~A Bitter Swallow~

The day is coming to it's end, and I have to say, I feel rather accomplished, even if I did not get everything done I had originally intended. I finished my cup of coffee, and did indeed have another. Once the kids were up and ready to go, we headed out to get some shopping done. Your garden variety household items from Walmart- including some food for my mouse, which is usually not easy to find there. A trip to the chinese buffet for some lunch, which the kids always enjoy. I did make it to the Goodwill, and while I did not find my baking pans, I did pick up some various items, such as a cute little tea party tin for my tea, and I even tried on some clothes, and brought them home with me. I even found a pair of very cute snakeskin look-a-like boots. Rawr.

On the way home we stopped at Lowe's- always dangerous! But we found just the light Dustin wanted for really cheap. We grabbed some of those planting pots that you can plant right into the ground, and I was able to transfer all of my starts that are now too big for their little greenhouse to those, and keep them in the shed with the lights still.

I got my house picked up, and the kitchen clean. My son worked on more of his homework, and him and my daughter both chose to use tomorrow as their day of cleaning their rooms. That is fine by me. I'll be working all day!

I sat down and went through a couple of the cookbooks, and typed up some of the recipes I thought looked interesting into my laptop. (The laptop is the only computer we have set up for printing from at the moment.) I even drew up a menu for the next 8 days, including a shopping list. Most of the items I already have on hand though.

So, all in all, I think it was a pretty good day. I'm satisfied with what I got done, and it makes me feel good. Now, I'm going to go play video games!

Well, it took me all morning, and part of this afternoon, but I got my house pretty much cleaned up. I was under the impression I was going to get some help with the cleaning, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Oh well. I got it done. I still feel a bit under the weather, but nothing like yesterday. Yesterday got pretty horrible. I was so relieved to wake up feeling better! Thank you for the luck wishing! I am feeling a bit worse now than I did when I woke up, but I think that is from all the activity. Now I can sit back and relax for a bit before I head off to the library. Hopefully my tummy and my head will settle back down.

It's nice to have the kitchen cleaned and practically organized, the laundry washed and drying, the bathroom cleaned up and presentable, the kitchen table cleared of my crafting stuff, and the gifts put together in their bags and ready to be delivered (brother, sister, and galpal birthdays this month!). The floor is swept and mopped and vacuumed where applicable. The counters are cleared of most of their clutter and wiped down. I even got in and scrubbed the tub a bit. Even if they do not show up tonite, I will still have the satisfaction of coming home to a tidy house, and that just rocks.

I did not, however, get to the store to gather my supplies. At this point, though, I am not even sure that my company is coming over this evening, so I am not in a huge rush to secure those items. Once I get confirmation, I can stop on the way home from work. All I need is some taco stuffings, like lettuce and such.

Now if I could just get people to clean their rooms and keep them clean! LOL. Including my own. I did a little bit today, but I am done for now. And with that, I heard the dryer stop, so off to fold some more laundry before I head out the door!

So.. I've decided that I'm deliriously lazy, and that is something that just has to stop. It is showing in my weight, my skin, my mood, and my health. With this summer, it has been just too easy for me to sip a cup of coffee, and play Internet games all day long. I'm hopelessly addicted to Everquest 2. Not in the sense that I don't go to work and all that jazz, but it gives me such a "good" excuse to not get my housework done, get my exercise in... It's the greatest procrastination tool. Granted, it is a fabulously fun and interactive game. It is not it's fault that I'm lazy.. it is my own.

To battle this flaw of mine, I've decided that I am going to give myself a "to-do" list for the month of September. Every day I must do something from the list in order for me to be able to battle onward in my conquest for level 80... or whatever I may be doing on the Internet that day. I will still allow myself to check my email and such while waking up and drinking my cup of coffee... but nothing else until a duty is done. If I do not comply with these demands I have made upon myself.. I have twisted my boyfriend's arm and requested that he cancel the payment on my account. I have every confidence that he will do so if the situation calls for it.

Let me reiterate that I am not one of those crazy people who never moves from the game and is completely immersed into it. You may have been able to say that a few years ago, when I was in an insane race to escape my reality.. and it was "better" than drinking my way there. However, I have never ignored my children over it. I have never called in (or not) to work because of it. I still know what real life is, and that it supersedes any game. That is what it still is, after all. A game. However, many of my real life friends play it, so it is a way for us all to "hang out" when we otherwise cannot due to whatever reason. So, in taking away my gaming privileges, it is pretty much like putting myself on restriction, where I cannot hang out with my friends. Jeeze.. perhaps I am still a teenager!

So onward to the list. Below is a compilation of all the chores I would like to accomplish. At least one of the activities below must be accomplished daily in order for my privileges to remain intact. This list will not only help my house become cleaner and more organized, but the hope is that in my house becoming organized and decluttered, so will my head. Plus, the exercise it provides will help with my overall health, and in hopes give me new found energy and revitalize my zest for actual living.

1. I must obtain at least 3 days of some sort of physical exercise activity per week. This may be going for a real walk (with or without the dog), participating in a workout video, etc. This one must be done every week.

2. I need to clean out the Tupperware cupboards.

3. I need to pull out all the pantry items and reorganize the pantry goods.

4. Go through my closet and and drawers and really go through my clothes being realistic this time. If I do wind up losing weight enough (hopefully with this demand schedule!), it will give me a wonderful reason to go shopping!

5. Clean out my closet - the bottom, and top, and clear out and reorganize (are you sensing a theme here yet?)

6. Go through Daemian's room and clear and organize.

7. Go through Rhiannon's room and clear and organize.

8. Clean out the laundry area and reorganize.

9. Clear out the "hall" closet

10. Clean out underneath the coffee table.

11. Clean up outside deck and downstairs.

12. Borrow my sister's little green machine or rent a carpet shampooer and shampoo the area around the tv/ slider door.

13. Clean up and organize bathroom in my room.


14. Gather up all castaway items and take them all down to the Goodwill.


15. In addition to the items listed above, I need to do some writing at least 5 days out of the week. At least 3 of those days should be writing pertaining to my stories.


Ok, that's all I've got. That gives me a full weekload of stuff throughout the month I think! They should keep me properly occupied, and perhaps you all equally entertained!