Having it all Together

I have set some goals for myself recently and been working on some self-improvement things. I have been trying to walk more, eat healthier and teach my children (and myself) good cleaning habits. I made a dinner menu that we are on the second cycle of and still tweaking.  I wear a pedometer, take daily walks and participate in friendly, encouraging smack talk with a co-worker who is also trying to get in shape. I made a two-week cleaning schedule that includes daily tasks as well as a 30-minute concentration on one room per night.  We've done well at all these things.  I feel better, my clothes fit better, my housed looked better...And there is the problem! I can accomplish all of these goals separately, but I can't seem to do them all at once. 
Three weeks ago, I was cleaning and eating well, but not getting in as many steps as I would have liked.  I made a point to concentrate on walking. I devised a route around this hobbled-together building that I work in that hits 10 different staircases and gets me about 1,200 steps in 7 minutes. I walked my butt off last week. I averaged 8,290 steps per day last week. And I know that because I keep track of it all on a spreadsheet on my computer.

 

I am on week 31 of keeping track and usually getting more steps than the week before. I felt like I had a good handle on the steps and dinners were nice and stress-free. I had all the groceries bought. I had all the recipes ready.  I tweaked a few things so we could take dinner with us the nights that Henry had soccer practice and Frances had ballet. I had the steps and the meals under control. Then I took a look at my house and got mad!

Right now there are 5 baskets of clean laundry in my living room, toys all over the dining room, clutter on my kitchen counters and laundry overflowing the hamper! I can handle two tasks, but apparently not three.  The thing that gets me is that they aren't unreasonable tasks. I don't think I am aiming for the pinnacle of motherhood here. I just want an organized, healthy family.  Is that supposed to be so difficult?? I feel like I can carry things in both hands, but I can't juggle. 

The thing is, I know better than to give up. One cookie does not completely ruin an entire diet, just like one day of sitting around too much doesn't ruin an exercise regimen, just like seven really full baskets of clothes doesn't ruin a clean house--well actually that doesn't work. I don't think you can have a clean house that involves multiple baskets of laundry in various stages of clean. What I guess I should say is that one messy living room does not ruin a plan for a cleaner house.  I will keep on trucking. I am moving in the right direction, and as long as I can keep sight of that things should be fine.

I think the cleaning thing will be coming together again soon. How do I know that? Because now meals seem to be falling apart. I shopped for all the things on our list and I have the plan and the recipes ready. But twice now this week, we've run out of essentials and had to run to the store again. Tuesday night it was milk and last night I got halfway through making pizza crust and ran out of flour!! I had 3 bags of sugar though!!

Maybe one of these days, we could have it all AND have it all together! (Although, "having it all" is one of my cleaning issues. I need to get rid of some stuff!!)

What personal goals are you struggling with? What goals are you achieving? Want an accountability partner? I can do that well!