Overcoming Stuff Processing Disorder

 

Overcoming "Stuff Processing Disorder"

For the past two years, I've been on a decluttering mission. A mission to lighten my load, so to speak. I've been overwhelmed by too much stuff- and not even valuable stuff. Just stuff that comes in and doesn't get dealt with properly, and accumulates exponentially.

I was sharing something that was a small victory for me the other day in a decluttering group on Facebook. I threw away a catalog that came in the mail- the same day it arrived in my mailbox. It's a catalog of products that I use, and really like, but I realized I can find information about all of those products online. I don't need this catalog as a reference. I don't have a designated place to store catalogs in my home (who does?) So I tossed it. It was in that moment that I realized I am overcoming what I now refer to as "stuff processing disorder."

In the group, I joked that in the past, I would've held onto that catalog for six years. That's not much of an exaggeration. Many times, I've thought as I've come across things in my decluttering journey, "why do I still have this?"

I have a long history of dealing with stuff processing disorder. When I worked on staff at my church, I seem to remember my office being (semi) jokingly referred to as "the black hole". Stuff would go in, but it rarely made it out (at least not without much outside pressure). Come to think of it, my childhood bedroom was sort of the same way. My desk at school and my backpack were like this too. This is not a new thing for me.

You can imagine that living with this "disorder" adds to the level of chaos in my life. I'm not a hoarder- at least not to the point that I could appear on one of those reality shows. But I can easily see how I could have gotten to that point.

I've heard the expression, "big doors swing on little hinges" and I think it's important to recognize some of those "little hinges" or mental shifts it has taken for me to overcome stuff processing disorder.

I'm not a reservoir

Not every single item is meant to take up permanent residence with me and my family! Some items are meant to be used and passed on or discarded. Baby gear is a great example. With my fourth baby, we bought a swing second hand. We used it until she outgrew it and was ready for the Exersaucer, and then we passed it quickly to a relative.

Early on in my parenting journey, I thought I was wise for hanging onto everything. "Once this child outgrows it, I can use it for the next one," I'd say. Well, what happens in the mean time? Do I have space for this item until the next child is ready for it? If not, then it's time to re-evaluate. It's helpful to view our possessions as fluid- easily received and easily given again based on their usefulness to us at the time.

Items can be replaced

Our family might be complete with four children, but I know that I can get another baby swing if I need it in the future (I've been wrong about being done before- just saying). I can get one rather inexpensively too (or even free).

Most things are easily replaceable, and God has a way of providing- especially when we have open hands to give to others who need something that we have. Having extra space and order in the home is much better than hanging on to an item "just in case."

I only have so much space

This may not be something everyone deals with immediately, but for us, living in a small apartment, it came to my attention rather quickly! Children seem to acquire things at an alarming rate. With four of them in your family, that means four birthdays per year, Christmas gifts for four, Easter goodies, and every single kid-centric event ever (we all know that goody bags are a "requirement" of children's events), changing out seasonal clothing (again, twice a year times four little ones- and even more often for the baby), and you quickly realize that your walls are made of bricks- not elastic!

Too much stuff gets overwhelming

Not dealing with things promptly leads to an overwhelmed, stressed out me. Other people in my home are affected by this. One of my goals as a wife and mom is to create an atmosphere of peace. I've learned that part of my problem is spending too much time and effort on keeping things cleaned, put away, and tidy. I'm not the type of person who likes to clean (gasp!) When I learned that I need to be proactive about evaluating an item's role in our lives, I realized that I had the power to keep things from becoming overwhelming. It is so much more peaceful to maintain fewer items than it is to try to maintain many items!

Have you suffered from "stuff processing disorder"? What mental shifts have helped you overcome this issue?

Linking Up With:
Thank Goodness it's Monday
Teaching What is Good
Hip Homeschool Moms
A Little R & R
Whole Hearted Wednesday
Hearts for Home
I Choose Joy

Our "Go with the Flow" Homeschool Day

 Have you ever wondered what a homeschool day in the life looks like for someone who is "structurally-challenged"? If so, you are in for a treat! (I will warn you: if you are the type of person who loves schedules and doing things by the book, this post may not be for you. It will seem terribly chaotic. I won't confidently say that it works for us, and that I'm totally nailing this homeschool thing, because I'm always striving to do better, but this is where we are right now. Or rather a few weeks ago.)

