TAXI TUESDAY WITH A TWIST

For years Tuesday has been my day with the million errands and extra curricular activities. Today I added a fun twist. A sick toddler. I meant to leave him home with his older brother but he was very eager to come with me. He looked miserable, was burning up and overall not doing all that great.

Well, we dropped off the girls and just before I wanted to swing by an office to make an appointment I heard the happy gurgling sound of puke escaping a little body. Not too surprising as he already puked a few days ago and is stricken with  diarrhea. Still. Not fun. But such a trooper. "Are you okay," I asked. "Yes mommy," his sweet reply. 

Hw puked 2 more times in the car and 1 more time at home (yes, of course, all over me) and then I put him down to sleep and ran too pick up the girls. 

Oh well. So now I have more laundry and no groceries. We'll see what tomorrow will bring!

THANK YOU TUESDAY

Please read the following post with a sarcastic tone of voice. Thank you.

Thank you Taxi Tuesday for:

• coming up with the grand idea of being the hottest day of the year so far
• letting the baby take care of #2 in the bath tub
• having James drop the baby's full milk bottle in the living room (yes the top came off)
• providing me with a grand thunderstorm that blew rain horizontally more than 5 feet to hit my freshly washed windows
• making sure the speech assessment appointment would be on a Tuesday morning
• having my blood sugar levels sky high with no apparent reason
• making sure rush hour traffic was worse than usual, so I would be late for pick up
• convincing the dishwasher that today would be a good day to start leaking right as I needed to leave
• 
  

But you know what. It is miracle week. I am stronger than you Taxi Tuesday. I will process one more load of laundry, clean up the kitchen, (although I think I shall pass on turning on the dishwasher) and then I will go to bed!

2 DAYS OFF

James took Tuesday and Wednesday off. I know exactly what you are thinking. "Great, she finally tackled that tiny bathroom." Well. Guess what. She did not. She had errands to run for 6 hours on Monday and was glad to be alive when it as over. James took all morning for his errands and Tuesday afternoon of course was Taxi Tuesday, with a twist this time as activities were rotated for this week. Wednesday she spent another 7 + hours on errands multitasking as she was translating (=making money) while killing almost 3 hours with tests at a doctors office. In the afternoon she found herself helping James finish a project she wasn't even aware off. Maybe you can relate that she was not up to much more than providing food for the critters after a day like that. So with Thursday being the first day without being all over the place for half of the day or longer it was spent catching up with normal things like laundry and collecting a myriad of things that are lying around. (We definitely have to work on putting things back after using them.)

I would say:"Tomorrow is another day," but it really isn't as we'll be gone most of it and I honestly don't see myself getting anything done. But hey. Who cares. There is still Saturday to finish the blasted bathroom. Or at least start it. :(

TOMORROW IS ANOTHER DAY

It is quite fascinating how littel you can do in one day. It'S not that I didn't do anything, I actually did quite a lot, I got rid of a pile of laundry, cooked, took kids all over town, had 2 additional runs (to the train station) but I did exactly NOTHING for my clean up and decluttering project. didn't help to have Taxi Tuesday and a totally worn out husband. I was really hoping for him to be home in time to do the last run. He was, but preferred putting 4 kids to bed to getting out of the house again. Tomorrow. I'll do it tomorrow. 

NEW PROJECT

I have decided that I need to start a new decluttering project. I am just not sure what, and most for all WHEN! Seriously. Taxi Tuesday was as challenging as very with 2 additional appointments. Fortunately one of the rides was canceled, but lets faced it. Logistically I am doing a great job. I know, it is just one day per week, but I have 2 more days with rides for kids and of course there is homework, household, cooking and all kind of other things. Decluttering? Uhm. No. I do a lot better not hanging onto every little thing. And I can tell a difference. But I can tell without a project, a plan, a CHALLENGE and a deadline progress is so small it is not really visible. 

I would love to have "declutter every Saturday challenge" but that is simply not going to happen. The attic is too cold by now, I would hate to bring the stuff down. I know. Excuses, excuses. Books. I think I will declutter books. The kids have 2 huge shelves full of books that nobody ever seems to read. That'S what I'll do! I will go through all our shelves this month. Wish me luck! 

Surface of the day: Are you kidding me? It's TAXI TUESDAY!

7 a day: How d you feel about 5 matches and 2 burnt down candles?

