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Tips for Productivity

Miss Mommy — Fri, 14 May 2010 05:00:50 +0000

Don’t forget about my BIG Earring Give-Away!

I have a lot of weaknesses. A lot. I am not secure enough to list them all out for you. You’re welcome. I will, however, tell you one thing I am good at: being productive. Efficiency and productivity are kind of my thing(s). So, if you’re like me {or rather not like me and therefore might benefit from this post}, I thought I’d share some of my tips for being productive. You can thank me by sending me your tips on more intentional parenting.

What happens when the muse fairy can't be found?

Tips for Productivity

Step 1: Getting rid of distractions

I can’t exactly tell Rebekah and Luke to quit crying {though I have instituted taking turns on who gets to cry} but I can set up some good boundaries for actually getting work done at home. I believe in a good home office, white noise, and general organization. But what do you do when you have have writer’s {or worker’s} block? Even if you do everything known to man to get to work, that doesn’t mean the muse fairy will hit you over the head with a brilliant idea or plan that will set you on a pedestal for the rest of your life. While it’s crucial to clear your mind, ears, and desk of distractions, bottom line is you still have to work.

Step 2: Getting rid of writer’s (worker’s) block

So, here are few tips for breaking the barrier when you’re staring at a blank screen:

Sit and think for 10 minutes. Seriously, before you give yourself (another) break, try to come up with a starting point. It’s not that I don’t value breaks- in fact I have a lot due to the nature of my work day and kids. However, I think it’s easy to procrastinate by allowing yourself too many.
Make a list of things that need to get done and start doing them- it may be that you have a break-through as you make the list or start checking things off. Sometimes, the feeling of accomplishment is enough to get your mind going.
If you’re writing, do a google search and see what others have written. Sometimes this is good fodder for a new idea or a response to someone else’s. I find that I write best {i.e. not plagiarize} if I read an article and then close it, whether I agree with it or not.
Since I do work from home and also have small children still at home, I don’t work 9-5. So, I have a couple hours a couple times a day. I push it hard while I have the peace and quiet to do it, then when I’m on with the kids, I keep a pad and paper by me so I can jot down any ideas that come to mind. That way, I’m not working while the kids are around and I also don’t lose an idea.
Take breaks. See, I do value breaks. I just think they need to be earned.
Frequently, I work on an idea in the back of my head…maybe it’s a real life experience, maybe it’s not, but either way, I find that my best ideas come when I am not technically working. I usually mull them over in the back of my mind as I wash dishes {we live in the UK- no dishwasher, so there’s lots of that} or pick up toys or even play with the kids. Then, I either work on it the next chance I get, or I at least write it down so I don’t forget.

All that to say, do what works for you. If you’re happy with the results, don’t change anything. If you’re struggling to be productive, rework your work space for minimal distractions. Then, discipline yourself to actually work.

Menu Plan Monday

Miss Mommy — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 08:01:40 +0000

I was delighted to learn that there are a ton of women who love to plan menus as much as I do! Thanks, Christy, for the heads-up!

So, I thought I’d put our menu up. I think you know how I like to be efficient and organized. Maybe it will inspire you the way other women’s menus inspire me to try new things. These are our dinners. For lunch, we usually grill wraps or do chopped salads.

Monday: Braised Beef, roasted veg, horseradish dumplings
Tuesday: Chicken Roman and Mushroom Risotto (I substituted mushrooms for the squash- amazing!)
Wednesday: Midwestern loosemeat sandwiches, oven-baked fries, and homemade mac n cheese
Thursday: Left-overs
Friday: Morroccan Chicken Soup, naan
Saturday: left-overs
Sunday: Stuffed Cabbage Stoup (has rice in it), salad, and bread

For more Menu-Plan-Monday ideas, go to www.orgjunkie.com.

The good kind of efficiency

Miss Mommy — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 19:58:00 +0000

Now that I dogged on being too efficient (or trying to multitask to an unhealthy extreme), I thought I’d share some of my efficiency tips that might actually be helpful. As Grasshopper Mama would say, you’re welcome.

