Baby Steps

[Lisa Marie]

I've been totally overwhelmed with life and reality this past month that everything has sort of crumbled and any success I was having seems to have gotten lost completely. The passing of my birth mom and the impending end of my hubby's parental leave have left me exhausted and unfocused.

In good news, I've made some baby steps - going through the 100 lbs of baby boy clothes given to me by well-wishing friends, sorting them out and donating the extras to another friend with a wee one. It felt so nice to be able to get things under control in at least ONE of my to-dos.

Once DH is back to work full time and life settles into our new routine, I'm looking forward to seeing what that routine will look like. It's a little scary to think of dealing with 3 little (stubborn, silly, and active) boys by myself, but I'm sure it will be a blast. :D

I've been encouraged to hear of successes around here and hopefully I'll be able to be one of the success stories sometime soon! :D

[Jan Ferrante]

Hi Lisa! Overwhelm seems to come with the territory. The only way I've been able to overcome it myself is to focus on a few things at a time and most importantly, to be consistent in my efforts, even if it's only 5 - 15 minutes a day set aside for what ever I am focusing on. As I knock them off the list, it makes the rest seem hopeful.

Try looking at what you HAVE accomplished, not what you haven't, it really can be surprising. You mentioned before that you got your basement cleaned up, that is a huge accomplishment.

My daughter had a lot of clothes given to her (bags and bags). She refused to part with any of them and paid the price. Her room was as nice as it's been in a long time, and was suddenly jammed with stuff everywhere. This has gone on for months and months. Finally she is getting rid of things. Accepting donations can be a blessing and a curse, I've found over the years.

I think the best thing is to process them as quickly as possible, keeping only what you need and getting rid of things that you already had if new items are taking their place. Maybe setting some ground rules with the kids. Thinking back, I should have given her a limit of what she could keep right from the get go.

Otherwise it can be a time/energy sucking nightmare!

And, FYI, I consider you to be one of the successes stories around here.

Anyone and everyone with small kids to look after is time and energy challenged and should NEVER compare themselves with the rest of the world (I learned that years after I had my own :0).

I well remember the days when if I accomplished one single thing that felt like a step forward, it was a good day!

This is a magic time, keep your priorities in check and enjoy those boys and your home. And don't worry about getting on the front page of Homes and Gardens or making your fortune, think about that tomorrow :0)

I had a comment on my Queen of KAOS @ Home blog, I loved the philosophy from Angie, right at the bottom.

http://queenofkaos.com/home/mom-network/mom-blog-party/#comments