It's the middle of the night right now... I can't seem to fall asleep for some reason so here I am. Life has been anything but calm lately. We have had so many snow days I can't hardly even count them and two rounds of stomach bug sweep through the family, then family in town and tomorrow... a huge super bowl party. Too much chaos and I keep focusing on that and guess what... its not letting up!!! It just keeps piling on itself. The kids seem to be unusually grouchy and snippy with each other and I'm feeling less than joyful as I move throughout my daily grind of keeping up with laundry, housework, shopping and meals.
Bottom line? I need to make "taking care of myself" a priority. This has absolutly nothing to do with Chris who supports me and encourages me to get out and do stuff for myself, and everything to do with a problem a lot of women have with prioritizing their lives with themselves at the top. Whenever I do too much for everybody else guess who gets the short end of the stick? Me thats who... and then really nobody wins b/c mommy is short tempered and grouchy. I recently found an awesome website www.flylady.net I love it b/c it helps you figure out how to keep your house and your routines in working order. My two favorite tips so far are to clean your sink area every night so you wake up to a clean kitchen ready for making breakfasts to start your day off on the right foot. And to wake up 10 minutes before everybody else and wash your face, put on clothes, brush you teeth... you know TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF FIRST so you can focus on everybody else without feeling like a chicken with his head cut off. Its amazing how that simple thing really helps me feel more focused and in control.
I've also been thinking a lot about my resolution to complain less. Its been really hard and I haven't been doing a very good job of it lately. But thats ok, I'm not going to throw in the towel. Instead I'm going to give myself a break b/c its been REALLY tough with no routine/schedule b/c of the chaos mentioned above. I'm one who thrives on routine. I love it... if you know me you know I have a "Palmer Schedule" posted on the refrigerator just to remind myself to stay on track during the day. I'm not super strict on my routine, its just a framework to work with so when things start to feel crazy I go back to the basics. I was telling Olivia this the other day when she was mad and grouchy about something... I told her that life is like a boomerang. Whatever you throw out comes right back at you. This applies to me too and my complaining. If I focus on the things that are hard those things will continue to be at the forefront of my mind... if I focus on just being happy and loving everyone around me NO MATTER WHAT then miraculously things get seemingly easier.
If I'm feeling crummy chances are it's because I haven't been doing things that make me feel good ... my goal is to try and turn it around... listening to music is my favorite pick me up, getting outside (except in a snowstorm), reading a book on the couch to one of the kids, or myself if I'm lucky, stretching, working out, cleaning... I know thats a weird one, but for some reason it works for me. Anyway, thats my goal. Thats how I'm going to turn around this tough month we've been having... its gonna start within me and I'm gonna just radiate out and touch everyone in my path. Happiness is truly contageous so look out! xoxo Heather
