Caught up? Is this possible?

I'm pretty impressed with myself right now!  I often feel overwhelmed with projects and goals I want to get done, but when it comes to finding the motivation to follow through with those great "to do's", I often lack the motivation to get going.  Or if I start a project or task, I get easily distracted halfway through.  Jared can attest to this when it comes to "organizing" or "deep cleaning" something at home - Jared will come home to a halfway deep cleaned bathroom, with the bath mats out in the hall, the floor, baseboards, cabinets, and walls scrubbed, and a filthy counter with toothpaste still stuck in the sink.  Or you may find everything pulled out of the bins from under our bed and piles of stuff everywhere, that I'm in the process of organizing, but then decide to take a two day (or two week) break from working on!  I like making lofty lists of things to accomplish, and love the feeling of crossing off a completed task, but the process in between... that can pose a bit of a challenge!

With our life being significantly more busy lately, I'm REALLY trying hard to figure out a balance between all the projects I would love to do (or at least would love to THINK about doing) and what I realistically have time for.  But first I should start with explaining why our lives are significantly more busy as of late:

At the end of February Jared started looking into engineering jobs in the area.  TranquilMed has been a great experience, but has not been providing enough financially.  As it turned out, an opportunity up in Heber turned up on just the second day of Jared making cold calls to nearby engineering firms.  One of the principles at Summit Engineering answered Jared's call, and ended up asking if he was available for lunch that very afternoon.  He told Jared he would consider hiring him on, and the following Monday evening Jared received and email that Mike wanted to hire Jared as a temporary intern, on a trial basis for two months, and then from there decide if it was a good fit for both the company and Jared.  And the next day - Jared started his new job!  Hence our now busy life.  With me working evenings, and Jared working 30 minutes away in Heber, there are many days during the week where we only see each other for half an hour during my dinner break!  Jared has always been so incredible at supporting me while I've worked, and is honestly the one that has does most of the cooking and cleaning at our home.  That's been a change for me - working part time AND taking care of alot more of the "mom/wife" responsibilities!  It's also been an adjustment for Gavin, who has become so used to having either me or Jared or both of us around much more often.

Especially now with me being pregnant and more tired than normal, I'm really trying to figure out how to optimize my time.  It's easy for me to get stressed and overwhelmed - hence the quitting projects halfway through - so trying to balance time for the necessary tasks (cooking dinner), quality time with Gavin, and time for self has become essential!  Instead of wasting time brainstorming all that I'd like to accomplish that day, week, or month, I'm learning to just start my day, and do the things I need to as they come up.  If I need a break from doing laundry, I've learned it's better to stop in the middle and play the piano for 30 minutes, rather than say I can't take a break till its done.  And it's OKAY if the laundry doesn't get folded till the next day, or the next.  It seems a little backwards, but I find the less time I spend planning what I'm going to do, the more I actually do.  And the more generous I am about giving myself breaks as I need them (as long as I recognize when I'm avoiding vs. taking a break because that's what I need) the less overwhelmed I get and the more I can accomplish!

It may sound strange, but this has been a really huge breakthrough for me!  And in the past few weeks, I have really noticed a difference!  Our blog is up to date, I'm gradually working on Gavin's Baby Book a little here and there when I have some time, our house is far from spotless...but the mess is far more manageable, and best of all - I'm less stressed/overwhelmed, and more available for Gavin!  But I can't take all the credit... Jared continues to be a huge help and support with cleaning, dishes, laundry, Gavin, etc.  And we have great friends and neighbors who have helped us out with babysitting.  And another help was coming home to find our kitchen cupboards and draws stocked with paper plates and bowls, and plastic cups and utensils - a surprise from Patti when she was up visiting a few weeks ago.  So dishes have been a breeze lately!

So in reality I'm not caught up on EVERYTHING, and still think about things I'd love to get done - making more family videos, lots of  different sewing projects, organizing the storage room...  But I'm finding the balance between what needs to get done now, what messes can be left for later, and learning to find a little time for those extra projects here and there.  I guess what I'm saying is, this "big breakthrough" has been the realization and acceptance of the fact that I'll NEVER be completely caught up on EVERYTHING I want to get done, so there's no sense in bringing in the added stress, which only makes me counterproductive.