Work is a 4 letter word

This friendly fellow and the access bridge were at the zoo in Abilene TX in 2012.


I don't know what to write about today. I haven't for several days now. Part of it is that there was a lot of lives lost over the last week, and some hit very close to home, and all impacted my friends and communities. Part of it is that I have a house full of children, and my time is very carefully planned and thought out. Things that are optional (like my blog, my exercise, and my reading) are tossed by the wayside as other things just need my attention. I'm always thinking on things, and often tell myself what a great blog topic *that* would make, yet when it comes time to write, all mental notes are gone, and I can only think about what I should be doing or what I will be doing as soon as the sun comes up in the morning.


So, that leaves writing about what I am doing. It is work. I'm working on streamlining my budget, my menu, my teaching, and my home. This is a very overwhelming thought, so I keep not looking at it. That leaves me dealing with what ever crops up, instead of keeping it all flowing properly. I am aware of this cycle. I am working on it. SO, to avoid the cycle, I am working on each area, a little bit every day. I make sure that the house is "reset" at bedtime, so that our starting point in the morning looks good. I am trying to focus on deep cleaning 1 area each day. I spend 20 minutes dealing with the budget and finances. I actually did that yesterday, paying off the last of the March Bills, setting up a budget template in a spreadsheet, putting in the formulas, so I can plug in numbers and it will tell me what is left to pay or spend where. OK I like THAT part.


I've got the garden growing. Corn has been planted, and we have a bit more to sow. We have ground breaking in the potato bin, and a few planters that need to be moved to a shadier location. That's the great thing about container gardening, I can move it around as I need to, and even mow the garden area. The strawberries are flowering, so I need to get the straw under them. The large tomato plants have been caged, and the cherry tomato plant will need me to make a cage for it. I need to get a trellis made for the bean plans and get them planted, and start the lettuce patch. I'm thinking a hanging shoe organizer will work great for the lettuce and other herbs for the kitchen.


The education area is a struggle in the spring. I WANT to take 2 weeks off, and let the kids get it out of their system. We have to get to a certain point before we can do that, and illness and migraines have kept them from staying on track. They are struggling to get back ON track, and have more to go. We'll get them caught up, as long as they just keep making forward progress.


Menu planning, laundry, organizing, decluttering, the list goes on and on. :) I enjoy it. It is overwhelming, but when I think about it all, and the way it all comes together to bless my family, I am happy in my heart. Yea, work is a 4 letter word, but so is play and love.