I have always resisted schedules. (It's sort of a trademark of an INFP). But even during those times when I think, "you know what? Maybe those Type A people are onto something..." there's generally some external resistance happening too. I have four children ages 8, 6, 3 and 9 months. Since the beginning of our homeschooling adventure, we've had an infant, and then a toddler, then a pregnancy, and now a new infant, and a very energetic preschooler.

I DO try to maintain some level of routine in our days. We follow one of the schedules from SimplyCharlotte Mason as much as is practical for us. I have found that it makes it easier to sort of be on "auto pilot" for our lessons and readings (the more planning and preparation and DECISIONS required of me, the less likely we are to actually accomplish any formal schooling for the day). Despite resisting schedules, we are rather creatures of habit. Our day just happens to start and end way later than most people's days. I'm working on that!

8:30-10:00 am- I'm up. I've made tea, chatted with my husband, and opened my Bible to read for a bit. I hear the baby cry, so I go in to settle her to buy myself a little more quiet time. My husband is taking the first part of his day off at work to get some errands done, so he is in and out of the house for the first part of our day.

10:30-11:30 am- Everyone else wakes up. First my 8 year old, who mills around for a bit and then asks for toast. The baby wakes up for good, and I feed her while I look at Facebook. The 3 year old wakes up to join the 8 year old who is now in the living room reading picture books. They start to squabble over something. I change the baby's diaper, and then the six year old gets up. I make toast for my 3 year old.

11:30-12:00 pm- Baby plays in the Exersaucer while I wrap up what I'm doing online. My 8 year old asks me to request some Kevin Henkes books from the library (he was on a mouse book kick there for a minute), so I handle that before I get off the computer. He starts his chores, which include sweeping the dining room floor, emptying small waste baskets, and checking the mail. (He is kind of a self-starter. Also, he knows that screen time doesn't happen until his chores are done).

12:30 pm- My husband returns home briefly before heading for work. He brought coffee. We talk in the kitchen until he has to go.

12:30-1:30 pm- The baby gets another diaper change, and I realize I haven't eaten yet! I put the baby in the Ergo and head to the kitchen to make myself something. The older kids are gathered around the tablet watching whatever the 3 year old is watching on YouTube Kids (until I shoo them away). He watches lots of toy videos (ugh), but also a variety of whatever else catches his fancy. In the past couple of weeks, I've seen Peppa Pig, Thomas and Friends, Pink Panther and some others. At some point, the 8 year old begs off of school today in favor of watching Despicable Me again (we rented it from Netflix). Um, NO.

1:30- 2:00 pm- The baby should be ready for a nap soon. I sit down in the living room with her for a feeding, and start to watch a new PBS documentary called No Mas Bebes. I am trying to see if she will get drowsy and fall asleep. The three year old begins quizzing me on how to spell the words, "um", "no", "yes", "Saturday" and "remote." The six year old comes into the room and starts to play with the baby. I fuss at the 6 year old for getting the baby worked up again, and quickly apologize for snapping at her. I send the bigger kids to play in the room while I feed and try to settle the baby. Three year old is playing on the tablet. I abandon the program eight minutes into it. The big kids were fighting. This nap time approach isn't working!

2:00- 3:00 pm- I use the restroom and put the baby back in the Ergo. Baby begins to fall asleep while I start on dishes and laundry and a new podcast episode. By three o'clock, I have put the baby in bed, and get ready for our lessons.

3:00-3:30 pm- Head to the kids' bedroom to start on school lessons. (I have deemed their room to be the most distraction-free location for lessons to take place for the time being. We live in a small apartment, so we don't have a dedicated school space, and the 3 year old is not occupied in the same way from one day to the next usually. We need to be flexible and do what works!) And I always have the three year old occupied with something in another room because being quiet is not one of his strengths! (And being loud is not one of my strengths!) We get started on Scripture memorization and Bible reading, and are interrupted by the three year old who first needs assistance in the restroom, and minutes later, requests a snack.

3:30- 4:00 pm- Attempt to transition from Bible reading to the next portion of our lessons, but end up discussing Esther the Girl Who Became Queen, and how it compares to the real story of Esther (which we haven't actually read yet- we were reading from Matthew today). The children begin flipping through the Bible, reading certain passages briefly (they are remembering many of the verses from VeggieTales). I manage to get us back on track, telling the children that they may explore the Bible more after we do our other lessons (which they ultimately do). There is a potty break, and the 3 year old requires attention again. 

