5 Steps to a Clean Bedroom in 10 Minutes

I recently read this hilarious post with tips on how to get your kids to clean their bedroom in just 10 minutes. Impossible? Read on and try it yourself. I'm simplifying the steps here for my future reference.

Step 1: Clear and Make the Bed (1-2 minutes) - the room will look neater already!

Step 2: Put All Clothes on the Bed (2 minutes) - don't sort, just pile them up. Yes, on the nice, neat bed.

Step 3: Gather Items that Belong IN the Room (2 minutes) - put in a basket to put away afterward

Step 4: Get Rid of the Garbage (2 minutes) - and collect items that do NOT belong in the room

Step 5: Separate the Clothing (2 minutes) - put clean clothes away, dirty clothes in the hamper

Here's a problem though…if there's not a place for everything in your child's room, they will never know where to put certain things. For instance, in Jason's new room, I dumped out a bunch of stuffed animals to use the mesh basket for his laundry hamper. There is now a pile of stuffed animals in the corner. Do they belong in his room? Probably not, but we no longer have a playroom, so I have no idea where to put them. That is a problem I need to solve in order for his room to be "clean".

Reduce Summer Stress with a Daily LIST

I love getting random ideas that help my family!  Last night, I was watching a new show on TLC, when I heard the dad tell his kids to "make a list". They had things to do and, instead of telling them what to do or making the list for them, he had THEM make their OWN list. He approved it, sent them on their way, then told the camera that he, "...loves being the 'Yes Man'" and just wants to be the rubber stamper. No micromanaging? No begging, bribing, or nagging? Genius!

This morning, I tried it on my kids. I took Jason to run errands and left the big kids at home to do their chores and get started on their schoolwork. Before I left, I had them make a list.

I learned from this dad that "clean the kitchen" wasn't specific enough, so I forewarned them that they'd need to include details like, "Load the dishwasher, wipe counters, vacuum under the table", etc.

By making their own list, I believe my kids will learn responsibility, independence and (hopefully) won't be as resentful for the work they're given. 

After I got home, almost everything was done and my kids were beaming with pride. By making a daily list, I really think they'll learn to have a sense of accomplishment after each item is crossed off and an end to the work, instead of constantly having to check in with me or, worse, feeling micromanaged and nagged after every little task.

With everyone getting out of school this month, I think this list thing is going to be the way to go in our family. We're only taking a month off of homeschooling, not the whole summer, so the kids can know that they will need to make a list and get it all done before playing with friends. And maybe this will keep the doorbell from ringing at 8:15am for weeks on end while we're trying to tackle spelling words!

#38 - Pre-plan my three most important tasks for the day every evening before bed for a month

I have developed a new strategy for tackling my daily to do list. Every night for a week, as planned, I wrote out 2-3 time-sensitive tasks that I wanted to get done the following day. To that, I started adding one non-time-sensitive task that I'd inevitably been putting off "until I had time to do it." Which, let's be honest, is NEVER. 

I'm tackling all of the big and small things on my list. Get a bedskirt made with the fabric that's been collecting dust for years? Done. Put felt on the bottom of the kitchen chairs so they slide more easily? Done.

I've even been completing items that have been pinned on my Pinterest boards. I added a sticky magnetic strip to the inside of my bathroom drawer to hold all of my bobby pins in one place. Genius, right? Not my idea…Pinterest. I also updated the old, oak frames hanging in my hallway with a coat of black spray paint and they look brand new. LOVE them!

And have you noticed that I'm suddenly tackling my 101 Goals in 1001 Days list again? Yeah. This is how I'm plowing through those items. The frame above my bed that's been broken for 5 years? Done. Schedule laser eye surgery? Done. Special dates with the kids? Done. Invite neighbors over for dinner? Done. 

I was shocked at the weight that was lifted from my shoulders when some of these longer term to-do items began disappearing, one at a time. I usually add one extra household project - sometimes big, sometimes small - to our schedule each weekend. Too easily, things pile up and I get so overwhelmed that I hide to avoid it all. My friend DutchMac calls it "Ostrich Syndrome". Pretty much sums it up!

I also discovered the beautiful option of categorizing my to do lists in my iPhone. This way, when I want to sit down and get some work done, I open my Tastefully Simple to do list. If I'm feeling crafty or want to do things around the house? There's a list for that, too. Out and about? I can run an errand on the way home.

