And the New Year's Resolution is....

"It's not done till it's overdone." -Dad

I said yes when I should have said no. I didn't until the pile on my plate got higher and higher until it became hard to balance it all. My stress levels shot up, my patience dwindled, and I became unbelievably tired. I decided I needed to start dumping things if I was going to make it. I said, "Thanks! But no thanks!" to Joy School. And "YES!!!!!" to "Would you like to be released from your calling?" Thanks to mi familia my bathroom got really, really scrubbed, the laundry folded, a head start on the garage- I was starting to feel balanced and like a sane woman again! (I'll always have work and pumping if I start to get too far ahead.)

Then all last week I hemmed and hawed about New Year's Resolutions. The list got longer and longer. FlyLady's Seven in 2011 became three different lists with seven things apiece. It totally defeated the point, and it didn't last two days.

I was three seconds from calling Holly.

"Hey, it's me. I suck. Two days down and I've blown every resolution on the list."

Instead I thought, "I'll text her later." And started thinking and kept driving.

All that thinking while driving in the rain paid off because this is what I came up with.

This is bullcrap. I'm not lazy, or fat, or unproductive. I'm doing the best I can with what I've got. Why do I even care that not every dish is washed and put away before I leave the house? There are dishes because I fed my kids breakfast. We are leaving because we are going to go have fun today. No one is even going to see those damn dishes. And if they do, guess what? That's what yogurt looks like.

That's how I came to my New Year's Resolution. Sure, there are things I'd like to be better at. Routines I'd like to settle in to. Daily tasks I'd like accomplished. But mostly I'M NOT GOING TO FEEL GUILTY WHEN IT ALL DOESN'T HAPPEN!!! So long as I'm not lazy, fat, or unproductive I'M NOT GOING TO FEEL BAD ABOUT IT! I will not apologize for the Legos. I am going to quit bitching to my husband that I clean, and clean, and clean only to have to do it again an hour later. I want to play, and play, and play and then pick it up at the end of the day. Or not. The house will be clean, not spotless. I will be fit, not have a six pack. Meals will be edible and healthy, not gourmet. I will say "Thanks, but no thanks!" when I instinctively want to say, "Why not?" I will do the best I can with what I've got and not expect more than that.

Here's to a Happy New Year!