So, I know I'm supposed to be blogging EVERY DAY in May, but I just had the best weekend and was way too busy to be writing. I did have a great time camping, spending time with my in-laws, and off-roading in our truck. I even had the opportunity to go to my sister-in-law's soccer game. Not to mention the wonderful, smokey smell of campfire that still lingers in my hair. And I have a new niece, born on Cinco de Mayo! I don't know many of her stats yet, just that the labor was complicated by toxemia and that mom and baby are resting but doing fine. So, hopefully no one is too bummed that I missed a couple of days. I know I'm not.
Anyway, back to today. Today's writing prompt is: "If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?"
Hm. That's complicated. What I do really depends on the day. It depends on who needs me and my husband's schedule and many other variables. Let's sum it up and generalize it a bit.
I write. There's nothing quite like sitting down with an inspired idea and looking back up at the clock three hours later, not realizing how much time has passed. Writing brings me pure fulfillment. Whether for WritersDomain, my blog, or my book, I write. I try to write every day, but sometimes I don't have enough time. As long as I get something else done with my day, I don't feel like I need to write in order to be productive. But I enjoy writing. It's one of my favorite things to do.
I exercise. I have been totally slacking on this lately, but I love when I am on track with my fitness. I enjoy riding my bicycle, swimming, walking, running, dancing, Insanity, tennis, and other random workouts. When I commit to working out every day, I see results. I'm currently 20-30 pounds heavier than I want to be, and I'm in the process of changing that. I just have to remember to take it one day at a time so I don't get discouraged.
I clean. I am definitely the one in my house who cares about where the dirty clothes are put. I am the one who notices the stink in the bathroom or is physically bothered when the sheets on the bed haven't been changed. I make sure the vacuuming is done and that our pup's toys are picked up. I am (90% of the time) the one who rinses the dishes, loads the dishwasher, runs it, and puts all of the dishes away. Laundry may be my nemesis, but not having clean clothes is even worse. Josh has a busy schedule and is primarily the one earning the bacon in our home. So I make sure to help out where I can at home.
I cook. I know, I know. I'm listing stereotypical housewife duties. But where Josh is at work and I am at home, it makes sense for me to do a lot of the housework. It's only been in the past five months that I have learned how to cook anything, but I've quickly realized that it's easy, and it's something I'm not half bad at doing. I want to learn how to prepare more meals and healthier foods, but I'm not doing too shabby. Pinterest has helped me out a ton.
I serve. I have a couple of callings in my church, and I work to fulfill them each week. I am a visiting teacher, so it's my responsibility to reach out to certain ladies in my ward and visit with them each month. I like to just visit better than share a spiritual message, especially when I'm first getting to know people, but that can be part of it too. I also prepare the programs each week for the following Sunday. I like to have this done as early in the week as possible, but I have to wait until I have all of the information. There have been many Sunday mornings where I am late arriving to church because the information wasn't given to me until the wee hours of Sunday morning. But, oh well. I just do what I can and hope people can understand that.
I support. Maybe it's just a normal wifely duty, but I spend a lot of time listening to my husband talk about work. Whether he's venting about specific calls or he's sorting out various details within his department, I hear it all. I hear about the good Samaritans and the bad guys who make our neighborhoods less safe. I know which houses I am supposed to avoid, and I know which families to keep my eye on. I know about the poverty in the elderly population of our community, and I know about all of the little, unseen things that the police officers do to help the needy. I listen and I remember, just in case.
I visit. Whether on the phone or in person, I like to stay connected to my family and friends. I try to visit my sister at least a few times a month, and I play Bunco with my girlfriends once a month. Depending on what's going on at the time, however, I visit my friends and family even more often. We try to get together for birthdays and accomplishments, and we try to do fun things together too. When Josh has drill, I usually go on a binge and hang out with friends and family for the whole weekend. :)
I network. I'm trying to build up my blog so that it's a lucrative business and an additional income. A cop's salary is surprisingly terrible, and you'd be surprised how easy it is to spend an entire paycheck before it's even in your bank account. When Josh accepted this job, we had no idea that 1/3 of his entire paycheck would disappear every month between taxes and insurance. It makes living off of the remainder incredibly hard. And the money I earn is so little that it doesn't make a dent in our expenses. If I weren't (perpetually) trying to get pregnant, I'd probably be donating plasma or selling my organs at this point. So I promote my blog on Facebook and Twitter. I follow other blogs (where I love the writing) and make sure I comment on their posts and let them know when their writing speaks to me. I feel like this is a good way to setup another income and invest in our future.
