The Neverending Race: Non- Winner

Lately, I feel nearly defeated. Defeated by my own sense of responsibility, order and standards.

It seems like despite my efforts of maintaining a certain stream of organization and keeping up with whatever curve balls come my way, I am always finishing last. Not only last place in the race, but reaching the finish line (unfinished) every night after midnight.

Warning: Complaining to follow!

I don't know how it happens but by the time I get home from work at 5:00, we eat dinner, play or bathe children every other night and try to have the kids tucked in bed by 8:30. That's what we do. In theory, it sounds as though I should have a full 2.5 hours to myself to still make it to bed by 11:00. So, what happens to those 2.5 hours?? That's what I want to know!

Admittedly, this past week has been exceptionally busy with being away from home for almost 5 days. And then I was so thankful for the arrival of the weekend. Saturday found me doing a Tastefully Simple show, followed by a muddy outdoor graduation party which we drug the kids to right at their regular bedtimes, and then when the rest of the family went home, I joined some friends at their bonfire / cookout as my friend was announcing the sex of their baby (still pregnant) by food- coloring cupcakes blue for a boy and pink coloring for a girl. It was blue cupcakes all around!

Sunday was a happy day of sorts. It marked the last day of turkey hunting season for Eric. Up until now, I've practiced some level of restraint when it comes to how much I dislike hunting season. Eric has been out of the house before 5 a.m. and in bed by 10:00p.m. for like 3 weeks now. He works a full day of work there in the middle, but usually stalls out on any additional projects that I could use a hand with. So, when Eric came home on Sunday, he was all mine. We gave our living room a face lift with all new pictures on the walls. Added some new metal wall decor to our front foyer. And ended up swapping out some displaced pieces to other rooms. After what seemed like a full day of must-do projects, I still haven't gotten everything done. Another factor that contributes to my super-freakish-cleaning spree is that we're expecting company this weekend and I don't want to look like a dirty pack rat who sits in front of the tv all day. NOT!

As if I didn't already have enough personal pressure on myself for getting crap done around here, I feel like I've neglected my blog and my blog-friends almost entirely. I still haven't replied to this friend's kind thank you, still haven't written thank you's for Lincoln's birthday gifts, still haven't sent any reply to a friend who passed down two giant bags of hand me down clothes for Elaina, haven't vacuumed my house in over a week, still ignoring the soap scum and mildew that's hosting a reunion party in my bathroom and I still haven't slept over 6 hours a night since we were on a our mini-vacation at the grandparents' houses. My most important fault of negligence is that I have yet to craft Lincoln's birthday letter to him. For that, I feel like crap. Remorse and crap. My poor, poor second child. This is why I am so happy about having only 2 kids just like I always wanted. (By the way, that's a whole other blog topic I wanted to write about someday too.) I can't imagine what things I would let slip off my to-do list if I had a whole other kid to care for too.

So, just to not make this post entirely self-pitying and ridiculous to the non-OCD people, I'll conclude by telling you the good things that have been happening around here. Lincoln is now about a 65/35% walker now. He's walking about 65% of the time and getting around just fine. He's had some bouts of the fussies / clingies lately and I can just about see the giant molars under his gum line waiting to erupt. Elaina has been going sans diaper overnight and nap time for about 3 weeks without incident. Eric worked all day Monday to complete some landscaping in our front yard and bring in some lush and colorful plants. And me? I'm just hoping to beat that darned clock one of these days and feel like I've finally got the upper hand in the race. Only time will tell. Otherwise, I'll be back to more complaining.