Update: My sh*t is still not all together

So remember a few weeks ago when I wrote Operation Get My Sh*t Together, well I am still slowly but surely working on it. I got thrown for a loop when I went out of town for Red Eye Relay and when I got back it took almost a whole week to recover and regroup inside the house (but it was TOTALLY worth it!!!)

Things I have done:

• Updated calendars/Cozi/and schedules so I at least know where every one is/needs to be and important engagements.
• Found our routine again that includes getting as much done the night before so I can wake up a half hour before the boys and enjoy a cup of coffee in peace and while it is hot.
• Shopping Lists: I have updated our numbers spreadsheets with everything we have in the house and also our current shopping list.  It's nice to be able to quickly pull it up in the grocery store to see if we are running low on Ketchup.

What I still need to work on:

• The actual meal planning, I have done ok but there have been a few oops like planning hamburgers, but not having any buns, or the stove that kept shutting off today for no reason so we ended up ordering pizza.
• Returning Wednesday's to full on cleaning day, we have been using this day for fun/relaxing/enjoying life lately and really I am not to worried about it till school starts.
• Actually using 1-2-3 Magic, I am just not consistent and I know that for any system to work consistency is the key, but being out numbered most days 3+puppy to 1 it makes it tough.  I need to come up with a plan for sure.
• Still have not had the kids actually help me with a meal, mainly because the weather is nice to they have been playing together while I finish the last minute preparations.

Obviously this is going to be a long process, but we will get there...In the meantime we will be enjoying the daily life and the dream we are living.

Before you leave do not forget to head over to my recent post HERE and ENTER TO WIN a sweet pair of SLS3 Compression Socks!

Hope everyone has a great weekend! Anyone racing this weekend? Long training runs? Any fun plans?

Operation get my sh*t together...

In all honesty I have never been the most organized person and since we are being honest I am not the best at completing most things I start (examples include the 1st borns baby scrapbook with 3 pages finished, half completed knitting projects let on needles, a half organized basement).  I have a hard time staying on task and I tend to get bored with projects that take longer then a few hours (some days anything over a few minutes).  Over the years I have gotten "better" but I still tend to get scattered and sidetracked, and life with 3 kids, a husband and a puppy can easily become chaotic on a good day and spiral quickly out of control on a bad day.  Since becoming a full time stay at home and adjusting to the husband's new schedule we have been "surviving" but it is time to get my sh*t together so that our days are happier, our memories better, our food healthier and my anxiety that comes with all the chaos is calmed.  So here are a few things I am starting with:

1. Schedule/routine:  

The whole house runs better when there is a schedule/routine.  I like things to be predictable and the boys do to.  It also keeps us focused and on task. We will be returning to a weekly house schedule that includes laundry/floors everyday, shopping on Mondays and our official cleaning day to be Wednesdays (it used to be Saturday, we would listen to NPR and clean all morning but since the husband is home on Saturdays we have gotten away from that since I have been going running resulting in some deep cleaning being ignored)

We will also start using our daily schedule again.  This allows the boys to see what we have planned for the day and what will be coming up.  It also gives them a bit of control because at the end of the day they can request an activity for the next day.

Daily Schedule: Laminated cards w/ velcro - adapted from the concepts used in AI classrooms

This also means I want to get back to my own personal routine which included some down time in the evening to journal and reflect.  Hopefully using the days more productively will result in a less exhausting day and the energy in the evening for this.  It was so nice to look back and see all the positives of the day and all the small things that make a person smile.  I miss that.  It also means preparing as much as possible for the next day after the kids go to bed.  Sippy cups filled and in the fridge, dishwasher emptied, counters clear of clutter, etc.

It also means getting back to updating our Cozi Family calendar so everyone in the family has access to our current week/month schedule and can easily see any updated appointments and engagements.

2. Meal Planning/Shopping Lists:

This is one of those domestic activities I really stink at, I can have the best meal plan but day of the meal I won't want what I planned and well, we end up eating out or ordering pizza.  The new rule is no matter what we are having what I plan! (This means making sure I have all the ingredients, that they are thawed).  Today I plan to reorganize and inventory our pantry, food shelf and freezer, then use what I have in the house to make a plan that includes 2 weeks of meals (minus fresh veggies and milk since we will need those weekly).

I get all of my meal planning printables from Organized Home and my pantry/freezer/shopping list is a simple Numbers document I save to my iCloud so I can have access to it when I am not at home on my iPhone.  I also use the shopping list on Cozi to keep some smaller shopping lists for things like Christmas or birthdays.

