So this Thursday is Valentine's Day and I am not really excited. I'll be in school that night (Tuesdays and Thursdays this semester). No, I don't have a gift for my boo. Yes, I did buy hubby and the children chocolates. No, I did not buy the kids gifts either. So Valentine's this year, pretty much blows.
However, I am excited because we will be closing on the house soon. I have locked in my rate for the loan, filed most of the paperwork necessary for appraisal, title search- check, survey- check, other half of down payment- almost check (waiting for my tax return), closing costs and seller's concession fee- check. So it is real! I will be a new homeowner this month! Yay!
On a sadder note, I had to let my cat go. Chinwu, the family cat for the last seven years, has a habit of marking his territory. Unfortunately, in the new house, there will be carpet. My current residence is all tile and the markings can easily be cleaned using pet odor remover. The new home will be more difficult to remove the cat urine. My son took Chinwu last week to a pet rescue center. They do not euthanize. I hope that Chinwu will find a family that will love him and care for him as we did. Miss you booboo!
This week, I will be participating in Jolie Du Pre's Vampire Bloghop. Come and join the fun!
Who ever said that managing family, work and everything in between is easy? Since August, I have had constant struggles with time management. These are some things I have tried to get a handle on the situation:
1. Planner- I write down all appointments, meetings for work, etc.
2. Calendar- I have one by the computer and write just little short notes as a second reminder.
3. Family- I check with hubby and kids to make sure they know we have an appointment.
4. Meals- I have planned meals ahead of time for lunch at work or dinner at home. Breakfast for everyone is up for grabs (cereal, oatmeal, quick stuff).
5. Budgeting- I create a budget for myself and husband. He is terrible at this but I try to stick to it. I also make a list of bills and how much to allot for each one.
6. Bank accounts- I check them regularly for checks to clear and ensure that funds are available for spending.
7. To Do Lists- I make a list every morning at work to make certain that I get things done. Then I number the list in the priority that it needs to be done.
8. Grocery shopping- since I usually shop at Pathmark (supermarket in the Northeastern US), I go to the website and search through the circular. I print up a shopping list of sale items and try my best to spend less that $300 every three weeks.
9. Clip coupons- I clip coupons only on the items I actually use and take them with me to supermarket for even more savings.
10. Homework- Every night, I check the kids' homework. I spend about an hour either reading, looking through notebooks and helping them with difficult problems. I also have my own homework from work where I am planning lessons, gathering materials, meeting agendas/ notes and making phone calls (both good and bad).
11. Housecleaning- every Saturday is dedicated to cleaning the house thoroughly. The kids have certain chores to complete and I/ husband do laundry, organize/ shred papers, put away anything that's out of place, etc.
12. Family visits- I usually see my mom and grandmother every two weeks. I try to make it a point to cook for them and take care of things they can't do themselves (they both had strokes and are partially paralyzed).
Now, even with all these strategies, I am finding it difficult to juggle things. However, it seems like there are just not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything that needs to get done. Any suggestions?