I hear the baby wake up from her nap. I get her out of bed, and finish reading chapter two of The Cricket in Times Square. The 8 year old works on Khan Academy for math. I let him choose the duration, but it must be at least 10 minutes, and no more than 15 minutes. (Charlotte Mason recommends brief lessons to sustain the child's interest. It works for us!) My 6 year old works on a chapter of Life of Fred: Cats. I requested it from the library because she seemed to be having some trouble with some of the Khan Academy content. (We've tried LOF before, and it didn't sustain their interest. I LOVE the concept, but we likely won't get it again any time soon.) We end up skipping our reading from The Boy Who Invented TV (a children's book about Philo Farnsworth) because the baby woke sooner than expected.

4:00- 5:30 pm(ish)- I read Grover's Good Manners to the three year old and the baby, and nurse the baby briefly afterwards. The big kids make sandwiches while I feed the baby some solid food (she is really loving butternut squash right now). I eat something as well. I put a chicken in the slow cooker. (Mine actually runs really hot for some reason. Dinner will be ready in a few hours!) I start another load of laundry.

5:45 pm- I sit down to resume watching No Mas Bebes. (I find the story so heartbreaking. It's about some Hispanic women in 1970's Los Angeles who were sterilized without their informed consent.) This is free time for everyone. The 8 year old is having tablet time. The 6 year old usually looks on with the 8 year old, or she works on drawings, plays with her dolls or another toy. The 3 year old plays on the computer.

6:30 pm (and beyond)- The baby takes another nap later in the evening, and usually I tidy up the kitchen and do other chores with her in the Ergo while I wait for my husband to get off work. He is usually home by 10 pm, so we have a long wait! We eat dinner when he gets home. We would not be able to do this if the kids went to a traditional school, of course. (Now, I will disclose that this is not exactly intentional on my part. I would rather have everyone eat a little earlier, and be about ready for bed when he gets home, but I must admit that I like everyone to eat together too). Sometimes in the "waiting for dad" time, I let the children watch something together on TV.

Overall, our days tend to manifest as a combination of Charlotte Mason style learning and unschooling. We read lots of books, learn about a variety of subjects, but also have plenty of time to find our own rhythm and explore our own interests.

As of this writing (this day was a few weeks ago), our days do not look like this! We are taking a couple weeks off of our usual mom-facilitated learning as the baby works out some developmental stuff. (Nine month sleep regression is a real thing!) Last week, she barely napped longer than 15 minutes, so that made our school time really challenging. I decided this week, we would lean into that and give her the space to work it out. She's still not back to her usual nap routine, and a few of us have been feeling a bit sniffly, so the break is well-timed.

The older two children have been reading a book called Kid Presidents (a book about what the presidents were like as children), as well as other library books. I am working to implement a 30 minute daily individual reading time, so before screen time happens, they need to get their reading in. My 8 year old has been doing his math online this week before screen time as well. Yesterday, the two older children rediscovered their marble run. I happened to go into the room while they were taking a break from their fun, and noticed a stopwatch and paper and pencil on the floor. They had been timing how long it took for the marbles to reach the bottom, and seeing which one was faster. I don't worry much when we take breaks because I know that they are always learning! It may not look like school, but their knowledge is always growing! 

Do you homeschool? What does a day look like in your home? 

Sharing today at Simple Homeschool's Annual Day in the Life Series.

Linking Up with:
Thank Goodness It's Monday
Hip Homeschool Moms
Titus 2sdays 
A Little R&R
Whole Hearted Wednesday 

Maintaining My Home Management Binder

It's a great thing to have a home management binder. It reminds me of my days as the office manager at our church when I used to go everywhere with my planner (or as I jokingly called it, "my brain"). It can make you feel more centered, more in control of your day and the goings-on of your family. But...it's pretty much useless, if it's not organized in such a way that you can actually utilize the information contained therein. I know this from experience.

About a year ago, when I originally got inspired to make my home management binder, I put in a few forms, some checklists, and then added some recipe clippings to that since I love cooking and baking. (I kind of have a ridiculous obsession with finding new recipes to try). Anyway, somewhere in there, I had gotten out of the habit of maintaining my binder. Needless to say, I didn't really use it anymore, except for a catch-all for my recipes found online or in magazines or wherever. It had no purpose; it was just a clutter magnet for my kitchen.