THURSDAY IS THE NEW TUESDAY

How does Taxi-Thursday sound to you? Well it sounds horrible to me. But it looks like it might turn out to be just as terrible as Tuesday with the amount of shuttling kids back and forth. If I am lucky I can work around it still. I feel like I got absolutely nothing done today. The phone rang all morning and I was going all over the place all afternoon and a friend stopped by at night. The laundry I took care of in the morning feels like it got done a week ago. Tomorrow will be crazy, Saturday will be crazy. My life has been crazy for a few weeks and it doesn't sound like it will calm down any time soon. I am not sure how decluttering will go during this time, but I refuse to give up. 

The last few days I did well putting parts of games back in the original box, a task I have avoided for months. I guess if I managed to keep up with maintenance. not forget any of the 27 million appointments on the calendar until the end of the month and get 5 days out of the house every day I will be a happy woman. 

surface of the day: a basket full of ironing

5 a day: uhm. Well. hm. nothing. Tomorrow. I promise!

TOO BAD!

Too bad I decided not to whine about Taxi Tuesday any more, or I could have told you that, forgetting about a piano trial lesson for 2 kids, and a canceled ballet ride due to sickness could make for a very hectic 60 min. Add to it your usual rides AND a trip to the store and you end up going back and forth on a 5 mile stretch for a total of 4 hours. 

But as I am not whining about Taxi Tuesday anymore I can't tell you all of this. I got new sheets for the kids' beds. It was about time, the old ones are starting to unravel. The big thing now is to let the old ones go. I am seriously considering dumping the Lightning McQueen ones on my Mom for quilting. I know. It's not fair, but it is VERY tempting.

Weather is hot and humid, just the thought of moving has me break into a sweat. I did get rid of the wrapping material form the new sheets right away and also filled the recycle bin all the way to the top. 

Surface of the day: I am afraid I skipped that, oh wait, lets count going through all 3 drawers of my night stand

7 a day: 4 plastic guys from a game I thing was tossed a while ago, 3 batteries that looked old recycled properly, 1 book out of the nightstand that I will probably never read

I WILL NOT WHINE

You my dear reader will probably hate Taxi Tuesday more than I do myself by now. I have made a resolution. I will not whine about Taxi Tuesday for the next 4 weeks. Or probably never again, but lets start with 4 weeks.

I am a little bit under the weather today, but I am happy to report that the house is cleaner than it was in the morning and that I was brave enough to go into the attic and not worry about how far I would get, but to simply spend 10-20 min up there, which I did. I found a few things that actually have a home that I put away and threw out a few more and am happy that I was able to cope with the feeling of overwhelm and anxiety and simply go to work. 

So far it doesn't feel like the most efficient way to tackle the attic but NOT going there at all will definitely get even less done up there. Best part of going up there? Finding a recipe book that belongs to my sister that we have been looking for for years, that they don't sell anymore that we figured was lost for good! 

7 a day: random pieces from the attic, old toys, paper and 2 items of clothing, 5 books

surface of the day: I really need to get back to that, I did start clearing some clutter of a side board but never finished it.

SO LONG DEAR WASHER

I had to officially declare my washer dead this morning, although I am afraid it already went quietly last night. The laundry was wetter than usual, but it was way late and I didn't even make the connection. I know, the washer couldn't have timed it better. To kick the bucket on a Monday, which is the official day for things like that to happen, but to not let me find out until TAXI TUESDAY.

Ah well. The upside with being a hoarder is that my whole family can easily make it through a week without my washing a single item AND last nights load, the washer's last one, had me all caught up with the laundry. 

How did TAXI TUESDAY go? Do you really want to know? Well besides an additional run and squeezing some shopping in, I forgot that we are attending a BBQ tomorrow and are to bring our own meat. So 2 hours after my shopping trip James had to go again. To make TT perfect, it rained and I got wet a few times. 

surface of the day: 2 drawers in the kitchen, silverware and plates decluttered and cleaned

5 a day: 1 plate, a sippy cup lid, at least 20 random thins up in the attic, it might be time to bump up to 7 a day again,

CURSE YOU, TAXI TUESDAY!

I had an additional run today, as one of the kid's rides fell through. Unfortunately yesterday's errand couldn't be taken care of because I was missing  my husbands signature on an application.

