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Grudgingly Saved $6

February 28th, 2013 at 09:55 pm

I am not going to be the same. After raising teens my very own personality is unavoidably changed. First, I have almost fully given up keeping their stuff tidy. Not in their rooms at least. Spillover into the common areas though is still the subject of my wrath.

How is that possible for a fanatically neat person?! Well, I don't go into their rooms much for anytime longer than 2 minutes. Just once a week they have to take off the sheets and I go put on new ones. The rest of the time I just stopped making their beds. Oh, they used to do it through grade school as part of earning an allowance. But the allowance program ended in high school for the oldest and then I just quit on the youngest. There is probably a good bed making habit inside them, it has just gone on haitus.

Ditto for keeping things tidy. Throughout the years when my kids were little I realized a good organizing system was the answer to staying neat. All it took was 'stuff control' and a few clear bins, a trip to donate at the thrift every few months. Fast forward 8 years. I do not want to organize or cull anyone's stuff anymore. If things get too bad, I simply park the 'taxi' and no-one goes where they are supposed to until 'X' is done.

And what about punctuality? I am the type 5 or 10 minutes early. Or was the type. My DD is the type to do things right before a deadline. Oh, she's never been late with a homework. But she is a PROFESSIONAL dawdler. For years I've worked on this trying to instill good habits. She can't be bribed, punished, cajoled or pushed into being more timely. No matter if it's delivering girl scout cookies, being on time to ice skate practice, doing school projects, going to an appointment. If it's not there now, I give up. I predict she is going to be late, very late, to her own wedding.

Now how do I fit my own schedule around this? Of course I have planned my daily routine in combination with the kid's things. Now I am hardly ever early. It's not a crisis, but y'know, I am going to extract myself from the issue more. I am going to walk the dog when I want to. Not in the rush between dance class drop off and dinner food shopping. Nope.

For example. I look forward all week to a Wed night zumba class. The teacher is fantastic and I get a gigantic work out. Here's yesterday:
3:40 Home from school & work. Looking forward to 6pm work out class
4:00 DD reading, myself laundry
4:30 Me leave to pick up DS
4:45 Home, remind DD to be ready by 5:45 for her ice skate class (and work out class for me)
5:30 Me working on jewelry, DD starts math homework
5:45 DD doing math, not changed for skate class
6:00 Me exasperated and give up on work out class, DD still doing math
6:05 me start Wii Zumba class and ignore DD protests
6:50 me finish home work out, DD misses skate class

Now I saved $6 class fee and had a decent home work out class. But it is too bad she missed her skate practice.

So there you have it, am I different? No more fanatical tidyness at least if it's not in my immediate living space, and nevermind being early.

One more thing ~ the first jeweled egg has arrived in my Etsy store! See?

Text is Black and Red Tuxedo Egg - Faberge Style Jeweled Egg and Link is https://www.etsy.com/listing/125017565/jewel-egg-faberge-tuxedo
Black and Red Tuxedo Egg - Faberge Style Jeweled Egg

2 Responses to “Grudgingly Saved $6”

  1. snafu Says:
    1362100680

    thanks for the trip down memory lane. lol I believe that life lessons interfere and DKs will remember the lessons from childhood when maturity [more or less] catches up with age. If as teens they 'take it on the chin' if homework is late, tests not studied, late for class, missed skate lessons because they weren't ready on time, no fresh bed linen if they don't strip and re-make their bed, no clean clothes because they didn't do their own laundry etc. We took it one step further and required DSs do age appropriate chores some for money or privileges... a few because it helps the family.

    They are finally in college and it seems they heard and somewhat understand that if it is to happen, they need to do it all!

  2. pretty cheap jewelry Says:
    1362146896

    thx for the moral support snafu Smile adding years to my own age must be a factor in the personal changes, but feeling like I'm getting 2 years older for the price of one trip around the sun.

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