December 18, 2011: Fun Time...

Heaveno!

Sorry to skip a day on you (again), it's becoming kind of a habit.  What can I say?  Busy house.  This past week alone...

1.  Our local Team Bella labeled, stuffed and sent out over 250 invites to our January luncheon.
2.  I launched a registration website for my professional association's regional conference
3.  I made and sent out a postcard to about 800 music therapists for our spring conference
4.  I oversaw the making of a 17 page preliminary program for conference
5.  I wrote and delivered Module 5 of my second information product
6.  We attended Ang's company "winter open house"
7.  Ali had her first school musical production
8.  We stuffed, stamped and sent out announcement and Christmas cards to our list of 50
9.  Ang returned to work
10.  Julian began part time day care 3 days a week
11.  I began a six month partial sabbatical to stay home with Julian on Mondays and Fridays.
12.  Julian had his 4 month well baby check-up
13.  Ali saw the doctor for "issues with number 2"
14.  Ali sold her first piece of art from Sunday's video lesson!

Holy crow, what a week!



I am a bit more relaxed now that the week is behind us.  I knew all this stuff was falling on the same week, and there really wasn't anything we could do about it, it was just a case of bad timing.  One thing I am good at is making sure I don't double book my time for events, but the lesson I learned this week was that I need to map out projects in time and make sure not to double book project deadlines.  I did this to myself last year at New Year's, and so I tried to outsmart myself by setting earlier deadlines for our conference, but then we landed this dream luncheon from Bruno Serato, and well, there went that.

I remember on Wednesday, about mid-morning, Ang called me from her office and asked me how I was doing...

"Grinding away," was my reply.

"I can't even consider myself grinding!" she said in return.

This week was a grind, no lie, but if feels good to stand on the other side of it at last and have all that past us.  The best part of it all?

We actually had a lot of fun throughout the week.



Ali and Daddy pretending to be Mary and Joseph in the Nativity Scene...


It reminded me that circumstances don't require any specific response from us.  We can generate any response we choose.  That's a great insight to draw upon when I find myself grinding away on multiple items.  I really do have the freedom to feel and act however I want about the whole thing.  This week, I really worked on just handling what was directly in front of me, and nothing else.  It required some discipline, and I was bummed at one point because I had to call a dear friend and apologize for not getting any work done on a mutual project, there just wasn't any extra time this week.  However, I wasn't bitter or resentful at my schedule for putting me in that situation.  It's my schedule, not anyone else's, so it seems not too smart to get mad at myself or resent myself.  That hasn't always been the case, but life is one non-stop learning opportunity, and I am working on learning as much as I can!

We had fun at church today, despite Ali's 4 hour rehearsal for the Christmas Eve musical.
We had fun at the mall on Saturday picking up some more Christmas gifts
We had fun at Ali's school musical
We had fun at mommy's company party
We had fun stuffing ourselves as well as our envelopes with Team Bella
We had fun giving Julian his first rice cereal this week, too!





We can find fun inside of busy, and THAT is a blessing.

God night.