I’m having trouble blogging lately. I’m just telling you. Some of it is not my fault – our internet provider has been having trouble this month. I wanted to keep you better updated about our trip, but simply couldn’t – no time and no internet for days. I know you all really look forward to Weird Wednesdays – sorry I’ve missed it for two weeks! There’s just been no way to keep up this month. I nevertheless want to assure you that my blog and my friends who meet me here are one of the brightest things in my life, and I am committed to regular, quality content here. Thanks for all your comments – both here and over at Facebook where my blog feeds directly into my notes. I love all the friends, old and new, that I’ve connected with here! So, with that said, I’ll try to get a little caught up around here. Here’s a post I meant to do last week when the internet was down…
We started packing days in advance (it’s the only way I sleep at night when preparing for a big trip)
Jesse’s version of packing.
You gotta love it. Little Dog and all his friends.
My version of packing.
I have found such a great method for packing for kids!!! Let me share it with you.
—First, do the laundry so you have all the clean clothes to choose from!
—Then, make complete outfits for each child and package them in 1 gallon ziplock bags.
Jesse’s bags included – one pair underwear, shirt, pants, socks
Claire’s bags included – onsie, shirt, pants/jumper, and socks
—I vacuum sealed each bag to save space. I made one for each day of our trip and some extras. (of course, if you plan for emergencies, they rarely happen – we came home with an entire suitcase full of clean clothes, and only two loads of laundry)
—I stuffed PJ’s, Diapers, and pull ups in the middle of the suitcase, and extra underwear for Jesse in the zippered flap.
This way I could just grab a change of clothe for each of them for my day pack to the ski lodge, and could easily send Jeremy or Elise for a change of clothes for them without them having to search for each component of an outfit. It really worked well. I will use this method again.
This is how I get ready for a trip – lots of lists.
This whiteboard is my brain. It is often crowded with grocery lists, to-do lists, to-call lists, phone numbers, and last week, a message from my dear man. I get immense satisfaction from smearing things off the list as I get them done. It’s even better than crossing things out ’cause eventually the list just disappears. Good feeling.
On the other hand, this week I have decided not to write any to-do lists. On vacation (it really did feel like a vacation this time) I had a chance to relax and realize how stressed I had let myself become in my daily routine. When I got home, my only priority was to maintain that level of mental rest. So, no lists. I have no goals for the week outside of keeping the house. And I’m doing that in a relaxed manner. I just need to do this for myself and my family. I sleep so much better when I’m not planning to see how much I can accomplish the next day. I still have not completely unpacked from my trip, and guess what? I’m not stressing about it. As much as there are sewing projects, decorating projects, blog posts, and scores of other things I want to accomplish, this week I’ve made it a priority to do nothing extra curricular. It’s VERY difficult for me. I don’t relax well. But I have come to learn it is crucial that I, as a wife and mother, learn how to handle all the cares and concerns of being a mom without being stressed out all the time. Not allowing myself to tackle any jobs outside of daily housekeeping is how I do that. I’m really looking forward to next week though, when my forced fast will be over and I hope to do some sewing! 🙂
So, what do you do to keep your stress level down? Do you struggle to slow down and take it easy like I do? I’m open to all suggestions and ideas as I cultivate rest in my home and my heart this week.
Good for you for continuing that relaxed schedule!!
Keep the stress level down?!?! Honestly, I know it is something that I SHOULD do, but I don't know how right now (and that frustrates the tar out of me) and often, I sit back and try to figure out what on earth has me stressed to begin with…. But I know it's there. :/