-I believe that every minute counts. As a result, I do small tasks whenever I can. For instance, now that both kids are self-feeding, I can wash the dishes or sweep the kitchen while the eat, and still talk with them. Instead of worrying about not being able to finish a task, I just try to get it done.

-Since I have to change diapers/pull-ups (one day she’ll be dry consistently, right?!) first thing in the morning, I see no point in exerting energy to re-dress them in pj’s. So, I get them dressed before we’re even out of their rooms. Saves a stressed out dressing later. I have always hated missing a spontaneous outing b/c we’re not ready!

-I like routine- it’s predictable. We have a good one that works for us:

So, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, I get up with the kids, feed them, play with them, then I work out (we have an elliptical we got free) for 30 minutes.
How? I can hear you ask it…well, both kids like “moo-mees” as Luke excitedly says and points to the TV, so they get gated downstairs with a movie while I work out. I usually pray as I go to get some extra prayer time in. (not trying to sound spiritual, that just works for me).
Then, while I cool down, I play with the kids again and give them some more face time.
Next, they get fruit snacks and do room time together in Rebekah’s room. Luke loves this part of the day, and it tickles me to see them play together. (side note- this morning they were playing for 45 minutes when I poked my head in- they both looked up and chirped, “Hi!” at the same time. AWESOME!) The point of room time is 2-fold- 1) give them time together with no movies and 2) get myself showered w/o an audience.
Now, we are all dressed, so we can hit the day!
On off-exercise days, I try to make sure we do something fun together, such as a park or a fun errand or a play date. I chose Wed’s and Fri’s as off-days to make getting to our scheduled play groups easier.

-As you can see, in general, I have a set plan of when I’ll do things, and then I flex on it when I need to. For example, I told you that I work out on specific days. However, I can rearrange that schedule if something pops up. I want to work out 4xs a week, so I look for ways to make up missed days and plan ahead to ensure I don’t miss one. Similarly, if it’s not a work-out day, I use the kids’ room time to clean the flat or start dinner prep.

-Now that I mention dinner, I smile. Cooking is one of my strengths. I love planning it, ordering it (yea for delivery!), unpacking it, and cooking it!

When I plan my menu, I do it 2 weeks at a time. For budgetary reasons, I try to cook every 2 days. I’d love to have the money to cook every night, but that simply is not the case. So, we do a lot of soups and bigger meals that we can stretch for another meal. So, in implementation, I actually cook 2 nights in a row, then we eat the left-overs 2 nights in a row. That way, we don’t eat the same meal 2 nights in a row.
I always keep sandwich meat, cheese, bread, tortillas, butter, tuna, canned soup, fruit, and pretzels around. So I vary those items to make grilled and fresh sandwiches. I also make a killer salad, so I grab some of the items too for a fresher lunch. Bless Josh for loving all food!
When I actually plan, I try to think thru my meals to maximize each ingredient. For example, if I’m buying feta cheese, I try to think of meals that will use all of it, so none is wasted. This goes for meat, fresh herbs, etc.
I always try to wash dishes as I cook. You don’t have to stand over boiling pasta or simmering meat- use this time to prep the rest of your meal, and then to wash the dishes you’ve been getting dirty as you cook. Again I can hear you wondering how to do this with children? Well, Josh usually gets one-on-one time with them while I cook. Sometimes this necessitates gating them away from me. I know, I’m that fun. Otherwise, I put the kids at the table and let them color while I cook.
Another time-saver is prep work. If I’m chopping onion to saute with some ground turkey, I try to think if I’ll need more chopped onion later in the week. If so, I go ahead and chop more than I need, which saves time later. Case in point, we ate turkey rashers this morning for breakfast (with our french toast- yummy!). I knew we’d do a salad for lunch, so I made some extra to throw in the salad for added protein. Furthermore, as I flipped french toast, I chopped the other salad ingredients and washed the lettuce, so it would be ready after church.

