Costco | here i am

Do you ever feel like you don’t get anything done? Today I got a lot done, except the number one thing that was on my list.

I call that procrastination. If I really wanted to do the most important task I set out to do, I would have done it first. But because I knew I didn’t really have to have it done today, I filled my day with several other important things and just told myself I didn’t have time. I think I chose to not make the time. So I’ll try again tomorrow and Wednesday. After yoga. And laundry. And….

Do you do that too? I tend to procrastinate until I feel pressure, and then I cram it all in at the last minute. I antagonize myself thinking about what I should do, and then I don’t do what I should but I do everything else instead and make myself crazy thinking about it. But my house gets really clean!! The act of doing feels like it is so much greater than dreaming and pretending sometimes, and when I actually get around to doing, I always wonder why I do that to myself. Silly.

Of all the things that did get done today, I’m most proud of the family dinner I prepared and served in our new collection of Polish pottery dishes, and cleaned up afterwards too. I love cooking and having a shared family dinner. This morning, Christian came up with a menu for the week that had me try something new. He wanted me to make mango chutney to go with roasted chicken and roasted Brussels sprouts and bread. What a gourmet eater! He first got the idea for mango chutney with roasted chicken from Gail, in the Netherlands. Thank you Gail for inspiring us tonight. We miss you! He would have liked to help prepare the dinner, but he had too much homework to do after his sport practice. Everyone loved it. Life is good!

Coke and Baseball and Stella & Dot arm candy – It doesn’t get much better than this!

Today was a fabulous day and it started out with a HUGE surprise for Ms. Pettee – J’s 5th grade teacher. Because of email and being able to quickly connect a great group of parents, we were able to collect $365 in one day to purchase an HP Netbook for her and give her a CASH bonus (because don’t teachers need bonuses too?) as part of Ponderosa School Teacher Appreciation Week. It was cool to be part of the process to inspire others to share and contribute and be part of the “team” gift and to feel the passion and enthusiasm that everyone had to give. Ms. Pettee was so thankful, and one of the dad’s is looking at matching the donations through his company, so Netbook might even multiply into two! Isn’t that such a cool story? I wish you could have been there to see her face.

After that joy, I enJOYed getting a pedicure with Christine and also sending pictures to my cousin, Shellee, the Birthday Girl in San Diego, who was getting a manicure at the same time! We had fun swapping pictures from our phones, pretending we were celebrating her birthday together. Too bad we live so far away, but the pictures were fun to share. And the pedicure was oh, so relaxing and my tangerine colored toes are so Holland and the Color of the Year!! That made me smile!

After those fun events, I was off to run errands and shop for my company that is coming to see me tomorrow! My parents and my sister and my niece are all joining us for the weekend and I couldn’t be more excited. Now the fridge is ready and stocked for the weekend. Do you think there’s a Costco like store in Holland?

From the Costco run, I ran C to the baseball field, and then back home again to unload the groceries. It was a beautiful and warm day and didn’t even need a jacket until after 7 pm – the game went on for a long time! It was fun to sit with Rachel and Allison and the girls, chatting and watching the boys play. C did great as catcher, and hit a double and a single. He loves baseball and I love being with the other mamas watching and enjoying each others’ company.

After the game, we were home together, doing homework, cleaning up the house and getting the kids ready for bed. There’s always work to do before company arrives and my office piles and laundry piles were HUGE!! That’s why this post is so late tonight. BUT – the killer part of my mess, was my Wife texted me to see if there was anything she could do to help me get ready for tomorrow (which is booked solid even before the relatives arrives). I of course, said No, that I should have everything done by midnight, and that she should finish baking for the teachers tomorrow. And off I went to kiss the kids and tuck them in for the night, when my phone kept buzzing with texts. I finally went to check who was trying to reach me, and it was her. She was at my door, and knocking softly, but I didn’t hear her knocks, only the dings from my texts that read “Knock. Knock.” She came to fold my laundry with me. OMG – is that the best or what? We had so much fun catching up and sharing stories – we hardly have time to chat this week at all for various reasons. But boy did we laugh and have fun! Who knew laundry could be fun? I wouldn’t even believe you if you said it, but I lived it. I’m still smiling…Life is good and I’m glad I’m living it!

Oh, and P.S. – the other good news is we heard back from one of the two International Schools today and we have a spot! Thank goodness I won’t have to be home schooling the kids, because I’m way too busy “relaxing.”