So the journey to a clean and organized home has commenced. I did my journal work for the week today. It went well. My eyes were opened to some of the reasons for my disorganization. I made the mistake of scanning ahead to the next couple weeks. It said that the estimated time for organizing your kitchen is 5-7 hours. ACK! I'm crossing my fingers that it's not all at once. I can't imagine that it will be since the rest of the book is about taking one step at a time.

Today's project, which had nothing to do with the book since the first week is only journal work, was getting the living room situated. I got evrything picked up, and I had three other somewhat bigger projects to do. One was getting the boys toy "room" (it's really just a walk in closet) sorted and organized. I now have 4 or 5 bags of toys and stuffed animals to get rid of. Luckily my mom is taking the toys so I just have to worry about the stuffed animals. I'm crossing my fingers that my sister-in-law wants them.

The second project is getting the christmas tree and decorations put away. Third is going through the mounds of papers lying about. I spent 2hrs getting the living room picked up and the toys sorted and aparently that's my limit as of yet. I always hit that time and I'm worn out. I think it's because I see what's left and it's almost impossible to stay motivated. I'm trying to focus on what I did get done. One of my major projects, that's pretty decent. One of the biggest things holding me back with all this cleaning is feeling like a failure. I need to shake the feeling that no matter how well I do short term, long term I always slip back into old habits. That's what this year is all about, overcoming and solidifying a new set of habits. And proving to myself that I'm not doomed to a mediocre way of life. I want to thrive!

Another major goal I'm working on is writing more consistently. I came across an opportunity to be published in a literary journal called Silence Prohibited. Deciding to write a short story I wracked my brain for several days. Yesterday I came up with the story line. All I have to do now is write it, perfect it, and send it in. I have it started and I think it's well on its way. My intention is to use this to get me writing. I'm not expecting to get published my first attempt but I know there's no way to avoid being disappointed. Let's just hope I don't lose my motivation. It's hard to know in the fantasy genre if your story will be viewed as awesome or lame.

On the diet front, my husband and I have decided to do it together. He has a new exercise routine figured out and I'm going to jump back on the bandwagon. Unfortunately tomorrow is my son's birthday so I'll have to figure out some other exercise than kick boxing. man it's hard to find time and motivation for it when you have to work around your kids' schedule. Especially working the midnight shift. Anytime I have free I want to either sleep or spend it with the husband.