Amy~ Yes, that is probably a better definition! I hope we can help each other through the 21 day challenge, moral support.

Nancy~ ok, noted!

I don’t have any suggestions, but I wish I did. Maybe we can help each other through the 21 day challenge.

on the relational side, that totally happens to me! I will get upset about something and it will take me some to process through why and often it links back to the past. sigh.

This is how I manage mail: It’s a rule in our house that nobody, and I mean NOBODY, is allowed to get the mail out of the box except me! Sometimes I would be searching for bills, knowing they were due, but I never saw them. I would end up calling to get the info to pay them, then find them stuffed somewhere at some point in the future. Now, I don’t get the mail until I have atleast 15-20 minutes (daily) to open all mail while I’m sitting down with my checkbook, computer and trash can nearby for junk mail. I write the checks upon opening the mail or pay them online immediately. (You may have to wait until funds are available to actually mail some checks.)

This is how I manage laundry: We taught the boys (at age 9 & 10) to do the laundry. Seven years later, the only laundry I’ve done is what I don’t want them to do, my work blouses, sweaters, etc. We started when they were younger than that though, by having them fold the washcloths, then the towels and so on. We have a central laundry basket in the laundry room. Three sections: whites, lights and darks. Everyone puts their laundry there and each day a load of laundry is done. (I still put the bleach in the washer when whites are done!) The towel hamper is separate in the bathroom. Kids can learn to sort laundry at a very young age.

Same with dishes, we started small and I haven’t done dishes in years, except the large pots and pans. Thankfully, we have a dishwasher so I don’t have to worry about sanitization.

I’m not a listmaker and I don’t have a dayplanner. Instead all important things go on the calendar hanging on the wall in the kitchen for everyone to see. The boys (now 16 & 17) are responsible for putting in info that pertains to them, bday parties, ball games, etc. If it’s not on the calendar, don’t expect me to make exceptions for you. (They learned this the hard way.) The grocery list is a dry-erase board by the calendar. You want something from the grocery, put it on the list. This started when they were old enough to write (and not necessarily old enough to spell, and that was fun!)

Now, having said all that, the system does break down at times, and hasn’t always worked just the way I wanted it to. But it makes day-to-day life easier to manage for this working mom.