Pick your Passion or Do it All?

I've been thinking a lot about my last post (before the Clean House Challenge post)and I'm no closer to deciding.

I chatted with another friend of mine yesterday. She's basically in the same boat, just without a kid. She gave up a craft or two when she & her hubby moved, but she still has more than she has time or space for. She had a similar problem with employment. A lot of the jobs she sought required years of experience in that particular field. She (& I!) have years of experience in various fields.

That also got me thinking about working & staying home & then I saw this article. I've had a lot of people say things like "good for you!" when I say I'm a stay-at-home mom. I love being with my daughter & would have a hard time going back to work now, but I didn't become a SAHM entirely by choice. I had a job I loved in disability support at the local community college & I went back to work after I had her. I had lost my stride in the workplace though & was struggling to catch up with things, but my main concern was that we weren't breaking even with the costs of childcare. It seemed like I should be. I earned $11 an hour & childcare costs came out to roughly $5 an hour. The main problem was that the daycare charged per week regardless of how many days the kids were actually there & the occasional sick day would cost me doubly as I was paying for daycare I wasn't getting & I wasn't earning anything from work. I was still considered a temp worker & had no paid leave of any sort (so my maternity leave had already cost us on top of hospital bills & all.) Then, what totally sunk us... due to the economy & what-not... we had budget cuts... My hours were going to be cut in half. My boss knew what that meant. I was done. So, we chose to have me just stay home, rather than try to find a higher paying job somewhere else. It just wasn't likely at all.

I thought I'd have so much time to keep the house cleaned up & do my crafts & hobbies... ha!

I've since looked around & learned that most other SAHMs aren't much better than I am at keeping up with everything & having time to themselves. My neighbors are better at keeping their houses cleaned up, but they don't seem to get as caught up in hobbies & computer time as I do. I've started wondering how the heck I (or anyone else) managed any semblance of cleanliness & have time for hobbies while working. The only benefit is that the house wasn't getting messed up (any more than the cats could manage)while we were at work.

I don't know. I know I definitely need to get off my butt more & get better at cleaning up, but as for the rest of the balancing act... *shrug*


So, what do you think? Do you think it's better to pick a passion or try & do all that brings you joy? Prioritize & organize or go with the flow?

I tend to not like extremes & look for the happy middle ground, but I think I'm leading my life more in the try to do it all and go with the flow style & it's not working for me.

Day 14 Assignment

Day 14 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and clean the mirrors and glass doors in your house.

::Clean out your utensil drawer(s) (those with serving spoons, ladles, spatulas, etc.) in the kitchen and your junk drawer(s). Take everything out, throw out the trash, get rid of extra clutter, wipe out the drawers, and re-organize the contents as you put them back in.

::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

In reaction to Cheryl

In specific, this is in reaction to this blog entry. I've been going back & forth lately... I think maybe I need to pick a passion & embrace it wholeheartedly. I have so many different hobbies & interests; I'm one of those who knows a little about a lot of things & a lot about very few. My photography, done entirely point & shoot, has been getting attention lately & I've been asked for the 2nd time to shoot a wedding! I wonder if I shouldn't invest in a better camera with detachable lenses & flashes & such. Something where I can actually adjust the f-stop.
I've tried going all out w/my jewelry, but I lose interest in it & am not good at getting myself out there to actually make sales.
I struggle so much with pricing, marketing & everything to do with actually selling my arts or crafts & now that I'm a stay-at-home mom & my "free" time is so limited I've begun to think more & more about what I really want to do. I don't have the time or space for all these crafts, but I'm loathe to give any up!

Day 13 Assignment

Day 13 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and do a quick-clean of your bathroom. Need specific directions? Read this article on How to Clean Your Bathroom in 15 Minutes.

::Clean the top of your kitchen cupboards (if there is space between them and the ceiling) and the top of your refrigerator. If you have clutter on the top of your refrigerator, go through it and see if you can get rid of it or find a new home for it. Wipe down the outside of your kitchen cupboard doors.

