Last week I spoke of my planning:  planning for food, subversively planning to exercise, etc.   I was so excited that I even planned in advance!  Food:  taken care of.  Exercise:  plotting to do the Ouchie I Ache DVDs the day before I don’t have to be so actively parenting (i.e. Bible Study and the weekend) – the day before, because that’s how long the nasties take to set it.  So that way I think, “Hey!  Exercising is fun!  This doesn’t hurt!  I’m in GREAT shape!” as the achies snicker and then come and kick you in the butt – literally.

But then, on Sunday, as I was sitting in the kitchen, realizing the week was mostly mapped out:  I got tired.  “Hubby, I don’t think I wanna do this anymore.”  Yes, it only took me one week.

I’m still following the planning.  We’ve been on top of the food stuffs from this site:

• Monday:  Nest eggs and bananas; fruity chicken kabobs and carrots; South of the Border mac’n'cheese and salad
• Tuesday:  Toasty Os Granola and yogurt; Cheesy Beany roll ups and banana; Super Sloppy Joes and peaches and salad
• Wednesday:  Blueberry Banana Pancakes and cheese and bananas (redundant, but that’s what they dig); Grilled Turkey and Cheese and apples; Chicken and Sweet Potato Enchiladas and applesauce
• Thursday:  Leftovers; PB & J and apples; Leftovers
• Friday:  Pumpkin Chocolate Chip pancakes and eggs; Turkey & Cheese Rollups and apples; Cheeseburger pizza and peaches and salad
• Saturday:  Overnight eggs and cinnamon toast and raisins; Quick Quesadilla Pockets and banana; Pronto Pumpkin Soup and cheese toast and green beans
• Sunday:  Leftovers; Leftovers; Hearty Cornmeal Apple Waffles

The response, again, has been mixed, for everyone.  I’ve found JJ really likes have a cookbook that he can look at rather than the printed off recipes I like to look at.  So at the library I picked up a few cookbooks from the amazing Mollie Katzen of Moosewood fame and plan to plan around that.

What’s been helpful is to keep small goals in mind.  I listened to a podcast about organizing, and the organizing coach said to make six goals for a day:  three business, three personal.  Small, manageable, helps one feel accomplished, or at least if the list can’t pile up too high if I don’t get to them. 

One of my “business” goals was to use the book my mama loaned me:  Unplugged Play.  Playing with the kids seems like it should be obvious, but my Play Tote seems to be filled only with options such as reading books or cooking in the kitchen or “go, play with your toys or your brother or both!”   And somehow we’re all getting a little tired of that, delightful as it has been (kind of like those nine month pants of Abe’s that I just put into storage, not because they didn’t fit, but because I cannot handle seeing them one.more.day.).

So, my goal:  to use two activities out of the book this week.  Because I’m the over-achiever, of course I plotted out activities we could do each day for each age group.  And of course because I apply over-achieving to too many areas of my life, I haven’t done any of them this week.

Then came today.  Today with the children in more placid moods.  Today, which is after yesterday, which was a Hard Day for everyone, which should have required all of us sitting by ourselves to think of what was going on (as Teacher L advises), but looked more like some time with Innianna Jones and Mario for the adults.  Today, when I had a limited window to get dinner in the crockpot.

OR I could play with the kids.

We chose to play.  It wasn’t much:  an activity for Abe’s age consisting of balls, a garbage sack, rolling the balls into the garbage sack and cheering, or rolling the balls by the garbage sack and falling over groaning.  I know:  not much.  But they were so happy.  Abe has been following me around the house with the garbage sack and the balls.   JJ had a better day at school.  And he noticed I bought the Hubby some quality, healthy, all-natural and organic and local Totinos pizzas for dinner, to which he began the firm affirmation that this would be the best choice for dinner.

I think he has chosen wisely.

Daily Drivel, Mama Musings