Things I Should Be Doing

The minute I open the "New Post" window, my mind fills with Things I Should Be Doing. 

Never mind that I just spent an hour and a half on the computer, not doing the Things I Should Be Doing.  Facebook, Due In July 2011 forum, blog reading.  I've just exhausted my interest in those particular things normally waste my time, and now I think, "I should write a blog post." 

And here they come, like a flock of starlings, swooping in with their distracting cackles.

I should finish the last dish that's soaking in the sink.  I should clean the bread maker I just bought (at the Salvation Army store for only $13!).  I should track down a stapler and staple together the manual I printed online (double-sided and everything.  That only took me 45 minutes to figure out.).  I should straighten the living room.  Start the laundry.  Or at least sort the laundry.  Clean the bathrooms.  (You remember a week or two ago when I made a chore chart for myself?  Today I should clean the bathrooms and purge the fridge and start the laundry.  Oh, and sweep.)  I should start dinner.  I should get a snack. 

I'm back.  I ate a waffle.  And a glass of milk.  If there's anything I love about being pregnant, it's that I can eat a waffle nearly any time of day and enjoy it thoroughly.  After the first trimester, of course.

It's cold in here; I should turn up the heat.  I should try again to pay that pesky AT&T bill that never seems to accept our credit card the first time I try.  I should research cell phones to replace my dying, broken, taped-together phone.  I should figure out what is required to get my daughter's birth certificate, since she is, after all, 19 months old.  I should download the photos from the camera.  Then I should upload them for the relatives. 

I should just write a blog post.

Then I think, "I don't know what to write." 

Oh, I know!  I can sit down and write a list and a schedule and brainstorm new and fun topics.  And then I can chart them on a calendar and decide when to write which thing. 

No, I'll just go start on the Things I Should Be Doing, and see how far I get.  And before long, the little girl with the runny nose will be awake and wanting me to "hold you" for the rest of the evening.  

Hey, look!  I just wrote a blog post! 

What to do?

It's a quarter to 3, Liz just fell asleep, and Sam is napping, too.

I have at least an hour in which to do something without interruption or distraction.

Here are my choices:

Behind door number 1, whip together dinner so I don't have to worry about it later. While I'm at it I can do a little prep work for some of the other dinners this week (cook a little extra chicken, chop up the green peppers that I have a feeling are starting to get a little on the slimy side).

Door number 2, go to the grocery store so I don't have to do it tomorrow. The list is made, I just have to go out there.

Or door number 3, sit down with a cup of coffee and the new books from the library. The ones that are not about ducklings, hippos, or puppies.

Hmm....

Scaling Back

It's time I took a realistic view of my addiction. That's why I am limiting my access to facebook to only once a day. Yes, seriously. I even logged out, so if I absentmindedly click on the bookmarked link at another time today, I have to go to the trouble of remembering my password and logging back in. That should make me think twice about it.

Peace out, facebook.

It's raining miscellaneous thoughts

It's raining outside today. And it rained yesterday.
And it will rain tomorrow. The dogs are not happy about it, and neither are we, since we have to take them out in the rain and wipe them off when they come back in. I know, having been in a drought for the last many, many months has spoiled us from having to deal with it being wet outside.

I think Oreos should definitely be named a necessary food group.

Sam is watching U-571 across the room.

I just discovered that there was a spaghetti sauce splatter on the 'o' and the '.' on my keyboard. While I wiped it off, it said ooooooooooooooooooooo........................

We used coupons for a free bagel at Einstein Bro's again today; yay for free delicious breakfast!

We're trying to teach Lady not to bother us at the table while we're eating (or doing anything else for that matter). It's a battle of our wills and our patience.

You're probably going to think I'm really dumb after reading my random thoughts.

Sam just called Lady, so she jumped over the back of the couch because it was easier to go over it than to go around it, apparently. We laugh at her too often when we need to correct her. She's hilarious and cute, even when she's less than obedient. We'll be hopeless when we have a little girl. Sam especially.

I was really good yesterday and had a great workout, but I had slept funny on my right arm or shoulder, and the exercise must have aggravated it. I'm feeling it today.

Home group tonight... We've been given the homework of reading Ecclesiastes and talking about it tonight. It may have been sort of an odd choice, but I think it's pretty good for a group of young adults (we're mainly in the 20-40 range, so I guess now we're just adults?) to read and look at the wisdom in it. And sort out what is "meaningless".

Now Lady is fixated on a squirrel on the back deck. She and Max are stalking it through the window. I swear they were separated at birth - either this cat it part greyhound, or this dog is part Siamese.

I've spent far too much time on the computer the last few days so I need to find something else to do when I'm trying to take it easy. Sitting doesn't help my fat ankles or my back.

Next week my mom and I are going to tackle the front yard, and plant some low-maintenance plants to sort of beautify the front of the house. Since I can't bring flowers into the house without their being chewed up and regurgitated by our favorite cats, I want to try to have flowers outside where I can see them when I go out the front door. We'll see if I actually get around to planting them and if they survive very long. But hey, it's a nice thought.

Timewasters

I am very proud of myself because I figured out how to put that picture of the pink lily up at the top of the blog, then changed the colors just enough to make it sort of match.

Yesterday I felt pretty much like crap, so I spent the whole day on the couch with the laptop and a box of Kleenex, searching Craigslist for furniture and researching brands and models for all kinds of baby junk. I have read more reviews for cribs than I thought I would ever have the patience for - and I think I've determined that it's probably better to get something cheaper than more expensive, because chewmarks and scratches and normal wear and tear are unavoidable. Besides, we don't have a lot of expendable income at the moment.

I also spent more hours on facebook than is probably healthy. Oh, well. :-)

Yeah, that's all I was gonna say for now. I might be back later - probably later this week.

I Should Be...

... finishing the Christmas card project;
... out of my PJs;
... cleaning up the kitchen;
... having a quiet time;
... on the way to the Post Office;
... going up to my mom's house;
... calling a few last people to get their information correct on the church directory;
... applying for another job so I can continue to collect unemployment;
... eating something more substantial for lunch.

But instead I am...

... still in my PJs;
... eating a piece of candy;
... taking video of the cats beat up on each other;
... browsing the What To Expect pregnancy forum;
... posting a blog about nothing;
... avoiding doing anything that looks like work.

I guess it's time to get a move on, huh?

Okay, this is cool

I may be getting the hang of this. Now, to actually write something.... But first, on to Kroger!

Cindy