Recently, I had been seeing more and more posts on different blogs about home management binders. I got inspired again. I pulled out my binder a few weeks ago and knew that I had some work ahead of me. It was a mess. I'm happy with the progress I made, even though I still have more to do to make it totally workable for me. But at least it's a start...

• I started by pulling out all those recipes. I went through each one, and I realized there were several that I never actually used. The ones I did use, I placed in a pile to be organized.

• Then, I got to clippin'. I trimmed out unnecessary parts of the paper, as shown so that I could fit as many recipes as possible into my binder. 
• I used some of those adhesive photo refill pages to organize my recipes. I managed to fit 2-3 on a page. 
• My recipe pages are now organized by soups, main dishes, special dishes for a crowd (like church potlucks or holiday dinners) and children's favorites (like granola bars, etc). 

I still need to get some more pages, so I can also organize my massive collection of dessert recipes (still growing, now that I'm on Pinterest!)

Anywho, I had a lot of trash when I was done. (I hope no environmentalists are reading this! Lol!)

I found some helpful forms here, and printed them and added them to my binder like so: 

By the way, I'm using the Daily Docket and the Master Weekly Checklist from the above link. I'll probably add some more of these free printables gradually, so as not to overwhelm!

Basically, it's more functional now. And that's a good thing. Right now, I need all the help I can get! Now, if I can just stick with it, I think I'll be in business! Though, these days, I'm trying to be a little more forgiving of myself, since this little person is not allowing me to operate at my usual pace (that's okay!). 

Have you ever gotten off track from your organizational endeavors? How did you get back into the swing of things?

Back on the Fly Lady Bandwagon

 That's right! I fell off of it. But I'm back.

Too many things were not getting done, and I was sort of drowning in my lack of routines. I had been out of the house for extended periods a couple of times over the past week, and the CHAOS became really apparent. Of course, after being out of the house, I was pretty drained and didn't have much energy to get stuff in shape, so you can imagine (but please try not to- it's not pretty!)

Have you heard of the Fly Lady? She (Marla Cilley) has a website (Flylady.net) as well as a book called Sink Reflections. It's been about a year since I came across her site. I found it sort of by accident, but it was life-changing! I love it when someone comes along and challenges my perspective toward housework or organization (another great book I've come across is Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern).

For people like me, for whom housework and organization seems to be this completely "mystifying" experience, women like the Fly Lady seem to just unveil the process of orderly living. (This is coming from someone who used to be sent to "clean your room" and would be discovered two hours later playing in the middle of a bigger mess- this kind of still happens for me, though I'm somewhat more disciplined these days). I so appreciate the advice of these ladies, and their step-by-step directions. It makes housework seem like not such an insurmountable task. Even if you have little ones. Even if you don't have a lot of help from others.

Hopefully in the coming weeks, I can create better habits so I can achieve more order and clarity in my world. I started last night with shining my sink. I still woke up to a counter full of dirty dishes, but my sink was shiny! That little step will start the ball rolling to even greater diligence!

Have you ever fallen into a housework slump? What has helped you recover?

My Home Management Binder

Okay, so would you all believe that we JUST got our van back (yes, from the "great van towing of 2010")! Now, I can finally finish moving in (because you know I had already done as much moving in as I could, right? Umm...not so much!)

Anyway, I'm super excited to have all of our stuff in our possession once again (including the two hampers full of dirty laundry- ahem!) By the way, our cup now officially "runneth over" and my new stance is that no more stuff can come into our home until further notice!

In the recent influx of stuff, I came across my handy-dandy Home Management Binder, or Control Journal, if you will, (a la Fly Lady).

As you can see by the picture, the last time I used it and actually adhered to my routines, was November 18^th! I was still getting ready for the move. I really believe that this will help me get back on track with my housekeeping and such.