I also want to start getting the kids in the kitchen more, they are always begging to help but by dinner my patience is gone and I do not want to deal with the mess (yep I am pretty sure after this post my Mom of the Year nomination will be revoked, but hey we are being honest right).  This is going to take some planning and prep so that they all will have a job to do and we can safely cook our meal.

3. 1-2-3-Magic:

This is a big one! We used 1 - 2 - 3 Magic as our discipline system a while back and it helped SO MUCH (at least in my opinion) with the yelling (theirs and mine).  Not only did I stop yelling, but the time with the boys was so much better.  Back to this system we will go, I will be rereading the book tonight after bed time and sending the ebook to the husband for him to read, and tomorrow we start again.  My kids are great kids, they are just FULL of energy, excitement, strong personalities, and often times overly emotional which when all of those things are combined it equals fighting, obnoxious behavior and a ton of chaos.  I want to return to the laughter and joy instead of the fighting and yelling. 

Three things is enough to work on for now I think...I will check back in next Tuesday to report how it's going and if I am any closer to getting it together...

Do you ever have days where you feel like you know longer have it together?  Any tips for me on getting it together?  Any tips for getting kids in the kitchen and keeping it all under a decent amount of control?

Happy New Year!

I know, I know it's a little late...but sometimes better late then never! I have spent the last couple months focused on myself, my family, decluttering and of course the holidays.  As far as running goes, January was a month of maintaining and just enjoying the daily running without worrying about pace and miles.  I even took an entire week off! YES a whole week without running a single step, one reason was because I kept having a slight shin pain when I ran and knew I needed to rest it, but also last week I started the 16 week Furman First 1/2 Marathon Training Plan for Bayshore and I wanted to be rested and motivated since I remember how tough the workouts were.

Along with trying to enjoy the moments with my 3 boys (which somedays are much tougher to enjoy the chaos and crazy then others) I have started focusing on feeding the family healthier home cooked meals again.  We even started juicing again.  I love the fresh juice as does my husband and the little 2 boys.  The oldest tends to be pickier and anything with garlic or ginger he never seems to finish.  I have also tried focusing on the little things that make our day to day life special, whether it was a moment during the day, something one of them said, something we did as a family I have started "journaling" it in my new Erin Condren Life Planner .  I use the monthly pages for our events. (in reality as a family we are not that busy and I don't write down things like "swim lessons" or any other reoccurring event and I do not use it to log miles since I have my Commitment Day Journal for that)  Then I use the weekly/daily pages to write the little things throughout the day.  It is nice to take 5 minutes throughout the day and reflect or sometime the 20 minutes in the evening to just think about our day.  What I have learned and recognized so far after doing this the last few weeks is that even when it appears to be the most awful day there is always something to be thankful for and a happy moment that was/is worth remembering.

Erin Condren Life Planner with Collage Cover 

So here is to a new month and back on track with the blogging (since I got away from actually writing anything when I discovered how fun Instagram is)

(Full disclosure: A friend recommended the Run Less Run Faster Furman First Method to me last year after he used it to help him Boston Qualify.  I did purchase and read the book all on my own.  I also purchased the Erin Condren Life Planner after it was recommended by several friends and I do not regret it one bit! It's a great planner!)

Living out of laundry baskets...

Every week I start Monday morning off with all the laundry hung in the closets, folded neatly in drawers and baskets empty.  My goal for the week is to stay on top of the laundry, that means every morning throwing in the dirty clothes and every night put away the newly laundered clothes.  I try except that if something interrupts the schedule/routine I fall behind.  In order for this goal to be accomplished the following things need to happen:

1) No one wets the bed/Soils their sheets (normally Alvin)
2) No one soils their pants throughout the day (normally Simon)
3) We do not eat anything that can stain or make a child sticky (syrup, jelly, soup, juice, yogurt, bananas etc.)
4) We do not play in the sand/mud/snow/rain

All of the above immediately result in another load of laundry for the day throwing off the routine, because all of the above need to be washed promptly to avoid staining.

*Our dryer no longer shuts off so remembering that I put clothes in there is also helpful!

By the end of the week, countless outfits for each of the 3 kids later, the sheets changed on all of the beds and washed at least 3 times, I end up with 8 loads of clean laundry stacked by the dryer and we just search for the clean clothes we need.  (Mike is not a fan of this game, I pretend I am on an episode of Extreme Double Dare looking for that one sock in all those baskets before the timer goes off)

Empty laundry baskets make my heart smile

What works for you? I have found sorting clothes by child rather then darks/whites helps speed up the process.  What helpful hints/tricks do you use to make sure laundry is always done/put away?