-Maybe one more thing I’d share is how we roll out the evenings. Josh and I have become a really good team. I cook/clean (b/c I like doing both), he plays with kids (since he hasn’t gotten to during the day as much). We do dinner. Josh reads them a Bible story and talks about with them while I do dishes. Then, we play with kids (remember, the no computers from 5-7pm). We do baths ever other night. At bedtime, Josh puts down one and I do the other, and we switch so both kids are used to both of us. Then, around 7:30, both kids are down. We catch up, watch some shows online, and try to be upstairs at 10pm. We have started reading books together at night, so that gets us time, so we can go to bed by 10:30, which we both need.

I think my main thought is that doing things as you can, with a plan, and therefore AHEAD can only help lessen feelings of overwhelment. (yes, I made that word up)

If you’re wondering about the picture, this was a favorite of us. I posted a long time ago how we had such grand adventures even before moving across the pond- this was one of my faves- Alaskan cruise. And it was pre-children and pre-30, so I still fit in a size 6. Those were the days. Not really. I much prefer having Rebekah and Luke to not.

Ode to Scotland

Miss Mommy — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:42:00 +0000

I have been trying to compile a list of what Scotland is like. Needless to say, it is a daunting task. I know as soon as I hit “publish post,” I will think of 20 (million) things I’ll wish I had mentioned. Anyway, here’s my shot at giving you a picture of what life in the UK is like- in no particular order.

Money
Every ATM machine I have ever been to has at least one person in line waiting to use it.

Obviously, everything is in pounds sterling and pence (rather than dollars and pennies/cents or gold). So, if something is 1 pound and 40 pence, you’ll hear 1 pound, 40. If something is just 40 pence, no one says pence. They’ll say 40 p, as in the letter “p” as an abbreviation.

Everything is in change until you get to a 5 pound note. Notice that it is a note and not a bill. Anyway, they have a penny, a 2 pence, a 5 pence, a 10 pence, a 20 pence, a 50 pence, a pound, and a 2 pound coin. I have only seen a 5 and a 10 pound note. No idea what’s beyond that. Probably will never know.

Weather and Daylight

It doesn’t get above 70 in the summer or much below 30 in the winter. It did snow and ice a bit, but it didn’t last long and everyone was complaining about it, which makes me think it was more than usual. The winter days were very short- light at 8am and dark at 3:30 or 4pm at its worst! The summer will be backwards- lights at 4am until 10pm…yikes! We still need to find blackout shades for Luke’s room, but the others are okay. As for actual weather- it does rain, just not really hard or for that long. The basic rule of thumb is it can rain at any point- every day is subject to modd swings, more than I saw in TX- the temp range doesn’t change as swiftly as Texas did, but I have never seen sun, rain, clouds, sun, clouds, rain change so much in one day! The upside is that it’s always green!

Church

There is only one service. It is an hour and a half. The kids 3 and under stay in one room together. The five minutes before the service starts is meant to be silent, as you meet with the Lord. There is no worship pastor- everybody just knows when the songs start and roughly how they go. However, if they don’t, it’s a train wreck. Anyway, I digress. No one directs you to stand up- everyone knows when the lyrics are about to start and we stand up then. This happens for each song- no prolonged standing. Also, the pastor prays like 4 times- I kid you not, he’s a prayin’ kind of guy. Josh remarked how you can really tell the depth of his relationship with the Lord by his prayers. What he prays for and how (not to mention a great British accent) is inspiring. At the end of the message, there is another song and a benediction we say together (we also do the Lord’s prayer) and everybody knows to sit down after it and wait until the music changes from organ to piano. At that point, you are not a heathen, to rush to get to your children.