Being the Taxi Tuesday pro I am, a squished passport pictures and turning in the application into the 45 min I had between drop off an pick up. And I only was 5 min late. We canceled Judo because Ella fell and hurt her head on the way home from school.

Being the saint I am, I picked up the kid who used to come with us the last few weeks even though my son's classes ended 2 weeks ago and having to kill 20 min between ballet and his pick up. I am just too nice. After dropping him off at home I had 2 wasted kids, asleep in the car, so I stopped and picked up a few things at the grocery store. Of course I forgot the most important thing. I will make it through this week somehow, but don't ask me how, today.

Did I mention that I dropped James off at work before ballet and picked him up again after the Judo II drop off? No. Well. I did. I know, I am a hero.

LAZY SATURDAY

I shouldn't feel the need to justify, but I do. I have a million things to do. I also had a crazy week. That little sore spot in my lower back is acting up. A sure sign that I feel stressed. You know what. Today I took it easy. I worked hard all week. Even yesterday, when I was just tired, tired, tired, I tried hard to keep it up. I cooked a nice healthy dinner, I kept the laundry going, kept the clean downstairs clean. Shuttled kids back and forth, and it's not even TUESDAY!

Years ago I read a book called "The Sidetracked Home-executive". Peggy and Pam are sisters who were both trapped by chaos. They found a way out and it worked so well for them they decided to share. They stress that you need a day off every week. For years I've been telling myself that Sunday is my day of. But guess what. I attend church every Sunday. If you have ever tried to doll up 5 kids and have them out of the house by 9 am, attend church meetings and make sure they behave well, when volunteering in your congregation takes up more of your free Sunday and half of the day is over by the time you wonder about what to feed the kids for lunch, than it isn't a day off. So from now on Saturday is the official day off. Time to hang out as a family, play games, go to the lake, you name it.

This morning I told the kids that everyone who cleaned up for 15 min would get to play a board game of their choice with me. 2 of the 4 kids in question jumped at the opportunity. Okay. so they "paid" for game time with Mommy, but I am not perfect and today is only the first attempt. I am sure I will come up with improvements!

Oh my stars. I had a guilt free happy break day and wouldn't you know it. Around 5 pm I started working. And man, I got a lot done!

Surface of the day: piano (a favorite)

5 a day: 2 pieces kids art, grilled cheese that was still good, but that no one will eat anymore, 3 will have to do for today

AIRPORT TAXI TUESDAY

To give today's Taxi Tuesday a little twist I started it with a 7 am airport run. Things went a lot smoother than I expected and I was back before 10 am. Unfortunately the mess was still as bad as it was the night before.

Stuff that is lying around always attracts clutter. Even if it is stuff, that is used on a daily basis. Right now I am not sure what is clutter and what is being used as their is so much of it, but I have already found the first few items my sister forgot. Of course if every surface is cluttered it will be a lot harder to notice a little thing or 2 that you forgot to pack.

I put on my timer and got to work. It was tough but I ended up getting 2 h and 20 min in. My husband needed the car so he took over the second to last run and Alex got a ride with a friend so I didn't have to do the last run either. 

All in all it was a smooth day considering it was a Tuesday.

Surface of the day: inside of the car

5 a day: parts of fast food toys that I would have just a year ago tried to reunite with the rest of the toy, a key chain that might just make it's very own blog post one day.

SMOOTH TAXI TUESDAY

Believe it or not, today went rather smoothly. I even got things done in the morning. I am working hard. Very hard. It seems to finally be paying off, but I am not sure.

I tell myself that I don't have to be perfect every day. But sometimes I don't believe myself. I tell myself, just because I worked out today, doesn't mean I need to keep it up every day.

I really need to get to those leftover rooms. I hope that will make me feel better!

Surface of the day: cleared the passenger part of the car

5 a day: kids art

TUESDAY, AGAIN!

And wouldn't you know it. Another morning appointment. I am so done with running around Tuesday morning. The good news is that I got 1 hour of work in before I had to run off. The bad news is that running around in the morning already leaves no desire for work later in the day. Even if I do have time.

I am not sure but the house seems to be have been stable the last few days. I must be doing something right. I started the surface of the day again but got side tracked. Big surprise. I noticed that no mater which room I work on with my 10 min program I usually get distracted after about 6 minutes. 

James will be gone all day tomorrow, leaving way early so I will have to handle the day by myself. 

5 a day: 2 brand new kinder egg surprises, kids art

ARE YOU MOVING?