Here's a tour of my Control Journal:

Here is the front cover. I had sent my husband to the store to pick out a new binder for me after back to school time (when all the school supplies were on clearance) and told him to pick out a "fun color". He picked out orange! Now I know you're all wondering how much we paid for it, but I don't remember now. Sorry! But you can likely get a binder like this for just a few dollars. Anyway, in the front cover, I inserted an inspirational confession that I adapted from Women Living Well. The title says "Your Home is a Haven" and basically, I changed all the pronouns from the example of Home #2 so that I could confess it over myself during those times when I need some motivation in my homemaking everyday. I think it's important to put something here that represents the vision that you have for your homemaking. It could be a picture from a magazine (or of your own home on a really great day), a Scripture, or something else inspirational that represents the goals you are working toward.

Here is the first page in my Control Journal. I took Fly Lady's advice, and used sheet protectors, and I also picked up some fine tip dry erase markers so that I could cross off the tasks that I complete. (And then wipe it off to start anew the next day!) I once learned in a Franklin Covey workshop that when you cross off items on your "to do" list, it releases endorphins. I'm all about any kind of perks that come with being diligent! The Fly Lady says that one should have a morning routine and an evening routine. You can even add in an afternoon routine if that helps you. I could see that as being something helpful for those with children that go to school or working moms (depending on what time you get home) or for college student wives, as I know some of you are. :)

Next is my evening routine. (Note in bold lettering the admonition "GO TO BED AT A DECENT HOUR!" I really need to read that everyday!) You can't really tell by this blurry picture, but this routine includes getting your clothes ready for the next day, as well as shining the sink. Can I just say that it is so refreshing to wake up to a nice, clean, shiny sink? Try it sometime if you aren't in the habit, and you'll want to make it a habit in a hurry!

Your Control Journal can include many other things, like important phone numbers and other information. Even a monthly calendar! Check the Fly Lady's site to get some more ideas. In the back of mine, I have past weekly menus along with shopping lists. One of these days, I'm going to get uber-organized and make some kind of master shopping list. Maybe even a master list of meals my family enjoys along with ingredients that are needed to prepare them. You can get really creative and make up all kinds of helpful sheets- whatever may help you run your home more efficiently.

Using my Home Management Binder helps me answer the question: "What do I need to do today?" I already know, at a glance, what I need to do to keep my home in order and when to do it. And, the more in the habit I am of doing all these things, the faster it goes, and the more time I have to spend doing fun things with the children during the day (and of course other stuff too)! 

She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Proverbs 31:27, NLT

What helps you to stick with your routines?

Putting the Word First

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" Matthew 6:33

Well, it doesn't get more simple than that, does it?

Seek Him first.

Today, I was motivated (in part due to this post by Ashley at AP Freewriting 101) to get up and before anything else, read my Bible and pray.

So often, it's get up, check my email, read all the new blog posts, check Facebook and otherwise find ways to dawdle online, and THEN read my Bible and pray, hoping that the children sleep just a little bit longer.

Sometimes they wake up in the middle of making my "blog rounds". My day ends up chaotic and usually pretty unproductive.

On the other hand, if I spend that time in the Word and in prayer first thing, it gets that upward momentum going in my day. I am more positive. I am filled. I have something to draw on for strength, for giving into other people's lives (starting of course with my sweet children).

It's not about legalism. My pastor often says "God is not trying to get something from you; He is trying to get something TO you". How true that is. I even had to remind myself of that this morning as I was trying to breeze through my devotional time...anxious to get to the part when "I get to talk". (You know what I mean, right?) But something in me said "slow down, let God speak to you through His Word". And speak He did.

If we will just take the time to sit and listen and HEAR from Him before we get our minds all clouded up with...whatever, He will give us such clarity for the day ahead. For the week ahead. For our husband, for our children, for our homes and whatever else that concerns us. He will also help us weed out those things that DON'T concern us.

I know it works. God's Word does not return void (Isaiah 55:11). I encourage you to seek Him first at your next opportunity.

What steps can you take to make sure you meet with Him first thing in the morning?

Let me know how it goes!

Faithful in Little

"He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much."  Luke 16:10

Can I just say that we are "outgrowing" our home?  Well, we kind of are.  I live in the same apartment I lived in when I was single!  In fact, I only live in a two bedroom (as opposed to a one bedroom) because about six years ago, my younger sister came to live with me (she has since moved on and started a family of her own too).  So in a little more than four years, I've added a husband and two babies.  We've stayed here mostly for financial reasons.  In fact, when my husband and I got married, we tried to move to a one bedroom, in hopes of saving some money, but since my rent was already really discounted, a one bedroom was more expensive (yay!).

