"Everybody sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin."

Didn't think it was possible to love Benedict any more.

Then I saw this:



Let's make him read ALL THE BOOKS.

"Because reading is one of the joys of life, and once you begin you can't stop.  And you've got so many stories to look forward to."

Yes.

Routines

Here's a thing I'm realising-being on long-term sick affords little structure to my days. They kind of bleed together a little. Which is fine: when you're still woozy from anaesthetic there's not a lot of need to worry about getting stuff done other than "healing" - but for me it's been a while now, and I'm finally (touch wood) on the home stretch, and I'm well enough and with it enough to start wanting to manage my time a little better - especially since the Dr gave me leave to move around a little more {I'm still waiting on final all-clear and new glasses, so anything that requires close vision is still on hold!}

But I am at heart a creature of habit and I like my routines, so I did what I do whenever I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with the general day-to-day doings of life and housework - I fluttered over to The Fly Lady. confession time: the first few times I checked out her website I freaked out at all the stuff on it! But I decided to just jump in, reading her welcome letter and baby steps and working my way through whatever looked interesting until I had a reasonable grasp of her system. And then I ignored it. Lather, rinse, repeat every few months for a couple of years. It just seemed too big and integrated to
ever work for me.

This time, though, I thought about my life and looked at Fly Lady again. I read through her "baby steps". I sat down and figured a solid "bedtime routine", then cut half the stuff out and re-wrote it. Then I tackled my "morning routine", making it manageable enough to implement now and hopefully keep in place once I'm back at work. I "shined my sink" - apparently, January is "shine your sink" month! - and let me tell you, the amount of satisfaction going to bed with a clean and shiny sink (and EMPTY drainer!) is ridonkulous, and probably evidence that my inner-Monica is waking up again after an enforced hibernation. I also figured out a routine to clean house each week that shouldn't take more than about 15 minutes a day, providing I'm diligent.

Ok, if you don't like regular shedules this won't work for you. And I don't advocate following every single one of Fly Lady's schemes to the letter. Don't worry about being perfect, just figure out what works for you and leave what doesn't.

It's only been a couple of days, but I am feeling so much more on top of things, and like I'm in control of a few things (even if that's just "how shiny my sink is") and after months of drifting from one hospital appointment to another by way of anxiety and slow-recovery, that means a lot.

So come on, spill. How do you handle the house? Are you a "Monica" like me? Does cleaning make you feel like the world makes sense again [/sadconfessionfriday]? or are you one of those free-spirit types who just can't be bound by schedules and plans (I envy you!)? Thoughts?

Gratituesday

I've been in a bit of a funk the last couple of days...but what better time to break out the gratitude list? My current "thankful-for"-s include...
* conversations with dear friends on twitter, Facebook and {old school} on the phone!
* kitteh following me around the house and happily keeping my lap warm at every available opportunity.
* Marmee still being chief errand-runner and helper-outer while I'm still not driving...Mum's=ace.
* learning to play the ukelele! <-- ha! I have mastered about four chords. Tuning it is a beast, harder than violin for sure! But it's great to have a silly/fun new project.
* I've rediscovered Fly Lady today and I'm starting to plan new routines...feels so much better to have schedules and plans! [/organisationnerd]
* flowers! I treated myself to a bunch of beautiful irises, and Mum bought me some daffodils. Definitely need to buy more flowers. They are so cheerful!

What are you thankful for this week? :)

{Unofficial} goal for 2012: go to the cinema more

Now my eyes are on the mend, I want to make the most of going to the cinema more.  Sure, it's overpriced expensive, but there is an atmosphere you just don't get in a lounge on a TV.  So, I've told myself that another unofficial goal for 2012 is to see more films at the cinema.

But as my eyes are only "on the mend" I don't want to overdo things, so I'm trying to be circumspect about my screen time.  I needn't have worried as the last two films I saw (The new Sherlock Holmes...not "Sherlock" Sherlock, but very good fun!) and today - War Horse - have been a great start to the year.

I will admit that I was blubbering from about thirty seconds into the trailer for War Horse the first time I saw it.  And i'd be lying if I said I managed the whole film with nary a tear.  But.  Oh.  If you care even a little about history, animals, World War I, or just enjoy a good story go and see this film!

But take tissues.

For real.

Wise words...

{ici}

 

A lot of people are waiting for Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi to come back — but they are gone. We are it. It is up to us. It is up to you.

― Marian Wright Edelman