by StJuniper » 29 Jul 2016, 08:00
Ches-- well, the thing about a schedule is, it's inanimate. It doesn't scream at you if you tuck in a drawer and ignore it for the day. But, I don't know, honestly I find it easier to do fun things if I feel on top of my life. For example, one thing that's really important to me is having empty evenings. When I can finish the dishes in the evening and look around my house and say, "Now I can do whatever I want," without feeling like I'm dropping the ball or ignoring responsibilities to do that, that's really relaxing for me, and having a few hours at the end of the day to just pursue my hobbies or hang out with my husband makes me much better able to tackle the work of engaging with high-energy small people the next day. Also, scheduling in times of work and times where I'm supposed to be relaxing/reading to my kids/getting some fresh air means I'm more likely to guard the boundaries of them-- when I have no strategy for staying on top of the housework, I spoil a lot of playtimes by trying to multitask. A lot of this is driven by the fact that I personally find having a messy house affects my mood-- I feel so much more at peace and relaxed when my space is clean and beautiful. So I'm just a happier, more effective human being when I have a detailed strategy to keep it that way!
Mama to two boys, the Scout Kid P, 02/26/12 and the Feral Kid R 12/15/13, and one little Tumbleweed girl, 05/27/16.