Driving

Obviously- on the other side of the road, which means everything you know about driving is worthless- or at the very least, backwards. If you want to drive fast, move to the right lane. If you want to exit, move to the left lane. If you are on a roundabout and are taking one of the first 2 exits, stay in the outer lane. If the 3rd or 4th exit, go to the inner lane and turn your right blinker on, even if you feel like you’re going the opposite direction to get there so that people know you’re not exiting. Then, use your left signal (even from the inner lane) to exit. Sounds easier than it is.

We might be the only people with an automatic and maybe one of 5 who owns a Honda.

Our Honda sedan is considered a “bigger” car.

I actually think the road signs are great- each roundabout has a visual that shows you where each exit is headed. You cna always find signs poitnign you toward the right place.

On the flip side, I guess it’s hard to be creative with naming streets- they find one name and run with it: Powis, Powis Terrace, Powis Crescent, Powis Rd., Powis Lane, etc…this is challenging when going somewhere new.

Phrases and translations (this could be an endless list- this came from the top of my head)

creche=nursery
messy play=playgroup
nursery=preschool (which starts at 3 and is free)
primary=elementary school
secondary=high school (which ends at 16 for soem and 18 for those who choose to stick with it and not enter a trade immediately)
buggey=stroller
pram=a stroller where the baby can lie down flat
trolley=shopping cart
pants=panties/underwear
trousers=pants
vest=onesie
nappie=diaper
dummy=pacifier
Uni=University or the U
partner= spouse or life partner
She is called=her name is
cling film=plastic wrap
golden syrup=corn syrup
wingy, unsettled= fussy
windy=gassy
sick=spit up
sponge=cake
pudding=dessert as a general term
sweeties=treats or candy
cuppa= a cup of tea
tea time=dinner or a snack
soured cream-sour cream
soft cheese=cream cheese
no such thing as iced tea
biscuit=cookie
roll=our biscuits
bacon=ham
streaky bacon=bacon (but not really, it’s incredibly salty)
bicarbonate of soda=baking soda
drinking chocolate=hot chocolate
bum=bottom
hiya=hi, hello, hey (R LOVEs this)
Is that you done and back?=Have you already gone and are you already back?
“zed”=the letter “z”, as in x, y, zed

Fashion

GREAT boots and jackets here. Seriously, since you wear them so much, it’s common to have awesome outer wear. Definitely a European flare abounds. Lots of fun colors, especially red and purple. Lots of wallpaper (also red and purple, carpet and ceilings and drapes, too) and no one takes the paper down before painting. Bizarre.

The Scots like a challenge

It’s freezing, rainy, and windy all the time, let’s wear skirts and call them kilts….and let’s hang our clothes out to dry- crunchy clothes are awesome….and let’s walk everywhere….and let’s make our appliances as small and inefficient as humanly possible….and let’s eat haggis and blood pudding.

Parenting

Scotland (and the UK, I presume) is very supportive of parents. Maternity leave is a long time (months, sometimes a year) and is well-paid in my opinion. Nursery is free at 3 years of age. We live in a government-funded flats (ours is privately-owned, but most are still for the impoverished). Anyway, I was shocked at how nice all the buggies were in the neighborhood. Kate told me that they get a generous stipend from the gov’t. Figures. (Kate’s site has a great list of what she loves about the Granite City)

Labor

Scotland is also labor-friendly. Lots of holidays and shorter work and school days from what I can tell. It’s great until you want a cuppa or a shopping trip post-5 pm.

Schooling

This is from our experience with master’s and PhD. The PhD does not have course work, but does require a 2-year residency, in which you research and write. Hence, Josh is completing a second master’s because an American masters does not always give you the research background you need. The masters is taught and has grades. Rather than A or B, it is something like “First Class with distinction” etc….The grades are from 0-20, with 18-20 being the best range. That’s what Josh got last semester- he’s a smart lad. For exams, the University professors or lecturers actually grade them themselves (rather than a TA). Then, the U sends them out to an outside grader or two for verification. That way, it’s incredibly fair. If there’s a discrepancy, there’s some sort of system for figuring it out. While we’re on professors- it’s actually a higher title to be a professor than a doctor. There is only one professor per department, but there might be multiple doctors. Everybody else is a lecturer. So, if you are deciding between calling someone Dr. or Professor, go with Professor if that’s true of them. Another funny difference, is that they switch thesis and dissertation. Josh is writing his dissertation this summer (for his master’s) and his thesis will be his work for his PhD, starting in the fall.

