Get the Balance Right

A very obscure Depeche Mode song from the early 80's, and my new mantra.
Its Friday, and I am ready for the weekend. I am tired, and I've been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster this week. It was all good, but it drained me. I have had to make a few recission choices due to just feeling overwhelmed, and needing to meet priority #1 my family.
Right now I need to work on some intensive self care. It is truly loving myself that is going to help me balance out my life. I know I keep writing and whining about taking care of myself. The problem is I really don't. I have been eating better this whole week, which I think has made a difference in my energy level. Lots more fruit and veggies, but I still need to keep making better choices. The exercise side of things needs a lot more work. I don't make it a priority, and it shows. I look in my closet and I am not really seeing anything that makes me smile so much. I need to get my feet sandal ready, which I've been saying to myself for weeks. Its that transference from mind to action where I am lacking.
There are a lot of things that are working for me though. The room a day cleaning method is working out really well for me. Its helping keep the house clean, and I am not completely stressed out by it. I still have stress, because that's just my personality. I got a few pages scrapped at lunch time, so I am not as far behind as I was going into this week. I have managed to make better food choices all week, and it is showing on my skin. The drinking water, the eating more fruit and vegetables, the avoiding junk is making a difference in me. I have more energy. I don't look so tired all the time-its something with my skin and feeding it better. And I am a little more relaxed when it comes to my boys-not that much yelling until last night. Little Man didn't want to do homework all week (total spring fever)and it was like pulling teeth to get him to settle down and do his spelling. But we did, and my frustration level was sky high.
I have to admit that I won't be as successful as I would like to be if my whole family doesn't pitch in. I need the little man to pick up after himself (this is something we've been working on, and its getting increasingly successful)I need the big man to help me out too (which he does). And I need to be on top of time management. I still have 24 hours in a day, and I need 8 of those for sleep and 8 for work. That leaves me 8 hours to live the rest of my life with. It only took about an hour each night to get housework done (including the daily cleaning that needs to be done)which is totally manageable. I'm looking to work smarter, not harder.
I have a bunch of things that I need to do this weekend-the usual grocery shopping, catching up on laundry, getting a long run on the treadmill in, plus running errands. The little man has his young naturalists tomorrow, which will be a lot of fun. Need to go to the library too. I also want to build some rest time into my schedule as well. That is equally important.
In order to find balance in my life, I need to develop some new habits. I have a little bit of hit and miss with them, but consistency is key. This week I am going to focus on before bedtime things to do. What I like: having my sleepy time tea, doing my before bed yoga, brushing my teeth and washing my face and lathering on the moisturizer, lathering the foot cream on my feet to preserve my pedicure, having my devotional time and then bed. I don't really do any of this on a regular basis-I do some but not all. For the next week I am going to do what makes my bedtime peaceful, and focus on extreme self care.
I need to balance my needs with the rest of the world's. I don't think that I am a diva, but I do deserve to meet my needs and find that elusive peace in my life on a consistent basis. Its very possible and do-able, its just getting the balance right