Tuesday, July 28, 2009

All in a days work


Eva and Alexander fighting over the "Toy". Eva wants Alexander out of there and is trying to squish him but she doesn't weigh very much so its not working. Hence the fake crying face.

I feel like I spend my days cleaning up and thats it. Do you guys ever feel this way? I clean and clean and put away and it all spews back out within the next 30 minutes. It makes me feel crazy sometimes. Sometimes I just brush it off and wait until its bed time to attempt a clean up. I like to try to have things cleaned up when Daniel gets home though(anywhere between 4:30-7:00) Not that I want him to think I have been cleaning all day but I know I appreciated a clean house when I got home from work (when I worked). So I put the kids down at the same time around 3pm and try to be like the Tasmanian devil and clean the whole house, dishes too and start dinner. Some days this works some days not.

I feel as though I shouldn't let the mess stress me out but it does. I was reading woman's day and it said the top 10 stresses that apparently are worse for your health than the big stresses (losing a job etc) are:

1. Unreliable friends or family people who say yes and don't show up or don't do it
This one doesn't really apply to me here because I don't have any family here. Although flakiness has always been a pet peeve of mine and I know when I get flaky I am annoying people.

2. Rude encounters of the sales kind
This one does stress me out a ton. When I am shopping and the people are rude to me I get irritated because why are they like that? The advice in the column was just be nice yet assertive to the cashier and ask them why they are so rude. Does that really sound kind? It sounds like a fight to me, but it says usually someone was rude to them so they are rude to you. Sounds like a traffic jam to me.

3. Does anyone else see the mess
This stresses me out big time. Messes everywhere at my house. I could care less if someone elses house is messy but if mine is I have a small panic attack everytime I look at it. I am never expecting anyone to come over but the mess still picks at me until I clean it up.

I am a list checker. I make lists on paper and in my head and a mess on the floor is just something I can't check off the list. Drives me bonkers! That is why I am always doing so many projects. I need to check them off the list. I look in the garage or on the wall and see I have something unfinished and I need to finish it so I do.

4. If you need help please press 1
These make me so irritated. As soon as I hear the automated response I regret calling because I am always in a foul mood afterwards. I even HATE using calling cards because I usually have to do it 3 times to get all the stupid numbers right.

5.Can I get a little Quiet
This is quiet time that moms need. It says you can't de-stress with all the nutsos around you making you crazy. You need your own time! I believe this very much. I don't think its being selfish because I know if one of my children won't take a nap and I don't get that "free" hour to clean or read or project or whatever I am extremely irritable with the kids and Daniel. So it really pays off to get this quite time. You are nicer and get more things done when you get this time. The Magazine says usually moms only get this during shower time. Kind of pathetic but its true for me sometimes. Although the kids are banging on the door and crying outside the door when I take showers so that doesn't count at all.

6. my husband drives me crazy
It says some of the stuff that attracted you to your significant other generally turns annoying after a couple of years. It says the key to success is not having all the same traits and being different from each other. The cure to this is supposed to be don't let the little stuff bug you because its not really that important (for example Daniel doesn't seem to know the purpose of a laundry hamper) I am learning with this thing as I am sure everyone is.

7. packing in too many to-dos
I suffer from this only a little bit. I pack in to-do's to make myself think I accomplished something that day for my sanity's sake. It said some people have their entire day (hour to hour) planned and when something goes wrong they have a fit. I definitely don't suffer from that. I hate being late but have hardly anything scheduled anyway.

8. Who's that frump in the mirror
I believe this one. When I look like crap I feel like crap. I used to think (when I was a freshman in college and younger) it was silly to get all dressed up each and every day and why put on tons of makeup just for a regular day. Now that I have children and lack sleep at times and well everything else I appreciate dressing up and putting some makeup on. Obviously not a lot of makeup but some because I feel like I can accomplish everything when I am completely ready for the day.

Cure from this is supposed to be invest in a great hair cut, 5 minute makeup routine, some funky jewelry and thats it. It says you can still wear your all black outfit or jeans and t-shirt and just stick a great necklace on and feel great. I believe this... a little bit, it takes time to get positive self image if you don't already have it.

9. Is anyone listening?
No one does anything you say or responds to you in your household. I feel this one all the time. I feel like the wall is better conversation in the daytime sometimes. Thats why I blog actually to feel connected to the outside world. I haven't found any great friends here really so that sucks but I haven't tried at all. I don't think I care if they listen just respond.

10. Eating too few calories.
Yep moms starve all the time (and so do non-moms) so busy on the go everythings going on and it makes you more stressed and grouchy. But it says sugar when hungry instead of complex carbs make you grouchy too cause they give you the low and the fat.

Cure: eat healthy don't count calories just eat healthier. Easier said than done. I know just throw in veggies. If no one in your family eats veggies (no matter how much you force or try to trick them) Its hard making a whole meal out of them just for yourself. That would be two dinner makings and who has time for that?

So many tell me: make it and if they don't eat it too bad. Um have you seen Daniel? He can't afford to skip meals in the work he does. The children tend to scream all night if they go to bed hungry.
Anyways totally random. I saw most things on this list as stresses for me so I guess I need to learn how to chill out or I will get bad health from it. The problem is how do you chill out when vacations and "doing nothing" Stress you out?

5 comments:

Heather said...

Miriam - I love your blog with all of the commentary and the pictures. I think the mess stresses a lot of us (you should talk to Geoff) but what do you do? Thanks for keeping us updated and we can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks.

Chelsey said...

Geez! As mom's and wives we have so much to do and clean! No wonder we get stressed. With cleaning- my toy area is the living room(only the living room). Rarely do people come over so I don't worry to much. But I clean up the toys three times a day- nap, when randy is coming home and bedtime. My kids go to bed at 7 and I quickly clean and start a project- cakes usually! I just think to myself that if i clean it up during play time i will get stressed when everything is pulled out again in one minute. I try not to worry because i know if someone was to come over i can clean the living room in 1 minute. I try to keep the toys that have a billion pieces put away from the everyday toys, they are more for when they play with me. The bottom cabinet of our entertainment center is the toy storage area. Throw it in, close the door! I do know how you feel. But think of the beautiful family you have to do it all for. When they are parents they will really appreciate it.

MiriamR said...

Its true I love my little family. I would be so bored without them too and they make me laugh alot, they do the funniest things.

Line'sLucky3 said...

Great post! Im dying because so many of the stresses you talked about are so true for me. Sometimes I stress too much and then I just ignore everything until I just gotta do something about it or I'll go mad. Crazy...I think Im the most stressed out Tongan I know...LOL Agustine is always telling me to chill out...LOL Can you believe that? A Polynesian being told to chill out...isn't that what we do best? Chill. LOL BTW...can you come for the New Moon midnight showing? =)

MoBo said...

Miriam, all I can say Is Fighting! hehehe Get the reference?? Gosh as I was reading this I kept thinking "poor Miriam" cuz I just know man, especialy with the Food thing. After spending the few weeks with you I just kept having these flashes of the exact situations that the magazine talked about. You do a Superb Job, Super Woman to the Max! High Five~!