Time/Seasons

If something is at 11:30, you would say, “half 11.”
Annoyingly, some places use 24-hour clocks and I still have to subtract 12 to figure it out.
Fall is autumn.

Around the flat

All appliances are tiny and a dishwasher and dryer are rare. You have to pull a cord in the bathroom to get hot water, but it’s there immediately. We have radiators in every room, minus the kitchen and you run the heat as little as possible. There is no AC- that’s what windows are for! Flats are pretty small and have few built-in closets- mostly dressers and wardrobes.

Free Cycle, Charity Shops, and Gum Tree

Josh’s theory is that due to little storage space, Scots are prone to giving things away more than Americans. Through Free Cycle, we have gotten a TV, 2 strollers, toys, and who knows what’s coming? Friends have gotten all kinds of great stuff, including clothes! We also shop at the charity shops- kind of like a consignment shop, you buy used goods, but each shop is run on donations (you don’t consign and get money) and by volunteers for a specific charity. the charities range from animals in need to cancer to research, etc. They’re very cool. Gum Tree is like Craig’s List. We have gotten all our car seats, 2 highchairs, and a GREAT food processor for minimal cost.

Socialized Medicine

Everything is FREE: going to the doctor, delivering babies, birth control, and prescriptions for kids under 16. YEA!!! I do NOT know why Americans are so resistant to this, like socialized medicine is from the devil. I know taxes cover it, blah blah blah- what a wonderful place for your taxes to go!!!!! How much do we spend from our pay checks to cover it in the US- and we’re still scared to use it?! Do not tell me this isn’t greatness until you have experienced it for yourself.

Random things I appreciate

Did I mention I like socialized medicine?

It’s beautiful. No doubt about it. I finally see why people want to live here. I have loved even the tiny bit of exploring we have done.

Everyone is fair-skinned. However, I realize that Luke and I are beyond pale when even the Scots comment on it.

The weather doesn’t stop anything. You still do as planned, you just dress appropriately. I aprpeciate anywhere that doesn’t allow your social life to get trampled.

Nobody judges you for being out at nap time. Nobody cares about nap time. By golly, if it’s 2pm and beautiful outside, you might get judged for missing it!

I love that people give things away they could sell. they even bring them to you sometimes.

Having a small fridge helps me inventory very well. I rarely forget something’s in there. Therefore, we generate less waste and use our resources more efficiently. If I love anything, it’s efficiency!

Scots are proud- they are happy to tell you about their homeland and help you find where you’re going or what you’re looking for.

Of course, the accent- very charming!

Living on the sea has made me like fish! I eat breaded haddock and love it! This is HUGE! I tried it again for the sake of my family. Josh LOVES fish and it’s the only thing I don’t cook frequently. Plus, I think it’s ridiculous that we expect our kids to be good eaters when we’re not. So, I want Rebekah ad Luke to to embrace culture and ethnic food (rather than burgers and fries everywhere)- they, in fact, eat what we eat (even Luke!), which now includes the local catch. (Yes, I am feeling very high and mighty right now, but I have worked hard with the kids and myself in this area!)

When we moved here, if you read between the lines, you could tell I was miserable. I cried for at least a month and Josh finally had to (sweetly) tell me to try not to in front of the children. I could NOT imagine ever enjoying it here. It was a matter of survival. Now, I am happy to say that, while I am counting down the days until we return stateside, I am happy here, too. It’s no coincidence that the days are getting longer, it’s getting warmer (I could live outside), and Luke is leaving infancy- all of these things make me very happy indeed. However, I really have found a nice little niche here.

THANK YOU, LORD! Only YOU could do such things.