by Hope
My challenge this month was to keep it “Quiet“. No extras, no travel…focus on home and stuff like that. Normally, I thrive on these challenges. They inspire me and keep me focused.
But here we are just a little over half way through the month and I am SO OVER the quiet. Over the stay at home and purge and clean and organize.
I wish this meant I was done with cleaning and purging and organizing. I’m not. I’m just over it.
I’m over the constant dishes from cooking, keeping the floors clean from all the rain ie mud tracked in, and no matter how much I purge, I look around and see clutter. (I think I must have been a hoarder in a previous life or something…I see an odd size envelope and cannot get rid of it because I might need it someday. And that’s just a little example.)
Allergies have hit the girls hard, as they do every year this time. Therefore, in addition to both being busy with work and senior stuff and life, they feel like garbage and their attitudes reflect. (Which I get and understand, but it certainly gets old.)
Even During the Quiet, Our Lives are Busy
I am running like crazy every afternoon to get Beauty to work, pick up Gymnast from track, get dinner on the table, work a few more hours, then back to pick up Beauty. Yes, I realize I could give this task to Princess. But she is exhausted especially with her breathing challenges this time of year and this is a “mom” job. I do pass it on to her when I am desperate for a break and want to get in bed before 10:30pm…
The point of this post…I don’t know now that I have ranted. I guess it’s to say that sometimes challenges are meant to be broken. I’m going to get my kitchen cleaned today. And then I’m going to break the challenge and we are going to eat out once or twice this weekend.
We are doing great financially. I have already scheduled an “extra” debt payment for next month as I looked at my forecasting last week. We are really not spending any money other than covering our four walls and our debt.
I am breaking my challenge and I’m eating out!!! (And if I ever move again, I’m NEVER going to be without a dishwasher again.)
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 3 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
I would absolutely put several days a week of driving on Princess. You bought her a car and it helps the family. All my older kids took multiple AP classes, played high school and competitive travel club sports, and did volunteer work and knew they were still expected to drive their younger siblings when asked and to run errands for me during the week/weekend. Just part of being a contributing family member and since I bought them cars, I feel it was the least they can do. Just assigning her one piece of your driving day would probably help your sanity! Maybe she does the after dinner pick ups?
Ugh. Allergy season is tough. Hope the girls feel better soon.
To me using a neti pot brings some relief additional to the medicine.
Any updates on the other “challenges”?
As in….
How are your numbers?
How often do you use the gym?
Just wait- when your son moves out it will really be quiet! I have no pets now and live alone. You get used to it though and we all want our kids to do well. Roots and then wings. I hope the girls have a nice graduation- GS graduated last year with no prom or ceremony. He did go away to college but due to social distancing and online classes, he didn’t meet a lot of new people. Fingers crossed for next year.
It is shocking to me that you think it’s quiet – we are still actively isolating here, and you sound like you’re out and about, going to the gym, colleges, have the kids going to school, and back and forth to their dads… it sounds like you have zero bubble… and that is really bizarre from where I currently am.
Hope, where’ve you been? It’s been over a month since you posted last.