I’m quickly learning one lesson.
Do what you can when you can.
If I have a moment to do the dishes, I better get on them or I won’t have another minute until the sink is overflowing. If I have a second to clean the toilet, it’ll be the last second before it starts looking like a toilet from one of my guy friend’s college dorm rooms. If I find a moment to read and comment on a blog, I need to type it off fast before all the goof comments are taken and I feel like a schmuck coming in two days late. If I have a few minutes to blog, I better sit down and write because I won’t have another chance until the next day or worse the stupid laptop will have digested my post that I worked on so diligently the day before and was only going to touch up because I didn’t get the time to finish it. Bitter much? Hell yeah!
As a brilliant procrastinator, it rubs me all the wrong way. I was the student who didn’t start a paper until midnight before the paper was due, but as I was brilliant, I always managed an A. I could whirlwind a house in less than an hour to have it sparkling for company. Did I mention I was brilliant?
But now I have two boys who are whirlwinds of destruction and a baby who is trying to wake up as I type this. (Give Mommy five more minutes, Aid. PLEASE!) And if I want my house somewhat clean. And if I want to comment something somewhat funny on my favorite blogs. And if I want to write a somewhat decent post. I need to work my free minutes to death, grab them with an iron grip here and there and smoosh them together to create a couple of free hours.
That or hire help.
That or trick The Husband in lending a hand. Does anyone have some good tips on convincing teenage boys to go something they don’t want to do and not realizing they are manipulated in to doing it?
Faemom 
June 10, 2010 at 5:42 pm
I don’t kid when I tell you: I use the kitchen timer Every Single Day about 100x a day. I don’t just feed the kids and get them to school in the morning. I set the timer to remind myself when I need to start telling them to put their shoes on (a 50% productive request on good days), because I am doing exactly what you said. If I finish my breakfast & brush my teeth before I bring the kids down to eat, then I do what I can, which may be laundry, dishes, clean kitchen counter, clean powder room, write thank-you note, mail a bill….who knows!
I hope some day soon I can actually ease through my days getting stuff done, rather than have chores be a form of guerilla warfare.
June 11, 2010 at 10:03 am
I know what you mean. Sometimes I want to sit and have a second cup of coffee, when what I really should be doing is getting a shower. On those days when the coffee wins over the shower, I often either don’t get a shower that day or it happens at about 5 p.m., when hubby gets home.
As for tricking your husband into helping out with stuff…. I don’t know. I think guys are either helpers or not. I’m not sure there’s anything you can do to change a non-helpful partner. Unless you’re willing to give him an ultimatum.
Maybe using some sort of reverse psychology would help in some small specific instances. But for long term? No idea how to help.