Spring Break | BulgingButtons

March 12, 2019
by BulgingButtons Leave a comment

Time to Take Back Spring Break

I’m on spring break. School is closed for the week, and I’m free to do whatever I please. These weeks always go so quickly. Here we are, Tuesday already, and I feel as though I haven’t accomplished much. That’s not entirely my fault, though. Between fighting off some bug and having a medical procedure yesterday, I feel like I’ve been a little out of commission.

The procedure went well, I’m feeling better, and now it’s my time. Time to use as I see fit. My gut reaction? Time to read books and take naps. My realistic reaction? Time to clean up and get some schoolwork done. So, here I sit, at the computer, about to do my schoolwork. I’m taking a course to finish my gifted teaching endorsement, and I have homework. It’s a fascinating topic, and I’m enjoying learning more about these types of individuals. Still, I’ve put off my work, because I’m a terrible procrastinator. Why else would I be blogging instead of doing homework?

I’m also unhappy with the state of the room around me. I’m in my studio, and it’s a mess. There’s way too much stuff in here, and it’s housed in a variety of shelves, bins, bags, and boxes. At some point it all became too much, and I don’t even like to come in here. I need to get this sorted out.

It’s like the old joke. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Of course I would never actually eat an elephant, but you get the idea.

So, here’s my goal: each day for the rest of the week I will work on my homework, and I will work on this room. I won’t let either one overpower me. I will take breaks when needed, but I won’t quit. This is my pledge. I think I can do it. Wish me luck.

March 18, 2018
by BulgingButtons Leave a comment

Never Will I Ever…

I’ve been doing some Spring Cleaning (yes, I think the capital letters are appropriate in this instance) and I’ve learned some things.

First, I learned that I’ve been harboring some items for far too long. Way beyond their useful lifespans. Why? I’m not a hoarder. Am I? No. Most definitely not. However… I do have “collections” of things that I really don’t need to collect. Some of it is purposeful, but some of it has crept up on me over the years. I really didn’t need to keep those stinky old sneakers and that sweater I loved as an undergrad.

I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but I managed to purge my closet of six bags of items. It’s all shoes and clothing, and that makes me somewhat embarrassed, but I’ve gotten quite a few nice new items over the past year, and I feel really good in those clothes. As a result, I don’t wear some of the older items, and frankly some of them were really never quite “me” from the get-go. Six bags later, and I feel relieved. Less stuff. Less clutter. Less to fret over.

So that takes me to the concept of “never will I ever.” Here are some things I’ve decided fit in that category:

NEVER WILL I EVER

Read all of the books that I’ve loaded onto my Kindle and loaded into my bookcases
Sew up all the beautiful fabric that I’ve collected over the years
Complete all the unfinished projects that are collected in bags and boxes
Completely break the clutter habit
Figure out the keys to maintaining healthy habits

My home feels better than it did. Lots of little projects have been accomplished over the past week, thanks to Spring Break, but there are so many others that haven’t even been touched.

Never will I ever run out of things to do, that much is for certain.

March 3, 2018
by BulgingButtons 4 Comments

South of the Border

My kid and his friends have gone on Spring Break south of the border. These college students have piled into a van and taken a road trip, something that millions of college students have done for generations. This time is different, though. This time it’s my kid.

He’s a good kid. Actually he’s a great kid. He has good friends, makes good decisions, and hasn’t gotten into any trouble in his life. Okay, so there was the writing on the table in first grade incident, but that was a long time ago, and he insists he was erasing what the other kid wrote. I kind of believe him. He works hard, studies hard, and keeps his nose clean. His friends, from what I can gather, are similar.

Last year these boys took a road trip to California for Spring Break. They camped in Malibu. I didn’t even know you could do that, but you can, and they did. This year they decided to go international, with a trip to Mexico. It didn’t take long to get there, they left this morning and he already checked in. Of course we went online to see the place where they’re staying. It looks nice. Steps from the beach.

I’m glad he has friends. I’m glad they’re going on adventures. I’m glad he’s in a lovely place. But, truth be told, I’ll be even more glad when he returns.