Random Piles of Paper

Dear Friends and Family,

Well... The daily discipline is keeping the kitchen in order. And, I've gotten ambitious enough to try to tackle a "random pile of paper." Now, these "random piles of paper" are hardly "random" or "piles of paper." They are piles of stuff paper, postcards, receipts, souvenirs, stickers, etc. that Mr. mouse amasses. They're a hodgepodge of stuff that take an inordinately long amount of time to go through.

Why?

Well. Each piece is random so there's no pattern. First decision point: what is it? Second decision point: is it worth keeping? Third decision point: what is a logical home for it? Action: place accordingly. Rinse. Repeat. Now any one piece probably takes 30-60 seconds. But, a typical random pile of paper usually contains somewhere between 100-200 random pieces. So, a pile takes a fair bit to get through. And, there's little sign of progress while you're working your way through it.

Now, the one part that gives me hope in all of this is that by keeping the counter clean, I am close to eliminating any new "random piles of paper" since the counter is the main source of "random piles of paper." What inevitably happens is the stuff builds up on the counter because it has no real home - it could be partially opened mail, it could be stuff left over from a trip, it could be stuff from work. We need the counter for something or other. We pile all the stuff into a pile and move it somewhere else for the moment.

Voila! Random pile of paper born.

Well, last night's pile's route started in the kitchen and went from the kitchen to the living room coffee table to the bedroom floor now to the family room coffee table where it sits to be tackled a little bit every night. It's a combination of stuff from our spring travel including San Diego and Omaha and bills and coupons.

Sigh. 15 minutes a day. Signs of progress.


Cheers!
mouse

Lunches Organized

Dear Friends and Family,

Now I remember why Weight Watchers can be so tough. It takes discipline and time and planning. And, I spent a fair bit of time doing just that yesterday.

And, here's the "budget" I came up with:

• 5AM: 1 pt, coffee with milk
• 8AM: 3 pts, cereal, coffee with milk
• 11AM: 8 pts, lunch
• 2PM: 0 pts, fruit salad
• 5PM: 4 pts, granola bar
• 8PM: 15 pts of randomness
• 11PM: 3 pts: dessert

And, I organized a bunch of 8 pt lunch options. Now, the big question is, can I stay "full enough" on my lunch options to make it to 2PM snack? And, will my 2PM snack keep me full enough until dinner? Or, am I better off with 3:30PM snack of fruit and granola? That may be the way to go.


Cheers!
mouse

06.28.11: Weekly Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

weigh in: 142.4

Despite a tough weekend, I made it. Down 0.4 pounds this week. I've love to be down a full pound, but a loss is a loss and I'll take it. Better 0.4 pounds than 0.2 pounds. Which leaves me at 5.6 down and 24.4 to go.

Lots of things to do this morning. So, I'm going to go get started on my day. Not quite as ecstatic as I would have been if I had lost a full pound, but happier than I would have been if I hadn't lost any weight.


Cheers!
mouse

06.27.11: Wait, Where'd June Go?!?!

Dear Friends and Family,

P had a fantastic weekend at home.

Saturday

treat and a bagel

breakfast with Aunnie J

see a play

Daddy's rice for lunch

meet up with my sister who came in for one last weekend before moving

play all night

cupcakes before turning for the evening

Sunday

park

Daddy's chicken for brunch

ice cream (favorite brown ice cream)

play in the pool

rice and beans

nap

walk with Daddy

dinner on the deck

bath

quick trip to the supermarket

There's no better weekend as far as P is concerned. Us? We had a good weekend including time on the deck reading while P was napping.


Cheers!
mouse

Looking Forward to the Weekend

Dear Friends and Family,

It's Friday and I'm looking forward to the weekend. And, now, I'm wondering if that's a good thing.

Always being that excited about not working isn't always a good thing. I mean, shouldn't I be just as excited about Monday? Okay, maybe not. But, still, this might be a sign of bigger issues.

What I am excited about is something so atypical for mouse, I'm almost embarrassed to write about it. I splurged on facial cleanser and lotion and it arrived in the mail yesterday and I'm going to try it this morning. I'll let you know if I feel 10 years younger next week. Somehow, I don't think I will feel that much better. We'll see.

Either way, still excited for the weekend.


Cheers!
mouse

Top 3 Update

Dear Friends and Family,

Stuck in a boring meeting yesterday, I started thinking about what was on my wish list - in an ideal world list. And, then, I started prioritizing realizing I can't make progress on all of it at once. And, then, I realized I had a Top 3 Update.

