Too Much Time Cleaning, Missing Deadlines, Being Busy

In the past week, I've had three events happen that have made me understand the need for a better life for my family. We've been dealing with some health and behavior issues, but we've made no solid changes. Still, the last week has jarred me into the realization that major changes are in order.

For starters, I was in prep for About.com. For those of you who aren't writers, let me explain this gig. It's the Holy Grail of web writing, especially for people like me in niche topics. I write on just about anything - provided the pay is right - but I've been slowly gravitating to more political writing. About rejected my application 6 months ago for Women's Issues. The site was still open (has been for more than a year), and I applied again, this time with better credentials. I was accepted!

It was amazing and a confirmation that I am, in fact, headed in the right direction. My second review during the process was last Friday. I was planning to work all Thursday evening and into the wee hours. I took the kiddos to the grocery store. When I got back, they went down for naps, and I checked my email. The subject of the first one was "Drop Notice." I'd been dropped from Prep! WTF?

I opened the email, expecting something such as "we hired someone else." (About will prep multiple people and do so continuously, so you can work on a subject only to find someone else got the job before you.) Nope. Are you ready? My second review was Thursday, not Friday. I missed it! I didn't get the job I was dreaming to get because of my disorganization!

That was Thursday. Today's Tuesday. I got an email from an ongoing writing project. My editor wanted to let me know that she'd sent me some article topics, and they were due this morning. WTF? (Again!) I don't even remember there being a due date. Well, okay, titles from this client are due 6 weeks from approval, but I got these last week. If there was a bumped-up due date, I missed it. Luckily on this one, I can have until tomorrow to complete the work.

And then comes the kicker.

I was outside with my 2-year-old son, Jayden, this morning. I said, "do you want to go swimming."

"Swimming!" Hand motions emulating the breast stroke ensued.

"Okay, we have to get on our swimsuits. Let's go get ready."

"But I don't want to clean up."

Hmmph. My son equates "getting ready" with cleaning up, and that's my fault. We've missed so many trips to the park, the library, church (God forgive me!) because we had to clean up. I felt horrible. My child thinks life is about cleaning up, and my husband and I are to blame. We can't get it together enough to make life about the experiences we have.

Those experiences sealed it for me. We have to change to living a streamlined life, as opposed to a chaotic, modern one. I've struggled for the right word. "Simple life" for many means making everything from scratch, growing herbs, and lots of other things that just aren't "simple" to me.

Streamlined says it best. Efficient. Effective. That's the life I want.