Running Like a Fine Tuned Engine!

Are you a person like me that normally enjoys having my days organized? I deeply believe that I function better when I have a pre-conceived plan of what the day will look like (and to be honest, some flexibility had better be built in, also)! And hey, remember the days of skipping a day of school? It made it so sweet to know that I could and would do this ever so often so that it lessened the chance of getting caught.

The art of having my days running smoothly work with a few guidelines in place. I used these when I had a a husband, and then one child and finally, two children, then back to just me and now a husband, too. It works no matter who is in the equation. 

• don't get upset about spills or glass breaking - normally, what we would call an accident and accidents do happen 
• with a significant other the rule was that we only talked a predetermined amount of time about our work - then we let it go
• when children are old enough to know that at the end of the day, each person needs a quiet, come down kind of time (perhaps me more than them) SILENCE! Which sometimes meant getting in the shower...I know that I was a better person for this.
• for children (and sometimes me) when something new is on your plate to eat, you must try a "No thank you, bite."
• always knock when a door in the house is closed - it is called being polite
• be the first to say thank you and sorry (even if you aren't that sorry)
• decide if I want to be the problem maker and a member of the BMW club (bitch, moan and whine) or the problem solver - it makes life much more positive
• have a control center - ONE place where all dates, appointments, grocery lists, messages, phone calls, schedules, emergency numbers, etc. are located (school permission slips and papers to be signed can go here also, if children are involved)
• weekly household chores list to check off
• brainstorm possible catastrophes and possible solutions

The main thing to do is to remain consistent. Whether it is you alone or with another person or with an entire family;
Be consistent, have consequences and rewards. A consequence can actually be no reward that week or day. In other words, no favorite TV show that night because I did not take care of what needed to be done. Just remember, it is not always black and white; there are some gray areas thrown in, so be fair.