Priority 1: Still, P. I'm not going to park her in front of a TV while I do yoga at night. That's just not who I am. So, while she's awake, she's still my number one priority. Now, I have no qualms about parking her in front of Mr. mouse for five minutes while I enter my food on Weight Watchers. Let's just be clear on the difference.

Priority 2: Weight Watchers. I want my long term health odds back and the best way to do that is to get back to my goal weight. I know at some point this will be able to drop off the Top 3 list because I'll hit my goal weight and figure out what maintenance means, but for now, it's got a spot.

Priority 3: The house and continuing on the chore wheel and the 15 minutes of clearing and de-cluttering. At some point, this too will hit maintenance. But, for now, it's something I'm willing to prioritize.

Happy Thursday.


Cheers!
mouse

Digging Deeper into the Clutter Zone

Dear Friends and Family,

Sometimes organizing is agonizing - like staring at something and trying to find a home for it. Or, staring at something trying to decide if you should keep it or toss it. And, sometimes, organizing is remarkably easy.

For example, last night, it wasn't bad at all. I found myself confronting the kitchen cabinet where we keep our "medicines" or as it turns out our expired medicines, their corresponding sheets that the pharmacist gave us, expired vitamins, unused droppers and all sorts of stuff that with a quick look I tossed.

That was easy. Now, I can use the space for my new vitamins that are on order - vitamins I never had space for because the cabinet was always full.


Cheers!
mouse

Progress

Dear Friends and Family,

Nothing like a good weigh in to change your mood for the day.

Yes! I'm down a pound from last week.

And, in looking up Mr. mouse's benefits, it looks like it makes sense for him to work one more year than we had originally planned because several benefits kick in after that last year that we would be walking away from if he retired before then.

And, if Mr. mouse works one more year, then, that's a batch of income we weren't planning on in our retirement calculator which means we're in better shape than we had anticipated we would be this month given the abysmal performance of our portfolio.

I know, I just extended retirement by a year for Mr. mouse. But, really, I didn't extend it due to the performance of our portfolio, I extended it because of the benefits and the portfolio boost is a nice side bonus.


Cheers!
mouse

06.20.11: The Napping House

Dear Friends and Family,

Fortunately, it did not rain this weekend. So, instead of being forced inside by buckets of water, we got to enjoy P's little swimming pool, pouring buckets of water and splashing around.

We didn't do much of anything this weekend besides tackle the task list, play with P, and nap. I napped both days while P was napping. And, I'm still tired. I guess I needed it after last week.

So, I'm ready to kick off the week - decently clean kitchen, fully stocked refrigerator and a couch clear of stuff. What more can a mouse ask for?


Cheers!
mouse

P's and Q's

Dear Friends and Family,

Nothing like trying to instill manners in a toddler.

P will say "please" when prompted. She'll say "thank you" spontaneously.

But, when it's expeditious, "move" and "get out" are completely acceptable words in her vocabulary. We're trying to get her to say "excuse me" instead, but she'll only do it if prompted. And, when she says it, it sounds just like "move" or "get out" in tone. In P's mind, it's just a new set of words to accomplish the same task.


Cheers!
mouse

Long Commutes

Dear Friends and Family,

Another day, another killer commute.

Weather in the morning, accident in the afternoon. Yes, I love my job. Well, no, actually, I do not love my job. Mr. mouse loves the daycare that comes with my job. It is not free, but it is subsidized. They allow us to bring in P's food. And, they have a GIANT outdoor facility that she gets to play in twice a day, weather permitting.

So, until I either break under the pressure or P goes to school or I get fired or Mr. mouse begins to appreciate something other than this playground, P and I will continue to drive a tortuous route every morning and every afternoon.

BTW, I read an article. Longer commutes are directly correlated with increased obesity, divorce, neck pain, stress, worry, and sleeplessness. Small price to pay for this playground, wouldn't you say?

Oh, and the forecast for the next five days? Rain. Yes, a week of killer commutes.


Cheers!
mouse

06.15.11: Rain, Rain, Go Away

Dear Friends and Family,

What an awful spring we've had. And, it's lining up to be more of the same this week. More cold. More rain. More clouds. Sigh.

Well, at least we were able to get away for the weekend and enjoy seeing our friends in Montreal.

