind.  Hopefully it will give me some idea of a daily cleaning routine that I can then experiment with next week.

A personalised summary of routine cleaning and organising from previous blogs shows the features my cleaning routine needs to have:

1.       Using the electronic diary in the phone for all family commitments works

2.       I like to make cleaning fun, with games, aps and fun sounding things like 27 fling boogie.

3.       I can’t clean ‘all the things’ at night late, it leads to insomnia!

4.       Focussing on one area a week works well to remind me to prioritise cleaning

5.       It would be beneficial to have regular visitors to keep a level of cleaning frenzy going

6.       Whenever possible, always leave every room brighter (eg pickup rubbish/junk) throughout every day

7.       Regularly cleanout the fridge before bin day, pay bills as soon as they arrive (I’ve had some disappear into the paper piles!), upload pictures at least monthly, send greetings quarterly.

8.       Spend at least 2 hours everyday on cleaning until the chaos is controlled.

9.       Have 2 days in a row alone in the house to clean every fortnight at least, again until it is controlled.

10.   Keep on top of my teeth and hair care to keep me feeling presentable to the world

11.   Make effort to have some ‘emergency’ supplies to be prepared for changes.

 How to apply these criteria is coming up in part 2 of the big routine!

I find it incredibly funny and interesting to read this post. Some of these realisations have been such important mainstays in my life during the past two years, and others I am highly amused at the wishful thinking involved!

1. Using the electronic diary in my phone - this was a terrific thing, although I'm a feel it see it kind of person, so I reverted in 2014 to a funky paper diary that was heavy and annoying but didn't break when it was dropped. Right now I'm struggling by with day-to-day keeping it in my head, but I'm starting to fondly think of a diary system. I'm even considering giving all 3 children their own diary as my eldest's previous school did this from Prep and to be honest I think it teaches some excellent skills. You've got to remember what you're doing somehow.

2. Making cleaning fun - not only did I enjoy making cleaning fun, but it is an excellent way to rope in the children. We now have weekend competitions to go up cleaning 'levels' and I still occasionally use apps like "Unfuck my Habitat" and "Chore Wars". I constantly make a game out of small tasks that I ask the children to do and I have recently become very reliant on "27 Fling Boogie" by the Fly Lady.

3. Housework induced insomnia - still a real threat to my sanity. I rarely do any housework after 9pm, despite the need.

4. Focussing on one area and doing the cha cha at the same time - nope, that isn't happening. What is happening is that I do try to balance between de-junking or a deeper cleaning project and keeping on top of the laundry and dishwashing mountains. I don't take the concept of such balance very seriously.

5. Regular visitors - irregularly this is happening. In fact this is one area where it would be entirely sensible for me to make an effort. Life has happened. It is true that regardless of how I want my house clean and tidy for me, it is always easier when there are visitors coming to move more quickly. This is especially true for hubby who will do amazing things like mop the floor if he knows a baby is coming to visit. 

6. Pick up as I go along or 'leave it brighter' - this is incredibly powerful in my opinion. It is something that can be done a little, or a lot. I do it a little :P

7. looking back at this, I see number 7 as "Do ALL THE THINGS!", reminding me of the hilarious blog post about why the writer will never be an adult.  Breaking 7 down into its considerable parts....

• cleanout fridge before bin day - this is a great concept that is often implemented, yahoo!
• pay bills as soon as they arrive - *choke* what was I thinking? OK it is good in theory....
• upload pictures monthly - oh wow, what utopia was this I was dreaming of? In good news, what I have achieved is filing them according to the year and month they were taken. That is something.
• send greetings - obviously once this was written I immediately took to the idea that it was the thought that counted. I'd be lucky to have sent greetings at all in the last 2 years, let alone quarterly. 

8&9. From the same concept as number 4 I am simply not that kind of person who sticks to set chunks of anything. I don't even stick to blogging very well. While a very nice idea, right now I'd be happy to have a weekend alone in the house to tear through some things.

