Obsessing Over Time

My childhood home was full of clocks. You could easily see a clock in almost every spot of our home. Needless to say, when I was decorating my first apartment, every room had a clock.

My darling husband, however, was not raised in a home with clocks. Maybe they have internal tickers. His mom's home still has very few clocks: there is one on the oven (even the microwave is not set) and one in the master bedroom. Both are digital. Oh, there is the grandfather clock, but through the many years I have visited that house, it has rarely been in motion.

Then we marry. Doug surreptitiously takes the batteries out of my clocks, leaving them stranded in time. When I look for the time, I cannot find it. Partially this is my fault, since I stopped wearing watches long ago - this was before everyone and their mother had a cell phone that doubled as a time-keeping device.

The mystery of the still timepieces was solved when I realize that Doug hates the ticking sound so many analog clocks produce. If he can hear it when he sleeps (or tries to sleep - which he does in any room with a couch), he will remove the battery. Do you know how difficult it is to purchase an analog clock that does not make sound? And digital clocks do not look as stylish as analog clocks. They are also useless for teaching children how to read clocks.

Thus it was that when we moved to this house, I had two remaining clocks. One for the kitchen (he doesn't nap there), and a digital one for the master bedroom.

One of my favorite clocks, since I can see it from a few different rooms

I think we've had this one forever...which might explain why it looks so "bleh"

Soon, Bonnie had her own. Digital.

Pink - her favorite color

And, of course, there were two other digital displays in the kitchen: both the microwave and the oven. This is not actually redundant when we're cooking, believe it or not. These clocks are all upstairs.

This home, though, also has a basement, where I find myself spending many-an-hour working on reupholstering, curtains, and sometimes just cleaning up children's rooms.

Not having a clock can make me crazy. I lead a time-centered life, which dictates when kids go to school, when Doug comes home, when each meal is eaten, and when the kids (finally!) go to bed. Without a clock, I am lost. So when I work downstairs, I run upstairs probably every fifteen minutes to see what time it is. And though I get a decent workout, the constant interruption does not help my work progress smoothly or quickly.

Realizing this was the first step. Then it occurred to me that Malena requires me to walk all the way to her room to wake her each school morning. She is old enough to use an alarm clock, so she definitely needs a clock. School mornings are a circus with everyone losing paperwork and shoes and wanting breakfast, so anything I can trim from that routine is good.

Enter the clock purchase. All three children downstairs got their very own alarm clock. They will lose said alarm clock the first time it goes off in the middle of the night, so Collin and Jack may not keep theirs for too long. 

Jack's favorite color - green (and it matches his room!)

Malena's favorite color...and Collin's is also the same,
but more to match his room than his favorite color (which is yellow)

I also got an analog clock for the sewing/laundry/office room. This is where I spend a majority of my project time. Now I know how much time I have remaining to work on projects. Sigh of relief. I do have to admit that they aren't exactly super-stylish, but at least they are functional.

Pretty dull in black and white, but a little graphic flair with the large numbers

How Doug lives without a clock obsession, I will probably never know. Then again, he has me to obsess for him. What else does he need?