I think P was eager to get home. Two weekends away seem tough on her. And, we didn't bring swim gear for the pool. And, the race activities were at nap time so she slept marginally. And, the kids were younger so she had to share her toys. And, it was pouring rain on Sunday. All in all, it was a tough weekend for her.

But, last night we had fun.

On the way home, she told me froggy had a wet diaper and needed a new Elmo diaper with a little bit of cream. Another cute moment was when we were playing. She noticed a couple of drops of water on the floor and said, "Hang on a sec." She went to the bathroom, grabbed a couple of squares of toilet paper, came out, wiped up the water, and threw out the tissue before resuming play.

Our little girl is growing up.


Cheers!
mouse

Too Tired to Be Angry

Dear Friends and Family,

I was pissed last night. And, there's nothing like doing something stupid when you're angry. And, with my stunning judgement, I stayed up and organized the house - not because I wanted to, but because I've been annoyed with Mr. mouse.

He took a new job recently and the hours are longer, there's work on the weekend, there's more social events, and, now, our vacation day on Monday isn't a vacation day any more because he needs to come back early for work.

See? I'm angry.

So, last night, kudos to him, Mr. mouse skipped dinner and came home to spend the evening with us before heading out for drinks with the team to celebrate something or other. But, there was still stuff left to be done, so I began doing it.

And, 15 minutes turned into 50 when really I should have been asleep 30 minutes before I started (if that makes any sense) and now, I'm too tired to be angry.

I'm a wreck. Mr. mouse needs to get through this contract and needs to find some better level of work-life balance. I feel like I'm stepping it up to try to get our lives back in order and he's taking it as an opportunity to step down a notch so really we end up in the same spot with a lot more effort on my part.

Okay. Off to another rainy commute.


Cheers!
mouse

Angry at the World

Dear Friends and Family,

It happens to the best of us. And, today it's happening to me.

It's dark and grey out. I'm tired. I ate poorly yesterday. I didn't get my 15 minutes in. And, now, I'm angry at the world.

And, we revisited an ethical dilemma yesterday and so far everyone I've spoken with agrees with me. So... Let's say you work at Company X with 100 other employees. Let's say one of the employees is leaving and has a chair that is the envy of a subset of the employees. Well, it turns out the employee who is leaving is holding a silent auction for their chair with the funds to be used for a group good-bye dinner with the participants of the silent auction.

I've always been on the fence about this employee. I've always felt they live in a land of grey that I choose not to occupy. Well, this is just one more example. I think we all agree, if they were to choose to give the chair away to another employee, they are free to choose the recipient and the recipient is free to use the chair at work. I think we also agree, if a group of friends want to get together for a going away dinner for a colleague who is leaving, that is completely ethically fine too. It's the silent auction thing that is wrong.

And, this just confirms that I already knew. I'm angry at the world today.


Cheers!
mouse

Good Weigh In

Dear Friends and Family,

Continuing on the process of trying to better myself, I've decided to get back on the Weight Watchers bandwagon, again.

Okay. You must be wondering what the deal is. Why is this time so different?

Well, it comes down to a time thing. It takes discipline to go to the supermarket regularly. It takes discipline to wash, cut, weigh, label fruits and vegetables. It takes a lot of freaking time to enter the info into Weight Watchers on the new interface. And, it takes discipline to remember everything you ate to log it into the new system. And, it takes discipline to learn all of the new values.

So, it takes two to tango. There's me without the time to pack my food regularly. And, there's Weight Watchers with it's "new and improved" point values and interface.

But, option B is finding a new system to follow since 'just hoping' clearly wasn't working. And, that takes time too. So, for now I'm back on the bandwagon again.

And, since it's week 1, I had a good weigh in so I'm motivated to continue.


Cheers!
mouse

Progress, Again

Dear Friends and Family,

Well, the progress continues. The bills are paid. The kitchen is organized. The food is logged. The couch and coffee table are clear. The to do list is documented.

If not fulfilled, I'm at least not feeling overwhelmed.

I've found that 15 minutes working with Mr. mouse is enough to keep the kitchen consistently organized, with the exception of Thursday nights when I go through the mail. Then, it takes 30-45 minutes.

It leaves me a couple of minutes extra to begin tackling other areas which means I either need to consistently allocate more time which I am loathe to do, do it in fits and bursts when the motivation strikes, be okay with it not happening, or find a way to do the kitchen faster.

