The Challenge of Life Changes

"Life Changes".  Most people and women in general experience life changing moments on a regular basis and have to learn to cope with those changes.  As a sex, I find women quite resilient.  I am glad this is true as I experience the birth of a fourth child, change in job or possibly career, and health changes that need to be made.  I am sure many women can identify with the struggle and joy that is being a mother, a wife, a friend, a sister, a daughter....a woman.  there are times when I have felt alone and wished I had someone to share the "fun" with, so I am beginning a new chapter by sharing it with anyone who wants to read. 

Challenge 1: Mental and spiritual health


For the last 4 years I have been all about my work and all about the students.  The result was an unbalanced spiritual life, marriage, and family life.  One of the first things I need to tackle is restoring balance.

Challenge 2:  Adjust my method of organization

 

My husband is jumping up and down with the thought that I will improve my house keeping ability.  I will be the first to admit that I am not an organizer, a folder, vacuumer, or even a duster.  With small children our house is clean or picked up for about an hour if we are lucky.  I am an idea person more than a doer, so I have to become a doer.  I am happy to say that before number 4 came (literally the day before) I was able to reclaim my kitchen from the piles in the corners.  That's right, my method of make-shift organization is piles.  Hey, I know where everything is.  The only problem is no one else does...oh yeah and my piles tend to get moved, rearranged, or spilled on with so many sets of little hands and feet running around. 

Challenge 3:  The never ending laundry

Six people wearing an average of 2 outfits a day, unless you are a princess then the average is 4 a day, need I say more.  One frustration is that there is literally no end to laundry.  And let me emphasize how much I HATE folding or ironing laundry.  I would rather clean every bathroom in the house than undertake the task of laundry.  Alas it must be done, so I must find a better method.

Challenge 4:  Cooking on a budget

We love to eat out, but with unpaid maternity leave the budget is tight, so I will need to become a better planner for meals.  Oh, and actually stick to the plan!

Challenge 5:  Weight

So after 4 children and a stressful job as a high school teacher I am way beyond the weight I should be.  That's right I have to say it so it becomes reality...I am classified as Obese.  Luckily I am tall so it isn't as bad, but I don't want to be "lucky" any longer; I want to be healthy.  As of my 4th child I am 268 pounds.  In college I was 180 pounds and still not as healthy as I need to be now.  My parents and grandparents suffer from adult onset diabetes and I want to avoid that in my own life.  The only way to do so is to drop the weight and head toward the light of my goal weight: 160 pounds.  Reality check...that's 100 pounds I have to lose.

Challenge 6:  Education and attention for my children

 I have been so overwhelmed with circumstances in the past that I hate to say I have neglected my own children.  NO MORE!  Hear me now world!  "My family comes first and you WILL NOT MAKE ME FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT!"

Challenge 7:  Career???

 

I have come to the conclusion that I must make changes and one is that I will not - under any circumstances - be returning to the disorganization, stress, and ingratitude that was my old position.  The question becomes...What do I do instead? 
Challenge 8:  Clutter

 

I am not sure why I have such a hard time getting rid of things, but I do.  I am not as bad as those people you see on television that are classified as "hoarders", but I do need to purge some items.
Since my maternity leave has begun I have identified a number of challenges as you can see from the list above.  Now I have to tackle the challenges and try to get some semblance of structure to my life.  In addition, my husband and I are tossing around the idea of me staying home since it is looking like I would have three in day care if I were to go back to work.  As a teacher the difference between daycare costs for two children and one infant and take home pay would be around $300. 

????????SOLUTIONS????????

I was inspired by something I heard on the radio so the first portion of my solution I cannot take credit for.  Clutter was lower on my list, but if I can take care of the clutter it will make the other challenges less stressful and more calming, and dare I say it...enjoyable.  I was inspired by the number 10 when I was listening to one of my morning radio stations (either Air One or KLove...I switch between so I am not completely sure which one).  The radio personalities were talking about a lady who was getting rid of 10 things a day for a whole year.  I really like that idea so I have begun to develop what I call "TEN: ways to improve me life by tens". 
This afternoon I will explain how "TEN" works.