Take Time Off

Yep, you read that right! I said, "Take time off." Rarely will you hear (or read rather) me say this, but I think it is important to take time off to enjoy life on occasion. It helps to balance things out a bit.

Image from: thekdu.net

Being that Monday was Labor Day, my hubby and children were home with me. I did a little planning ahead so that I could get things done in order to be able to enjoy the day with my family.

It's nice to take a day off every now and then to recharge yourself. The walls of your home on not going to cave in on themselves because you didn't do anything for one day. Spending time with family is far more important than having a super clean well organized home (I have to remind myself of this, often).

We all, well except for hubby (he is an early riser by nature) slept in late and then lounged around in the afternoon. I prepared a nice dinner and dessert. What was for dessert you ask? A delicious triple berry cobbler that I used my simplest cobbler recipe to make. I wish I had taken pictures to share with you, but I totally forgot :(

Triple Berry Cobbler Recipe (or any fruit you wish to use)

1 cup flour
1 cup sugar plus a little extra for sweetening the fruit
1 cup milk
1 stick butter
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 cups fruit (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place stick of butter in casserole or 9" X 13" pan and put in oven until melted. Sprinkle a little sugar over fruit and set aside. Mix flour, sugar, and baking soda. Add milk to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour batter over melted butter and top with fruit. Batter will rise to top during baking. Bake about 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve topped with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. YUMMY!

Your finished cobbler should look similar to this!

Calling all artists: Smyrna Firehouse Art Competition

Calling all artists: Smyrna Firehouse Art Competition

Delegate

For people who like to be in control and want things done a certain way (like myself) learning to delegate can be painful. While trying to juggle two kids, school, home, work, and personal relationships I quickly learned that it was the only means of survival for me.

Delegating meant that I would have to trust others to take as much care as I did in completing tasks or learning to be okay with things being done differently. I can be a bit self righteous at times, okay, okay, more than a bit. So this was not an easy feat for me.

I realized that I would have to let go a little bit at the time and learn to be okay with it as I went. I also learned that when I asked others (especially my daughters) for help it gave them a sense of empowerment that they were able to help.

Delegate a little at a time and be careful to give people tasks that they will enjoy and be good at. Don't feel bad that you can't do it ALL. Asking for help is sometimes necessary to living a balanced life.

Attitude

These quotes speak volumes to me about personal attitude. Life is not always easy, but if you choose to be happy despite everything that is on your plate you are sure to accomplish so much more. You can't go wrong with a positive attitude and hard work!

What are your priorities?

You know that feeling when the realization of I have to go to work/school, the kids need something or have to be somewhere at a specific time, the house is a wreck, the laundry pile has now turned into a mountain, and you have a big project due. Well the way I overcame having to deal with that feeling on a regular basis was to prioritize my life leading me to manage better my time.

What are your priorities?

Mine are first and foremost my daughters followed by my husband, work, and taking care of my home (not necessarily in that order!). Defining your personal priorities is integral to being successful, especially for those people who always have a full plate.

 image from: raiseyourglassfridays.wordpress.com

I have found over the years that when I begin to feel overwhelmed with everything life is throwing at me that if I take time to consider what needs to be done and prioritize it, I am much more successful in accomplishing my goals. I get the most important things completed first and then I feel better about the situation and have renewed energy. The renewed energy allows me to do even more than I thought I could originally. 

TAKE TIME TO PRIORITIZE YOUR LIFE!

Once you have prioritized everything then you can fill in your schedule and you will see better time management. I cannot stress enough to you how important this step is in leading you to successfully reach your goals and come out ahead at the end of the day.

Thoughts

Choose your thoughts and you will have a better mindset that will allow you to accomplish so much more.

Go ahead and give it a try!

Time Management

 
So you have a gazillion things to do and are behind on a gazillion others. You feel the walls caving in on you and you have no idea how you will ever get caught up. Well my friend, it is all about time management and prioritizing.

Now is the hard part, you need to write down your schedule for a typical day from the time you wake until the time you slumber. Why is this hard, because this is where you will have to be honest to yourself about the amount of time you waste in a day. Think about what you can get done in the time you are veging out in front of the television. I know what you are thinking, yes we all deserve free time in our day, and believe me you will get plenty of free time once you get caught up and and learn to follow a schedule.

Next, you have to sit down and consider all of your tasks. What is of utmost importance, what would you make you feel better to get done, and what is not all that important. Write it down, it helps one to remember when they can visualize and by writing things down you can visualize your list as you go through your day and if all else fails, you have your list to refer back to.

As you complete a task that is on the list, mark it off. With each mark, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and the walls will start opening up.