It's 12.50 p.m. Hugo is almost ready to go lay down for his nap. Eloise is strapped to me and on the verge of falling asleep. We have just come home from her 4 months injections and she is vomiting even more than usual. I barely pay attention to the milk stains all over my top and pants. My father is visiting from France so at least I was able to take Eloise to the doctor's while they went to the park. I feel bad for seeing any visitors only as potential baby-sitters but that's what it is all about at the moment.
1.01 pm. I just put Hugo to bed. I read him a story and tucked him in. Eloise's eye lids are getting heavier and she'll be asleep in a second. My stomach is rumbling but I don't want to eat just yet.
As I contemplate the next few hours of Hugo's nap (thank goodness he naps for so long), I wonder how to tackle this 5 day challenge. How can I make the next 5 days extra creative? And where would that extra focus and attention come from?
The possibility of putting 5 days aside to start and finish a project is about as realistic right now as Hugo tying his own shoelaces so that strategy isn't going to work. Everything these days has to be done in little bursts, short and quick, and fit into the nooks and crannies that life with two small children leaves. There aren't many and they are precious, easily filled with laundry, dishes and the rest of it.
Most days, I use that time to write. That's what I do first (after any paperwork, phone calls, bills to pay and so on) and then move down the 'priorities'... knitting, sewing, making toys... They seem like silly things to call priorities when there is so much more to be done but this is my time to fill as I please. I rarely get past writing anyway and usually manage a few minutes of knitting in the evenings. Once in a while, Hugo will get a new felt carrot or strawberry to add to his play kitchen.
When I don't feel utterly frustrated by the sheer lack of productivity, I can find myself actually being a little amazed by how much one can do by simply chipping away at it, day after day, here and there, in bits and bobs. The knitting projects pile up, the felt pantry fills up and the pages of my blog keep on scrolling down.
So for 5 days, I'll just keep doing what I do but take the time to think and write about it. I'll focus on the projects that are already started with the aim of finishing them. I'll try and be mindful of how I feel, from the anticipation when I can finally sit down in front of a project to the frustration of having to stop and the tiny but oh so precious feeling of having made progress, even if it was one line on a screen or a couple of rows on my knitting needles.
01.38 p.m. Eloise has just woken up. There goes the next hour 1/2 until she needs another snooze.
02.37 p.m. Back to the giant gym ball I use to bounce Eloise to sleep while sitting (and typing) at my desk.
03.41 p.m. Eloise fell asleep easily enough so I've been working away on my website. This is the website I will be using to engage professionally with the world as a copywriter for creative types. It has been clear to me that these are the people I am interested in working with and hopefully working for. I admire creative people who can express themselves clearly with visual tools however, their visual eloquence doesn't always translate into the written form. This is where I hope to step in and offer my services.
04.54 p.m. They are both awake. I have just knitted a few rows while watching the first 10 minutes of Q&A.
09.24 p.m. Hugo is in bed and Eloise is sleeping. I might be able to knit a few rows before Eloise needs to be fed again and I hit the sack. But first, it's time for a square of chocolate.
1.01 pm. I just put Hugo to bed. I read him a story and tucked him in. Eloise's eye lids are getting heavier and she'll be asleep in a second. My stomach is rumbling but I don't want to eat just yet.
As I contemplate the next few hours of Hugo's nap (thank goodness he naps for so long), I wonder how to tackle this 5 day challenge. How can I make the next 5 days extra creative? And where would that extra focus and attention come from?
The possibility of putting 5 days aside to start and finish a project is about as realistic right now as Hugo tying his own shoelaces so that strategy isn't going to work. Everything these days has to be done in little bursts, short and quick, and fit into the nooks and crannies that life with two small children leaves. There aren't many and they are precious, easily filled with laundry, dishes and the rest of it.
Most days, I use that time to write. That's what I do first (after any paperwork, phone calls, bills to pay and so on) and then move down the 'priorities'... knitting, sewing, making toys... They seem like silly things to call priorities when there is so much more to be done but this is my time to fill as I please. I rarely get past writing anyway and usually manage a few minutes of knitting in the evenings. Once in a while, Hugo will get a new felt carrot or strawberry to add to his play kitchen.
When I don't feel utterly frustrated by the sheer lack of productivity, I can find myself actually being a little amazed by how much one can do by simply chipping away at it, day after day, here and there, in bits and bobs. The knitting projects pile up, the felt pantry fills up and the pages of my blog keep on scrolling down.
So for 5 days, I'll just keep doing what I do but take the time to think and write about it. I'll focus on the projects that are already started with the aim of finishing them. I'll try and be mindful of how I feel, from the anticipation when I can finally sit down in front of a project to the frustration of having to stop and the tiny but oh so precious feeling of having made progress, even if it was one line on a screen or a couple of rows on my knitting needles.
01.38 p.m. Eloise has just woken up. There goes the next hour 1/2 until she needs another snooze.
02.37 p.m. Back to the giant gym ball I use to bounce Eloise to sleep while sitting (and typing) at my desk.
03.41 p.m. Eloise fell asleep easily enough so I've been working away on my website. This is the website I will be using to engage professionally with the world as a copywriter for creative types. It has been clear to me that these are the people I am interested in working with and hopefully working for. I admire creative people who can express themselves clearly with visual tools however, their visual eloquence doesn't always translate into the written form. This is where I hope to step in and offer my services.
04.54 p.m. They are both awake. I have just knitted a few rows while watching the first 10 minutes of Q&A.
09.24 p.m. Hugo is in bed and Eloise is sleeping. I might be able to knit a few rows before Eloise needs to be fed again and I hit the sack. But first, it's time for a square of chocolate.
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