February 10, 2011 by Christine
I have been spending a lot of time at work this week. Here is the view from my desk:
And a close-up of my lunch. Meatloaf peaking out from a sea of peas. :)
YUM.
I have been doing a lot of driving this week, which has prompted reflection during my car rides home at night. I hope this post makes sense in the end, because I have so many thoughts that I'm trying to pull together.
At the risk of being accused of having I'm-so-busy-itis, our family is feeling the pressures of school this week. Whenever both Micah and I have deadlines, we have to work pretty insane hours in order to get everything done. I'm not sure I've stated this on the blog before, but I've told Micah many times that I'm looking forward to when our lives quiet down a little and become, "normal." He is quick to remind me that EVERYONE has "stuff" that makes life busy or hard. It's true- we CHOOSE what sort of lives we live- with the accompanying busy-ness. (Of course there are situations that come up that really are out of our control that make life unexpectedly busy.)
A colleague at work has a poster at her desk that sums it up nicely: Lord, Give me the strength to complete this totally unnecessary and self-imposed task. Seriously, though, don't we put all of these stresses on ourselves? I CHOSE to go back to school for my PhD. I believe that it will be worth it, but I CHOSE these stresses.
No matter how busy life gets, we have found that there are a few things that make life at home happier.
- Take some time to clean the house every week. The house may not be perfectly clean all the time, but even a little work does wonders for our psyche.
- Make having a family activity every week a priority. It may be as simple as having a meal and watching a movie that night, but we need to do things to reconnect.
- Make time for Micah and I to do something alone. It doesn't have to be a formal date, though those are fun. But our relationship is the heart of this family. Happy parents make happy kids.
- Plan meals for the week and grocery shop ahead of time. These days I've been putting the meal plans for the week on this website. In the old days I used to put little post-it notes on the fridge. I like to plan and grocery shop over the weekend. Even if I don't cook a whole lot during the week (like this week), it is important to me that we have good, healthy foods in the fridge for meals.
No matter the busy-ness that you are currently experiencing, I hope that you are taking time for you and yours. What little things do you make time for, even when you're busy?
2.85
Loved your post today :) It's very comforting to know that other people can have equally, if not more, busy lives and survive them.