I hate feeling out of control. With 3 kids this is a common occurrence, but after many years I finally managed to gain control of my calendar at least. I carefully write each days activities into my daily planner, transfer it to the family calendar and add it to Outlook so I can send it to hubby’s cell phone. It sounds like a lot, but it really is a simple process that helps me out. I get to physically write every 3 times so that by the time it’s written everywhere it needs to be I have it memorized anyway. Next to each day, I also write down my menu plan. Plan being the operative word, but we do fairly well. It helps to plan dinner next to the day so I know if I’ll be away from home or too tired to cook.
Last month made me crazy because every time I planned something I had to follow it up with “unless my sister has her baby.” I felt like I should be writing that each day in my calendar. Nothing made me happier than when the doc agreed to schedule an induction so that Daddy could come home from his base. The mean military nixed that idea by telling him when they sent him home at Christmas because base camp was closed he used up all his leave for the first half of the year!
I’m in a strange sort of limbo again, though it is not nearly as bad. This month, my cousin is due with her first baby. As soon as the little princess is born, my own family will arrive to visit. Everything I do now is with the thought that I may have a full house by morning. Both of them have been due right in the middle of the month so it throws everything off kilter. She could go two weeks in either direction so the entire month of May is up in the air. At least this time I don’t constantly need to have a bag packed and the gas tank full.
I loved having everything planned out with my last two pregnancies. We scheduled their birth dates 3 weeks in advance. Granted, the last little bugger decided to arrive a week ahead of schedule, but I didn’t have that out of control feeling about it. Now, of course, she keeps me off kilter on a daily basis.
I am looking forward to summer when all the babies are born and my calendar frees up a bit. It will be filled only by made-up things and fun (free) events. I will plan our summer days and actually write things like Library Day on the calendar. This way I have a plan in place, the kids know what to expect and hubby knows where we are on any given day so he can ask the girls about their day at dinner.
In a way, I still have no control. My calendar controls me. And I love it.
We’re big fans of Google Calendar over here–I like the color coding!!!
Can I tell you that I just went to vote for your Doritos….and I won a TSHIRT!?!?! How funny is that? I’ll vote often, because afterall, the world has enough mainstream, gluten containing chips!