Not So Lazy After All

Last week, I think my mind was still in Florida.  I had tons to do around the house, but I actually did very little.  The mess didn't even bother me very much.  I cleaned.  I vacuumed and mopped, did lots of laundry, finished putting away my Christmas decorations (with Greg's help), and wiped down some floorboards.  I did the daily stuff, like packing lunches, running and unloading the dishwasher and wiping down counters, but the rest of the stuff I let be.  I didn't dust.  I didn't reorganize any of my closets.  I didn't sort out toys or wash any windows.  I just didn't want to.  I took a nap last weekend instead of cleaning - both days.  I putzed around on the Internet, looking at cute and cuddly pictures of cats.  I went sled riding and posted blog entries.  I read the newspaper.  It was an OK way to spend my time.  Quite OK, actually.

I also felt very unmotivated at work.  I did what I had to do.  I reviewed folders, ran copies, assisted with caseload management as needed, but my heart wasn't in any of it.  I felt rather lazy and unfocused.  I wanted to be home.  I wanted to play with my kids and visit my friends.  My priorities had been tipped - not toppled, but off balance nonetheless.  I even considered that perhaps my New Year's resolution to focus less on my obsession with order and cleanliness was self-actuating.  I admit that part of me was a little worried that I was becoming depressed, but another part of me was kind of pleased with this new found lackadaisical attitude.

Alas, the laid back approach was short lived.  Whenever I have gone through these periods of semi-apathy, I always bounce back with fervor.  I realize all of the things that I have let go, and I attack them with vigor.  I think it was inevitable that I would eventually revert to my old ways.  The oh-so-sweet sloth met his demise this evening.  It started innocently enough.  Greg has this weekend off of work, and I hate to spend the weekends cleaning when we have the opportunity for family recreation.  So, while Jake was at swimming lessons, I decided to start my housekeeping.  Sometimes I amaze myself at how quickly I can knock out cleaning when I get into the zone.  Mom took Jake to the YMCA, and I played on the floor with Andrew for about 20 minutes.  Then I folded one load of laundry and started another. (I love having a first floor laundry.  It makes keeping up with the tons of dirty clothes that we generate a breeze!)  I dusted the entire first and second floors of my house in the 40 minutes between when Jake left and when Andrew and I had to leave to pick him up.  If you've been here, you know that I have a fairly big home.  It accumulates a good amount of dust.  Not any more.  Dust be gone!

When we returned from swimming, I put Andrew in the bath while I vacuumed my second floor.  Andrew was content in the tub, so I scrubbed him, and cleaned the toilet while he played.  He still wasn't ready to get out of the bath, so I mopped the second floor while I listened to him splish-splash.  I dried Andrew off, dressed him, got him a snack and commenced cleaning.  I vacuumed the stairs to the game room and second floor, and wiped both sets of stairs as well as the floorboards, railings and rungs by hand.  The boys played nicely together while I wiped down all of my kitchen cupboards, cleaned the clock above the TV and folded and washed another load of laundry.

That's enough for today.  I put the bucket away, read to the boys and put them to bed.  I didn't sleep much last night (surprise, surprise), so even though I'm not quite ready for bed just yet, I'm definitely ready to relax.  A cold beer is calling my name...and maybe (just maybe) a few chips too!  I'm actually eager to finish my cleaning tomorrow.  I don't have too much left to do - just the bathrooms, the floors and putting away laundry.  I can knock that out tomorrow evening easily.  Then I'll have Friday to do my grocery shopping and that will complete the tasks for the week, leaving the weekend open for play! Yay!

I'm back on the ball at work too.  Since Monday I have reviewed 16 folders, led a Direct Service Team meeting, attended the very brief DST and Safety Committee debriefing meeting, led 8 Kid In Discussion meetings, wrote 8 corresponding action plans for those kids, scheduled a bunch of stuff for next week, and also began reviewing the protocol for our annual federal review posted on the Early Childhood Learning and Knowledge Center by the the federal office of Head Start.  (Boy, doesn't that sound like a fun time!?! You can click the link if you're super curious about the federal office of Head Start and all it's workings!)

I'm back in the game now.  My routine has been restored.  Relaxed?  No, not exactly...but I am content.  There's something to be said for feeling comfortable with your own compulsions and drive.  Maybe I'm just not meant to be so lazy after all.