Friday

It's Friday. I have tons of stuff to.do this weekend.

Today: work, then the cancer gala tonight.

Saturday: Halloween party as part of sibling Saturday for the NICU; errands (library, finalize stuff for Halloween); grocery shopping; clean the house; bake cupcakes for party on Sunday

Sunday:all saints party at church; jets game; trick or treating

In between I need to.get stuff together for our next big pto fundraiser & put that baby to bed.

In between, I need to schedule in some definite me time. I need to get on the treadmill for the next 3 days. I need to do.my weight routine today. Tomorrow is pilates. Sunday is my day off. Somewhere in all.that business I also need to.find some downtime for me.

And to restore my sanity, I need to plan out meals for the next week.

Sat-turkey BL melts; chips; iced tea; broccoli slaw

Sun-quiche; Halloween feast

Monday-pasta; spinach; garlic bread;antipasto salad; left over cake

Tuesday-stir fry chicken; rice; vegetables; Asian slaw; egg rolls; jell-o

Wednesday-leftovers

Thursday-corn & potato chowder; salad; rustic bread; pudding

Friday-tacos; beans; rice; avacado salad; tres leches cake

Wow. Sanity. A wom an & a plan.

In order for me to stay sane, I need to have a plan & stick with it. I have to have determintion & fortitude to follow through, even when others around me aren't buying into it.

My plan includes me being healthy and making that a priority. And keeping up with housework. Part of my issue with that is deep down inside, I have this secret wish that my whole family will help with cleaning. I dream of the day when little man picks up his toys every night without a fuss (at that point I'm ready for bed & I'm not going to fight it). I dream of the day when I don't have to sound like a shrew to get others to help. Laundry will be magically put away! Homework done without argument! I won't have to beg plead & cajole for things to get done. When I get into that mode, its not pleasant for anyone.

Basically, I start things off with great intentions & somewhere along the week it all falls apart.  I swear there is a conspiracy to keep the house messy & drive mommy insane. Probably because I am exhausted by bedtime, not much gets done. And the fact that I clean the same things over & over without making a dent drives me batty. I clear counters & table tops & flat surfaces, then tons of stuff wind up back in the same place...like it never left.

Le sigh.

I know intellectually this is part of life, but emotionally its driving me bonkers.

I've scaled back expectations over the years. I'm not asking for the silverware to be polished weekly (true fact:my grandmother did that) but I'm tired of the messies. While a collaborative effort would be great, its not happening.

I know one day I will miss the toys everywhere. It's just not toda.y