We have a plan!!!
Do you remember the society matron mouse in "American Tale"? She stands up and announces, "We have a plan" in her NY accent and then life moves on (or at least the movie). This line has become my personal line. My family tease me with it and I make fun of myself with it. I MUST have planning sessions and I end them all by saying in my best imitation "We have a PLAN - e pluribus unum".
A very dear local friend has hinted that I'm "anal" about being on time. We've talked about it and this has stemmed from leadership roles. A leader can't be showing up late...and since I've been in leadership roles for the past 20+ years....I've learned to make myself be on time.
This goes along with what I'm about to confess. :::drum roll::: I cannot be on time without a WORKING PLAN. I live for plans. I drive my family crazy with my obsession with "the plan". It's sad. I've worked on this. I need to know what we are doing. I can't relax without a plan. I think being on time is hard for me and I've learned that a plan is essential for me to be on time....LOL Or maybe I've always been psychotic - Mom could comment on that.
Regardless, I'm always asking the family for "the plan". I woke up last night at 4 a.m. and realized that I had NO PLAN for what we were doing with the girls' visit. It makes no difference that we are 1/2 way through the visit...I need a plan. We may forget something important without a plan. Mike tends to be a late riser, he is content to take the day as it comes. I feel like the day is 1/2 - 2/3 gone by the time we DISCUSS what we're going to do with it. I've learned to be a bit more laid back...and my family has learned that they need to give me a plan. Which they do with much eye rolling and good natured teasing. Often Mike will tell me Friday night, "We're going to sleep in tomorrow until we wake up, we're going to laze around until lunch and then we'll go geocaching." AND I'm content with a plan. LOL
Mike called today when we were in the middle of our "planning session". He added his .02 to my plan mania. LOL One of the girls laughed at me when I said "we need a plan". They know me so well. Our plan can be as simple as "today we are going to stay home and do nothing"....I only need to know that we PLAN to relax...and then I can. Without that, I'll worry that we aren't doing something we should be doing. ::snort::
How does this gel with the persona of a person who "jumps into things?" Well - I am quickly able to switch plans...but I must have a plan. I can't move without a plan.
Our plan:
Today - Krista took the boys out for a treat - her Christmas gift to them. I called Don and got the computers working - the upgrade to IE7 had done BAD THINGS to my computer because they were clashing with Fire Fox. Bre will watch the littles and the rest of us will go see the Nativity. We'll play games and such tonight. I need to also check about cashing checks....I don't want to use my credit card again for a month. We pay it off monthly but I don't need the airline miles and I need to figure out what they are doing with limits and charges etc.
Tomorrow we have speech and produce co-op. We'll spend the afternoon playing games, visiting, maybe caching if it is nice.....and packing the girls up.
Saturday - we'll do any shopping I need to do for the girls before they leave, and get a package off to Mike.
Sunday - The girls have to be at the station by 11:00 and leave at noon.
"We have a plan.....and I can rest." ::snort::
10 comments:
:):):):) Sis: :):):):)
PLANS! You have always been a plan person. Even when you were a baby you woke up at the right times to eat etc. :( for me then but.....
Might be due to G'Pa Townsend who HAD TO BE ON TIME and could only stay at other peoples homes when going for a visit FOR EXACTLY 1/2 HR. AND THEN it was time to go. HA! The first time we visited them in Lewiston and he took us around to all the aunts, uncles, cousing etc I wondered what in the world was his problem. :):) TIME and a Plan. He could not easily change his plan.
Then there is G'Ma Simmons. When I was a kid we were very concious of time and thus things were planned out. She sure wasn't that way when she got older.
Then, all the years we itinerated (when you were younger and able to be with us) it was definitely time and plan times. Of course when you kids were school age you three and I stayed in Springfield.
I like plans and being on time. Dad and I work REAL HARD to not be early for anything. He has a need to be sure he is ON TIME! We laugh at ourselves etc.
I still plan but I just keep it to myself and adjust as need be.
Guess you were born to plan and/or is it doomed? :):)
Your not psycotic or else that might mean we are too. :):)
I love and like neat Christmas present opening too.
Off in a few minutes to run the clock at a couple of JV Basketball games.
l/p
I am glad I am not the only one who needs a plan, but I will say to my family, "This is the scoop...." or "What's the scoop?" meaning what is the plan. Even their friends have made fun of me and asked me what the "scoop" is.
Tim is the same way about not needing a plan and late rising. He has learned to deal with my need for "plan making" as well. Ahhh, the joys of marriage. LOL
Diann
I'm like this too. I think in part it's because I want to have the time to get ready if we are going somewhere or doing something. Being the Mother, well sometimes the Father doesn't realize all that's involved in making sure an outing goes smoothly with kids! Like for instance making sure they have eaten first!! Yes the other day when i went out for the day shopping my hubby forgot to feed the kids in my absence and then wanted to go out, as a family, right away when I got home! The youngest one starts crying that he doesn't want to go, I ask a few questions and we find that the poor kid is HUNGRY! LOL, gotta laugh.
Anyway, I do like a plan and I hate to be late anywhere.
Enjoyed all your Christmas photos below. The trampoline pics are priceless. I keep meaning to say that i don't think it's strange that Nolan likes duplo's. Tristan is the same age I believe (7) and he still likes duplo. I got him batman lego (from my Mom she asked me to pick lego for each kid, one of her traditions) because he wanted it so bad but Hayley put most of it together for him.
Love the picture of Stacia taking the big girls make up. I wonder what it must be like to have some modicum of privacy and space and then come home to lots of little siblings getting into your stuff! Looks like they took it in good humor.
Hope you enjoy the rest of your time with your first babies home.
LOL! In our house my gh hears, "What's the game plan?" I adjust my day/week accordingly to dovetail his!
My children have learned in turn to ask me, "What's the plan?"
Plans are essential for the sanity of this mother. I really think it has to do with trying to get everyone out of the house to go somewhere. I tell everyone it's time to go and everyone runs out the door and sits in the van.lol I then have to pack the diaper bag, the bottle bag, find Evie's shoes, bring Isaac's blankie, bring a hair brush because SOMEONE is sure to have forgotten that particular grooming chore, and so on...lol really, it's amazing that anyone with more than 2 kids ever gets anywhere and doesn't have to run back home for something.lol
I too, loved the photos. I've just been hanging in there slowly recovering from family and illness and pregnancy induced exhaustion.lolol
We are so much alike!!! I love to have a plan. I don't change plans easily, however, but I'm working on that!
Your visit with the girls sounds so nice! Enjoy your time with them even if you don't have a plan :::snort:::
~Kelly
This made me chuckle...in our house I always ask Brian on Fridays "What are your expectations for the weekend?" Basically, what do you need to get done, or want to get done and I'll fill in the blanks!
I am definitely the plan maker and not always with cooperative troops, but everyone always agrees that they have fun.
I hate being late and am almost always early. I think it stems from how annoyed I get if I have to wait for someone else.
All this being said, being married to a military man and a flyer at that, makes for a lot of plan changes.
Ahh, having a plan is a good thing. God has a plan for everything, right? He's a God of order and not chaos....so you're a mom of order, not chaos!
Jen in Az.
Don't forget to plan a pot of tea.
Dorothy
Ah HA - this like the organized Christmas must be a more common malady than formerly thought. ::snort::
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