No. I am not moving. Hush it or I will have to punch you! Seriously. I did not need that comment. It is such a burden when you don't dare open the front door. I usually have that area clean, but as my clothes drop off didn't work and we needed the car for something else, everything went behind the front door temporarily. I just want peace and quiet. And a smile to greet me when I open the door. Not stupid comments.

 

But as it was, everything was stacked on the stairs and it looked like a mess and I didn't only have to open the door for 1, but 2 taxi moms last Tuesday. At least there were no packages by mail. Ugh.

I guess I should see the upside. It simply means that I am getting A LOT out of the house. It still stings.


surface of the day: my nightstand (top and 3 drawers)

7 a day: sun visor, pot, baking pan, 12 saucers, 12 cups

3000 CALORIES

I am having a 3000 kcal day. And it is barely lunch time. James has been up half of the night with a serious stomach bug. Now he is in bed, asleep. The morning appointment went well (besides missing my exit, hooray for a 15 min buffer in case things go wrong). Unfortunately it has brought with it another appointment for tomorrow morning that is interfering with the one I already have. I'll work it out.

I think my lesson in life is to learn to not be affected by things I have no control over. It is hard. I compensate by eating. I know. Stupid. But guess what. I tried EFT. I figured if it gets my anxiety level down about anything considering hoarding it should work in other areas of life, too. I tapped my head for about 20 seconds and felt better. I think I shall put 3 big letters on my fridge. EFT- a friendly reminder to try different approaches. Maybe then I can finally declutter all those extra pounds, too.

7 a day: various items of baby clothing

surface of the day: piano ( I know, I have to do that way to often!)

IT AIN'T MONDAY

I was a little confused today. It felt like Monday all morning long. Maybe because I didn't get any of the Monday chores done yesterday and did them today, or maybe because my friend Jane came to hang out and she usually hangs here on Saturdays or Sundays.

Well, as I was saying I was confused quite a bit and thought it didn't matter until it hit me around lunch time. If it's not Monday it must be TAXI TUESDAY! Talk about ruining my day.

I have somebody over tomorrow night for a short visit. So the downstairs should be presentable. I will have a baby sitter over on Thursday, so the upstairs should be presentable. I used to work well under pressure, now I just get annoyed.

Wish me luck. Or better, persistence. I have 2 days to clean up this mess. I will need it!

FIT, SLIM AND CALM

Needless to say, the ride to ballet class didn't work out. Oh and of today one more kid gets to tag along for rides. As he has to be dropped of 15 min before ballet class starts it's no big deal to have to go to ballet by myself.

I wish life could just be normal for one day. Puking kids for 6 days gets kind of old. I am fit, slim and calm. I had to adapt my mantra. Telling myself I am full of energy is simply too much.

Well. I will quit my rant and make you groan with one more shredder detail. The shredded stuff. No.It doesn't got into the trash. Or recycling for that matter. My parents have decided that it is the perfect stuff to start the fire. They put it into little paper bags, the ones you get at the bakery. So the shredded paper is put into carefully kept little paper bags and then lit under small pieces of wood. I have shredded about 1/10 of the bank accounts and ended up with medium size trash bag (squished in tightly) full of shreds. Well. As my friend Nicole put it: "Better hope for a long, cold winter." This might just be the reason my Mom hasn't shredded the stuff yet. In it's original form it takes a lot less space to store!

TAXI TUESDAY TRAUMA

I thought the last 2 Taxi Tuesdays were bad. Little did I know. Just how uhm STUPID was it to add an appointment on Tuesday morning in a town approximately 60 miles or 1 hour away? (I did set up the appoinment weeks ago, the other option would have been Friday which sounded  even worse.) Of course the Taxi Tuesday in question has the added benefit of a parent-teacher conference at night. Finding out the night before that the kindergarden-ballet ride once more would not be happening was "the icing on the cake". NOT!

Well. Here is the short version. First time I left the house was at 7:30 for a drop off. I was finally back home for good at around 9:15. Yes, pm. In the mean time I had shuttled kids back and forth, killed a very long time in a waiting room, got stuck in traffic and managed to be on time for every single drop off or pick up, even if just barely.

Have I mentioned that sometime during the 5 times I rushed home I managed to get 2 loads of laundry washed and a delicious dinner cooked?

I am awesome.  I am also completely wasted. The End.