Motivation to Work

I defrosted my freezer this weekend(among other things).  I haven’t gotten to do that in 2 years.  I was SO happy!

There are SO many things that I have needed to do for the past year and half.  I was limited by my physical capabilities.  That was terribly difficult & it has changed how I look at work.  I can honestly say I like to work.

But you say . . . nobody likes to work!

That is obvious from the effort it took tonight to get my 9 year old on board with picking up sticks in the yard.  He didn’t want to do it.  I was even bribing him with a movie afterward.  Still he dilly dallied and avoided as much as possible.

On the other hand my daughter works very hard every day on a puzzle.  She has one going all the time.  Puzzles are hard and difficult so why does she willingly work on it?  Because it gives her pleasure when it is done.

Pleasure in the process

I have found that if I can find an enjoyable part of a task then I am much more likely to go willingly to do a job. 

An example—mowing the grass.  I really don’t like sweating and getting bug bites but some times the grass has to be mowed(if I can’t get Elizabeth on the task).  On the other hand I know that it is one job that will stay done(unlike laundry) for at least a few days & I get a bit of a thrill driving up to my nicely mowed lawn each day!

Pride in the finished product

Neatly stacked laundry. A clean kitchen counter. School papers any papers filed where I can located them. Those all bring me pleasure.  So focusing on that helps my motivation.

Change in Perspective

At times the amount of work it takes to keep a neat & clean house seems overwhelming.  I can walk in to a room and I see a million things that need doing.  On some days I would have to make lists or avoid that room. 

In the past year I haven’t been able to do the things I needed much less wanted to do.  I never knew that limitations like that were so hard.  I used to dread the work that awaited me every day.

My perspective has changed.  I have found that work can be a source of satisfaction.  It doesn’t mean I don’t get tired.  It doesn’t mean I don’t resent the continual mountain of laundry or dishes.  But it does mean that I am much less likely to complain about having to do them. 

Confetti Fish

My main goal these day is to not turn on the oven.  The directions are for the oven but last week I went out on a limb and did this recipe on our grill.  It worked out just fine!

Confetti Fish Fillets

vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 tsp vegetable oil or butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup diced red pepper(I use MORE!)

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1 1/2 lbs tilapia or any firm white fish fillets

1 T fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray 9 x 13 pan with vegetable oil spray.   Heat oil in skillet.  Saute onion & bell pepper for 2-3 minutes.  Turn off heat and add crumbs and lemon zest.  Stir thoroughly.

Arrange fish in pan.  Sprinkle with lemon juice and salt.  Spread vegetable mixture evenly over fish.

Bake about 10 minutes per inch of fish or until fish flakes easily at the thickest point.

Grill option:  Line a grill basket with aluminum foil and arrange fish in the basket.   Grill on a medium heat for 15-20 minutes.  (or until the crumbs start to get black—LOL)

Staying Home

This past week has been unusual. The kids have all been sick.

One at a time for about 4 days each. Sigh.

So when you stack that up with a little overlap you get 7 days of staying home.  With unhappy crabby little people who are bored to tears.

 

Now I like being at home but after a few days I start to go a little stir crazy. Okay A LOT stir crazy. I do have a great friends who came to visit me Friday night for a little adult conversation & scrapbooking.

Instead of griping about the lack of social interaction, we’ve tried to use the the time in good ways.

1. Bible challenge—Steve has given our family a challenge. If you read a book(pleasure) then read a book of the Bible. It really has made us think about how we use our free time.

2. Cleaning—floors are mopped, tubs are scrubbed, kitchen is cleaned, etc

3. Mowing—It takes about 2 hours to mow our lawn. It is done for the week. Yeah because it is looking pretty busy!

4. Movies, Games, Coloring, Napping—okay that is what the kids have been doing.

5. Planning—school, meals, projects, house organization.

My errands haven’t gotten done but my babies are getting better. We haven’t gotten to do our normal activities but we’ve played games & nursed the sick ones.

So I know I have saved money on gas this last week. 

Of course swim lessons start tomorrow so that means I will be in town everyday for 9 days. Hmmm I think I will be spending what I saved. Oh well—at least we will see some new faces.

Backyard chat

 

Screen Time Limits

There is a standing rule in the Brush household that you only get so much screen time per day. 