It's my own little piece of hyper-organized, OCD heaven. 

#38 is crossed off my 101 in 1001 list!

#87 - Clean out Mike's bedroom closet

While I was on a roll with my closet clean out, and while Mike was working on his 7th straight hour of New Year's Day bowl games, I decided to keep my momentum going. Hence, completing #87 on my 101 in 1001 list. 

This was the "before" picture I took back in March when I originally intended to tackle this project. Mike's closet is the same size as mine, but he hardly has any clothes, so I tend to use the extra space…for everything. In the back of his closet is my wedding dress, our winter coats and snow gear, all of Ryan's clothes that will someday be Jason's, the items that I'd like to try to sell before donating. 

Before #1: in March

So between March and this weekend, I'd made a dent in most of the hanging clothes and piles of junk. It was still a huge mess, just less of it. This is the before picture I took this morning…

Before #2: Today

After: you can see the floor!!!

Before: all of Ryan's old clothes are sorted into bins on the top shelf. When I find something that needs to be added,  I throw it up there and hope it doesn't fall down. Lazy, right? 

Before: the main side of the closet that Mike uses. Just enough space for him to stand…barely.

After: so much more room!!!

#86 - Clean out my bedroom closet

I'm not going to lie people. I am freaking out (*FREAKING OUT*) right now! What I just accomplished is nothing short of a miracle.

The before pictures I am about to show you were taken in March 2013. I planned to tackle #86 on my 101 Goals in 1001 Days months ago. I even took the before pictures to motivate myself! But the task was too overwhelming. Then I broke my wrist. Then life got in the way. Then we started school. Then I just didn't feel like doing it. Excuses, excuses.

Over the past nine months, I've worked on bits and pieces of this huge feat. 10 minutes here, 15 minutes there, but it was like the never-ending story. It was just. never. done.

I kept thinking, "If only someone would take my kids for a week…I could get so much accomplished!" Then, it happened: Christmas break. My doorbell has been ringing constantly and my kids have been outside playing football, riding bikes, playing with friends, starting a detective business...this beautiful Arizona weather (along with all of the kids being out of school) has been the perfect babysitter.

Before: the floor was a dumping ground for everything from unused bags to outgrown shoes.

Before: the left side of the closet

After: the shelves on the left side of the closet

I keep most of my throw-on-quick shoes in the coat closet downstairs, but all of my shoes don't fit down there, so I keep boots and clunkier shoes upstairs.

Have I shared the pool-noodle-in-the-boots-to-keep-them-upright trick? It's the perfect solution to floppy, tall boots overtaking the closet floor…all for $.89! One noodle can be cut to fit in a pair of tall boots and a pair of short boots.

This top shelf used to be wasted space. There was a pillow thrown up here and a box of crystal glasses that are unopened from my wedding. (?!?!?) But when I revamped the schoolroom closet, I decided to relocate my old photo albums out of there and this was the only available space. Do they belong in a  bedroom closet? Not necessarily, but sometimes you gotta work with what you have.

This is my little section of Tastefully Simple totes and t-shirts. Clearly, I still need to go through and pass some of these off to others on my team. We get a tote at every free trip and conference, and I've already accumulated a ton in just a few short years.

I combined my excessive cami collection with my tank tops and workout shirts. Underneath is my basket of gym socks. It just seems to make sense there and the camis are short enough that they fit on the shelf.

This is the shelf above the tank top section. The bins hold extra photo stuff, empty frames, and a small gift stash for last minute birthday party invitations.

Moving on to the other side of my enormous closet...

These are keepsake boxes that I've had every intention of sorting through…for the past five years. Instead, it's up so high that all I can do is jump and throw my children's finest treasures and Hallmark moments up in the general direction of these boxes.

Before: the right side of the closet

After: right side of the closet.

Here's another great trick: buy shower curtain hangers and dangle your purses so they're out and accessible. My suitcase also fits perfectly back there with the smaller suitcases nested inside.

The last thing I need to do is weed through my shirts. When I was nearly done, I just wanted to be DONE, and pulling shirts to donate is not an overwhelming idea for me. So I'll do it later and I'm officially calling this project complete. FINALLY!!! Happy New Year's Day to ME!!!

