Monday - Get Organized Day

Get organized. 

Yesterday I had decided that today would be the day I would begin to be more organized.  I wanted to make Monday's into my "Get Organized" and blog about it day.  I even began a rough draft of what I wanted to say and what I needed to get done.  2012 was a rough and messy year.  In it's wake we are left with disorganization not just throughout the house but in our daily routines.  Besides the weekends Monday is the only day during the week that we don't have something else going on.  I am going to change that.

God laughs when we make plans. 

Last night I lay in bed unable to sleep.  I am usually the person who closes their eyes and within minutes fast asleep.  I began a headache and after an hour of trying to sleep I got out of bed to take an Advil.  Back in bed I closed my eyes and tried to use my relaxation therapy, imagining myself at the beach.  I must have dozed off because when Lucas called out to me it was an hour later.  I went into his room hoping that I wouldn't disturb my husbands sleep.  Lucas has dry skin and this is what woke him up, he was itchy.  I laid down with him and rubbed at each spot he started to scratch but after 10 minutes I realized that this was not working.  I was going to need to give him some allergy medicine.  Lucas insisted on coming down to the kitchen with me.  I sat him on the counter and when he saw that I was going to the medicine cabinet he started screaming NO and covered his mouth.  After a few minutes of trying to convince him that this medicine was just like candy (at 2:30am a Mom has to do what a Mom has to do) I gave up and wrapped my arms around him in a hug.  When I pulled back to look him in the face he had a bloody nose.  Adding to the screams of no about the medicine I now had to deal with the screams and a fight because he wouldn't let me near his face to clean it up or stop the bleeding.  Lucas is strong and fast.  I could not hold him still and in fact each time I tried to put a tissue to his nose I ended up smearing the blood on his cheeks.  Finally I laid him on the kitchen floor and pinned him down.  After that I wasn't going to fight him about taking the medicine.  I gave him a fruit snack pouch and sent him to the couch with cartoons.  I went back to the kitchen and smashed the chewable to a powder and mixed it with his apple juice.  By 3:45am we were back in bed.   

Exhausted...

Obviously I was exhausted in the morning but the kids needed to have breakfast and I needed to get Gabe ready for school.  Thankfully we had a delay opening because of freezing rain.  That also meant that Lucas was not going to his daycare/playgroup for the morning and he would be hanging out with me.  So much for my plans! 

I did accomplish one goal, almost finished but close enough that I am counting it!  I re-organized and cleaned up the toy room.  This project took twice as long because Lucas thought it was fun to play with the toys right after I placed them on shelves.  I am proud of the work I accomplished in the toy room today.  I once was told that we have a "Toys R Us in the toyroom" so imagine all the shelves empty except for a few pieces of toys and the toy box filled but also with random non toy things like a water bottle or crackers or a tooth brush.  Now I have the shelves organized and not just a pile of toys thrown on top to get them off the floor.  I vacuumed out the toybox and placed the odd bits and pieces in the kitchen sink.  I also trashed some broken, tired toys and those annoying McDonald's toys.  The room itself is not really big but all the same it is now done.  I pray that it lasts for a few days! 

Betty Crocker Image.

I used to be known as the "Betty Crocker" type, home-cooked family sit down meals each night, I would help Gabe with homework and studies, house tidy if not clean, and complete with the happy husband.  GULP....I have a lot of work to do if I want to regain that image! 

I know many people would sit back and say "Big deal! You don't work. You are a stay at home mom so your job is to maintain the house and raise the happy healthy kids." What do I say to that? "WRONG!"  Look a little beneth the surface and you will find a woman who deals with a severe form of chronic pain daily.  Life with Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy can be very fullfilling but it has it's challenges.  As much as I can plan something I need to plan on not being able to do it.  There is a good reason my home is in shambles.  During 2012 I had 2, yes 2, Spinal Cord Stimulator surgeries.  That means we had to reprioritize and learn to deal with a less than perfect home.  I think this was hardest on Gabe and Leo.  I spent most of the year in bed or on the couch unable to do more than wipe my own butt. 

Future Tasks

One task I need to work on is organizing my plans for Lucas.  I have a mental list of what I want to do with him and for him.  I need to call our insurance company and see if we can get him private speech therapy.  Lucas' section of the toyroom needs the most work as his puzzles and games have missing pieces that need to be found.  I have phone calls to make to the school district about the progress of his evaluation, we have till the end of the month before decisions will be made. 

Another task is to work on our laundry situation.  Ugh! Once you get so far behind on laundry it feels impossible to catch up.  Socks are the worst! I hate matching socks so I created a basket just for socks.  However to add to my laundry list the whole family last week had the stomach flu so I know that I need to go through and wash all the bedsheets and blankets just to properly disinfect the house. 

Gabriel has really been hurt during this last year.  He is at an age to understand that I am not well and that surgery is serious.  Since my health slipped last year his grades began to drop.  The first marking period of this school year his grades hit the bottom and we are having him evaluated by the child study team at the school.  In my gut I believe his issues at school have to deal with his concern for my health and missing me while I was recovering from surgery.  I want to give him every chance at getting extra help so that he can regain his academic standings.  I worry about him daily.  Gabriel is a bright funny and imaginative child who can spin a story like a pro.  He can spend half an hour reading or at the table creating a new craft.  Next week I meet with the child study team to review his evaluations and we will go from there about what else he needs from us. 

I need to organize my life.  In the broadest and most general of terms.  I feel scattered.  Before I went on disability each day had it's own set of routines and schedules with goals to be met daily.  Now most days I have the simple; take care of kids, clean house, cook dinner and if I am lucky I get to spend quality time with my husband.  All of this really depends on how I wake up in the morning.  Half the time my daily list is even more simple; shower, sit on the couch, and decide what to warm up for dinner or what my husband can pick up after work. 

Dream tasks: Train puppy, maintain clean kitchen, organize closet, organize kids closets, dust furniture weekly, fix up the spare bedroom, and oh so much more! 

Obviously I can not get this house back on track within one day, one week, even one month.  Maybe another Super Mom could but not me.