My Scatter-brained Self

Just to warn you - this may prove to a be a little too much information.
I admit, I am not always the most focused woman on the planet. I can go off-topic with the best of them, as is proved by the sheer number of "stream of consciousness" type entries I have posted here. For the most part, however, I can handle a number of tasks with some semblance of efficiency...except for one week out of the month...during which I become

unfocused, distracted, completely scatter-brained.
Yeah, this along with your typical cramps, moodiness...and I lost my train of thought.
Argh.
Is this normal? I haven't been able to focus on more than one thing at a time all week, and I've been lucky when I've managed that one thing. I think it may be getting worse.
Now, if you'll excuse me, one of my cats is tapping my leg with her paw. Apparently she wants something, and it's...distracting.
I'll post again when I can concentrate.

Memories and plans - a meme

I got this from Chloe at The Mindful Home who got it from someone else, who got it from someone else, and so on. I do so love a good prompt.

15 years ago today I would have been:
18 years old
Finishing my first year of college at Capital University
Probably finishing a chem project
Possibly indulging in some underage drinking at some party or other
10 years ago today I would have been:
23 years old
Looking forward to quitting my job to stay home with my Monkeybutt
Planning for his 2nd birthday
Planning to go to my little brother's college graduation
Probably doing homework (I was taking classes at the local community college)
5 years ago today I would have been:
28 years old
Pretty freaking miserable
1 year ago today I would have been:
32 years old
Probably doing pretty much what I'm doing now (well, not blogging.)
Becoming more interested in living simply and crafting
Maybe cleaning the bathroom? Who knows?
This year I am:
33 years old
Trying to make changes in the way I live my life
Taking my health into my own hands
Working on living my life more creatively
Enjoying my family and my friends
Planning to find a job in the fall
Today I:
Babysat my little friend all day
Went to the book store with said friend, the girl child, A and gorgeous nephew, then had lunch
Played outside with the kiddles
Snuggled with the girl child
Next year I hope:
To have made significant progress in my weight loss and health
To have figured out what I want to do with my life
To have painted the bathroom and kitchen
To have found an interesting and enjoyable job that pays well, yet is flexible (it could happen)
To have learned to use my sewing machine
To have fixed some family issues that need fixin'
In five years I hope:
To be sane.
To be a happy and healthy (and fit) woman
To have made a skirt
To be an excellent mother to my (ahem) teenage son, and preteen daughter. Yikes.
To have paid off all our debt
To have seen the Pacific Ocean and knocked off a significant portion of my "before I hit 40" list. I will be going on 39, after all.

Happy Earth Day!

Little changes can make a difference!

sunshine...on my shoulder...

Tons going on, not a lot of time to write much of anything, but I just wanted to share my delight with the weather recently. So very pretty, so I spent most of the weekend doing yard work, and the rest of it watching baseball. Saturday night we built a fire in the firepit and roasted marshmallows...it was a fabulous evening.

I want to learn to fence...what a great way for my family to combine togetherness and fitness-and release some pent up aggression at the same time.

Happy Easter, friends.

Watch out for the killer Bunny Rabbit!

ramblin'

Well, darn if I'm not having trouble coming up with something to write about this week. I'm chatty enough, just not bloggy enough. So I thought I'd just write, stream of consciousness-like, and see what comes out.

My kids are on spring break. I love my kids, but they argue so much. What on earth do kids so far apart in age have to argue about, for crying out loud. And I really want to. Cry out loud, I mean. I've been trying to start each day with yoga - at least sun salutations. This morning the Monkeybutt joined me at the end of my sun salutations, and did tree, plank, down dog - until the Girlchild arrived and jumped on him. Then my calming, start the day out right yoga session turned into a screaming wrestling match. So I left them to their daily plunder and took a shower.
I need to save money. A lot of it. I'm hoping to make a substantial dent in our credit card debt before the end of summer. I'm going to have to start working after the Girlchild starts 1st grade, but if I can curb our spending severely, I may be able to stick to part time work, and be home with the kiddles after school. That would be ideal. So I took out some cash today and told the kids that was it for the week - no credit cards, no more cash. If they wanted something, it would come out of something else. I read something on the Mothering website about spend-free months - where you buy nothing but the necessities. Huh.
My mom gave me a nifty new plastic cabinet-shelf thingy today for my craft space. I love organizational tools. I'm not sure what it will hold yet - stamps? paper? So many possibilities! I can only gaze upon it lovingly and ponder for now, but as soon as I figure out its home and use, I will let you all know.
I really need to learn some new skills. I really should get off here on occasion and, you know, take out the sewing machine and learn to thread it or something. I visit all these crafty-lady blogs and desperately want to knit socks or sew costumes, and I don't know how.
Today I spent the entire afternoon cleaning. I dusted, decluttered, picked up, scrubbed and organized. All the while to my MP3 player on shuffle (best present ever, by the way). I have all three Franz Ferdinand albums on there right now, and I'm so digging their funky music. They're performing in Columbus in May - I so want to go...
Time to get off here and do something productive - or just go to bed.

Thankful Thursday

It is Thursday again, and again, I am thankful for much.

1. This fun book I'm reading. It is called Crafternoon, by Maura Madden. First of all, I want the author to be my bff. She is quite clever, and very funny, and I think we would hit it off - call me, Maura! Second, being quite the social butterfly myself, but not exactly a hard partier, her idea for a monthly gathering with friends, food, and craft suit me to a tee. I love to craft - I am not particularly great at it - but I love to do it, and the more I can learn the better. She suggests a theme for each month of the year, from Valentines to jewelry to clay, some project ideas, food ideas, ways to invite people...but she then leaves the whole thing open to host and guest interpretation. Great book, and I know I would love to start hosting the occasional Crafternoon myself.

2. A beautiful day spent outside with my kids, and other people's kids, and my brother. For whom I am also thankful. Because he is just fantastic. And very good to my kids.

3. The sweet smell of a spring rainstorm. Which will then usher in some cold, icky weather. But we'll focus on the sweet smell for now.

4. Wheat Thins Fiber Selects Garden Vegetable flavor. 5 grams of fiber per serving, and they are so tasty. They don't get weird powdery residue all over my scrapbooking stuff, either. I'm all over a good scrap snack.

5. How I Met Your Mother. That show is just so freaking funny. You know, Neil Patrick Harris, who is just fabulous on his own, plays this womanizing playboy in the show (though in his own endearing way), and wasn't I just tickled to see him playing a shy, dorky type who kills women in an attempt to keep them in yesterday's Law and Order: Criminal Intent? Yes. I was. He is just so adorable, sociopath or no sociopath.