Neat Freak Rule #121 - Don't Reinvent the Wheel with Storing Christmas Decor

Packing away Christmas decorations used to be so stressful for me. All of my big, bulky decor that was a puzzle to cram into the designated boxes I have that just-barely fit in my garage cabinets. 

Then I got a label maker and started labeling everything. It seemed silly when I was decorating because I didn't care what was in each box…I put out ALL of the items and the boxes ended up being empty! But. When it was time to put everything away, I realized how easy it was for me (and others in my family who can read!) to get the big items in the right box and squeeze everything else all around them.

These labels have saved my sanity more than once. Even if you use masking tape, consider labeling your holiday containers!

(PS - Your house will still look like a disaster when you un-decorate, but at least it might save you a little time.)

Neat Freak Rule #79: Find Something That Needs to be Done and DO IT (Teaching Initiative)

With Christmas creeping up on us like a freight train, my house has been in complete disarray. Bags with gifts that need to be hidden and wrapped, random toys and blankets and items strung all over the house, shoes kicked off, coats on the floor, not to mention incoming Christmas cards and cookie platters from neighbors…sometimes I look around and want to freak out. 

But I don't. On the outside.

Instead, from time to time, I have the kids stop what they're doing and ask them to spend 5 minutes picking up. If I'm not in the mood to bark orders, I'll tell them to "find something that needs to be done and do it." 

Most of the time I delegate: "Ryan...please take out the trash and recycle bins, Kaylin…empty the dishwasher, Jason…put away this pile of laundry." But it occurred to me recently that they might not see the mess that I see because I'm always micromanaging HOW and WHAT they clean. Is it possible to train their eyes to see what I see? 

I have no idea, but I'm going to try. The first few times I heard, "Everything's done!" before they'd even started. Now that they realize I'm not letting them off the hook that easily, they take more initiative to find things to pick up, put away, load/unload, or otherwise tidy.  

Considering the fact that I'm not the primary one making these completely unnecessary messes (*cough* JASON *cough*), I don't feel the need to constantly be tidying what others destroy. Until everyone is officially in the habit of picking up after themselves (will that day EVER come?) then we all need to tackle the tasks together. Plus, it goes faster when everyone pitches in!

Neat Freak Rule #124: Containerize

I will never forget the first time I saw baskets in someone's kitchen pantry. The snack items were in one basket, nuts and baking items in another, lunchbox items in another. It looked like something out of a magazine! My image of an organized pantry would never be the same again.

I was instantly a fan of containerizing. Anything that's small or piece-y looks and feels more tidy if it's contained. In our playroom, there are plenty of open bins for the kids to toss their toys to keep the floor clean. I labeled our colorful dress up bins for easy access, but sometimes it's a mad dash to pick up and things are thrown wherever, which is fine with me...as long as I can see the carpet. 

You will find containers all over my house. On tables, in closets, in drawers and cabinets. I'm obviously a big fan. I'm always on the lookout for clearance items that I can use to containerize different items. 

They keep like things together and help me find what I'm looking for quickly and easily. It's also faster to put things away when I know where they go. Remember: A place for everything and everything in its place!

And don't get me started on labeling. Not everything in our house is labeled, but when I get an itch to be fancy, I'll pull out my label maker and go to town. Labels eliminate the guesswork. OH - have you seen the new chalkboard labels? Love. Get yourself a liquid chalk marker and you'll be a happy camper.

Sometimes I put containers inside of containers. The white bin (in my baking box below) already had candle wax all in it (ruined, in my mind) but the pink one did not, so I put the open candles in one and the boxes in another. Excessive? Probably. But I'm aware of my obsessiveness, so there's no need to point and laugh. 

Seriously though - things look so great when you take them out of their manufactured packaging and put them in a container. Aren't my muffin wrappers adorable, all stacked like that? I found a bunch on clearance for $.50 and stocked up. Polka dots, strips, birthday and Halloween…I won't have to spray a muffin tin for years!

Neat Freak Rule #1: A Place for Everything (come on...finish it with me…!)

There are lots of tips and tricks for having a neat and tidy home, but by far, the best organizational tip I've ever heard is: 

A place for everything, and everything in it's place.

This is the single most important rule of keeping things organized in your home, office, anywhere. If your stuff doesn't have a home, it piles up and grows (sometimes it feels like it breeds) and quickly becomes clutter. 

