Three little things that I’m going to work on accomplishing:
- Getting the babies dressed every day. (We stay home a lot, and they tend to lounge around in diapers and tee shirts most of the time.)
- Keep the dishes washed up. Otherwise the whole kitchen goes into a nasty spiral of ever-increasing filth.
- Plan a damn menu. Life would be so much less stressful if I started doing this again…feeding 6 on a budget is tough enough, without the added burden of throwing together a meal at the last minute.
It ain’t much, but it’s a start…I’ll feel better, the house (and babies) will look better, and I won’t feel so overwhelmed that I can’t get started on improving things even more.
Anyone want to join me? (You may, of course, choose different strategies. 
)
~karol
I’ve been making the effort to keep my dishes under control - loading them right into the dishwasher after a meal. The Perfect Child[sup]TM[/sup] has been doing a lot of baking these days, and she’s not near as diligent as she should be about cleaning up afterwards, but she’s getting better.
And I’ve managed to keep the lawn more or less mowed - an accomplishment since the chief mower is now living 800 miles away.
Then there’s the “Y” - I’ve been trying to make my visits there regular - it’s easier some days than others. It helps that I feel lots better when I work out on a schedule, so that keeps me motivated.
Small steps, starter steps, but steps ahead nonetheless.
^5 to bodypoet
I’m in!
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Exercise in some form every day. I’m either running or doing yoga and I’ve been really good about it. 3 weeks along now, and I think I’ve only missed two or three days. Woohoo!
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Start saving money. I need a new roof, and it’s not going to get any better even if I do completely pretend there’s no problem at all. Short-term, I need to get the cash together to have that fixed. Long-term, I want to go on a vacation! Out of state! Or maybe even, gasp, out of the country! Note to self: buy piggy bank today.
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Keep the laundry up-to-date. I have a terrible habit of stripping down before bed and leaving the clothes on the floor. There’s a mountain by my bed right now that’s quite intimidating. Add to this the fact that when I do laundry, I usually leave it in the basket instead of putting it away. Eventually, it gets all mixed in with the dirties, I have no idea what’s still clean, and I end up having to wash everything all over again. NO MORE!
This is going to be the hardest one to stick to, I think.
Good Luck bodypoet and FairyChatMom!
bella
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Oh me too on the dressing the children thing! I do it some days, but mostly it’s just diapers for us. Ditto for me too. Lately there’s been too many days that I never make it out of my night gown.
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I will balance my check book and keep it balanced every month. I let it slide while we were out of work, but now that there’s money coming in I’m going to be dilligent about it.
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I am going to leave the house once every day, even if it’s just to get the mail.
Absolutely, good luck everyone!
Well, that didn’t last long. I am RIGHT THIS MINUTE finishing a package of Little Chocolate Donuts.
At least I didn’t pay for them with a credit card.
Geez, a heartening number of people in here sound like me.
I have gotten a lot better about the kids being dressed. That’s not true. They keep dressing themselves. The youngest was in a diaper alone until 5:00 this afternoon. Okay, so…I need to get on a schedule and get the laundry done regularly enough that it’s always easy to get him dressed.
I need to get off of my ass and exercise. Even if it’s just walking around the back yard for half an hour. I would love to go swimming, but I have got to get it through my head that it’s going to be ages before I’m able to afford a membership anywhere. So…I can’t put off exercising until it’s “fun.” Damnit.
Hrm…so how the hell do I/we go about actually DOING these things? Report back to this thread with progress? Share tips on maintainence? Instruct me, bodypoet…TEACH ME YOUR WISE WAYS!
I’m with you, bodypoet!
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Hire more people for my business, so I can do something with my life other than work. All work and no play has made for a rather dull girl lately.
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I need to join a health club. While weight isn’t an issue with me, I would like to regain the taut muscles I had in my youth. And the girlz and my buns are saggin’ a tad, a regular excerise program may help provide some lift.
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I must get off my lazy hiney and purchase a new home. But I’ve been so tired after work lately, that the thought of packing up all my possessions and moving has been too daunting. I really hate the thought of putting my current house up for sale, and having to keep it spic-n-span until it sells. Yeech! Maybe I should swallow my pride and hire a housekeeper to clean up after me.
