Our smushy, comfy couch.
[April Update]
ROUTINE | Decide what our evenings will look like to minimize the “So, whadaya want to do tonight?” – Yep! It goes like this:
- We put the kids to bed (I do Gabe, Mike does Theo)
- Pick up for 10-15 minutes (prep for tomorrow)
- Talk for 20 minutes (10 minutes each)
- Usually watch half an episode of Columbo before falling asleep. We tried to plan it so Tuesday nights we work, Thursday nights we read, but it turns out after taking care of bedtime, cleaning, and talking, we have hardly any time before we collapse into a pile of sleepiness for our early bedtime.
READ | Fun book: Where’d You Go Bernadette. Non-fiction: I finished The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up.
LEARN | Start developing locally. Yes and I love it. I coded two websites while we drove around the state two weekends in a row. I won’t get all nerdy and talk too much about it since I’d imagine only a few other people care, but YAY.
HABIT | Pause email when starting work session. This turned out to 1) not actually be helpful (sometimes I’m waiting on an email to be able to move forward on a project!) and 2) cause some problems because the extension was buggy and didn’t unpause. So, scratch that idea.
[May Intentions]
ROUTINE | Working out. I’m going to tackle my fitness routine this month. I plan to do the 7 minute work out daily and run three miles 2-3 times a week. It’s not too overwhelming or time-consuming, only about 2 hours total time a week. I can do it without driving to a gym (not that I belong to one anyway…). Perfect for my life right now!
READ | Fun book: Not sure! Any recommendations? Non-fiction: Finish Mindless Eating
LEARN | 10-15 minutes of Codeacdemy a day. Since I only took some basic coding classes, I’m largely self-taught. This works well since the web is an ever-changing space and if I’d taken 4 years of coding classes 10 years ago, it’d all be defunct knowledge by now. But some more learning is in order to sharpen my skills again!
HABIT | Don’t let any dishes rest in the sink. My favorite website on the internet has a great list of clean house habits. For two weeks I’m going to make sure the dishes are always done, then for two weeks I’m going to keep the kitchen counters clear and wiped down. Domestic goddess with big goals over here. Watch out.
NAGGING TASK | Call a cleaning person to do a deep clean. I figure we’ll need to have the apartment super cleaned before we leave in 3 months, so why not get it done now and then maintain it for a few months! After almost five years of living here, it could use a deep cleaning. Like, maybe let’s just rip out allllll the carpets.
And of course, I’m not on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram this month! So I’ll have time to actually do all of this, right?
If you haven’t read any of her books, try Sarah Addison-Allen. I am really enjoying her books; they have a bit of mystery, love, southern charm and sometimes a little bit of magic in each one.
I think the goals for the kitchen are great ones; they may seem small but they will make the kitchen (and I bet you!) feel so much better. I need to be better about getting things off the counter… so much junk piles up there.
Random question: Did you literally work while the car was moving? I’d love to do that, but I get nauseous even reading a map while someone else is driving. Do you have any tips for avoiding carsickness?
I did work! I can’t read in a car or I get nauseous, but for some reason coding doesn’t bother me! I do get a little queasy if I’m reading too much as I work, though. I have no tips, because if I did, I would have figured out how to read in the car! ;)
I second the Sarah Addison Allen recommendation! Her books are always great. I also love Susanna Kearsley’s books (history, romance, mystery….good stuff). My absolute favorite author and series is Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. They are LONG but worth every single moment!
I love your dishes plan. I think I’ll try to incorporate that into my daily routine, too. :)
I’m trying the “don’t let dishes rest in the sink” trick this week but I’m finding it really hard. It seems like my kids are ALWAYS EATING so I feel like all I’m doing all day is preparing food and washing dishes. I guess maybe it’s time to get the kids involved in washing dishes :D
how did you like the tidying up book? I’m making a list for the next time I go to the library and I’m wondering if I should put this on my list?
I do like the idea about having someone in for a deep clean. Do they do that? I have thought/wished over that for a while, but then figured they only want people to commit to weekly/monthly, not a one time deal. Or don’t they? :-D If anyone has any suggestions…