When I log into this blog, I usually look to see how many viewers have visited the site and which post brought them here. The latest view was "Struggling to Keep Your Resolutions" which was a link to another blogger's post. My most popular title is "Maybe I Have ADD," followed by "Girls and ADHD or ADD" and "Decluttering My Domestic Church." Clearly, I am attracting readers who are like me--distracted and seeking order. Chances are, you may feel like you are chasing your tail and not accomplishing anything. A little reflection will probably indicate that you accomplish much more than you think you do, but you need to put it in perspective.
Yesterday, I woke up feeling very optimistic. I had finished a big grading project for my "paying job" on Monday afternoon (I teach English part-time at a local college) and hoped to tackle my household to-do list. When I looked at my white board in the afternoon to check items off the to-do list, I realized that I had completed lots of "invisible" tasks that weren't on the written to-do list. I washed my bedding, dusted all the ceiling fans in the house, watered the plants, made a couple of important phone calls, printed paperwork for my eldest's college application process, finished some homeschool lessons with the boys, reduced the giant pile of Black Friday ads and other clutter on the kitchen counter, and put away the Thanksgiving decorations (all four of them). My desk was still cluttered. The carpet was still not vacuumed. Dead plants were still residing in the front garden. Dinner was still not planned. Worst of all, we hadn't read the saint of the day on the feast of St. Francis Xavier. What kind of Catholic homeschooling mom ignores the feast of St. Francis Xavier? I had a plan, but somehow forgot about it while I watered the plants 6 hours earlier and let the boys sleep late. I bounced from task to task without a clear focus, and several priorities were neglected. It would be dark in less than an hour, so outside work was probably not going to happen.
The children heartily suggested I go clothing shopping with my daughter and then buy pizza for dinner. The thought was tempting, but I was in frumpy gardening clothes because I had intended to work outside and in the garage since the weather was mild. A trip to the mall was out of the question, and ordering pizza was not in the budget or plan.
The plan! I remembered that I had a plan. I had made a menu for November and December with my friend a few weeks ago. Life is much easier with a menu. I have stuck to the menu for a few weeks, and my days have gone smoothly. The grading project had consumed four straight days, though, and I hadn't looked at the December meal plan when I went to the store last week. For Tuesday, chicken stir fry was on the menu. Unfortunately, I didn't have chicken or stir-fry vegetables in the house. As I pondered my options, a child came to me asking for video game time. Distracted Mama often says, "Sure, you're done with school, go ahead." Then, once they are playing, I notice their chores haven't been done. I had a moment of clarity and remembered the leaves and clean-up that needed to happen in the garden (items on the written to-do list) and said, "First, I need help with the yard." He and his brother were willing to work for their screen time, so I showed them the plants that should be pulled out before the ground freezes. After they went off to their task, I took care of emptying three cans of kitchen scraps into the compost and sorted through the remaining tomato harvest. I had picked all of the green tomatoes in October, and they have been ripening on a table in the garage. A few were rotten, but I found about 12 nicely ripened tomatoes, and from there developed my plan for dinner.
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| The happy sunflower in July. Yesterday, it was brown and the seeds had been consumed long ago by the birds. |
The boys finished their task, and I granted permission for some screen time. I took the tomatoes to the kitchen, found the other ingredients, and took a look out the window. I had just enough daylight to take care of the rest of the dead plants in the front garden that were too big for the boys. Last summer, I planted vegetables in the front yard. Giant "gone to seed" broccoli and dead sunflowers have adorned the front lawn for a couple months, making me cringe every time I see them. I dragged the wheelbarrow to the front yard, yanked the overgrown beasts from the earth, piled them in the wheelbarrow and pushed them to their resting place in a new compost heap. It took 15-30 minutes to change the appearance of my front lawn from unkempt to tidy (well, tidier--the rest of the leaves are still there). I still had time to make dinner before my husband got home from work.
How I made an easy, but kinda fancy-sounding dinner:
Roasted Tomatoes with Salmon and Orzo
Ingredients:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 med. red onion, coarsely chopped
12 ripe tomatoes, quartered
6 cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
One can Wild Salmon
1/2-3/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Frozen pesto cubes (2-4 T prepared pesto)
16 oz. Orzo pasta
First, I drizzled EVOO in a casserole dish and preheated the oven to 400. To the casserole, I added a coarsely chopped red onion, quartered tomatoes, 6 cremini mushrooms, two "pesto cubes" from the freezer, and a can of wild-caught salmon. The casserole went into the oven, and then I started water for the pasta. After about 15 minutes, I gave the veggies and salmon a stir and realized the oven needed to be hotter, so I set it to 450. When the orzo was cooked, the veggie mixture was fragrant and bubbling nicely. I stirred the two together and added about a half cup of Parmesan cheese. It was creamy, yummy, deliciousness!
Dinner was ready and waiting when my husband arrived! The children and I got everything on the table, and my oldest lit the first Advent candle. I sang "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel" (while the children groaned) and we waited for my husband to join us at the table.
After dinner, my husband and I prayed the rosary with the child who had requested video game time earlier. While we prayed, I reflected on the day and on my family and our many blessings. I realized that the day wasn't perfect and that the yard work could have gotten done completely, leaves and all, if we'd gone out right after lunch. The way it turned out, though, was much more peaceful and really was good enough for the day. I wasn't burdened with the work, and neither was anyone else.
When the younger boys went to bed, I took another look at the to-do list and realized there were two important computer items I could complete and erase before bed.
Several times throughout the day I had contemplated simply taking a nap or wasting time on Facebook (okay, I did do that), but the New Year's feeling helped motivate me to finish lots of little things.
This morning, I again woke feeling very optimistic. I didn't think I had accomplished much yesterday, but as I wrote this post (at my cluttered desk), I realized this New Year is off to a good start. Yes, there will be days where I don't "accomplish anything" and probably give in and buy take-out pizza. Yes, I am still easily distracted. However, priorities, menus, and a white board next to my desk all help. And remembering it's Advent and new liturgical year give me hope. Happy New Year, everyone.
I welcome comments to this blog! What are you doing to celebrate the "New Year"? How does celebrating Advent help you to focus on Christ all around you? If you struggle with ADD/ADHD or wonder if you have it, what do you do to stay on task?
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