::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

Finding Motivation & Direction

This is what I have the hardest time with...
My plan for right now is to get a shower & figure out something productive to do... I'm feeling "inspired" to play with my polymer clay &/or play Minecraft. I shouldn't mess too much w/Minecraft though.. lately it's been giving me motion-sickness & our server-host friend is planning to start a new world soon, so I don't want to invest too much more in this one. We'll see if I even have any time after I shower & figure out something productive to do.
So, do I go back to where I left off with the MoneySavingMom challenge? Pick up where they're at now? Go back to my original grand plan for Project Clean House? or just tackle something that's bugging me & needs done? *sigh* I'll think about it in the shower & let you know.
I'm kinda thinking the dirty kitchen floor is bugging me the most, but I'm so dreading the process of moving the table & chairs & stuff, sweeping & mopping... I've been trying to spot clean & it's just not working. Idk. I also tend to be totally wiped after I do all that & baby Jamie's coming for a little over an hour today & I don't want to totally exhaust myself before that. (See how I talk myself out of these things? Gah!)
This is my pother problem... taking so long to decide & not just getting things done... off to shower!

Showered. Hubby messaged me & requests that I work on de-cluttering the kitchen counters & other surfaces in the main living area & putting things I don't want our daughter messing with, out of her reach. She's not sleeping yet, so I think I'm going to have to go retrieve a "doh" (pacifier) & start some laundry & then work on his request. :)
Why am I shakey? I had a good lunch: leftover steak & mashed potatoes & tuna casserole. Earlier I had some orange & for breakfast I had yogurt & granola, so I'm not all protein & starch today, just for lunch. ;)
I shake a little all the time b/c of a genetic condition I've never gotten diagnosed (but my dad, his bros & other members of his fam clearly have/had the same thing. Dad had it the worst) but it gets worse when I have low blood sugar, emotions are running high or when I'm on certain meds. None of those seems likely right now, but I'm inclined to eat something... I just worry that I've been doing that a lot recently for the same reason & that could be why I'm gaining weight... though the weight gain seems to correspond with going off birth control... I gained 10-15lbs before I got pregnant with Amber... then I lost a lot more than that w/the morning sickness.
Sorry, I'm rambling. She's whining that she "lost [her] doh" so I better go get it... guh. Can't wait 'til she is done with those & diapers!!

Day 12 Assignment

Day 12 Assignment

::Get dressed in something that makes you feel great {there’s something about dressing in clothes that make you feel great that just gives you more energy and zest for life! Get your free copy of SarahMae’s ebook, Frumps to Pumps, if you need more motivation in this.}

::Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea, refer to your list of weekly goals, and make a list of no more than 5-7 specific things you want to accomplish today.

::Complete your morning routine {if you don’t have a morning routine, take some time to create one today! Read my How to Develop a Routine That Works–And Stick With It series for step-by-step help.}

::Set the timer for 15 minutes and vacuum the main living areas of your home.

::Clean your microwave, stove top, and/or oven.

::Find 7 items to get rid of today. Throw them out, stick them in a donate or garage sale box, give them to a friend who can use them, or list them on Craigslist or eBay.

By the way, these are from Moneysavingmom.com

Wwwwell... OK!

That's my daughter's new favorite thing to say. Her context for it is sometimes a little off, but it's cute. She's begging for something & we finally ask "do you want this?" & she says" Wwwelll... OK!"

In cleaning house news, I haven't done a whole lot lately, but I've been making little bits of progress here & there. Yesterday I washed the toilet & sink in the powder room & the sink & tub/shower in the basement bathroom & had my hubby get a replacement shower curtain since ours was getting kinda nasty & was torn. Still need to trade those out.
Today, I washed some of the dishes by hand. About half of what was out. I left some sippy cups I couldn't get the lids off of & a few little cups & spoons so my daughter can play in the bubbles later & then I left a bunch on the counter b/c my feet were starting to hurt again. I'll work on them some more when she wakes up. That's the plan anyway. ;)

Yesterday was hubby's 31st birthday. He gets to celebrate a few times this year. On Saturday we arranged bowling with some friends. It ended up that I stayed home so Amber could nap & only two other friends showed up and it got pushed back a couple hours, but then we all went to eat at Steak 'n' Shake. Yesterday, baby Jamie's parents took Amber when they got Jamie from me so Paul & I had a nice romantic dinner of Jimmy John's while watching The Whole Nine Yards again. I made up the table with a tablecloth, candles & even a centerpiece & we ate at the couch. :P Ah well, it was still nice. He requested to stay home while I went to retrieve Amber, so Amber & I went to the grocery store on the way home & surprised him with a little cake. :)

I can't remember if I mentioned it already, but our carrots are sprouting & when it rains, our strawberry plants continue to perk up & look a lot better, so everything in our garden seems to be coming along nicely! :D