Thoughts.com Blogs - organizing free time takes so much time

“What Are You Going To Do With All That Free
Time Now That the Kids Are In School?”
Part 1

(written when my youngest went to first grade)
she is now a freshman in high school

My youngest started school in the fall and all sorts of well meaning people are asking me what I’ll be doing all day, now that I have so much free time!

Well first I have to organize my house,

which will require many bins and lots of garbage bags
and some rubber gloves.

Things need to be put away,
given away,
thrown away,
and handed down.
While working on this project
I will be attending to the everyday chores,

like cooking and cleaning and laundry
together with errands and chauffeuring and volunteering at school.

The stay at home moms,
a rare breed these days,
are always required to do just a little bit more

than those lucky ladies who get paid for working.

Meanwhile,
doctors,

and
hair cut appointments
must also be scheduled.

Next I’m going to attempt to find all of the pictures
thrown in drawers and bins
then put them in books
plus organize the negatives
and order those doubles for the relatives and friends.
The labeling is what scares me.

I’d better get going, because my memory is fading fast!
They say nouns go first.
Afterwards,
I will make an effort to locate all of our home videos,
of which there are many, since every time a kid sneezed,
it was recorded.
Sadly, I don’t have any movies or pictures of myself
while growing up so I’m not about to let this tragedy happen
to my little darlings.
Again,
because they are not catalogued,
I’ll have to sit down and watch every single one of them.
Holidays, birthdays and births
all look so much alike!

Baby books are next on the agenda.
Every year,
I worry my kids will need theirs for some sort of school assignment. Mine have not even been started.
However
their names are on them
and
I do possess all the pertinent information needed
to complete this important task.
Everything required to do a fantastic job
is on those videos in the bins, boxes and drawers.

I have the hospital bracelets
and
the locks of hair
and
the report cards and letters
and
the cute drawings etc
All that precious data
about first steps,
first foods and first haircuts

is recorded on those priceless cassettes.

I just can’t put my finger on any of them right now,
but I will,
after I sort through my bins.

Family History is also very high on my list of priorities.
We know next to nothing about our past generations.
For some unknown reason,
my parents have no interest in looking back.
I, on the other hand, am very curious
and
I want to ask some probing questions
and
do some research
and create a beautiful book of memories,
which will include our family tree.

After these projects are history,
then it will be time to redecorate my house.
Surely, the family room will need another coat of paint.

Let’s not forget about the exterior.
I’ve been meaning to plant a few flowers
and
bushes here and there
and maintain the ones I already have.

  Nevertheless,
what I really need to do is locate
the hundreds of articles and stories
and
poems and songs
I have ever written
and
input them into the computer
in some organized manner.

I might actually try to finish
the unfinished ones
and
just maybe get something published

Finding time in the day for writing is almost impossible.
Notice how my dream is on the very bottom
of my long list of things
to do.

Frankly
I can not think
much less write
in clutter and chaos.
Besides,
how will I ever be able to send material anywhere

without knowing how to e things with attachments,
cut and paste and stop the font from changing on its own?
Is there any wonder why I’m not famous?
Actually what I really plan to do everyday
is
make the lunches,
and happily kiss them all goodbye.
After my husband pulls out of the driveway
and
the bus heads on down the street,
I’ll breathe a sigh of relief
and
toast myself a bagel
grab the newspaper and tune into Oprah.

After getting my daily dose of inspiration
from her show,
I will sit down and write
until about an hour before the kids get home.

I’ll then rush around like a crazy woman trying to do my chores.
No one will be able to find any clean underwear
and
when my children tell me they need their baby books,
I’ll panic.
Regardless,
I’ll be doing my best to act like a martyr
while making sure that everyone feels sorry for me,
especially my husband,
for having to do so many thankless jobs.
According to the Oprah Show,
stay at home moms have the highest mortality rate
in the entire world!
For that reason,
in order to live longer,
I think I’d better become a famous writer.
If not, I could die! My life depends on it.

Now where was that computer class being held?