September 18, 2011

What is the Difference?

Now I was going to start this post saying I didn't have a very productive day, but the more I thought about what I had to tell you I'm certain it was a productive day.  So you decide, but keep in mind your only option is to agree with me.  First there was 10 days worth of laundry...

I helped DD with her homework.  She has spelling words each week this year, just like clockwork.  She is still on the learning side of the reading hill so when the spelling list comes home I know she doesn't know any of the words, and that causes me a bit of turmoil.  After all, I have one week to not only teach her how to read the word, but how to spell it as well.  I know she'll hate me if I make her write the entire list of ten - five times each and everyday, and there is a part of me that feels without proper reinforcement that wouldn't stick anyway.  So I've been trying to dream up new and different options to present the words in a fun way.  This is what I came up with last week that DD liked so much we did it again this week. I tell DD the word and she finds the letters for the word and puts them together.  This week I also added writing the word down on a piece of paper after it was spelled out, as I thought that would reinforce the connection between the capitalized Scrabble letters and the lower case letters she needs to use on the spelling test.

Tiny looks very disinterested, but she was really just waiting for the right moment to spell her own word. She singled out the letters TELC, which shockingly  seems to stand for language fluency matters in multiple countries.  I have only read two of The Cat Who mysteries so I'm not going to bother thinking she's smart; I already knew that.

After homework I was completely tuckered out, and settled in on the couch to start a new book.  I was to tired to read and ended up sleeping while DD curled up in my lap to watch "Powerpuff Girls" episodes that I record for her every night (they don't come on here until 10:30 pm!).

When I woke up and felt in much nicer spirits so I finished folding the last load of laundry, and started to pin Tropical Waves on the quilt frame.  I had actually started this project two other times. The first time I discovered that the uptake leader is bigger for a reason and mine was in the wrong spot.  So I had to switch all those around.  Then when I pinned it the second time I only thought I started pinning at center, but had really started at the 3/4 mark so I had to unpin everything.  Needless to say after that I walked away and let it sit for a couple of days.  Yesterday the pinning went much more smoothly with the only hiccup being some hamburger helper noodles stuck to the bottom of my pot and trust me no one cared.

So you see how can you call that an unproductive day?  Yet that was how I felt; perhaps it was due to the nap, or the matronly laundry that I somehow forgot I did.  I think we judge ourselves to harshly sometimes.  I didn't get that quilt quilted, I didn't do this or that thing that I needed to do.  But the question becomes what did you do instead?  A nap?  Cooked dinner?  Study?  More to the point, remember that all those things matter too.  Regardless of how you intended to run your day, enjoy this one no matter what it throws at you.

6 comments:

quiltingnana said...

a VERY productive day

Dana Gaffney said...

Oh, I think you did plenty. I do that all the time, then think back what I did do, and it's a lot. I love the idea of the scrabble tiles, I think it adds to the thought process.

stitchinpenny said...

You got a lot done. Working with your daughter would have been a full day. I have been doing thinking quilting. I am making a picture quilt and have never tried this before. It isn't easy or hard. but takes thought and planning. Oops my brain isn't good for that.

Vicki said...

I think you did plenty, 10 loads of laundry sounds like a full day to me let alone helping DD with her homework. It was nice that you got a nap in as well. I've been working on my Wild Mustang quilt but it's been a slow process.

QuiltSue said...

An interesting point. I think we probably forget about the routine stuff (like washing, ironing, cooking, etc) and only think about what we did in the way of other things and how that compares with what we wanted to achieve. Re-reading this, I know what I mean, but I doubt that you do. I reckon I've taken enough painkillers that my brain might not be working quite right!

Heather Landry said...

I think you did a LOT! I hope that today is a better day. (((Hugs!)))