Writing Prompt #1: "The simple things..." for Mama Kat's Pretty Much World Famous Writers Workshop
............
Those words caught my eye. The Simple Things.
What comes next?
The Simple Things are the Best Things...?
The Simple Things in life are Free...?
The Simple Things are what Matter Most...?
Morning birdsong. A hot cup of tea. Warm toes. Flush toilets.
As my mind scrabbled to think up something deep for this post, what I realised is how I often complicate the simple things by my procrastination.
In my efforts to make my life easier, I end up complicating everything and making more work for myself.
Like toilet training. You would think that by Child Number Three I would have this down pat. It should be simple (as it was with the other two).
But no. My youngest child is three and counting. He refuses to go to the toilet.
He knows what to do, but will he do it? Nuh-uh.
So what do I do? I make sticker charts. I promise rewards. I threaten punishments. I give lectures...
All to no avail.
Because I am procrastinating what I know I must really do, hoping he'll get it at some point before his 21st, I run the risk of him still being in Buzz Lightyear Pull-Ups when he starts high school (until his mates start pointing and laughing, then he might finally get it).
What I really need to do is go cold turkey. Stick him in undies and weather out the wee-and-poo storm for a few days til he gets it through his head that there will be no more Mr Lazy-Bones.
Blindingly obvious, really.
And yet I continue to procrastinate and complicate while he continues to lazily urinate in the Pull-Ups.
Procrastination. Its the ruination of the Simple.
By procrastinating I create a world of hurt for myself. By putting off til tomorrow what I should have done yesterday, I find myself in a flurry of stress and sweaty rushing as I last-minute-race to do the jobs I have neglected before its too late.
If only I had kept things simple and totaled up my receipts for my book-keeper hubby as he requested, instead of procrastinating and watching 60-Minute Makeover. Peace would reign instead of annoyance.
If only I had done some housework before sitting down to blog, telling myself, "I'll do it later..." Then when my friend/mum/husband turns up unexpectedly I wouldn't be embarrassed by my pile of unwashed dishes and crumby floor.
If only I had made the kids take their own shoes/coats/bags/crap with them out of the car each time they exit, I wouldn't be driving around in a rubbish-tip on wheels.
If only I had bothered to check that the lid was securely on the sugar jar when I baked those muffins, I wouldn't be waking up to thousands of ants swarming over my benchtop, feasting on my sugar, which must now be washed down the sink, along with the ant swarm.
My laziness is my undoing. My procrastination complicates the otherwise-simple.
One of these days I will figure it out and actually do something about stopping this Procrastination.
Procrastination fuels my anxiety. Procrastination steals my peace. Procrastination robs me of a Simple Life.
Procrastination, you suck!
I'm going to knock you on the head just as soon as I get the chance.
Like, right after I finish this blog post. As soon as I've quickly checked out my favourite blogs. OK, definitely after I've replied to my emails... ooh I need to just check my Facebook feed, see what Gail's been up to... I wonder if there are any more cool Tangled party ideas on Pinterest...? I'll just quickly check that out and then I will be dealing to you, Procrastination, once and for all!
Ahhh who am I kidding?
I'll do it tomorrow.
16 comments:
Haha oh dear I could relate to some much of your post! Blimmen procrastination.
Oh...I so share your procrastination problem. (And for many of the same reasons.)
I really love this blog... the idea of beauty in the very simple things.
Lovely.
Ah hon you made me smile on a day where there have been tears already.
I so hear you!! !! !! BUT (yes there is a but) yesterday when I was feeling lower than low I had a darling friend and fellow blogger tell me to LEAVE the housework and PLAY with the kids - revelation I tell ya! When Mr B walked in the door to see us all sitting happily playing with puff paints he had the BIGGEST smile on his face coz his MRS wasn't stressed :) he put away the groceries I'd left on the bench, he put dinner in the oven, he put the dishes in the sink - all after he'd been at work all day - I LOVE that man! And the kids and I had FUN!
