Thursday 22 September 2011

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about getting organized and I must tell you that it is working. At least now and then…

Already implemented is that I have my small clutch bag where I put my keys, driver’s license, access cards, credit card, mints, headphones, lipsticks and other necessities. Yes, it weighs a kilo I am sure, but it contains only essentials. When I change my handbag it is just to remember to move the clutch from one bag to the other, not every single item every time - genius.

Of course the problem is when you leave the whole thing at home, but that has only happened once so far.
Getting organized is a lot more than remembering my keys:

It is to:
  • take my shower at night and have the hair dry before you go to bed, to avoid bed head hair in the morning so that I have to take another shower.
  • plan and take the next day’s outfit from the wardrobe and have it ready for the next day. It is not as easy as it sounds. How can you predict your mood and the weather for the following morning? I’m not psychic.
  • get up in the morning when the alarm goes off, no snooze, no sleeping in.
  • leave the house on time whether it is be in work at 7 am or to get Little H to the nursery before 7:45, and then to work.



Because if I fail to do these things

I will:
  •  have to take a shower with a drowsy Little H in my arms. And trust me; it is not easy to wash your hair like that. There is not another option as she wants to be carried around the first hour after she has woken up otherwise will cry her you-do-not- care-about-me cry with real tears and all.
  • stand in the wardrobe in my underwear letting Little H play with (trying to break) every necklace I have hanging on hooks on the wall, while I try to figure out what to wear.
  • wake up after Little H and again having to carry her around while I make the bed, get dressed and so on having the little sleepyhead dozing over my shoulder.

It is a slippery slope, and if only one of my preparations for the day after are forgotten or neglected (I have learnt that to forget or to neglect is not the same thing, which I thought before) it all goes wrong:

I will never get Little H to the nursery on time.
I will not catch my train and I will be late for work. If I am extra lucky, I will have snot stains on my shoulder, jam on my trouser leg and mascara on only one set of eyelashes. All this and more I do not realize until someone points it out until after a morning meeting….

How do you get organized? With or without kids? I need some practical time-saving advice. Help me please…

Saturday 17 September 2011

Ouch! - Little H takes another fall


Little H is a clumsy one. Well, coming from an incredibly clumsy and dizzy mum and having a slightly dizzy dad, does not really give the odds in her favor. What did we expect?

Starting the nursery has been hard, on little H’s head, as she has had at least one new bump, cut, bruise or scratch when she has been picked up at the end of the day. We are now used to being greeted by staff saying things like “there is something you should know….” Before going on with “she ran, fell and hit the wall today and has a nasty bump on her forehead”.

I was thinking “OMG! Why did they not call us, has she got a concussion, a broken nose?” Neither, the staff assured me. She only cried a little bit, the nose seemed fine and if possible she has been even more energetic than usual this afternoon.

And were they right. I looked around and saw amongst the sea of small blond heads, my Little H (the one with the least hair, easy to recognize), running around, talking as fast as a Spaniard and smiling with a forehead full of aloe vera cream.

Well, she IS a tough cookie.

As soon as we got home and before he saw his daughter I had to tell Pappa Kas about the day at the nursery and the nasty fall to explain the large bump growing on Little H’s forehead. I started with: “there is something you should know…”, which I, by the expression on his face, realized was a bad choice of words for the type of “confession” I was going to make. I told him about the bang-head-into-wall incident and how glad I was that it was not this week the photographer was coming to take photos of the kids.

Pappa Kas just shrugged and said: “What’s new?” and I guess he was right. It was neither the first and certainly not the last bump or bruise she is going to come home with.

I want an icecreaaaaaaaaam

Tuesday 13 September 2011

Singing the Sunday blues (on a Tues)

On Friday both Pappa Kas and I managed to meet in the nursery to get Little H at the same time.
We meet a very excited little girl who, with the help of lovely Kely the nursery assistant, told that they had been to feed the chickens, picked a cucumber (one!) and eaten apples straight from the tree. Little H is no stranger to eating apples straight of the branches, but since we only had six apples in total spread over six trees this year, I am sure that she could need a little more practice.

The sun was shining; Little H was not a grumpf, everything was set for a perfect weekend. On Friday afternoon we played in the park until Pappa Kas felt feverish and coming down with a cold. We then went home, Little H and Pappa Kas to bed and me to the sofa. Saturday started great. The sun was shining, Pappa Kas was feeling better, Little H slept” inn” til 7 am and was as charming as ever. We decided to go for lunch with some friends and do some shopping. Just as we were about to leave I started getting a headache and a thick throath, and when parking the car I asked Pappa Kas if I had a fever. He felt my forhead with closed eyes and a serious expression before he concluded that it might be the case…

Although cute, I do not think she would make it past the fashion police
During lunch Little H turned nasty H, but only because she was hungry and the food was late. The lunch was stressful but still nice; we managed to catch up with some friends and have some food while entertaining H and lower her tantrums. I was exhausted.
Back home it was my turn to go to bed early, and I am sure that Little H and Pappa Kas were eating ice cream out of the box and watching cartoons (as I would have done). I slept for 14 hours.

