Here's the plan Stan!

Yesterday I read about a gal who decided to make serious efforts to change a habit in 21 days and keep her house tidier. I thought she had some good ideas that I thought might work for me. It is time for us to get on track (back to normal??) on housework around here.

So this morning I instigated some new goals for myself:
NO computer time until at least 10 a.m. so that I can do this:

- empty the dishwasher (which means I need to start it the night before)
- start a load of laundry (i'm hoping this system might work for me so I don't end up with 10 loads to do in one day)
- 30 minutes of general tidying or organizing
- shower before 10 (this may or may not be realistic at this point in time)

I've been in the habit of checking email first thing while I feed Max or get the kids breakfast and we all know how the computer is like a huge vacuum and can suck you into it for hours if you let it. And now that Jimmy leaves super early for work and none of us see him and because we stay home all day every day, I figured the kids and I need a better morning schedule instead of just watching Disney non-stop.

So this morning I got up at 7 with the babe...
Folded a load of laundry from last night...
Started another load of sheets...
Emptied the dishwasher and cleared kitchen counters...
Got the kids breakfast...
Showered (seriously a miracle that this happened before 5 p.m.)...
Organized my pjs drawer & sorted maternity clothes to put in a box...
Mothered Hannah and Abe and stuff...

And all this before 10 a.m.!!! I felt so productive (considering the past month has been a scattered system of housekeeping and all I've wanted to do is sit on the couch and hold Maxwell). Anyhoo... then Max woke and I fed him and checked email as my reward for all my hard work. All of this probably is normal for most people to do in the morning, but I generally just get stuff done like that all day long or in the evening or ummm... never.

Since this is my year to simplify, I thought I'd start by simplifying and enjoying the morning so that I can enjoy the rest of the day and get the work momentum going. Anyone who has lived with me knows I have a hard time getting out of my snuggly bed (Jimmy is soooo rolling his eyes & chuckling right now I'm sure).

I love a beautiful sunrise but I'm not in the habit of rising early enough to enjoy it. And especially when I begin to dread the long day of work ahead, it is hard to get up. There are definitely days when I want the kids to stop asking for their mama and pull the covers over my head and hide for a few hours (or a few days).

So - I want to enjoy morning and be glad for the day ahead of me instead of feeling like I'm stuck in a rut about our day. Jaroldeen Edwards wrote a book about Celebration that I love. So many of her thoughts cheer my heart and inspire me to do better.Here are a few more random quotes from the chapter "The Just-Can't-Wait Principle":

...As we open our eyes to the morning, it is a wonderful thing to create anticipation for the hours ahead and experience the feeling of pending joy. The way we feel as we rise from our bed affects the way we feel throughout the events of the day.

...The Lord wants us to feel joy in the morning.

...The first thing that will help us feel joy is to develop a sense of empowerment over our day. If we feel, as we rise, that the day is full of things that are required by others, then we will rise with feelings of reluctance and resistance and resentment. To feel empowered—to feel that the day is ours—we need to control the agenda.

...Suddenly we recognize that we are living the life we have chosen.

...By training ourselves to see in others and in ourselves things that are lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy—we seek the best of all that is about us, and we change the color of our own life.

...Moments of reward do not need to consume our life, but they need to be mixed into it, like the chocolate chips in chocolate chip cookies.

So - here's to my goal of simplifying and enjoying the morning hours.