Think about that for a minute…how many times have you shoved something in a drawer or closet because you didn't know where to put it? Or dumped mail on a junk counter to get it off the island while you try to make your family dinner?

But having "a place for everything" is only the first half of the mantra. If everything has a home, is it realistic to expect that everything will end up there? Maybe not all of the time, unless you live alone and have no one else contributing to the mess in your home. 

For me, my husband and kids are not the only culprits in my battle for a perfectly neat and tidy house. Even though I have a home for {almost} everything, it doesn't always make it there. The act of putting things where they belong is deliberate and intentional.

You can see my attempt at a system here: The top paper tray was for incoming mail and coupons, the kids each had a tray below that and the bottom one was for and magazines. The little white bin was supposed to be a catch-all for small items like hair ties and paper clips, but became a catch-all for absolutely everything!

My new goal is to not put something down unless I'm putting it away. I have a horrible habit of carrying an arm-ful of items upstairs and dumping them on my desk. Or cleaning off my bed to go to sleep and relocating folded laundry onto the top of my dresser. Or bringing in trash from the van and unloading everything on the counter. How much longer would it take to walk the items over to the trash can right then and there? Or to put my purse directly on the shelf? Or to take my shoes off by the hall closet and put them away immediately? 

What is displaced in your home right now? Incoming mail? School papers from the kids' backpacks? To-be wrapped Christmas gifts? Mass quantities of Costco toilet paper? Items to donate?

Make a plan and stick with it. I have baskets and cubbies and places for most everything in my house. (Except binoculars…I cannot figure out where to put our rarely used, yet needed when they're needed, binoculars! But I digress…)

Incoming mail can be corralled in a shallow basket on a table near the garage/front door. I'm a firm believer in going through the mail immediately, with the recycle bin close by. It's rare that I don't have 5 minutes to sift through the mail, but if I'm in a rush, I simply don't bring it in the house! I'll leave it in the mailbox until I have time to go through it the next day.

School papers from the kids can be put in a reference binder or another spot where you collect items for each child. Just be sure to go through these periodically so they don't pile up…because they will.

To-be wrapped Christmas gifts can be stowed away under your bed or on the top shelf of your hall closet. For me, as soon as the gifts are wrapped, they go under the tree. And after they're UNwrapped on Christmas morning, they go back under the tree until I find a long-term home for them. It gives me several days to put away new toys, puzzles, games and electronics in a home where everything already feels at-capacity.

Bulk purchases: If you don't have room for 60 rolls of toilet paper, maybe you shouldn't buy it in bulk. I recently decided to stop purchasing paper napkins from Costco…I simply don't want to store 4 packages of 260 napkins each. Granted, I only need to buy napkins a few times a year, but it's not worth it to find a place for them.

Donations: Keep a garbage bag in the corner of your closet to toss items to donate so you'll always have something to put on the porch when the Big Brothers/Big Sisters notifications come in the mail.

Is it time to go through your house and gather items to donate? You might need to get rid of some items before you attempt to find a home for what you are willing to keep. I'm a firm believer in having only what will fit in your home…comfortably. By that, I mean if you have a smaller space, you need to figure out how to live with less stuff. How often do you use those giant trays for entertaining? Is it time to pass along some books that you know you'll never read again? Do you really wear all 20 pair of black shoes? We tend to keep more when we have space for more, so even those with excessive amounts of storage need to purge {perhaps even more often} to keep from accidentally becoming a hoarder.

After you go through your stuff, keep like things together to avoid accidentally storing doubles. Once everything is together, you might realize that you can easily get rid of some of the items.

So...which items need to find a home in your house?

Neat Freak Rule #61: Go to Bed With a Clean Kitchen

I'm mentioned this several times before, but I'm happier when my kitchen is clean. Maybe it's because it's the center of our home. Maybe it's because I'm in there making meals and snacks 5-6 times each day. Maybe it's because I hate trying to cook with cluttered counters. Maybe it's because I'm neurotic and I need to seek professional help. 

Who knows the real reason! But one thing is for sure: if I wake up to a sink full of dishes or leftover rice all over the floor, it starts my morning on the wrong foot. In a bad way.

So it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out a key ingredient to a pleasant morning. If I spend a few extra minutes cleaning up the kitchen before heading upstairs for bed at night, I'm setting myself up for success in the morning. 