Little H shows us yet again how to eat with you whoooole face




Sunday came with rain, fever and a bad cold. How could such a promising start to the weekend turn so bad?
How was your weekend?

Wednesday 7 September 2011

Getting organised

After seeing parts of my forgetfulness and all the hassle it causes in writing, I decided that “this cannot go on!”. Things have to change. I want to get organised and tidy, be one of those mummies who plan ahead, who has it all under control at all costs and appear cool as a cucumber even when her wallet is at home and she’s standing at the till with a 100 items of groceries already gone through, and with a less than charming toddler by your side. I want to be one of those I told myself.


Just missed the train...


All changes have to start somewhere. And to succeed I have to start slowly, adapting a few changes at the time, selecting a few life changing quick fixes which can make my life less messy, and less complicated for the people around me.

As per yesterday I have gathered my keys (house and bike), my access card for work, a lipstick, mints, petty cash and headphones for my phone in a little leather pouch that I have. I am now putting that on the bureau in the hallway so that I have to see it before leaving in the morning. It has worked two days in a row, so if it works tomorrow as well, there might be a habit forming here.

All in one place, too good to be true?


The next life changing quick fix is to prepare Little H’s breakfast for the nursery, her morning milk and my own lunch before the sofa captures me and I am lost in front of some silly TV program. As soon as Little H is asleep I go straight to the kitchen and make the sandwiches. Easy peasy.

There's nothing like a packed lunch!
(I wish we had Starbucks in Norway...)

 
The last time-saving being organized going-to-be-a-habit fix being implemented this week is to have my shower at night, put my clothes for the next day in the bathroom (after having checked the weather forecast and taken that into account when planning the outfit). It has worked pretty well so far, the only hitch being that have yet to implement a way to get my work clothes ironed, but thanks to Pappa Kas’ domestic skills (I have none) I have yet to wear a creased top. Thank God for his good habits!



Thursday 1 September 2011

Lady B and the keys

I am a dizzy person. I forget and I loose things. One of the things lost during the last year includes a really nice cardigan (Odd Molly) possibly forgotten in a coffee shop while being distracted by Little H’s shenanigans. I have asked for it in several places (you know you have to alternate cafés as not to be seen as a skiver when you hang around at daytime. Even with a baby), but no one has seen it. I am sure that there is a lucky lady out there somewhere who got a free cardigan to go with her coffee… If you read this: Lucky you.


One of the things easily lost or forgotten is my set of keys. During the last fortnight I have had two unfortunate incidents. I assure you; this is more often than usual.

Incident nr 1: We take little H to the nursery by bike in the morning, leave the bike at the nursery and take it home when we pick up her highness early afternoon. It works really well. Pappa Kas takes her in the morning and I take her home in the afternoon. Works as a dream and we are chuffed with our new routine. Last Monday I was to pick up the funny bunny and take her to her toddler swim class. I was right on time, came to the nursery, struggled to get H out of there and when the helmets were on and we were all organized to cycle away, I realized that I had forgotten the keys to the bike. I had to carry Little H, my laptop bag and a backpack with swimming stuff for at least a kilometer. I tried to get her to walk on her own several times, but she refused and it was no way in he** we would get there on time anyway if she was to walk by herself, stopping to look at birds, snails and wave to every passing car. I thought that I had learned my lesson, but…

In lack of a photo of my keys (I have no idea of where they are)
I am posting two cute photos of Little H brushing her teeth

Incident nr 2: Last Saturday I went to the town centre of Drammen to do some shopping. Pappa Kas and Little H was not too keen on going to the pharmacy, buying bread, getting tights for Lady B and other long overdue boring purchases. When I arrived home, I realized that the house keys were inside the house and that the other inhabitants of HB21 were out and about somewhere. I did not want to call and moan about me forgetting the keys (again), so I walked around the house testing doors and windows, but everything was as closed as an oyster. By then I had to pee and it started to rain, great. I decided to play scrabble on my phone (recently discovered, highly addictive) inside the car, and almost managed to finish a game before the happy couple came strolling down the driveway. Pappa Kas did not even comment. He is well used to these incidents by now.

As I was writing this I suddenly starting thinking about my access card to the office. At present I have no idea of when I saw it last and where I can have put it. Never mind, the girl at the reception knows me and my habits and she always has an extra card (reserved especially for me) waiting at her desk every morning -just in case.

In lack of a photo of my keys (I have no idea of where they are)
I am posting two cute photos of Little H brushing her teeth

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...