Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Trying To Fit It All In


This has been a crazy busy time for us at the mini mansion.  It is no bloody wonder when I collapse into bed at night I literally go comatose until the alarm goes off.

The company I've been working at through the temp agency has offered me a permanent position in their accounting department.  Right now their need is for full time plus, meaning I'll have the opportunity for a lot of overtime.  It also means I'll have to be careful not to get myself back into that all too familiar mode of working long hours at the expense of my home, family, friends and myself.

This past week was a true test of just that as I worked longer hours to get a miserable project completed in time for a deadline.  Fortunately my girls are old enough to be of more help at home which made a huge difference compared to times past.  The only thing that really got neglected was the laundry which the youngest and I managed to get all done in a surprisingly short amount of time on Saturday morning.

We typically work throughout the week to keep our house up and meals prepared.  Last time I was working full time we would use one Friday night a month as our big grocery shopping night and then a couple weeks later a smaller shopping trip to fill in with fresh milk and produce.  I think we will be going back to that routine as well.


My goal is for our weekends to not be filled with chores and catching up on all the things we didn't get done during the week, which is how things used to be.  They need to be relaxing and fun filled.  I also want to throw in the occasional day trip and other things like picnics, bike rides and movies.  We need to do more fun stuff.

Another thing I'm going to try to do is prepare more freeze ahead items for meal preparations.  Right now I've got one container of Taco soup and some cooked beans.  I need to add other elements to help us with meal preparation on a busy week night.  I also need to add some things the girls can easily fix for lunches while I'm at work during the summer.

The biggest thing for me is to not get too caught up in my job and keep my focus on the other important areas of my life.  All things in moderation. 

How are some ways you save time and energy when things get busy?

4 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the job offer! :)
    When life get really busy and it seems like there are things falling between the cracks I have to do pretty much what you are planning to do- just adjust the way we do things to make it all work out. I understand how you are striving for that balance of work, family, etc. It can be hard, but I'm sure you will be able to make it work. It is nice that your girls are older and can help you keep up with everything. Maybe you can take a certain time during each week and have a "cooking session" together. Plan out several meals to make and freeze for during the week (some for when you are eating together and some for when the girls are on their own for a meal.) I think that would be fun to do together! I have had grocery trips turn out fun when we did them together as a family- most times it is uneventful but just being together was enjoyable. And if you all pitch in on Saturday morning and get most things done to catch up then it can free up the rest of the weekend for fun (I know that can be easier said than done sometimes.) :)

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    1. Great ideas. I like the one about a cooking session. The girls would totally go for that. We love to grocery shop as a family so that is never a problem. We can make an event out of it and sometimes we are a little silly, but we have a lot of fun. I did good today. I thought I'd have to work late but was told this morning it was optional so I optioned to go home. :)

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  2. I really enjoy your blog but I've never commented. Your tips are "practical and I can tell you live what you write. As a long time single parent now empty nester this post hit home! One thing I would do different is spend some of the extra money to buy myself a break in the form of time. Put a little OT funds back to help you pay for drop off laundry ( it's surprisingly reasonable)We also did lots of day trips and grocery shopping was fun!Good job on the blog and being a single mama!

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