The beautiful thing is that everyone generally helps put the kitchen back together after dinner: the kids clear and wipe off the table, Mike and Ryan load the dishwasher, I pack away leftovers, Jason vacuums under the table, Kaylin puts away stray toys and shoes. Does it happen 100% of the time? Absolutely not. But the evenings when the kitchen is neat and tidy make for much happier mornings. 

And then it is destroyed again at the next meal.

Neat Freak Rule #143: Never Leave a Room Empty Handed

Have you ever wondered how organized people keep clutter at bay? There are lots of tips and tricks, but one of the secrets (there are not 143…I made that up) is to never leave a room without taking something with you. Obviously, you'll want to be intentional about bringing something that doesn't belong in the kitchen upstairs to the office when you head up to change your clothes. Or bring the laundry basket down to the laundry room on your way downstairs to start making dinner. Get the idea?

For me, this is a never-ending cycle because my sweet "I'm four now and I'm not three anymore because I've had lots of birthdays…four of them…" Jason lives by a similar philosophy. The problem is that instead of bringing things back into the room where they belong, he chooses to take things from their rightful homes and drop them off in a totally random part of the house. 

I find stuffed animals in my closet. Clean, neglected wardrobe changes on my bathroom floor. Schoolbooks in the hallway. Dirty socks on my bed. Books in the pantry. Hot Wheels by the front door. The iPad cover in the play room. Darts and dart guns every.where. I'm not making up a single one of these examples…these are just a few things I've found this week. He remains, and may always be, Destructo-boy: Destroyer of All Things Tidy.

So if you feel like your house looks like a tornado went through it, give this task a try. And don't just dump something on a table when you drop it in the right room - take a quick second and put it back in the drawer where it belongs, put dishes in the dishwasher, hang up the shirt, throw the trash way…you get the idea. You will save yourself the extra work later!

Spring Cleaning...in Fall.

Hello, blog friends! I'm sorry I've been absent. I mentioned earlier this month that I wanted to give my home some much-needed attention and that's what I've been doing! I'm working my way down the brain-dump of a list that I posted and it feels really, really good. For the past few weeks, I've been {obsessively} decluttering nooks and crannies in our house. Closets, mostly - in the playroom, the schoolroom, my bedroom closet - I'm on a mission. 

Some of the items have been sold, others donated, others given away. I'm thinking of having an "Everything's $1" garage sale before making my final trip to Good Will, in hopes of selling a few more-than-one-dollar items, namely the green couch that no longer matches our new playroom walls. 

I'm embracing this quote by William Morris as my new motto: 

"Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful."

This month, I've made around $300-400 selling junk. I mean truly...JUNK...$3, $5 and $10 at a time. Stuff that I was NOT using and no longer found beautiful. Someone shared a local "Swip Swap" Facebook page that has been amazing. You post a picture, the price and your location and people just show up at my door to haul my stuff away for me! And the bonus is that these are people who WANT my junk. They're willing to pay what it's worth, not trying to talk me down from my already-a-bargain prices in a garage sale setting.

I've sold maternity clothes, baby toys, board books, yard toys, DVDs, baby dolls, faded PJs, shoes, puzzles, kitchenware, electronics, craft supplies...these lovely strangers have been giving me cash for all sorts of unloved items that I've been storing for some reason.

My unsuspecting, pregnant cousin is going to get a boatload of hand-me-downs for her baby shower this weekend. If she doesn't want them, SHE can donate them, but maybe she'll find some of the items useful. I look at outlet covers as clutter, hopefully she will look at them as $5 she doesn't have to spend at Target. (and, before you judge me, YES she is getting a Babies R Us gift card with the giant bag full of hand-me-downs)

If you haven't gotten the itch to declutter your own home, I strongly encourage you to give it a try. Start in a room and toss unwanted items into a large bin. Do you "know it to be useful or find it to be beautiful"? If you don't use it or love it, get rid of it. Don't save it "for someday" or "just in case". If you can't sell it right away, donate it. Allow someone else to put it in their home to use and love! You will feel SO FREE of the unnecessary crap clutter.

I guarantee it.

Poor Time Management

If I do say so myself, I have naturally awesome time management skills. Well, maybe not naturally...maybe I've learned to have great time management over the years, but regardless, I rock in this area.

