Anyone a Free Spirit?

Under personality types that I have been labeled, I’ve been considered a Sanguine, as well.  But, I definitely have other traits that balance that side of me out or fight against it:)  Honestly, I think I’ve just changed over the years, with having kids and all. 

I think that we all have a combination of traits that make us who we are.  I am a total schedule person, but if I want to be on the computer I feel free to do that.  I plan a menu, but if I just don’t feel like spaghetti tonight then we have something else.  I have a schedule of studies I plan for the day, but if we want to do math first instead of lang. arts. then we do.  I just like to see it get done, but not necessarily in the order I put it on the schedule.

I am a routine kind of person and do alot of the same things everyday, but for me that is what enables me to be spontaneous when the time arises.  BECAUSE I have kept to my routines then I feel free to go to the library,  a museum, the park, etc. at a moments notice. 

Someone wrote this (I think I read it in a hsing book):  Some people regard discipline as a chore.  For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.   I use the Flylady method for managing our household and that just fits perfect for me. 

I have tried, like you, to be someone that I’m not and God has revealed to me that I need to function within in the framework that He has created me.  That is routine-ish.  When I was trying to be more care-free I was just miserable.  I believe He sent me the flylady method so I could be the routine, order-type person I am without having to sacrifice spontaneity with my kids, husband, friends, etc. 

Hope this makes sense, I didn’t have time to reread it.  Thanks for posting the question.

WooooHoooo! You guys are making me feel normal!! I just thought to myself this morning….”I get everything done that needs to be done. We eat well. School is always fun and not a chore. We have accomplished a lot this school year. So why do I feel like I need to plan every minute of my day?” I have been on flylady.com and got some good ideas that I use sometimes. I have an idea of what we like to eat and buy it weekly. We go to the library weekly (never on the same day). I keep a weekly schedule with all of our subjects listed that we need to cover, and write down what we do in a journal.

I like the way we do things….I do not want to schedule every second of my life! I enjoy being free to decide what we need to do or want to do each day. I just felt that I was not doing it “right” because I have read too many other family schedules 🙂 and compared myself to people with different needs and personalities.

Thank you all for making me more at ease with the way my family functions!!!LOL

Amanda

OK, so I’ve felt like this part of my personality has made us not get enough done. But I honestly don’t know how we’d do more. So what about all that stuff that isn’t done!? Also, I worry about the kids growing up not learning how to adhere to a schedule. Let’s face it, most people have to be able to have “regularity” (ha) in their lives. 

Before the last few years, my husband was a pilot instructor at work. It was Mon-Fri, 7:00 to about 3:00. It was so nice. We pretty much got school done while Dad was at work, but in whatever unscheduled way we wanted. But they were laying off, so they decided rather than lay off instructors, they could just be full time pilots. YUK!

So he’s on reserve 4-5 days a week. That means they can call him, and he has to leave within an hour and maybe for 4 days. So each day, we don’t even know what he’ll be doing. So now all of us don’t live by a regular routine. But most people have schedules in life, don’t they? When the kids grow up, what will happen if they think they don’t have to. What if they do have to?

They can’t all be homeschooling moms (some are boys), or reserve pilots-we don’t encourage THAT.

Anyway, just wondering what you all thought. By the way, you all made me feel better about myself too (No school today, I just spent 5 hours putting in a new bathroom floor!)

Angela

I love reading this post!  I am one of the crazy organizer people.  I love it, I thrive on it, I get crazy without it.  I have been working on being okay with being more free spirited.  Our oldest has special needs so that has taught me the most about the importance of being flexible.  I love the variety God created in us.  I realize he is very orderly, but don’t you think he made some things just b/c he was in the mood?!  I think half the reason he created dogs was to watch our kids beg us for one and us try to come up with new excuses not to!  As you can imagine, our year with the dog did not go well with me!  Anyway, God is obviously creative and He created an entire day for us to relax so I am sure he gave us all our individual traits.   I cannot imagine a world where everyone was as uptight as me or as relaxed as you all.  Either way it would mean early heart disease for everyone or no accountants.  I think we are all doing just fine!  Thanks for teaching me how to relax!

I totally agree with everyone.  I will say that we’d all be surprised at how routine-ish we really are in some areas and how free-spirited we are in other areas.  I have an unschooling family member and they probably think that I run a pretty tight ship, but actually if they really *saw* what we did they’d probably change there minds.  Just like the idea of them unschooling seems unroutine-ish to me, but in some areas they probably have routines that might surprise me. 

I’m just saying that even with the free-spirited there are some things that are *written in stone*.  Maybe teeth brushing, Bible time, bills that gotta get paid, you know what I mean?  And, there’s the routine-y people like me that watch American Idol, *gasp*, have Dishnetwork, Ding Dong’s in the freezer, irregular bedtime times (my husband is the cause of that) and 3 cats, 2 dogs (rescued a pup from a gutter), a turtle, and fish that won’t stop pro-creating:)

I think we’re all more alike than we like to admit or sometimes secretly wish the other traits would rub off just a smidge.  Or maybe I’m the only one thinking that?! 

I’m glad that God did create us so unique from one another.  We are able to help each other a get to know such incredible people.  I know my family could not handle another person like me, that’s for sure:)

They have to go in the freezer in the way back or my kids would eat them all.  I hide one of  my favorite snacks, take them out to thaw for a few, then indulge:) 

Now, I don’t buy those ordinarily for myself just because.  I put them in my stocking at Christmas or have my husband buy them for me for Valentine’s Day, additional Mother’s Day gifts, etc.  I’m too frugal to buy them all the time.  What a weirdo, huh??  Now, my husband likes what he likes and wants it when he wants it.  Chips A’hoy cookies or the Mother’s brand Cocadas to dip them in coffee, yuck!  Every single morning he does that, blech!  LOL

That’s a great way to put it.  I guess I’d say I’m routine-ish, but not necessarily scheduled.  I have tried the 9:00-9:30 Math, thing and that doesn’t really work for me either.  What if you need more time or don’t need as much time??  I think the things that remain *scheduled* are things that may affect other people outside the home like a dentist appt., sports, etc.  Speaking of, I have an appt. at 9:00.  Gotta Go.