I just can’t seem to get back in my grooooove since getting home from BlissDom. My house is a wreck. I barely have any clean clothes. I only actually cooked dinner once this week so far. And now here I am, the night before homeschool co-op, when I have to have all Joshua’s valentine’s stuff ready for the party there, and I’ve got nothing accomplished. My hubby is making brownies for me to take because I forgot until approximately 9 p.m. tonight that we were supposed to take a treat to share in addition to the valentine’s and the box to put the valentine’s in. We got a flat tire tonight on the way to my parent’s house for dinner which resulted in us not getting home til about 8:30, which resulted in me having to postpone my grocery trip. So I’ll be running to the local McDonald’s tomorrow to get lunch for us to eat at co-op. ‘Cause Lord knows we don’t have anything in the house I can pack for us!
I need to get back to my routine, back to making my lists and actually crossing things OFF of them, back to going to bed at a decent hour, back to sweeping the living room floor once in a while.
How do I find my way back? What do you do to get back in the groove after a vacation or big event? I need someone to TELL ME WHAT TO DO! Boss me around, it’s ok, I like it!
Jenny, I can completely relate. When I am overwhelmed I find it is helpful to do the following:
1. Pick out what can be skipped (like packing a lunch – good plan for McDonalds (just this once))
2. Start with what is bugging you most. Then tackle that and only that until it is done. Drag it all out, sort it, put it into baskets and get the first load going. Then put it as out of the way as you can.
3. Tackle the smaller things next. Try to cross off as many 2-3 minute tasks as possible. Clean up one room or one area of toys. Sweep the floor. It is motivating to see a lot of items crossed off the list.
4. Once you feel like you can breathe again, take a deep breath and sit down with the kids for a bit (of course, you may have already done bits of that here and there, at the co-op, for example). They missed you and it is good to reconnect. Then they will be more content (hopefully) when you move on to some of the bigger to do items.
5. One last piece of advice: When I feel overwhelmed, I find it helpful to try to plan out what I can do on which days. So, I might make a list for each day and have today be laundry and clean up the house. Then tomorrow might be go grocery shopping and put away the groceries, and pay bills. And so on. It makes me feel better that I have a plan of when I will get to things and having them written down stops the endless to do list from running through my head.
If all else fails, remind yourself to just put one foot in front of the other and do the best you can with what comes up (like the tire).
It is SO awesome to get away, but it can be hard to come back :>)
Good luck!
Michelle
Yeah, what she said
HUGS and you aren’t alone! Totally right there with you.
Yea, still haven’t unpacked my bag from this weekend. Eventually. I think I might tackle the grocery store today though. Right there with you.
You totally aren’t alone.
I totally understand. I feel like that a lot. I think the only thing that helps me is to make a prioritized “to do” list. I put the things that absolutely have to be done on the top, and then work my way down. And I try hard not to feel guilty if only the first couple of things get done. As long as everyone’s fed and has clothes to wear, you’re succeeding.
I got no advice, but plenty of you’renotalone-ness! My house is a disaster, too. Plus I’ve been sick (and so’s my daughter). And oh yeah, my crawl space is flooded, which means I can’t do laundry.
So I feel ya, sister!
first of all love…give yourself a break!
as a fellow homeschool mom and overachiever i know what it’s like to NOT meet your own expectations.
now…deep breath…it’s only been a week and the world has not ended.
give yourself this weekend to re-group then go get em…you CAN do this!
Hi there – I’m new here, but I thought I’d pipe up anyway. When I’m in your situation, I just start where I am. If I’m on the toilet, then when I stand up, I clean it. If I’m in the kitchen, and the dishes are piling up, then I do that. It doesn’t matter so much where I start, just that I start. I take the toys to the playroom, empty juice cups to the kitchen, dirty dishtowels to the laundry, throw a load in, take clean clothes to the appropriate rooms, etc. I just sort of follow the work around the house. But don’t forget to take a break! Hope this is helpful to you…
I’m so glad I’m not alone here! I can’t give any advice because since Blissdom, my list has gone unmarked.
It’ll pass though; it has too. š
First, breathe and forgive yourself. What I do next is ask for help. I engage everyone in the house in a 5 minute pick-up in the 2-3 worse areas of the house. For us, that’s usually the kitchen and the living room. 5 minutes may not sound like a lot of time, but it does start to make a difference — especially when you have 2-3 other helpers. That’s the equivalent of one person working alone for 20 minutes!
If I’m by myself and feeling overwhelmed, I’ll turn to a trusty standby and pick up my age in as many rooms as I can manage. For example, if a puzzle is strewn across the floor, putting the pieces back in the box counts for one item, but picking up the lid and closing the box also counts for an item. Cushion on the floor? Pick it up and tick off one more item. You’ll be surprised how much better things will look in a short period of time. Overwhelmed by dishes in the sink? Wash your age. Though that went rather quickly? You can do it, again.
The bottom line is these methods sort of jump start me and other tasks suddenly don’t seem so daunting.
LOL hire a maid….
Truly wish I had some advice, however I’m in the same boat. Where’d my mojo go? Maybe Chris Mann can help…