Have you seen those pictures from space showing the changes in pollution levels around major cities after businesses have been shut down?
Or did you see the article about how Los Angeles has had it’s longest stretch of clean air since 1980 and the heavy smog associated with that city has almost disappeared?
Well, the same thing is happening with my brain.
As activities and practices and driving and all activities have been stripped from my everyday life, things are becoming so much clearer to me.
What I truly want out of life is becoming clear. And what I don’t want out of life is also becoming clear.
What is important to me is rising to the top.
The rest of the bullshit that I mistakenly thought was important or vital or essential is sinking to the bottom.
I am so grateful for this opportunity to reevaluate my life and for the increasing clarity I receive with every week — and day — that passes.
My goal is to not re-pollute my life once things start to get back to normal.
I’ve also learned/discovered/realized/kept track of a few things that I wanted to share.
1. Getting dressed on the days I want to be productive is important.
Last week Number 7 asked, “Mom, why don’t you wear a bra anymore?”
I was really enjoying the pajama/bathrobe/sweatpants/hoodie lifestyle for a while there. But when I don’t attempt to look presentable for like twenty days in a row, it affects my productivity.
And when your 8-year-old kid starts to notice you have completely given up on your appearance, well, it’s time to make some changes.
So I’ve started making sure I at least put a bra on.
My goal for week 4 is to shower every day.
2. I want to find ways to spend more one-on-one time with my kids.
My kids have really been awesome these past few weeks.
They haven’t been perfect by any stretch of the imagination.
There have been meltdowns and freak outs and there has been some chair throwing and some screaming and plenty of crying.
But that happens during most normal weeks.
I think the biggest thing we can do to influence our children’s behavior is to spend one-on-one time with them. It’s what they value most, and it’s what they want from us most.
Two nights ago I sat down with Number 6 in his room. He’s been doing a daily Lego challenge, and he asked me if I would do that day’s challenge with him.
We made a rocket ship together.
He loved it.
And it was fun for me, too.
It wasn’t a massive amount of time. Maybe 30 minutes.
But that half hour investment goes a long way.
I’ve been doing more things with all the kids — baking and watching a movie or Little House On The Prairie — but I haven’t been doing much with each of the kids individually. And I really have to opportunity to make that happen now, so that’s going to be a focus for me in the next couple weeks.
3. My kids know they are super lucky.
This morning Number 4, 5, and 7 were playing really nicely together for a pretty long time.
I was in another room and they were all in the kitchen together, and Number 4 said, “I feel bad for kids right now who are only children.”
This is a great time to have lots of kids.
I think my kids are going to look back on this time of their life with lots of fond memories.
And they are closer right now than they have ever been.
4. My mom finished chemo on Friday!
WOOOHOOOOOO!
I wish I could give her a hug, but that will have to wait.
5. Season 3 of Ozark and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel were AWESOME.
If you haven’t seen either of those shows, I highly recommend as your next binge watch.
I’m a little depressed that I finished them.
6. This is the perfect time to watch Little House On The Prairie with your family.
We watch this every night. If there was ever a time to watch a show that brings you back to the basics, it’s right now.
7. I cut way back on social media this week.
Two weeks ago you know how much time I spent on Facebook?
Well in last week’s post I share that it was 18 embarrassing hours.
Then I realized it was 18 hours on my computer.
I had another 7 hours on Facebook on my phone.
TWENTY-FIVE HOURS.
What word is worse than embarrassing?
Whatever it is, that’s how I feel about 25 hours on Facebook.
That’s three entire workdays.
Again, I do coach my membership group four times a week in Facebook lives, so that accounts for some of it.
But not for 25 hours.
It’s more like 5 hours.
So last week I really made a concentrated effort to change that.
And I did!
Last week I spent seven hours and nine minutes on Facebook on my computer. And I spent 3:48 on it on my phone.
That’s less than eleven hours, total.
And I didn’t transfer those minutes to a different social media platform.
I just made better use of my time, and I was much more productive than the week before.
So this week I’m aiming for under ten hours.
8. I need more sleep.
Even with 13+ less hours on Facebook last week, I only averaged six hours and nineteen minutes of sleep per night (7:09 was my highest and 5:41 was my lowest) and that’s just not enough.
Last week I wanted to improve this, but I didn’t make a whole lot of progress, so changing that is the number one priority for me this week.
9. My kids are still funny and creative.
This week they started cup stacking.
And they are still swimming in the garbage can in 50 degree weather.
But now they are filling a big Rubbermaid container with hot water in the kitchen multiple times and carting it out to the yard to make a garbage can hot tub.
Now that is some homeschooling, real-life problem solving.
10. I’m still enjoying this time at home with my family.
I’m still finding it really hard to work from home. But I’m looking at that part of life right now as a challenge for me to figure out.
Being with the kids 24/7 is a little exasperating at times, but it’s nowhere near as exhausting as the craziness of the life I had designed for myself and was living just a few weeks ago.
I know that’s not the case for everyone.
I saw this last week.
I don’t know who the source is.
But I realize not everybody is in the same storm.
If this is a hurricane for you, hang in there. You’ll get through.
You really will.
And you’ll come out on the other side a lot stronger than you were when you went in.
Do you need to lose your shit in order for your kids to help out at home? My LIVE WORKSHOP is open for registration. Register now.
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