juggling one too many things

In my latest (failed) attempt at (overly ambitious) multi-tasking, we had many tiny casualties.

I was tempted to put my son on the floor and let him go to work. After all, I had cleaned the floors earlier that morning.

But then I remembered the sandy poo diaper from a few days ago... and changed my mind.

Dear friends, have you had any good blunders lately? Care to share?

broom in hand,

I decided to jump back on the bandwagon. 
Would you care to vote for the Memos?



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adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

so you think i'm nuts?

A few of you have been asking... Where am I? Is everything ok? 


The answers to those questions are... Here! and Yes!


Life. Has. Been. Busy.


I have no idea how to explain the word "busy" in a way that would make sense to anyone... but it looks something like...


Both hubs and I were working full-time this last week... No, make that over-time... Sick baby for six days (and counting) needing mama's attention/affection every spare moment... Late nights preparing my teaching material after baby is in bed... Cleaning the house top-to-bottom (picture holding a miserable little Levi with one hand while scrubbing the toilet with another - true story) for incoming international house guests... Receiving international house guests... Welcoming 50ish people home from our latest medical outreach to Papua New Guinea on the YWAM Medical Ship... Sending off another two teams of young people to do outreach in Australia and Papua New Guinea... Hosting about 120 delegates to conferences being run by the non-profit we volunteer/work for... Receiving over 50 new students into our training schools... Oh yeah, and did I mention sick husband... And baby tooth number four - that same little culprit that first poked through at four months creating such havoc before disappearing again and now (five months later) has finally moved in for the next several years... And doctors visits... And groceries... And five million loads of laundry...


So yeah, when I say "busy" it looks a little something like that.


And I guess you can add that at the end of this week when my (lovely!) overseas guests depart, I have a few hours to wash the sheets and clean and get the guest room ready for another guest that comes for the following week.


Oh, and then there's the preparing for our trip to America that is {gasp} less than a month away. And getting our immigration paperwork sorted. And booking our hotel and car for our layovers. And lining up when to see what friends and where. And scheduling visits to the dentist. And organizing our Christmas party, which will double as an anniversary party to celebrate our 10 years volunteering/working with YWAM. And finding our stockings so we can take them with us. And...


Maybe I should have just stopped after writing, "preparing for our trip to America" so that I wouldn't be breaking into a cold sweat right about now. {ahem}


Oh yeah, and somewhere in there I'm going to try and celebrate my 33rd birthday. (I really want to have a lawn bowling and mustache party... we'll see if we can pull it off.)


That's all I have for you today. My head is FULL of things that I want to write about... and my hard drive is FULL of half-written posts that only need some attention and editing... But right now it's all I can do to sit and write out my madness.


So welcome. To my madness. Welcome to my madness.


Life is crazy. My family is nuts. 


But we are happy.


We love all the excitement and the challenge and the things going on around us.


BUZZ.


So... I am here.... I am great... Just busy. That's all. Just busy.


Thanks for asking. 


I'm scheduling some writing time in the next few days so I'll be back... I know, I know... you wait on the edge of your seat. {grin} I'll try to deliver. I'll try not to disappoint.


I'll write about motherhood and babies and all the stuff you've come to expect... and maybe a few things you wouldn't expect. {more grinning}


Dear friends, do you think I'm nuts? Are you nuts? Is life more fun when it's nuts?? I know I'm not alone here... What does your "busy" look like?? Is it as nutty as mine?


love with a side of nuts,

I decided to jump back on the bandwagon. 
Would you care to vote for the Memos?



 Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

cross it off your list

How long do you let things sit on your to-do list? 


I am a huge list-maker. I have lists for everything: 


The usual stuff like groceries, errands, and chores that need to be done... but also the emails I need to write, the cards I want to send, the gifts I have to buy, the things I need to remember to talk to my hubs about, the people I want to make an effort to catch up with, issues I want to pray about, subjects I want to write about, meal ideas, books I want to read, things I want to study or learn about, albums I want to listen to or buy, home improvement projects I want to do, movies I want to rent, craft and decorating ideas... ohmygoodness the list of lists goes on and on! As crazy as it sounds, I really do have all these lists going.


I write lists for three reasons: 

1. I am extremely forgetful and if it's not on a list it might as well not exist. (Why can I never remember that important movie I wanted to see when I'm actually at the video store?)
2. I need visuals to help me stay organized. (Or should I say get organized?)
3. I feel accomplished when I get to cross things off my list. (Do you ever put things on your list for the day like "take shower" or "make the bed" or "do the dishes" just so you can cross a few things off and feel accomplished? No? Oh—ahem—me neither...)
4. I have a baby that constantly interrupts my thought processes. (Will I get to use the "mommy brain" excuse for the rest of my life?)

Ok, make that four reasons.


There are a few things on our "house projects" to-do list that have been there way too long. One of them is to finish the painting that we started in December. 


Yes, December.


When I was eight months pregnant we moved into a new house. The house was awesome except for the fact that it desperately needed to be painted. My hubs and a bunch of friends set to work for an entire weekend getting it looking beautiful while I stayed at our old apartment tackling the packing. They painted the whole inside of the house in 90+ degree heat (add 70-80% humidity) and no air-conditioning. Ugh. Not fun.