I think I need to be okay doing it in fits and bursts when the motivation strikes. Realistically, I'm not going to dedicate more time or find a way to do the kitchen faster. I guess since what I'm doing is organizing, as long as I can keep an area organized, maintenance shouldn't be a nightmare. The house cleaners should take care of the cleaning so all I need to take care of is the stuff that comes into the house - easier said than done at times, but at least we're clear on what we're trying to do.


Cheers!
mouse

06.06.11: P's First Dentist Visit

Dear Friends and Family,

We were in Detroit over the weekend visiting friends and oddly enough going to see the dentist. I know. It sounds odd. But, it makes total sense if you think about it from a slightly different perspective.

Mr. mouse and I both have friends in Detroit. We would, with our crazy schedule, love to see those friends regularly, but inevitably, life takes over and the months slip by. But, with a dentist there, we guarantee ourselves two visits a year. See? In our crazy world, this makes perfect sense.

The dentist was a bust. P didn't mind the chair. She loved the glasses. But, she had no intention of actually opening her mouth. Still, when asked, she said she had fun at the dentist office.

The rest of the weekend was a ball for her with one exception I'll get to later. She napped. She played in the pool. She played in the park. She went to the supermarket where they have carts shaped like cars. She ate ice cream. She ate cookies. She played Legos with friends. Excellent times for a two year old.

The exception? We went to a friend's house for dinner Saturday night. And, P was afraid of their dog. And, by afraid, I mean terrified. Wait, that doesn't capture it. TERRIFIED. ABSOLUTELY HORRIFIED. ALMOST VOMITING SCARED. HEART RACING, MOANING NO MOMMY, NO MOMMY, NO DADDY, NO DADDY, TERRIFIED. And, Mr. mouse took the tack of she'll be fine, she'll remember it fondly and get used to it. And, so did his friends, our dinner hosts. Well, I had words for him later that evening. And, our other friends were in violent agreement the next day when we saw them for lunch... they got to witness the whole thing in action since they were over for dinner as well.

And, now, I've decided Mr. mouse is lacking in the judgement department on this one. Or, maybe a kinder way to put it, we just violently disagree on a proper approach. But, I don't care. I'm vetoing subjecting her to that kind of cruelty going forward.


Cheers!
mouse

What'd I Do with My 15 Minutes?

Dear Friends and Family,

I know.

You're bored witless by my latest journey down this path of getting my life together. Well, yesterday, I spent my 15 minutes folding laundry. It was probably less than 15 minutes, but that's all I've got for you.

That, and a learning on wellness. I went out to lunch with a friend and ordered the barbecue chicken wrap and when I came back to the office and looked up the nutritional information I was aghast to realize I had spent my entire day's caloric allowance on one sandwich. Next time, I need to either eat half the sandwich or order it without cheese, sauce, chips.

I remember these days from Weight Watchers - when you realize, yes, almost all of the food out there should be treated as toxic.


Cheers!
mouse

More Progress

Dear Friends and Family,

Last night was the simplest of my 15 minutes, but it still felt good. I cleared off a small coffee table we have in P's play area.

I think the feeling of euphoria is a combination of seeing the progress on the physical organization and seeing the progress on the mental organization. With two weekends in row at home, we've made a lot of progress on the list of random tasks.

At some point, I know we'll fall behind again. But, for today, I'm feeling good.


Cheers!
mouse

Happier Mouse

Dear Friends and Family,

Yes. It's finally sunnier and warmer out. The days are longer. And, I'm in a happier place.

And, so far, my "chore wheel" is working. Actually, it's not a chore wheel, but it's an organized list of what needs to get done when to keep us from devolving into chaos.

For instance, today, I have on the docket the usual - feed P dinner, play with P, P bath time, and then put P to bed. Then, there's the Wednesday specific tasks which would be pay the bills... check... and then, last but not least, there's the 15 or so minutes I spend each night tidying up.

I'll be honest, 15 minutes a night isn't going to change the world overnight. I've been doing this for close to a month now and the house is still a disaster. But, 15 minutes a night is enough to make steady progress. I guess it's like credit card debt or losing weight - you didn't do all the damage in one day, so you're not likely to fix it all in one day. But, if you chip away at it, sooner or later you'll be where you want to be. And, I'm a day or two or three away from getting the kitchen in order which means I need to begin planning my next area to attack...

Granted at some point I will hit stasis where 15 minutes won't get me any new progress, it'll just get me to even on my current footprint. But, for now, it's enough to keep me going and that's enough for me.

So, yes, between the sunshine and the warmth and the progress on the house, I'm in a happier place.


Cheers!
mouse