It’s Friday once again and time for the weekly review of the good, the bad and the ugly. Things we’d like to remember and those we might like to forget…
So here’s my list.
Do-Overs
Running on Fumes…
Well, it’s deadline week again for the newspaper I write for. And once again, with articles due on Wednesday, I begin making phone calls, etc. on Monday. Since I’m the only writer on staff at the moment (that is changing- hooray!) I’ve been doing a lot of writing. Fortunately or unfortunately, our paper is shrinking because of declining ad sales, meaning that we have less space for articles and such. Even with three or four articles to write instead of six or so, it’s a lot to do in just a few days.
I tell myself over and over that I’m going to start earlier this month- but somehow I’m always watching those deadlines go wooshing by. I’m too much of a slacker to get started earlier, but too much of a perfectionist to not be bothered when I miss my deadlines… What a combination, huh?
I didn’t end up pulling a lot of late nights this time around, but the emotional energy of writing and stressing about it (guess which one pulls more mental amps?) has left me running on fumes the last few days.
I’m sure this has contributed to a few of the other do-overs this week for sure!
Missed you on Tuesday…
Because I was racing to write newspaper articles, I didn’t get my blog post up on Tuesday. Just so you know, my problem is not that I don’t have anything to say. My problem is that I have way too much to say. I brainstormed a post and then thought- “Good grief, you’re writing a blog post, not a dissertation for crying out loud!” I didn’t have time to edit it so that it was both concise and complete. I hope to get better at this as time goes on…
And of course feeling guilty about this nagged at me all week. Before you rush in to reassure me that all is forgiven, let me say that I’m less concerned about disappointing someone else, though I do like to think that you are waiting with bated breath for my posts… :)
It’s really about hating that all too familiar feeling of disappointing myself. I set what should be a manageable goal (RED ALERT… the word SHOULD has been used! This is usually a sign of impending doom!), and can’t manage to pull this off two weeks running. And school is in session so I don’t even have that excuse. UGGGHHH!
Is the honeymoon over?
After a stellar start, reality may be sinking in for AJ about fourth grade. Nothing too dramatic, just a few minor complaints about school or other kids. Leaving his glasses at school, making homework and reading more difficult… little stuff like that. I knew when we started school we would need some kind of system to make sure he got home with everything (in particular the glasses). He assured me he would remember. Well, I knew better, but thought I’d let him give it a try. Now I’m trying to think of some kind of reminder that won’t be too obnoxious or embarrassing. I’m thinking maybe a little notecard in his backpack or something. Anyone else got any brilliant suggestions?
Mean mommy strikes again…
With violin practice. I’m sure it’s been mostly because of the issues above, but violin practice this week has been less than stellar shall we say. AJ has had a hard time focusing and I just have no patience (see ‘running on fumes’). More than once this week, I’ve just had him pack it up early. I can’t stand to listen to the sloppy playing (I’m not talking about getting bent out of shape over missed notes or stuff like that…) He’s just not there and I can’t see that playing badly serves anyone. I don’t want backwards bowing or missed fingers to be repeated over and over again.
When I’m in better shape, I can usually find a way to ground him so that it’s not a total wash. Not so much this week. Interestingly enough, sometimes when I tell him to pack up, he finds a way to pull it together because he really does love to play. But not this week. Unless this weekend is dramatically different, our next lesson may be a bit of a downer for him.
Minor tweaks needed…
On the meal planning front. I was so proud of myself last week when things went so smoothly in the dinner department. So this weekend, I made another rough list of meals and grocery shopped accordingly. Well, I neglected to take into account the garden. Cukes, tomatoes and squash, not to mention a bumper crop of eggplant. So a few minor adjustments were made, and I’ll be spending the weekend cooking and otherwise dealing with massive quantities of produce.
But enough of that… here are the things that went well this week:
High-Fives
Half-Marathon Prep
Well despite my concerns last week, after my long run on Saturday, I’m feeling much better about running the half-marathon on Sunday. In our paper this week someone was giving last minute tips for runners (mostly for the marathon) and one of his comments was, “This week is no time for heavy training. Better to go into the race undertrained than overtrained.” Woo Hoo! Got that one covered! At this point I’m expecting a long run, but a good one.
Black Bean Soup (with a surprise!)…
On the meal plan was black bean soup, which my family loves. What they didn’t know was that a cup or two of grated zucchini could be slipped in and no one would be the wiser.
Divine Divas do Sand Tray Art
I belong to a fantastic group of business women here in town and we spent our last meeting doing Sand Tray art. We met at the studio of a wonderful wise woman who guided us in creating a tableau of images and symbols from her vast collection. When we were done, each person got to tell about their tray and then others shared what they noticed or wondered about it. It was a great time and a way to see ourselves and each other in a different way.
