Getting Our House in Order

The serenity of this shot: that’s what I want to recapture

I left my full-time job in May. That move was made so that I could focus on finishing school and also have a bit more time for my life here on this blog and in my home. The school thing has worked out, but the other two have not. My house is a bit of a disaster, from my pantry to my waistline to my bank account, and the only consistent thing about this blog lately is the inconsistency of my writing. I have a list of topics to cover and products to share and I fall into bed every night wondering where the day went and how come I haven’t written in a week.

All that is about to change. I spent last week doing two things. One, running around NYC at BlogHer, where I am consistently inspired no matter how many conferences I attend or where I am in my blogging life. And two renewing my commitment to healthy eating and exercise in a totally different way. Yes, I took on weight loss while at BlogHer,  the land of wine and cupcakes. It may seem stupid, but it turns out the challenge was just what I needed to remember I can rise up to most challenges.

This mama had her stuff together.

It turns out that while I was working outside the house, I lost a bit of control inside the house. We were maintaining it all, the food, the money the schedule, but none of it was being done well, just simply being done. There was no purpose or structure, just a series of days where I woke up to put out immediate fires and survive until bedtime again. This was the way I was living when I was working full time and I had a hard time breaking the habits even after I left that job.

I may have lost my cape for a while but now Reinvention Girl is back!
Photo: Corinda Bravo

The problem is this way of living doesn’t work for me long term. I’m amazed by anyone that it does work for. For me, I end up angry, fat, tired and frustrated with my entire life and my family suffers for it. The kids are more chaotic and thus unhappy and The Husband just feels more disconnected because he feeds off my energy when he’s here and my energy hasn’t been something you’d want a part of lately.

So it’s time to take control again. There is no reason I can’t get things done and still feel good about it all. I’ve just freed up about 60 hours of my week that I was spending working for someone else. I should be able then to find time now for school and writing, and projects and taking care of my house and my finances with more purpose and organized thought. In the end, that is what makes me happy: clean structured living, inside and out.

So today, I’ll clean and purge and organize and plan. Tomorrow, I’ll share all those products and lists of topics I’ve been collecting over the last few months. And then, when I’m living and studying and writing, all will feel in balance again.