Hulu, Netflix, and Candy Crush. I am seriously addicted to all of these horribly wonderful things. I'm thinking of banning technology (at least the fun parts) until I am making money and losing weight. Self-control isn't exactly my strongest suit, so we will see. Hopefully it won't come to a total ban.
I try to get pregnant. You would be surprised by how many things I do in order to ensure that each month will be a success. I take my temperature with a basal thermometer every morning when I wake up. I keep track of EVERYTHING that happens downstairs so that when I go to the doctor, she'll be able to tell me why the good old fashioned way of getting pregnant isn't working for us. (PS- I have an appointment in two weeks and am way nervous and excited!) I try to stay positive, which is the hardest part. It's really difficult to watch entire pregnancies go by for the people you love and to still be sitting on the sidelines, waiting for your turn. It's difficult to be so happy for your family and friends but so sad that it isn't you. It's hard to know that there are so many people out there who don't want their babies or pregnancies, who aren't taking care of the ones they have, and to feel the total disappointment and hurt that God trusts so many other people with pregnancies and babies, but not you. I'm not going to lie--keeping the faith is hard sometimes.
Wow. I never really think of myself as super busy, but it kind of seems like I am. I don't consider any of these things my "jobs" either. I really love my life, and I feel like adding a baby to the mix would be perfect. I don't know when that will happen, but someway, somehow it will. Anyway, that's what I do. I'm a busy bee some days and an unmotivated slob the next. My house is certainly not perfect, and I am never caught up on laundry. But my life's a chaotic kind of perfect, and I love living it.
Anyway, back to today. Today's writing prompt is: "If you couldn't answer with your job, how would you answer the question, 'what do you do'?"
Hm. That's complicated. What I do really depends on the day. It depends on who needs me and my husband's schedule and many other variables. Let's sum it up and generalize it a bit.
I write. There's nothing quite like sitting down with an inspired idea and looking back up at the clock three hours later, not realizing how much time has passed. Writing brings me pure fulfillment. Whether for WritersDomain, my blog, or my book, I write. I try to write every day, but sometimes I don't have enough time. As long as I get something else done with my day, I don't feel like I need to write in order to be productive. But I enjoy writing. It's one of my favorite things to do.
I exercise. I have been totally slacking on this lately, but I love when I am on track with my fitness. I enjoy riding my bicycle, swimming, walking, running, dancing, Insanity, tennis, and other random workouts. When I commit to working out every day, I see results. I'm currently 20-30 pounds heavier than I want to be, and I'm in the process of changing that. I just have to remember to take it one day at a time so I don't get discouraged.
I clean. I am definitely the one in my house who cares about where the dirty clothes are put. I am the one who notices the stink in the bathroom or is physically bothered when the sheets on the bed haven't been changed. I make sure the vacuuming is done and that our pup's toys are picked up. I am (90% of the time) the one who rinses the dishes, loads the dishwasher, runs it, and puts all of the dishes away. Laundry may be my nemesis, but not having clean clothes is even worse. Josh has a busy schedule and is primarily the one earning the bacon in our home. So I make sure to help out where I can at home.
I cook. I know, I know. I'm listing stereotypical housewife duties. But where Josh is at work and I am at home, it makes sense for me to do a lot of the housework. It's only been in the past five months that I have learned how to cook anything, but I've quickly realized that it's easy, and it's something I'm not half bad at doing. I want to learn how to prepare more meals and healthier foods, but I'm not doing too shabby. Pinterest has helped me out a ton.