Now this toilet training - I think I've told you this before - BUT (yep another but) - he will will will be toilet trained when he is ready - I put Philosopher into undies and honestly I actually don't know which stressed me out more - the lack of showing interest in wearing undies OR the wearing undies and lack of showing interest in the toilet. I had a darling friend say to me at the time (similar to what you've blogged here) he won't be starting school in pull ups (btw our kindy teacher was AGAINST pull ups) and this same friend has used similar advice on me recently "he won't be leaving school illiterate" so Mumma - RELAX and ENJOY xxx and keep those posts up that make me smile xxx YOU ROCK
Scrag sounds alot like the Scientist did...
ok
this is what I did
not for everyone of course...but worked wondering on my very bright little boy
he did a poo...at this point he was doing the fun and hide poo thing..so he disappeared, we all knew what he was up to so when he came to tell me he had pooed I stripped him down to his diaper, placed him in the emtpy bathtub, handed him the box of wipes and told him to go for it....the look on his face!!! lol well you can imagine.
i told him mommy was done changing his diaper, he was too big and now he had to do it himself. Then I left the bathroom and he proceeded to cry as he had a phobia of all things poo....I let him carry on for some time...oh poor thing was right beside himself. So I swooped in as hero mommy. I told him I would do it this one last time, but from now on he would have to do it himself...he was ever so grateful (in between sobs) and said ok mommy just this last time.....and you know what he never pooed in his diaper again...the next day, yes the very next day pull-ups were gone!
Now like I said, not foe everyone and you have to be strong and let them cry it out, not easy for some moms, but for my little 3+ year old it worked.
Now I can not take credit for this idea, as I was talking to a client one day about my potty training whoas and she was the one who directed me to this place...but lucky for us, it worked!
love and light S!
I have that pile of dishes. That crumby floor. I also have a pile of washing I've shoved in my bedroom so I don't have to guiltily look at it every time I walk through the lounge.
I'm one of the worlds biggest procrastinators. Sometimes I miss out on things completely because I overthink them so much. Dunno why - I've just always been that way.
I have an ant phobia. Worse than any other bug. I hate how there are so many of them and you never can tell if you get them all.
We're very much enjoying watching Finding Nemo for the third time in so many days though!!!
Hope Scrag is feeling better xx
Ahaha that is awesome and SO true!! I will definitely putting your advice into practice, right after I ... hehe
Love you and that you check in on me :) xxx
My words of wisdom..... which may not fit in with what others may think:
Procrastination gives me time to do what I want.
Haha.
xx
Great pics! I do feel your potty training pain! Had and still have issues with the oldest one. My youngest was a cinch!
Good luck with that procrastination thing tomorrow....or the next day!
I am the biggest procrastinator I know...I view it as a blessing and a curse. My husband views it as a curse and a curse.
Eh.
You can't please'em all.
Like like like! Here I sit procrastinating, knowing I should be cooking dinner and hoover the grotty carpet or at least sorting out some boxes of rubbish sitting right next to me... but just one more blog post to read!!
Lovely photos, as always.
I am the Queen of Idle and Procrastination. My son shares my title. My husband is likely to end in therapy. Such is the simple life.
I felt like you were writing about my life in this post. The ants, the wet briefs, the housework I have all these things to work on too.
I LOVE the feeling of being 'on top of things' and I often procrastinate which doesn't really help!
But as my supervisor said so truthfully yesterday when I was explaining how I felt like I was always about 2 weeks behind on pretty much EVERYTHING in life/work, we never really get to a place where we fully finish everything! Everything is a journey, a process and sometimes I have to embrace that feeling of stretch of 'not quite being there'.
So I'm trying to figure out how I can make friends with the stretch. Because if I don't, I never really let myself relax. And that means CRAZY Rachel. Not fun for anyone. haha!
Ok I'll stop rambling now.
Nice writing here nailing procrastination. Priority is key! I really do try to do the important things first before going on the computer such as (my quiet time with God, feeding my pets, cleaning the litter boxes, getting dressed.)
Stopping by from Writer's Workshop.
Hahaha BRILLIANCE!!
"And yet I continue to procrastinate and complicate while he continues to lazily urinate..." = I LOVE your choice of words lovely lady :) xx
Aaah procrastination how I love thee. It's just like Gail said, it lets us do all the things we really want to do and ignore the ones we don't!
Until they get so urgent that we realise that we won't be able to actually enjoy doing what we want cos the others are hanging over us....sigh.
Great thought provoking post love xx
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