Digging Out

I honestly feel like just about every day I take 3 steps forward and 10-15 steps back.  I get a few things done and add a bunch more to the list.  How can I possibly make any progress?  I have said no to some requests lately, and I have sat on my hands when the call went out for volunteers.  It's hard, but at this point I really have no choice.  I AM NOT SUPERWOMAN!!!  I CAN NOT DO IT ALL!!!

I have to focus on the positive or I will go insane.  Baby steps.  Today I had my car cleaned, which meant that I had to empty all the junk out of it.  Tomorrow the house will be professionally cleaned, which means I have to put all the junk away.  By tomorrow night I'll be celebrating the fact that I am surrounded by cleanliness, at least until the kids wake up Saturday morning.

Last weekend I decided to make a concentrated effort to get rid of some of the piles.  I had SO MUCH STUFF that was on its way to somewhere else, and it was driving me crazy.  This week my goal was to get rid of one item from that pile each day, and I did way better than that:
a) I returned a down comforter, a pair of socks, ice skates, a too-small hockey helmet, a pair of shoes, and an iPod dock - $255 back in my pocket.
b) I returned 6 defective water bottles to Old Navy (the paint peeled off), got a credit for $31, and spent that plus my $20 coupon on kids clothes that were an additional 50% off the clearance price, including Christmas-photo outfits for less than $10 each.
c) I mailed out a fleece that we accidentally brought home from mother/daughter weekend and my camera that needs to be repaired (under warranty because I didn't procrastinate!).
d) I donated a bag of books to the library for their book sale (drop them off any time in the alcove next to the Costin Room), and 3 bags of winter coats and snowpants to Pathways (Thursday night is drop-off night for donations).
e) I organized Ben's clothes and threw away the super-holey stuff (don't tell him).
f) I asked the kids' teachers whether they could use certain items I unearthed, and sent them to school.
g) I cleaned out my wallet and got rid of all the receipts and garbage.
h) And last but not least, I found a permanent home for the panic device that I took on vacation, and got it out of the garage. 

This weekend we're tackling the playroom, and next week I'm going to paint some of walls and trim that we painted 10 years ago.  Baby steps.

I am not Superwoman.
I am not Superwoman.
I am NOT SUPERWOMAN!!!!!!!!!
.