Getting My MoJo Back

I don't actually really know what mojo is, and what the slang term is really supposed to say, but I like how it sounds, and I think mine is coming back. I'm home bound of sorts for another five days, able to work from home a few hours a day, but with orders to get plenty of rest and recuperation time.  I'm feeling less winded so my iron must be on the rise, and have tried to start puttering with organizing gifts.  If tomorrow goes well, I might try some candy making, but that might be over playing my energy. I haven't got DD#1 or  DS's gifts mailed, but I did get fun gift baskets ordered earlier, guaranteed by Christmas Eve, so if the other gifts don't arrive until after Christmas, they have things to help ring in the holiday. We still have access to make deposits in their checking accounts, so money was going to be the main gift anyway, much more practical than guessing at wants and needs for two struggling young professionals. I wasn't done with DD#2, but she is not asking for really any thing, but had a book title list with a few asterisk's beside the titles she really wants. I like independent book stores, but reality forced me to order  from Amazon, with Christmas Eve delivery.

My recuperation is going well, however DD#2 decided to join me and the poor thing has succumbed to the flu.  She had a temperature and headache earlier in the week, but no other signs, and we thought she was on the mend.  No temp or headache for a day, so let her  sing in her holiday choir concert last night.  As always it was beautiful. That was my short venture out. She made it through, barely, but has been back in bed ever since.  We have a flu strain running amuck in Minnesota right now that seems to be stronger than the vaccine-until I know she is totally well, she's staying put.  Some school districts have decided to start Christmas break early, and have today be the last day to try and curtail further cases. I was vaccinated, and they say for older people, the vaccine has been effective, with cases hitting kids harder, so I'm not worrying that I will pick it up too.  Crossing my fingers. She's a good patient, doesn't complain and is trying to stay rested, though hard to get her to drink enough fluids.  She has also eaten like a kitten, and has no spare weight to lose.  We're going through the remnants of the summer icey's in the bottom of the freezer to add variety to the water and PowerAde.

Needless to say I have fallen short on my reverse advent.  I will do a good donation after Christmas as we sort through and put things away.  I'll have hubby add a bit more to our Family Service donation as well.  With me home from work for an extra week, we're putting a tankful less of gas in the car, and I am fortunate to have a lot of sick time accrued so not missing any salary, so we shouldn't feel a pinch in adding some more to the donation.

Due to my  lack of preparations, it doesn't look very Christmasy around here.  There are no presents wrapped under the tree.  In fact with the exceptions of lights, there's nothing on the tree as that was supposed to be done on December 7th, the day this yuck escalated. I didn't get cards sent, though I did order photo cards online, and they will become New Years version instead.  I have a couple Christmas dish towels hanging from my oven door and a few cinnamon scented candles out. I short changed DD#2 again on the Christmas village. Yet, I am determined to still feel Christmas inside.  When DD perks up after her latest nap we'll find a cheesy Hallmark movie and snuggle with some tea.  What flavor is good for finding your mojo?

Completely Frittered the Day Away...or Did I?

The weekend news was all weather-predicting the first big storm of the (early) winter.  I went to bed last night with a flurry of text messages about the possibility of the office closing, as so many staff have young kids, and we want to discourage clients out in bad weather.  There have been times when we didn't close, but should have.  A text first thing confirmed we were erring on precaution and the office was closing.  In hindsight, as we never got quite the storm predicted, it was maybe better to just allow people late arrival, or early departure depending on their commute.  I actually was quite under the weather when I first woke, and was probably going to either go in late, or attempt to work from home, any way, giving me time for the bug to pass.  I spent several hours dealing with issues remotely that arose because of the closing, and then had good intentions to do a lot of catch up work from home.  I should have been able to knock off a lot of desk things, but instead, knowing it was now an unexpected holiday, I rested, and I blog hopped.

I got caught up on a what all my favorite bloggers are up to.  Vintage shopping with gal pals, successful and unsuccessful home made bread baking, upcycling a table and chairs for an early Christmas gift, creative ways to make money on the side, and weekend travel get aways made for a lot of busy reading.  I made a few comments, and received  few as well.  I was reminded of the early days of Facebook when you could spend hours looking up friends and getting caught up on the months and years you missed in their lives. I was terrible clicking links, and other recommended blog sites. I was lazy and unaccomplished.  It was fun.

While running my daughter to basketball practice, I made a stop to get new ice scrapers.  The ones we had from last winter were crap, and barely took off the sleet we had coating the car windows. Staring at a wall of ice scrapers of every size imaginable, not yet picked over,  I started thinking about how rested I felt.  For the most part, I had over half a day with no one needing anything from me, no one (other than pup) dropping into my work space wondering what I was doing and could they ask me if I was busy.  No one remembering they forgot something and could I help them take care of it. No boss popping in my doorway with the random thought of the morning, that he needed to share in person just because he wanted a stretch so chose to walk down the hall instead of just picking up the  blasted phone.  At one point I put an old episode of Doc Martin on, fell asleep, and woke thinking I had just vacationed in a seaside cottage.  It was lovely. 

