I'm Not Superwoman

I wish I was Superwoman - in the sense that I wish I could accomplish everything I want to do, and do them all well. But especially at this time of year, I'm reminded that I'm not Superwoman, and that the best I can do is seek a healthy balance among my priorities.

There's just so much extra stuff this month - holiday and birthday parties, school performances, holiday gifts, and more. Not to mention the amazing deals that tend to crop up that I want to get posted for you - in fact, consider this fair warning: while I don't usually post deals individually, if something particularly hot comes up, I will this month! More than likely, it will be an Amazon toy deal, as historically, Amazon has had amazing discounts in December.

But overall, I'm feeling overwhelmed, as I so often do in December. Getting sick at the end of November into the beginning of December didn't help - I'm finally getting my normal energy level back, which is exciting.

There are a few things I'm doing that help me stay sane, and they work throughout the year when I actually do them. I've taken to making a detailed to-do list everyday, just to keep track of things (I knew this morning would be busy, so I actually included making the boys' lunches on my list for today, even though I do it almost every day!).

I also say "no" to some things, even though I would like to do them. We passed on a Christmas party this past weekend because it conflicted with other events - I probably could have gotten there for at least a half hour, but it would have been too stressful trying to get there, especially since it was a good distance away. And I'll be missing a committee meeting at my son's school because it was just one too many things to do that day.

I take regular mental and physical breaks, which I learned to do from Flylady. It really helps me keep my energy level up so I don't crash all of a sudden while in the middle of something.

Another thing I've learned from Flylady is my new mantra: "Do It Now." Making the extra effort not to procrastinate has helped my mental state a lot as well. When I was feeling unwell last week, one thing I could do was get my holiday cards together - they were just sitting under my desk, so I printed out my little note about the year on shipping labels, adhered them to the backs of the cards, printed out address labels for the recipients, and put them all together. It wasn't very taxing, mentally or physically, so I got it done. And now my holiday cards are in the mail, so I don't have any of that stress weighing on me.

The list of things I know I won't get to this month is long (starting with cleaning my carpets with my Hoover Steamvac). I'll be lucky if my floors get mopped after they're vacuumed. But that's okay - I don't have to be Superwoman to take care of my family and have a fabulous holiday season!

(P.S. And neither do you.)