Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Seven Days


Seven days is all it would take, I reckon. Seven child-free, work-free, meal-preparation-free days  to tackle the lists. Seven days to feel less like I'm drowning under the pile of to-dos and able to enjoy things again.

Day one would be for the house. Cleaning it from top to toe, inside to out, and underneath, over and back to front. Not just gathering up the mess and shoving it into piles, not just wiping down the obvious sludge and sweeping up the blatant mounds of crumbs, but real, proper cleaning.

Day two would be for the garden. A whole day of planning the planting and then doing the planting. Pulling weeds. Turning compost. Tending to the tiny herb garden. Filling the empty pots. Talking to the tomato seeds to see if that will make them sprout, because sunshine and water doesn't seem to be doing the trick right now.

Day three we'd call ADMIN DAY. In big letters. Finally getting the last of the addresses changed after nine months in our new home. Sorting out the girls' passports. Filling out the school enrolment forms. Sending letters to tenants AND landlords. Organising for salaries to be paid into different accounts. Booking optometrist appointments. Finding a good local GP. A meal plan. Filing the great stack of papers that need filing. And perhaps doing a budget. Now, wouldn't that be novel?

Day four would be friends day. Sitting down with cups of tea and the telephone and having good chats with good friends who I've been neglecting because there never seems to be a run of enough spare minutes, or enough quiet in the background, to make a phone call possible. And then I'd gather up a pile of cards and stamps and write to all the people who I really need to say hello to, friends of my mum who would no doubt love a photo of the girls and some news. And then I'd attend to birthday gifts that have gone wanting in the great chaos of the year. There are some 18-month-olds in my life who still haven't received their first birthday present.

The sewing machine would get a workout on day five. I'd be able to finish off all the almost-finished odds and ends that need buttons or hems or elastic. I'd whizz through a stack of easy pants and skirts for the girls, the ones I refuse to buy because they're so easy to make, and yet I don't make because I don't quite get around to it. I'd get Lola's nature bag made that I've been promising her for months. And I'd at least try to make a dent in the fabric stash.

Day six would be me and the computer, tackling some writing projects that never even get a look-in these days. Perhaps I'd act all writerly and take the laptop to the local cafe so I could tap away whilst sipping lattes and feeling nostalgic about the good old days. That would be nice.

And on day seven, of course, I'd wander through my pristine house, feeling the weightlessness that comes from having checked off the last thing on a long, long list, I'd pull up a chair under a tree in my immaculate garden, and knit. Knitknitknitknitknit a whole day away. A cup of tea within reach, a magazine open in front of me, birds a-tweeting, perhaps some music drifting by and the gentle click-clack of my needles.

Just seven days. I think that's all I'd need.

I'm currently knitting tiny hats from big balls of wool (my favourite Cascade Eco), and I'm yet to choose another book having finally finished The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga. Perhaps today's Yarn Along will throw up some ideas.



31 comments:

  1. I love this post!
    I was just thinking the exact same thing today.
    I was thinking that I need a holiday from work...but then I realised I only work three days a week and I need more than that.
    Just like you said I need a full seven days to do everything that needs to be done and then to relax.
    And if I could then have another seven days to go to a tropical island paradise and sit on the beach by myself I wouldn't complain!

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  2. I think seven days would about do it. :)

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  3. Seven days... love it!
    Although I think I might add an extra one in for catching up on sleep.

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  4. Ohh 7 days, that sounds very hopeful. Can I join in too? what shall we do with our families to get 7 whole days??

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  5. 7 days ... it seems so simple yet so completely unnatainable, I'll try for 7 minutes I think! Love this post x

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  6. Your seven days sound right to me :-) I think I could use those seven days as well. The hat looks adorable!

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  7. Nah, it wouldn't work, you'd be dizzy with excitement and want to write and knit and ring friends and write letters, because honestly if you had 7 days would you seriously start with housework?

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  8. You forget that on day seven you would have to start over again... just sayin'. Great little post of what could be accomplished if life was not in the way !

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  9. Yes. Yes. Good golly yes. I'd be happy with five. I daydream all the time about this. The feeling of being on top of things, not underneath them. If mothers could have this, I don't know... twice a year... imagine the possibilities?!

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  10. Oh goodness...I've been thinking *just* the same thing, recently, although we are only three months in our new home; I just need a *little* bit of time on my own to get things into shape. It is so much easier to *keep* things in shape once they are already there, than to get them that way in the first place. And doubly so when there are children in the picture... xo

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  11. What a super post and one I am going to be dreaming about the rest of the day!

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  12. That is a great game plan.
    I love Eco, by the way, and I have all three of those colors, either in a completed sweater or on the needles :)

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  13. What a great "list"!! I have one week of fall break coming up (the kids will be in school) and I might have to adopt that plan!

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  14. Now those seven days I would gladly take as well. Wouldn't that be nice... :)

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  15. Isn't it funny that before having kids none of this was ever a problem? At least in my life, all of this would have been easily accomplished...but now that I have kids I'm lucky to make these things happen within a month!

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  16. Seven days would truly help to make our lives much better as well. This is a great post, even if only as a reminder that one day the chaos of this beautiful time of life will be over. I am sure that we will all wish for some parts of it back, but it helps to not sweat the small stuff.

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  17. i could use seven days too. maybe if we close our eyes and wish really hard?

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  18. I'd love seven days though since I was just in bed for 7 days after our baby was born, don't think I could get another seven ; ) Tricia @ crunchycatholicmomma.blogspot

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  19. I think that seven days sounds exactly right...maybe if I just take a stab at those things for seven days it would get a little better?? This week I'm sharing a sneak peek of the Sunday Sweater I'm test knitting for Ginny. Stop by if you have a moment!

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  20. Oh, seven days sounds perfect. I would LOVE that. I have one toddler (but not baby) free night this weekend. I'll be doing part one of the plan – cleaning. (Just popped over from Green Valley Crafts).

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  21. i was just thinking this morning of writing a post on this very same topic. yay! i can cross it off my list because you have done it for me! well said!

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  22. Oh yes can I have seven days too please! Such a lovely piece to read....your writing is wonderful.

    But just think how much we would miss the giggles and the hugs we get from our girls.....really we would!

    x

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  23. Oh what a fantasy, but just how many hours are in these magical days of yours? Love this post! x

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  24. I HEAR YOU! What a fabulous post - you have basically summed up how I feel the last couple of weeks - and I don't have to juggle a job like you do. I am just running from thing to thing, never finishing any one task, running through tomorrows to do list bed but knowing I'll never finish it. Hope you get maybe one or two days. Not sure about seven! x

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  25. Oh this post is so perfect - I want all of that too. Just to have a properly clean house would be nice. Maybe one day, we can dream. x

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  26. I've been dreaming of this ever since my baby turned one (10 years ago!)... I can relate to this on every level, although I have to agree with Swanski's comment- you would have to start all over again on day 8... great post- you're speaking to all of us x

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    Replies
    1. Oh and i've been meaning to say, you are a beautiful knitter-- I'm inspired!

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  27. But the depressing thing with this, is that after day four, the house would need to be re-cleaned, after day five, there'd already be more ADMIN, you'd want to see your friends again before day 7 was up .... and so on, and so on. I keep saying that I'm in a busy phase at the moment but then it dawned on me. It's not a phase! It's just my life! But I do hope you find some more time ... somewhere. Kellie xx

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  28. I love this post! Once upon a time I had a full time job and I still managed to lead a rather organised life. Now... it's just chaos! :-) x

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