I did not realize how significant my last post would be in when I wrote it at the beginning of January, "Survival Mode" was about to hit my family once again. My husband ended up very sick and even hospitalized for almost two weeks, at the same time both of my kids came down with virus after virus, and throw in an ear infection and we have full blown Family Crisis!!
Three solid weeks revolved around hospital trips, high fevers, vomit and laundry. Two different times I thought the worst was over and the school or daycare would call for me to pick up a sick kid and it would start all over again. Situations like this are hard on their own, trying to maintain a full time job, our home and personal obligations at the same time is truly stressful. I am so blessed that I have a vast support system and have family and friends to call on for help. (a heartfelt THANK YOU to all!!)
We are at the end of this crisis now and both kids are healthy and Hubby with hopefully be returning to work next week. As I reflect back to how we got through this , I realize that a lot of what kept me, specifically, afloat was routines and organizing systems that I have in place. I have habits that help keep the house running, maybe not always smoothly, but getting us where we need to be.
I plan our family schedule out by day, week and month, by doing this I don't get caught double booked or with no child care when we need it. For myself, I plan my days in time slots. This helps me make use of small sections of time that may otherwise be wasted.
I know this sounds very time consuming, but it is just the opposite. For every minute you spend planning your day/tasks you can save an hour on execution. It is worth it!
I also plan for the day ahead the night before, bags are packed, clothes are set out, lunches are made and lists are prepared, this is the only way I can get my family out of the house successfully in the morning.
If you write down your 'to do' list and designate tasks or errands to specific days you have a much better chance of all your items getting accomplished, if you just try to remember things on the fly things are easily forgotten. Remember to keep lists simple, don't overload yourself. you want to keep your days prioritized and as easy to manage as possible. If you don't get something done, it is ok, you have an entire new day tomorrow.
I heard an interesting statement in a podcast I was listening to last week, most individuals spend and hour a day looking for things. Now, I know that may not sound too bad, but if you look at it this way, 1 hour per day=7 hours per week=30 hours per month, etc..... then it is a bit staggering! If you invest time into creating a home for everything and returning it there when you are done with it, just think what you could do with all that extra time!
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