I am actually happy about the fact that it is laundry day today because I know by the end of the day I will have the laundry done (except for swimming stuff on Thursday) for the week.  Yes - done!  If you haven’t listened to Kathy Buckworth’s podcast - go listen now!  I had always thought doing a few loads a day was the way to go but have dreaded laundry as a result.  Everyday I would either forget because I got busy or have loads waiting to be folded or dried or put away.  I felt like I was “always” doing laundry!

Since the big switch to ONE DAY LAUNDRY life is so much easier - who would have thought!  The kids have clothes clean that are ready for them everyday.  I feel less stress in the morning and I feel like I am not doing laundry everyday!

So, if you are tired of doing laundry consider a ONE DAY LAUNDRY day in your house.  Even if you have to do part early in the day and the rest at the end of the day (I am lucky that I work from home and can run back and forth) you can accomplish so much!

As for ironing - I try to buy clothes that don’t need it and I hang a lot of tops and shirts so they don’t get wrinkled - so that leaves just a few items which can be done while watching a favourite TV show before heading to bed on Monday night

Happy Monday!

Helen

While I can’t believe it is 2009 already I am happy to have the opportunity for a fresh start. 2008 was a challenging year as I had too many balls in the air and tried to take on more than I could handle, saying yes more often than I should have. My goal to have Christmas wrapped up early failed as LIFE got in the way.

One of my favourite quotes, A GOAL without a PLAN is just a DREAM, has become my mantra as I realize most of my ideas are floating in my head and I don’t have a SOLID - DO-ABLE plan in place. So, with that in mind I am moving forward in 2009 with one thing on my mind: BALANCE.

My father passed away just before Christmas and since his passing I have reflected on what he taught me. My father, a simple man, was one of the kindest people I have ever met. He said what he meant and meant what he said and looking back at my childhood I can honestly say that he didn’t go on and on about anything. When something happened he dealt with it and moved on. I admire that in a person as spending your time in the past or worrying about things that are DONE or are out of your control is time wasted. My father taught me to listen more than I talked and to focus on the things that brought me joy. Dad had a garden every year, he built boats and he enjoyed a beer from time to time. When I would say goodnight, see you in the morning he would say “you might” because he took each day as it came and tried to make the best of it, like it was a gift. And sadly, the one lesson I learned from my father is that if you don’t take care of yourself - if you smoke and don’t get checkups - you may spend some of your final days not enjoying them like you had intended. This lesson will stay with me and my family forever as we strive to be a healthier family, not to “look good” but to live in a way that we are able to do the things we love to do - to have a great quality of life. Our new family mantra is - What tastes better CHIPS or LIFE!

I hope you will join me as I continue my quest to find BALANCE in my life - it won’t be easy but it will be worth it! Like you, each part of my life is important, my family, my kids, my husband, myself, my friends and my work. All of these things bring me great joy but when I spend too much time in one area I feel depleted. I hope you will share some of your strategies along the way!

So what is my PLAN? This year I PLAN to say NO a lot more. I will only take on things that bring joy to my life, simplifying life as much as I can so I have more time for what really matters. I PLAN to learn from others and look forward to the year long MomTalk Series on Work from Home Moms. And most importantly I PLAN to use a calendar/day planner to insure I am dividing my time accordingly. I think when you plan your day you are more likely to accomplish more. Of course that time planning has to be realistic! Incremental planning might seem over-the top but it helps you to see how long it really takes you to do a task. Putting more on your to-do list than you can possibly accomplish leaves you with a failed outcome.

I use to thing “multi-tasking” was the way to go, and to a certain extend you have to bounce between the important things in your life in order to get things done, but there are some tasks that can be accomplished more when you focus on them. I recently listened to a MomTalk podcast with Supermom Kathy Buckworth and discovered the benefits of having a laundry day. If piles of laundry are making you crazy I encourage you to listen too!

Stay tuned as I discover new and interesting ways to find balance in my life!

Happy New Year

Helen