10.  Teeth and hair care - we have charts in this house. This is what they are for. 

11. Emergency supplies and preparation. Actually I'm doing well at this. It makes the whole household run more smoothly.   

And now I'm out of time for blogging and reflection. It was an amusing look back.  

There is no big routine, only many many small ones!

international women's day

I spent international women's day mostly contemplating domesticity - how I spend much of every day!  Interestingly this year I also spent the evening driving to Brisbane to see Jake Clemons with my good friend. While I was there, enjoying Jake's soulful performance I was still contemplating things on the home front. Jake's music leads itself to such introspection as he pauses during one song to remind us that the answers are inside of ourselves.

One of the hardest lessons that I am still struggling with is that you cannot change others, always the only changes you can make are within you.

So on international women's day, what is it that I want to change in myself that will improve things for myself and my daughters?

Typing while waiting for my child at school in a rare moment of "spare" time I am struck by how many things I juggle at the moment - and how likely it is that  many women experience similar levels of "juggling all the things"  at least the soundtrack right now is relaxing "I come from the Land Down Under" that the children are dancing to. 

Of all the roles I have at the moment the one I have resolved to improve on international women's day is that of wife. I've been concentrating on being a daughter and a mother for so many years that being a wife has taken a backseat.

Given that I'm juggling a gazillion things right now with family and household madness, my resolution is simple, despite finding a plethora of well-meaning advice of the subject of relationships.  I resolve to simply remember how much my husband devoted his time to supporting my Dad in the past few years. When my Dad needed an ambulance, he would call, when he needed an urgent doctor's script, he would arrange it. When Dad needed someone to stay with him overnight to make sure his oxygen stayed on while recovering from pneumonia, he would stay with him. He helped my Dad with all aspects of living, and was so deeply involved in his daily care.

So my IWD resolution this year is to remember the kindnesses that my husband gave my Dad.  I'll be remembering it when I disagree with his parenting, when I am picking up his clothes off the floor, when I am cranky that he 'forgot' to do a chore I asked him to help with, or when he's been home all day and not done the washing up.  I'll make my decisions from a place of love, not a place of fear.

I don't feel 'feminist' about this resolution, but I do feel very 'humanist'; that teaching girls to be strong is more about openly communicating about the challenges faced as a woman than demanding things from an individual than they may not be willing or capable of giving.  

A thank you for Jake Clemons

As I lie beside my restless little person, listening to the storm outside thinking about bringing us some rain I'm reminded of an August night last year, driving into Brisbane to the Old Museum Building in gentle misty rain to discover a little about Jake  Clemons' music.

That day I remember being pleasantly surprised by not only the mastery he has with voice and instruments alike, but how much the lyrics resonated with me, as did Jake's anecdotes about his journey to particular songs.

I've been excited about revisiting Jake's music since the Solbar wS announced as his tour start venue, so close to home for me!!  So much has passed since last August and I badly needed the time out that music brings.

The set did not disappoint - all my favourites and some new favourites now too!

We had a blast trying to make saxophone music as requested and I surprised myself at keeping a beat for at least half of one song!!!

 I was in awe of how a song about saying goodbye as a musician on the road can also hold true for the fraction of time and light that dementia allows you into someone's life - so often I was saying goodbye to Dad minutes after arriving to see him :(

I love Song for Hope, "a little hope will go a long way" such a simple concept but woven so cleverly into the complexity of human emotion and striking to the centre of human experience - I've spent the last few years living in that space, making the little hope stretch. Thank you for writing this song Jake!!!!

By the time Jake had finished introducing "bittersweet" I was already emotional at the parallels between his stories and my own. I think I spent a great deal of that particular song feeling all the feelings!

This was a particularly poignant set for me, a cleansing of the emotions and spirit, thank you Jake, you were such a gentleman tonight and I'm sure we all appreciated what a special night we were treated to!!!

Have a wonderful not at all bittersweet tour!