Planning for Mother’s Day Weekend, Cinco De Mayo, and Embracing Project To Do Lists

The mood has been good! With warmer temps having arrived, and quarter end over with, and lots of things to look forward to, the motivation levels are increasing. And so are the activity lists and the “to do” lists.

I’m trying hard not to let myself get overwhelmed (but it’s bound to happen) by the large lists of things we are trying to accomplish. Today for example I had an hour of free time since I wasn’t working over the 9 hours. What would I do? Clean? Read? Work a puzzle? Work on the next video episode?

What I chose was taking a hot shower, putting on PJ’s, letting my hair dry natural and getting to save that time in the morning. And you guessed it (or not) I’m blogging. Not sure if this will be posted tonight (Tues night) or Wed morning. But I chose to blog. Even though I have very little to report.

I mainly have been working, doing laundry, checking with Mom, and planning Mother’s Day outings. Mom and I each get our Mom’s day outing. Paula Deen’s for hers and the Hermitage for mine. The Hermitage requires a lot of walking and stairs and running around all day and I knew Mom would not enjoy that at this point so George and I are doing that on our own and will be eating Venezuelan food. She probably would not like that either.

So the weekend will be very busy from Friday through Sunday. Friday afternoon Mom has a doc appt for blood work and Rx renewals and the rest of the weekend holds our plans, and also throwing in church on Sunday and a trip to the store for Mom and a patio meal on Mom’s new patio furniture. So much going on this weekend.

Thursday night George and I are doing our own Cinco de Mayo here at the house. Just because it is a reason to celebrate good food, lol! And margaritas. I bought that special tequila just for the occasion. It sounds like a real party, but…no worries…I’ll have one -maybe two margaritas (depends on how much ice in the glass) and the rest will be left for another day. I have to work Friday and even if I didn’t, intoxication is never my goal. I prefer to be in control too much for that, lol. But the evening sounds fun.

Our moods are also lifted due to the Netflix influx of seasonal updates…Ozark included, Frankie and Grace, and then our decision to watch Downton Abbey which we are engrossed and have many many many more to go. But we were disheartened to hear that Downton Abbey will be removed by end of May. It’s our fault. The show started in 2015. We are late to watch it. A quick scan of Amazon shows it is playing on Amazon Prime as well and also the seasons are for sale on Amazon. I’m sorry we put it off. It was my fault as I usually prefer a modern day setting. But hopefully we will get in several seasons. George says Netflix is in trouble. Competition with the changes in streaming. I hate to hear it. Netflix has been a good one. But it’s true, a business must be good a predicting what is to come and staying around the curve or another will gain the gusto and surpass it for the market share.

Sleep has been good too. I have been reading a chapter before falling asleep as our shows have ended earlier.

The PROJECT To Do List is increasing, as mentioned. I had planned a few things on my to do list, staged for AFTER quarter end and before the next one. On top of doc appointments, I also have these things on my list:

*Research and begin the task of switching to streaming and dropping cable. This is on my 2022 goals. We’ve just been too busy to do more than think of it. But with food and gas and other increases happening and our income streams not increasing, perhaps it’s time to quickly pull this switch.

*Need to get my new driver’s license updated so I can fly. I think the date has been extended for the new driver’s licenses but I don’t want to wait too long or to the date as it’ll be crowded. I just need to check into it and then I’ll see when is a good month to get it scheduled and done. I make everything complicated. Have to research everything, twirl it around in my head before making a decision. Then the hard part is plugging it into the calendar to take minimal time off from work (a week where there are not already one or two doc appts.)

*Helping Mom find a cabinet for her laundry room, helping her with a work day at her house so we can unpack more and find some things she is missing. Days off are a rarity when we have given so many days in the last year. We’ve had to find some time to retreat into our own world to get things done here. I’m lucky to dust once a quarter and vacuum once a month. And grocery shopping is down to about once every two weeks. It’s pitiful. lol

*We want to do a couple of excursions (day trips).

*I want to do another challenge to refocus on exercise, movement, and nutrition. (Self-care.)

*I have some special blogging/writing I want to do

*I still have my photography goals, Less Hustle More Coffee goals, etc. These are forever on the back burner list. Any growth or success of my channels in any form are just luck at this point as I don’t get opportunities to work toward goals much anymore.

*Have a jewelry project to do. It’s on my annual goal list to go through it and get rid of a bunch of junk jewelry, to clean the silver jewelry that has tarnished and so forth.

*Want to find a dog. Even though we don’t have time for a dog now, I’m selfish enough to want one or two -anyway.

*Have a lot of household projects I want to do. These mainly just sit and laugh at me, like who am I to think I will have time for such. Not even on a rainy day.

*Have some video work I want to do. I will sneak it in when I can.

But instead of focusing about the time we don’t have, I’m just trying to smile and embrace the time we do have. I will have to prioritize, schedule, plan, and find a balance b/w work, chores, George, Mom, church, spiritual, self, family and so forth. We’ll continue to rob Peter and pay Paul with time constraints but I’m trying ya’ll. I’m looking forward to doing these things when time allows. One thing is for sure, to accomplish anything at all these days other than being a taxi bus, care giver, wish granter, problem solver, purchaser, payroller, accounting person, and commuter, is to PUSH it. PUSH it real good. All the way through to the end. Determination is the ONLY thing that sees anything through to completion. lol

Right now I’ve been called to the kitchen. :-O