Apparently, for a perfect article, you’re supposed to solve a problem for the reader.

(See, I’ve been reading up on it. Fat lot of good it’s done me.)

So I feel like I should apologize to all of my readers. Have I ever solved ANY of your problems? Noooo–unless your problem was you needed to feel better about yourself. If that is the case, I am HERE for you, man. I will tell you how short I fall of the mark, most any mark at all, and you will definitely leave feeling better about yourself.

When I ask the question, “How do you get more self-discipline?” you might think that I’m going to give you the answer….

But I’m not. Sorry. Yeah, I’m actually just asking YOU. Seriously. How? I’m supposed to be working from home this year.

Reality. What I actually do all day: but I love it. I love hanging out with this kid all day. I can’t help it. I may never get any work done. I don’t care.

Instead, I feel like I spend most of my time talking on the phone to cardiology offices, re-organizing little boys’ clothing, helping JD, and reading the news. And as usual, when I say the news, I do mean my Facebook news feed. See, they call it the news too.

How do I get the discipline to sit down and write beautiful stories???

I have some ideas. Tell me which ones you like the best:

1. More Fall Decor  (Yes, I’m obsessed.)
2. Front Porch Decor
3. Money-Saving Grocery Shopping Tips
4. “Make Over Your Evenings” Course (from MoneySavingMom.com) Review
5. 10 Things You Never Knew About Abraham Lincoln (I have learned so many Abe facts from this mega biography I’m reading.)
6. But how do you choose joy? (I’ve been researching this in the mornings.)
7. Why do fitness and nutrition have to be so obnoxiously important?
8. Why all pre-school moms NEED to join M.O.P.S.

I met a mom at MOPS last week who has this self-discipline that I lack.

She doesn’t even have a Facebook account. ****GASP!!!****

“How do you maintain this level of self-discipline???”

I asked her. I could also ask Amy, my sister-in-law this question. She always goes to bed on time, and she sticks to a schedule with her children (I’m apparently allergic to schedules). How????? No, I mean, how do you make yourself???

My new MOPS friend explained that she is an artist, so she wants to use her free time to work on her art, not Facebook.

Oh, how I love to post goofy photos on Facebook.

But I’m a writer, and I NEED to use my free time to work on my writing, so what am I doing posting pictures of myself exercising on Facebook? Why do I find it so important to share every funny Meme I find with my Facebook friends? Why must I “Like” everything my friends post???

But what if I don’t “Like” their photos, and they think that I therefore do not “like” the photos?? Oh, I have to hit “LIKE”! I JUST HAVE TO!!!! Wow. It’s a compulsion. I’m really nuts.

I was thinking. Maybe I should pour all of that energy I’ve been putting into social media into my actual blog/blogging community. Then I would have a better blog and less guilt.

Okay, so obviously I don’t have any good self-discipline tips. I only have questions, crazy, neurotic questions.

Please send me your best self-discipline tricks. Do you work from home? Are you self-motivated? How do you pinch your own rear to make yourself stop cleaning house or playing and actually work-at-home???

Don’t leave me hanging. I need ideas!

The post How do you get more self-discipline when you work at home? appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.

All of us at Open House

I LOVE being a stay at home mom.

No, I mean literally. I LOVE IT. I always have. This is my pace of living y’all. Yes, I have to get up BEFORE 6am now to drag sleeping boys out of bed and drive them to school, but that is the ONLY down side.

My life is so free now. I made a schedule on day 1, just to make it all feel official. Then I took the notebook I wrote the schedule in, closed it, stuck it somewhere I’ll never find it again, and got on with my stay-at-home-mama life.

enjoying the slower life after school: One advantage to moving is that at first you belong to NOTHING. No clubs. No sports. Just freedom.

It’s just JD and me during the day now. He already made up his own routine, perfect for a 3-year-old.

Here’s his basic daily plan of action:

1. While Mom begs brothers to get out of bed, JD is always the first kid up.
2. Drink milk that is 50% white milk and 50% chocolate milk.
3. Ask for breakfast food, but never eat it.
   

   Also he does love to sweep.

4. Piddle around with toys, usually planes or cars.
5. Ride with Mom to drop off his brothers.
6. Eat a snack.
7. Paint and then stand behind Mom while she does her workout asking, “Done yet? Done yet? Done yet? Done now? Now?” over and over again.
   

   Getting’ fit with kbburn.comwhile JD stands behind me asking, “You done yet? Done now? All finished? You wash Dusty now?”

   Dusty is his airplane. He likes to draw on his eyes and then beg me to wash all of the marker off.

Hot Tip: Sharpie is easily removed from many surfaces, using rubbing alcohol. Even walls. Unfortunately, it did not work on my dining room chairs. This is my true area of expertise.

8. Watch Planes while also playing with about 15 toy airplanes.

9. Before Planes is over, ask to take a bath with 30 or so toys.

So much cuteness! I love my job.

10. After the bath, let Mom dress him and then have lunch with Mom.

11. Story time!

12. Nap: He sleeps on Daniel’s top bunk with the box of 20 toys that he carries around the house.

13. Mom carries him, asleep, from the top bunk to his car seat.

mini-Alan #4

14. Jump on the trampoline with Joshua. This is so adorable to watch.

This is so different from what spending the days with Daniel was like.

Daniel and I had one year that was just the two of us, back when he was 1 1/2- 2 years old. With Daniel, I had to re-trace my steps every few minutes to make sure he wasn’t pouring syrup all over the table, painting his chair with lipstick, or emptying an entire bottle of baby powder all over himself. And let’s not even talk about the poop play-doh incident. *Shudder.* I was really thankful for the steam cleaner that day, and also thankful that Alan and Nonna cleaned Daniel up while I got off scott free.

There was no limit to the things he’d get into. He was always helpful and sweet, and I would take him anywhere, but whoo–he could think up some messes to make and execute like no other.

If John David miraculously lets me stay in a room by myself, I can guarantee you the most mischievous thing he has done so far is color all of his cars with markers, which I let him do because who cares, they are his cars.

And yes, he’s finally 100% potty-trained.

I do miss my assistant chef, though. The other night, I held Daniel in my lap, and I just sobbed. Kindergarten is emotional for mommas. Gracious, what is with me lately? I said, “Daniel, I miss how we always baked cookies together, now that you are in school all day. I miss you so much.”

John David looked at me, with the cutest, guiltiest, sheepish look on his face and said, “Sorry, Mom. I’ll cook whi choo.”

But he didn’t, and that’s okay. We don’t all love baking. I get it. Maybe I’ll lose weight without Daniel here, driving me to bake goodies.

I do miss all three of them, but I’m enjoying spending my days at this slower pace too.

Now if I can just figure out how to squeeze in a little “working at home” time, maybe I could make some money. It’s the best of both worlds. I just need to get in the habit of picking up more writing/blogging jobs.

However, next year John David will go to pre-school part-time, and I will have even more time to work. Years and years stretch ahead of me in which I can and will work for money, but these are precious years, years that you cannot get back. And I am loving this!

Babies don’t keep. They tell me he’s not a baby anymore. Fine. If you insist, but he looks like a baby to me. Pre-schoolers don’t keep either, and I could just eat him up, he’s so darlin’!

Yep, I’m back to being a regular ol’ stay-at-home, occasionally work-at-home mom, and this is the life for me.

SaveSave

The post My New Stay at Home Mom Job: Just JD and me (and the blog) appeared first on Stories of Our Boys.