I serve. I have a couple of callings in my church, and I work to fulfill them each week. I am a visiting teacher, so it's my responsibility to reach out to certain ladies in my ward and visit with them each month. I like to just visit better than share a spiritual message, especially when I'm first getting to know people, but that can be part of it too. I also prepare the programs each week for the following Sunday. I like to have this done as early in the week as possible, but I have to wait until I have all of the information. There have been many Sunday mornings where I am late arriving to church because the information wasn't given to me until the wee hours of Sunday morning. But, oh well. I just do what I can and hope people can understand that.
I support. Maybe it's just a normal wifely duty, but I spend a lot of time listening to my husband talk about work. Whether he's venting about specific calls or he's sorting out various details within his department, I hear it all. I hear about the good Samaritans and the bad guys who make our neighborhoods less safe. I know which houses I am supposed to avoid, and I know which families to keep my eye on. I know about the poverty in the elderly population of our community, and I know about all of the little, unseen things that the police officers do to help the needy. I listen and I remember, just in case.
I visit. Whether on the phone or in person, I like to stay connected to my family and friends. I try to visit my sister at least a few times a month, and I play Bunco with my girlfriends once a month. Depending on what's going on at the time, however, I visit my friends and family even more often. We try to get together for birthdays and accomplishments, and we try to do fun things together too. When Josh has drill, I usually go on a binge and hang out with friends and family for the whole weekend. :)
I network. I'm trying to build up my blog so that it's a lucrative business and an additional income. A cop's salary is surprisingly terrible, and you'd be surprised how easy it is to spend an entire paycheck before it's even in your bank account. When Josh accepted this job, we had no idea that 1/3 of his entire paycheck would disappear every month between taxes and insurance. It makes living off of the remainder incredibly hard. And the money I earn is so little that it doesn't make a dent in our expenses. If I weren't (perpetually) trying to get pregnant, I'd probably be donating plasma or selling my organs at this point. So I promote my blog on Facebook and Twitter. I follow other blogs (where I love the writing) and make sure I comment on their posts and let them know when their writing speaks to me. I feel like this is a good way to setup another income and invest in our future.
Hulu, Netflix, and Candy Crush. I am seriously addicted to all of these horribly wonderful things. I'm thinking of banning technology (at least the fun parts) until I am making money and losing weight. Self-control isn't exactly my strongest suit, so we will see. Hopefully it won't come to a total ban.
I try to get pregnant. You would be surprised by how many things I do in order to ensure that each month will be a success. I take my temperature with a basal thermometer every morning when I wake up. I keep track of EVERYTHING that happens downstairs so that when I go to the doctor, she'll be able to tell me why the good old fashioned way of getting pregnant isn't working for us. (PS- I have an appointment in two weeks and am way nervous and excited!) I try to stay positive, which is the hardest part. It's really difficult to watch entire pregnancies go by for the people you love and to still be sitting on the sidelines, waiting for your turn. It's difficult to be so happy for your family and friends but so sad that it isn't you. It's hard to know that there are so many people out there who don't want their babies or pregnancies, who aren't taking care of the ones they have, and to feel the total disappointment and hurt that God trusts so many other people with pregnancies and babies, but not you. I'm not going to lie--keeping the faith is hard sometimes.
Wow. I never really think of myself as super busy, but it kind of seems like I am. I don't consider any of these things my "jobs" either. I really love my life, and I feel like adding a baby to the mix would be perfect. I don't know when that will happen, but someway, somehow it will. Anyway, that's what I do. I'm a busy bee some days and an unmotivated slob the next. My house is certainly not perfect, and I am never caught up on laundry. But my life's a chaotic kind of perfect, and I love living it.
2 comments:
Sorry to hear you're having trouble getting pregnant. We went through that too for a few years before having Mac. Luckily doctors are really good these days at figuring out what's wrong and getting you on the right track. My fingers will be crossed for you! Keep us updated!
Thank you, Sara! I really hope that it's an easy fix, but I'll know a lot more in a few weeks. I promise I'll have a post dedicated to our findings. I just hope they're good!
Post a Comment