Yesterday, I was working on some things around the house to make it make more sense for us.  I've really been dealt with in the area of minimizing, and also starting to embrace where we are at right now.  I think in the back of my mind, I feel like we'll be moving soon anyway, so why try to make everything work?  Why turn our apartment into a "home"?  Well, because I really believe that God isn't going to take us to the "next big thing" until our attitudes toward the "current little thing" are right.  I have visions of a three bedroom house with plenty of storage space, more drawers and cabinets in the kitchen, a yard for the children to play in, etc...but I don't think God will bless us with all that until we prove that we can handle (and really enjoy) the small area that we have.
 

So here are photos of some of the progress I made yesterday:

I hung up this ABC chart for the little ones...my son has already mastered the alphabet, but I know he enjoys seeing this anyway.  My husbands aunt (who was a teacher) gave us this and the other posters in upcoming photos.  And yes, I know it's crooked! :)

I moved these shelves into my sons room- they were previously in the living room, as you can see, the children have already been "enjoying" the new location of their toys!

A couple of my son's bigger toys.  Reason number 534 why we need could really use a bigger space.  We do have a wee little patio, but I know if those toys go out there, they will just become a home to bugs and dust, and get ruined by the sun.  To the right is the big armchair where I have my morning study time...can I say this room does double (okay, probably triple) duty?

I hung up more posters! 

I dug this thing out of our storage closet.  It was a wedding gift.  I think it's time to use it, don't you? :)

Also, I found this painting.  It was done by my husband's grandmother or great grandmother (I don't remember which) but seriously, we have at least twelve of her paintings in our storage closet on the patio.  My mother in law made us take them blessed us with them when my husband moved in.   I like some of them more than others, and I think I may start displaying them.  I thought this one would be nice in our front bathroom.

So, there are more things on my to do list, but I'm really happy with the progress I made yesterday.
 

Also, I've been working on my Fly Lady (see her link in the side bar) "27 fling boogies" (actually, I haven't really been counting) but as I come across something, I think "am I ever going to use this?" and if the answer is "no" then into a box it goes.  I'm glad to say that I actually made a trip to Goodwill on Monday!

What about you?  Are you finding yourself in a season of "rearranging"?

Linking up here:

Create a Peaceful Day

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Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like you're stuck in a whirlwind? I know I have! With little ones around (and big ones too, I'm sure!), it's easy to start the day that way, and stay there. Here are a few tips to avoid a crazy day, and have a great day filled with peace and order instead!

1. Get up before everyone else! This way, at least you are sure to have some time to yourself! Fix yourself a cup of tea or coffee and ease into your day instead of hitting the ground running. 
2. Spend some time with your husband before he's off to work. Oftentimes this is the only time of the day when it's just you two, and you don't have to compete with the television or your little ones to get a word in. Better yet, have a devotional time with him. Pray for each other's day to go smoothly. If for whatever reason you can't connect with your husband over a spiritual discussion, well...just spend time with him, have that cup of coffee or breakfast together and talk about the day ahead. For many at home moms, this might be the only grown up conversation you get that day- so take advantage of it!
3. Spend time with God! Take at least a few moments every day to read your Bible and pray. Some days it might have to be "condensed" because you hear the baby crying in the other room, but at least you had some time! Ideally it should be done at the same time and place everyday, but sometimes you just need to be flexible and take whatever time you can get. Some days that may mean praying in the shower, but that is certainly more condusive to you having tranquility in your day, than not praying at all. To make it even easier, print out a Bible reading plan like the one here and keep it in your Bible, or use a Bible plan app. 
4. Plan your days ahead of time. In my house, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays mean vacuum days. Now, I'm not going to add to my stress and commit to doing it every day (though sometimes it may need it!) but at least I know that a "vacuum day" is coming up, and I don't have to think about it. Likewise, you can plan which days to do laundry and other chores. Keep a list on your computer of which tasks are done each day, that way you know that each thing will get the attention it needs...eventually. 
5. Take a shower and get dressed- even if you aren't going anywhere and nobody (but your babies) will see you! This can be a struggle for a stay at home mom, but it really makes a big difference in your attitude and approach to your day. You will feel much better, and get that positive momentum going for your day.

Obviously, there are probably many other things you can do to add to your peace throughout the day, but this is just a start!

What do you do to create calm in your day? Share in a comment!