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Spend more time playing with my grandchildren. I would love to take them to the zoo, or the beach.
Whew! that seems like a full plate for now. Deep breaths One day at a time, so they say. Good luck, all!
I’m thinking of writing a full blown project plan to clean my apartment thouroughly. Way too geeky, but it’ll keep it from seeming insurmountable.
I like the idea of reporting back, if anyone is interested. I’ve read it takes a month to establish new habits, but I think I might take longer. Anyway, here’s a quick update:
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Success! I had BOTH babies in clothes by mid-morning. Okay, by NOON, but still. AND, get this: Sage took a bath in the early evening, and I put PJs on her! That is a first, I do believe. Normally, like some of you other mamas here, I just leave them in diapers all day. In fact, Tanner has a diaper aversion and goes nudie-patootie most of the time.
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The dishes are mostly done, except for the electric grill thingy that no one will touch but me. It’s soaking, and will need to KEEP soaking until I at least have some coffee. It could need a day or two, heh.
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I’m still working on the menu. I did actually manage to take meat out of the freezer for dinner tonight, though. That’s half the battle.
It’s funny, reading everyone else’s goals, I think “Oh! I better do that too!”–but I’m resisting the urge to take on more than a few changes at once. Saving money, excercising, cleaning house, not eating Certified Good Stuff…all that will come later for me. I hope.
Hama, I’m still working on the drawers and closets and stuff, but if I run across any wise ways I’ll pass 'em on. 
[talking with mouth full]
Shtupid little shocklate dontush.
[/talking with mouth full]
hmmm…
1. Get some sort of money coming in.
2. Get fit again.
3. Learn to pilot/drive/steer any form of vehicle I can get my hands on. (read - “that someone will let me”, heh)
First one should be fairly easy, second one will take some time, third one relys on the first…
Yep, that’ll do for now.
seawitch, listen carefully to my deep, calming, hypnotic voice:
Chocolate donuts are IIIICCCCKKKKKYYYY.
You don’t LIKE them.
You like…ummm…broccoli! Yes! Broccoli!
A nice, crispy, green snack! Perfect for everyday consumption!
Mmmmmm! Broccoli!
Okay, now open your eyes and have a nice snack and get back to work. There, isn’t that better?
<scurries off to grab a couple packs of chocolate donuts before seawitch wakes up and buys them all. AGAIN.>
seawitch: [ul][]Go buy some carrots (or something else healthy), chop them up into sticks. When the donuts start to call you (and you know that they do), stuff your mouth with carrots. Repeat as necessary. []If you must buy the donuts, give them to someone you don’t like and tell them that it’s a present for all they’ve done for you. If the above steps don’t work, then call in an Exorcist.[/ul]
When I’m trying to cut a forbidden food out of my diet, it always help if I mentally label it as something nasty.
Cashews?—NO, those are the gizzard stones of large carrion-eating buzzards.
French Silk Pie?—NO, it’s congealed sewage!
Chocolate Donuts?----Silly girl! Those are hemorrhoid pillows for tiny flatulent gremlins. >pffffttbb< Ewwwww! You’re eating those?
Thank you, bodypoet and Shibboleth, for both the hypnosis and the suggestion of the exorcism. I know the stupid donuts aren’t good for me, and they don’t even taste that good - I suspect that they dust them lightly with heroin before applying the nasty wax coating.
However, THIS image really put the brakes on the donut express:
Eeeeewwww. Thanks, bella.
::seawitch, eating carrots and wishing they were dipped in chocolate::
No problem, seawitch. I aim to please!
And just so this isn’t a total post-count padder, I’ll give an
“Update on Changing My Life”:
Step 1–going well
Step 2–haven’t bought a piggy bank yet because I’m broke. The irony hurts me inside.
Step 3–I don’t wanna talk about it!
::hangs head in shame, trips over huge pile of laundry::
bella
I haven’t posted before now, but you guys inspired me. I came home and folded and put away 4 loads of laundry, washed, dried and put away another one, and washed and dried still yet another which will be folded tonight.
Other 2 steps?
2. Balance my checkbook and pay bills every week without fail.
3. Shred the junkmail daily as it comes in, instead of letting it pile up in the dining room.