They did a fabulous job and the walls and ceilings looked amazing... But we decided to wait and finish up all the detailing and the doors and trim until the winter-time (June/July) when things cooled down (to 70 degrees?). 


And then... winter came.


And then... winter went.


Ooops.


We found ourselves in spring, with temperatures climbing into the mid-80s and the summer fast approaching, and we knew that if we didn't finish up that job pronto, it would soon be worth reasoning to wait again until next winter.


So we decided to get busy.


I can now say that the house-painting is nearly completed. Just one last room to finish on Saturday and we can cross another (giant) thing off of the "house projects" list.

{after being shuffled from the playpen to the jonny jumper to the exersaucer and back
again, by the end of the day levi was incredibly bored and very vocal about it. this was
the only way we could possibly finish up - some mommy multi-tasking at its best!}

We're not always this bad at finishing things... but sometimes.


Dear friends, how about you? Are you a list-maker? Are there certain things that tend to sit on your list for-ev-er? What's one thing that you need to take care of that will bring great satisfaction to strike a big, black line through?

loving a chance to cross things off,

Have you registered your blog here yet?

adriel booker | the mommyhood memos | 2010 
do not reproduce without written permission

i gots me some mama badges

Today I was reading of Melissa’s adventures in NYC on Dear Baby and how she has earned a new “badge for her sash” by changing her precious little pumpkin on her lap in a restaurant bathroom. It got me thinking about what badges I’ve earned in the last six months…

1.         The I-Can-Make-Dinner-While-Breast-Feeding Badge. It had been one of those days… and I was behind on absolutely everything, including making dinner for the friends that were about to come around. But when I pulled out “my breast friend” and a kitchen barstool, I found out that I do have the mommy-multi-tasking talent that I always dreamed of. {And I did it without burning down the house.}

2.           The I-Can-Go-To-The-Bathroom-With-An-Infant-Strapped-To-My-Chest Badge. When my son was seven weeks old I traveled from Australia to America without my husband to show Levi off to my family. (Hubs had to work.) I did my best to limit my fluids in transit and time my bathroom breaks just right, but when it takes you four flights to get from point A to point B over a 20+ hour period, there are some things you just can’t control. Rather than pass my little babe to a stranger—or pee my pants for that matter—I strapped him up on my chest in the Moby Wrap and did what I needed to do. {Also worth mentioning here is the I-Can-Manage-Shuttle-Busses-And-Check-In-And-Security-With-A-Diaper-Bag-Stroller-And-Large-Suitcase-By-Myself-Without-Waking-My-Baby Badge. I proudly earned that one too.}

3.           The I-Can-Live-Off-Of-Three-Hours-Of-Sleep Badge. Every mommy knows about this badge… but that doesn’t make it any easier to earn. I count myself among the proud who is still awake after a long time of being… awake.

4.           The I-Can-Drive-My-Manual-Car-With-One-Hand-While-Holding-A-Paci-In-My-Screaming-Baby’s-Mouth-With-The-Other-Hand Badge. Do you have this one? I bet you do. I’m told this one is a precursor to earning the I-Can-Drive-With-One-Hand-While-Breaking-Up-A-Fight-In-The-Backseat Badge. {We’re not there yet.}

5.           The I-Can-Interpret-Different-Colors-And-Textures-And-Consistencies-Of-Poo Badge. Black? Green? Yellow? Brown? Thin? Thick? I know what they mean and I’m a better mom for it. In fact, I would say that I am a poo expert.

6.           The-I-Can-Pull-A-Song-Out-Of-Nowhere-About-Anything-At-Any-Time Badge. Songs for bath time? Songs for diaper changes? Songs for owies? Songs for washing the dishes? Songs for sleepy time? I know ‘em all… because as of six months I became a very specialized songwriter.

7.           The I-Can-Beat-My-Baby-At-A-Wrestling-Match-I-Mean-Nail-Clipping-Session Badge. This one took some time to perfect, but I’ve found the perfect pin position now. {It should be noted here that this is the only time Levi gets bribed with the “secret weapon” aka the television. Works like a charm.}

8.           The I’ve-Learned-How-To-Pack-Way-More-In-The-Car-For-A-Family-Vacation-Than-I-Ever-Thought-Possible-Or-Necessary Badge. Weekend camping trip. Need I say more?

9.           The I-Pick-Other-Peoples-Noses-So-What Badge. This badge comes with immense satisfaction… because a crusty nose on a clean baby just doesn’t sit right with me.

10.      The Do-Ya-Wanna-See-My-Boobs-Cause-I-Just-Don’t-Care-Who-Does-Anymore Badge. Truth be told, my boobs just don’t feel much different than my fabulous ankles these days. I do try to keep the girls covered though… but that’s for your sake, not mine.

Dear Mommy-Friends, I think I've actually earned a few more... but I'm gonna cut it off at ten. What mama badges have you earned that you're most proud of?

Love us? Vote here!