So what I had, was a day of playing hooky, but without the guilt. I woke not feeling well; some dry toast and tea helped calm things down. I didn't call in sick when I wasn't, though by the way I napped, I sure must have needed it.  I didn't hang out for an extra hour in a coffee house before heading home, just so I could get through e-mail uninterrupted.  I didn't even bother to shower, but stayed in comfy sweat pants, t-shirt, alternated with throwing a sweatshirt on, and felt no need to look presentable, though I did comb my hair and brush my teeth before running into Target. So was my day a waste of opportunity or good for my soul?  I had thought I'll be energized and just work late tomorrow, then learned they changed practice times so I'll have car pool duty at 6:00.  Still, I feel ready to get in the office early, and tackle what I would have done half heartedly had I tried today.  I was dreading the work week when I first woke up, and now I am excited to get things done.

I won't be making this a habit, it is not really my nature, but I don't think the day was wasted after all. I once had a staff person that every so often called in and just reported she was taking a mental health day.  We didn't have a policy about what constituted being sick to use a sick day, and I never pushed.  To this day, I still feel she was one of the most productive and talented staff I ever supervised. What about you?  Have you ever literally just phoned it in, and gave yourself a day off?  Were you later more productive because of it?

Pretty Places Part II-In My Own Back Yard

Friday night I blogged about coming across pretty places when you aren't expecting anything, such as I experienced on my recent work trip. Then there are places that are soothing, enjoyable,  and best of all, can be a regular part of your day.  The adult reading nook at my local library fits that bill. That is it in the top picture.  The light is great.  My  little breakfast spot on my back deck-nothing fancy but it gets the right light in the early morning.  I love my wicker bench on my front porch.  It's an excellent reading spot, early afternoon and then early evenings once the sun is behind the trees.  The spot in my living room that I typically sit, legs stitched out, working from a lap top, is pretty to me, even if my kids hate the cinnamon color accent wall across from it.

Best café for breakfast-sans snow!

Stretch and read or work.

Great natural light.

At my office we have a memorial tree and bench for two former coworkers.  On a warm day, it is nice to take a break from the computer screen, walk around the building, and take a short respite in their space.  Even in some of the grungiest places I've lived or worked, I found a little slice of pretty to take a break, get my thoughts together, or just decompress.  In college it was the back stairs that overlooked the fossil and mineral case  in the science building.  When I lived off campus so packed a lunch, I often ate my lunch there instead of the crowded student union. Light, even if the florescent hallway light,  shining off the rocks and minerals in the case was calming.

What about your pretty places?  Are they shared by many, or your own find? 

Auto pilot

I'm taking some time tonight to just pause, and go on auto pilot. The day was packed with managing the ups and downs at work of communicating the new structure of my company to the front line staff.  For some, it was a minor blip on their radar, while others felt like the changes were closer to an earth quake. I had some really sweet  responses by staff in departments that will no longer be under my direction, thanking me for my leadership, and sad to no longer be reporting to me. Others were both excited about the growth opportunities the structure creates, while some were apprehensive of pending change in their specific department.  I heard a couple staff express that the changes must certainly be good for me, as so many things will move off my plate.  I'm trying to see it that way, as a good thing, even though part of me feels like a significant amount of my net worth was chiseled away.  I've got months to work through the changes, and the hiring of a new counterpart, then training that new director as well before I can really tell if this will be an improvement on my stress load, or just different stress. My eyes will be open to see if there are better fits for me elsewhere, including a lateral, or even scaled back position.  For the short term, I'll take each day as they come, remembering my job may be where I make a living, but my home is where I make a life.

I cheated in keeping the budget in check.  October has not been a very good Stoptover at New Frame headquarters.  Middle school conferences  were tonight, plus DD#2 had a conference cross country meet, which followed her learning she was selected to an honors choir she had auditioned for.  School report was terrific, she had her highest finish yet in a meet, and I wanted to celebrate her choir selection.  Her absolute favorite is Chinese food, so splurged on dinner for the four of us, with $24 spent on take out. I'm sure I could have concocted some sort of mock take out for less than half the cost, though we wouldn't have been eating until 8:00.  For the variety we had, and the down time it allowed me tonight to just decompress, I am ok with the splurge, and will happily eat from the freezer and pantry the rest of the week. 

So  how was your day? Here's to all of you that are looking for ways to keep your head above water while looking for dry land.   I'll even raise a toast to the end of my Tuesday, the lowly of all the weekdays.  For now, I'm going to open a bottle of red wine, put on some comfy pajamas, and just chill.