i'm a planner . . . check out this new product . . .

Greetings all,
Well after the really encouraging comments to the last post, i've been thinking, deeply, how to explain how i get everything done each day, without sounding up myself, spiritual or a bit wanky.  I won't bore you with a school morning & afternoon routines now, other than they are  planned, organised, we don't rush & we have a 25km country drive to & from school, topped with me refusing to be late!!  I'm no supermum, I'm just doing my job with a big smile on my face!!
When i met my husband, i was a teenager, i was working 2 part time jobs & doing a 32 hour a week science degree of lectures, tutorials & labs + about 15 hours travel time.  So his first Christmas gift to me was a Filofax, BRILLIANT!!  He thought i was disorganised (by military standards).  He knew i was a workaholic, determined & came from a high achieving family (my siblings include rocket scientist, surgeon, dentist, ballerina - everyone runs their own business!!)  Funny mix considering we were raised by a Naval officer & housewife who just encouraged us to be happy.
I'm a planner!!  I have been wanting to make my own books for ages, a mix of original vintage story pages with plain paper for children to read & draw!!  I have amassed a collection of such books, ready to be sliced up & bound.  Knowing how much my children love drawing & story writing, this seemed a fabulous mix.  So when i found this book binder (tipped off by Queen of Handmade, Julie) at Aldi for under $50, i had all my ideas in my head ready to put immediately into action.

While i work, i include my children, be it letting them play with scrap fabrics, buttons, ribbons or their own toys like puzzles.  They don't feel left out & unlike cooking, sewing doesn't spoil or burn between happy interuptions!!  They like feeling included & it's made for very creative children who aren't annoying, have great attention spans & focus. 

It never occured to me that this was what i am mean to do in life.  I always felt i had mothering down pat, in fact babies were a breeze.  I feel like no one wants to hear that, but even with twins, they were sleepers, feeders, happy & interesting.  I wasn't exhausted - i was bursting with energy.  I lost the weight, i did Yoga, i was on my own with my husband away at war, on course, an exercise, or interstate . . . we made the most of being a young growing family in our Army house.  I have never thought about going back to work outside the home, i've just kept building Posie up & even with all 4 children in school & my qualifications, i couldn't imagine not being a housewife!!  I enjoy housework, walking the dog, school holidays, making lunches - it's all part of the bigger plan, saving up for an early retirement.  

Kristen Doran said to me last year "Jennie you are a high energy person" & i guess i am.  I never stop moving or thinking or doing, i do not waste time, i plan out my day/ week/ month so every school/ sport/ market/ husband activity fits into my work.  Sure i find it hard to switch off at night, many people do.  I also get migraines which i am sure is my body saying 'stoooppp'.  But i do plan things out, i'm a strict mummy & i have high expectations, yet, i'm relaxed, quick to laugh, don't take myself too seriously & not pushy.  I think (drawing on my psych degree here) that children grow slowly for the following reason . . . so you have time to develope with them, hopefully one step ahead of them (can you tell i have 3 tweens??)  I pre-empt drama & i'm lucky they all LOVE school, so we have few issues, other than missing Daddy. 
In the end, i think my satisfaction in everything i do: school runs, business & housework, just makes my life easier - these things HAVE to be done, no one else is going to do them, i created this life, i have to live it either happily & accepting it, or in a constant state of chaos & being pissed off.  So just being happy reaps its own reward for me.  Our life is extremely simple, right down to meal planning, then it's dynamic as we constantly move from state to state & Daddy comes & goes for months at a time.  This coming month includes my 35th birthday, the children resuming school, collaborations, new ventures & my first market for the year - Mathilda's.  It's all planned & thought out, a little unexciting to some but it's how we roll, peacefully.  That makes us all happy.  Love Posie