On odd days the kids get 1 hour of computer time AFTER certain chores are done. 

TV?  We don’t watch it. 

Movies—some times after school is done or in the evening with Daddy.  We just think that there are SO MANY other good things to do besides sit like a lump on a log in front of a TV or computer.

However there are times for breaking the rules. 

My little man has been running a fever for 3 days now.  He’s not eating.  This is my guy who is a bottomless pit.  He watches the clock like a hawk so he doesn’t miss a snack time.  On one hand I am not terribly concerned,  it is a virus that will run its course.  On the other hand, he’s bored to death & feels pretty rotten.

So yes I have been extending the screen time limit.  He’s watched more movies in the past 3 days than normal.  But hey I will do a lot of things to keep a sick child happy.  In defense of my mommy/nurse skills, we have been playing lots of Yahtzee.  He just learned how & loves it.

Now I am seriously hoping that tomorrow he’s better and we can get back to normal, but I am thankful that there is something that makes these yucky hours pass quickly.  We would rather be swimming, riding bikes, making gluep or a dozen other things than staying home sitting around.  But this is how we roll when one is sick here.

Not so Fancy Meals

I am in a slump again.  It happens every couple of months.

I am tired of cooking meals.

I am tired of deciding what to cook for meals.

Funny--a couple of months ago I was so grateful to be in my kitchen again after 2 months of sitting around letting everyone else work while I was healing.

This happens every year.  Nobody’s hungry because of the heat(especially lunch).  So I  stop planning meals.  Then I am frustrated because when they are hungry I have no plan.  See how this is a bad cycle to get in?  I made a super easy lunch last week.  I loved it because it was easy & nourishing.  The kids loved it because there was cheese on their eggs & they got to have ketchup on their potatoes(can we say easy to please).   Potatoes & ham, scrambled eggs w/ cheese, peppers & onions & toast.  Not fancy but filling.  Easy and better than not fixing anything.

So I am gearing myself up for some easy meals.  Here is my short list.

Freezer meals—check out some of my favorites

Crockpot meals like Pirates Stew,  Salisbury Steak, Mexican Chicken,  or Orange Pork Chops—dump it in, turn it on, eat it later

BLT’s

Sandwiches

Fruit, cheese & crackers

Leftovers—gotta find a way to make enough they don’t eat it all

Frittata

Sloppy Joes

Salads—Taco salad, Quinoa salad, so many to choose from

So I am not going to stop cooking but I am going to be smart about what I fix.  What are some of your favorite summer meals?

Linked up at Tasty Tuesday, Delectable Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, What’s On YOUR plate, & Fun with Food Friday

Making your own fun

The price of gas is going down here.  It is tempting to change our stay at home ways & start to go & do more.  And we do go & do when we NEED to do so.  But to help with the gas budget(which is still ugly) we are making our own fun around home more. 

Isn’t that what summer is for anyway?  To pursue things you want to do with the free time you have?

Megan has dug out puzzles.  She is a puzzle fiend.  She did her first 2000 piece a couple of weeks ago!

Joshua loves water & water balloons.  He also finds random animals in the yard.   This is a mouse visiting 2 toads in a window well.  Not to mention the cicadas.  He loves them and will be sad to see them gone in the next couple of weeks.  Crazy kid.

Michael is working his way through some audiobooks.  He’s taking speech this summer so he cherishes downtime.

Elizabeth is my worker.  She is out mowing or cleaning inside.  I love this way of keeping busy!  She also has picked Lord of the Rings back up to read.  That is one book that will take her a while.

After a sort of long break, Steve is working on the molding in our bathroom.   We finished the rest of the bathroom remodel a while ago but we had some tough decisions to make on the molding.  Could we reuse the old stuff or did we need to buy new? Where did we put the old stuff?  Where did we put the stain?  But now progress is being made & we will FINISH this project!

I am working in the garden every chance I get.  This morning I found our first baby tomato!!! 

There are going to be lots this year judging from the blooms.  I am craving a REAL tomato.  Not one from the store but one I pick & 2 minutes later slice & eat.  MMMMmmm

There are lots of other things blooming out there too.  Here are a couple of my perennials!  Enjoy!