Not a resolution.

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions simply for the fact that usually they are things like losing weight or working out more and honestly, for most people they only last for the first few weeks of the new year. That is why this year, I'm making a lifestyle change. There is a fact that this change is based on, and here it is: when there are three people at home all day, everyday, messes and clutter are unavoidable. Lately, I've spending so much time cleaning up after these little people that I've found myself trying to think of things to just keep them busy so I can clean. The problem with this is that the second I get one mess cleaned up, I am constantly following them to the next. At the end of the day I am completely exhausted and the kiddos are left feeling like I've been ignoring them all day, which is partially true. Then, my wonderful husband gets home to find me zoning out on the couch because I've given up on trying to keep the clutter at bay, and hinging on going insane because I feel bad that he comes home to a messy house and I've been ignoring the kids all day, and NOTHING has actually been accomplished. Then I run to the kitchen to make dinner, while he actually plays with our attention-starved kiddies. We put the kids to bed and are so exhausted that we say to ourselves, 'tomorrow is another day, we'll start fresh and I'll clean the house in the morning.' Then I wake up the next morning (grumpily) to a messy house and the whole cycle starts again. Ok, so maybe that's not everyday (thank goodness!), but I can't say that it is an uncommon occurrence in our home. This also usually leaves our home in a terrible state for when someone pops over--many family members live withing a 3-mile radius of us, so this is not not uncommon. It also leaves Madelynn asking who's coming over when Karl and I do get the gumption for a 20 minute after dinner cleaning spree.

Enter, my new lifestyle change: Send the kids away to boarding school and enjoy a clean home from now on.

Just kidding!

Enter, my lifestyle change: Hire a nanny and a maid service.

Ok, just kidding again. It is actually to continue to make the Daily 7 (am I the last person on Earth to read about that?) a part of my  routine. And also, to continue to use the 20 minute after dinner cleaning spree (self-explanatory), which gets shorter when I actually make good use of the Daily 7. This little list totally streamlines cleaning tasks for me and helps me to not get overwhelmed. Of course, there are still the little kiddie messes throughout the day, but Madelynn actually has been really good about learning by example and cleaning up after herself when she sees me doing chores. Also, when I don't feel so overwhelmed at the end of the day because I've gotten more accomplished, helping the kids pick up their toys and activities before bedtime isn't such a big deal.