Except not lately. Like at ALL. These last few weeks have left me overwhelmed and unfocused many hours of most days. And when I do have some free time, I find myself wanted to collapse into a pile of mental exhaustion from the day's activities, lacking any motivation or desire to cross anything off my to do list. 

This is all very unlike me. Very. What happened to my incredible ability to spin plates and wear different hats?

For some reason, I am feeling a lot of pressure lately. Pressure to get back into a good routine with our homeschooling. Pressure to declutter my house (seeing unnecessary crap...er, I mean, STUFF, in every corner is suddenly driving me insane). Pressure to stick to my recent commitment to eating right and doing the Bikini Body Mommy 90 day challenge. Pressure to keep my kids from destroying everything that I just tidied up five minutes ago. 

We've also had a lot of larger time-suckers taking over the schedule (eye doctor appointments, the allergist, hair cuts, not to mention preparing and packing for, then unpacking and doing laundry from, several trips and weekend getaways) - plus we've suddenly added football practice and Cub Scout meetings back into our weekly rotation. Is it horrible that I'm so grateful that no one signed up for our new weekly Bible study this semester? Having one more night filled with people just sounds...exhausting.

I'm probably going to be shunned from the mommy community for admitting this, but the worst part is (...brace yourself...) I have not been enjoying my kids lately. For some reason, their singing is driving me crazy. Their banter is driving me crazy. Asking simple questions, even legitimate ones about schoolwork, is driving me crazy. The whining and constant talking and "Mommy, Mom, HEY MOMMY..." is driving. me. crazy.

Yet it's funny how God has been dropping snippets of hope and encouragement into my life.

This past weekend, I found a blog post in my email about being a Mental Neat Freak. After reading it, I realized that I need to do a brain dump to "sort" all of the stuff floating around in my head. I am hoping to find the time to blog more often. 

On Monday, my daily devotional had this to say, "You will not find My Peace by engaging in excessive planning; attempting to control what will happen to you in the future. Just when you think you have prepared for all of the possibilities, something unexpected pops up and throws things into confusion." (don't I know it)

On Tuesday, this was in my in-box, "So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up. Galatians 6:9" (Promise?!?!?)

Then this morning, in a futile attempt to escape all that I should be doing, I cleared out my email in-box and found a blog post titled, "What about ME: On taking care of yourself as a homeschool mom." 

I almost cried while reading it. THIS is what I have been needing! ME TIME. I have felt selfishly guilty for escaping for some much needed daily mental and physical rest. My kids are around me all. day. long. Sometimes it feels like my day is one big run-on sentence. I speak and am spoken to constantly. Constantly. 

Jason is such a bundle of energy that I can barely see how quickly he is maturing. He's growing out of the...let's call it a...tough phase, that he's been in for more than two years. He no longer thrives on making waves or causing trouble. He can still be a challenge, but he is getting so much better. And I wish I was more appreciative.

Kaylin wants so desperately for her brothers to love and accept her, but generally gets caught in a wrestling match which ends in tears. It seems that she's drawn to me during my quiet moments when all I want is to be alone. Please, for the love of all that is good...I just want some space. Even as I type this, she's curled up on the bed next to me, forfeiting stories with Daddy to just lay near me before bedtime. And all I want to do is escape.

Then there's Ryan...my clone. He is so responsible and I feel that I've taken advantage of that recently. Soliciting him to help with extra chores or occupy Jason with a game of Duck, Duck, Goose because I just don't have it in me. 

I feel consistently torn between doing what I want to do and doing what I know I should be doing. I haven't felt this way since before Jason was born...back when Ryan was the one who was the handful. I'm just feeling so...smothered all of a sudden. On Monday, it was literally giving me anxiety. Mike came home from work early (which never happens) because he had a dentist appointment and I was giddy. I asked if I could go run errands alone then head to the gym. When he asked if I'd be willing to take one of the kids with me, I nearly cried. 

This is SO unlike me!!!

What's worse is that the more I want to be alone, the more the kids are attracted to me. It's a vicious cycle...like they can sense it. 

I need to get my time management under control. Letting all of this out has been helpful, but the practical side of me realizes that I need to sit down and block out chunks of time for school, work,  exercise, Mike, of course, and I can't forget ME TIME. Because I'm drowning without it. 

Whew! I feel a little better already. Time to snuggle with my girl.