After reading all of your responses to Friday’s post, all I could think was, “you get me, you really get me!”. And I’m so glad because a small part of me wondered if you would. I needn’t have worried. You all reacted exactly as I would have in your shoes.
There was palpable relief that you wouldn’t, it turned out, have to form a lynch mob and show up, pitchforks in hand, on my doorstep. By the end your envy had faded and most of you were chuckling (a few mentioned full out belly laughs). Mixed in with the mirth, though, there was also disappointment that the post wasn’t going to conclude with me taking your hand and leading you to the organizational promise land. As one commenter put it, “Lady, that was just cruel. I really wanted that 90 day menu with the grocery lists to match. :)”
Here’s what’s funny sad true, I still really want it too! Yes, I wrote the post in part to have a little fun and to draw out my audience a bit. But I also wrote it as a catharsis. I think what resonated with people the most was how detailed my list was, and the reason it was so detailed is because those are all things I beat myself up over not doing, or not doing well enough, every day.
Apparently, so do you. So much so that your responses to the idea of someone you don’t know, and have never met, doing it better than you were down right visceral. Several of you described experiencing heart palpitations and breaking out into a cold sweat as you read.
So where am I going with this? Let’s not be coy – you know where I’m going. I’m thinking something should actually be done to, for lack of a better phrase, help a mother out. I’m thinking I should do it. Last but not least, I’m thinking you should help me – all of you.
That’s what I want to do. What I DON’T want to do is set us all up for failure by creating some crazed schedule in which we find 10 new recipes to try every Monday, overhaul 3 spots in our home every Tuesday, comb over our budgets for areas to save every Wednesday and so on and so forth. It is beyond apparent at this point that we don’t have time for that – what with those pesky kids wanting to be fed and clothed, never mind educated and stimulated every day.
So here’s what I’m going to do. I’ll work my way down the list at my leisure, accomplishing what I can, when I can without feeling guilty that I’m not doing it all. I’m not going to stress myself (or you) out by imposing restrictive rules like starting at the top and working my way down or checking something off the list every week. But I will post about it as I go and I’ll likely make some sort of feature button for the sidebar so you can jump around the projects and take them at your leisure as well.
I haven’t really worked out all the logistics yet but here’s the gestalt: I’ll identify the problem we’re tackling, drum up some inspirational resources (photos, links, etc.), and then I’ll turn it over to you. I’m going to want to know what’s working for you (and what isn’t), I will very likely need your contributions (I’m thinking specifically of that 90 day meal plan here), and I may or may not even give group homework. A little while later I’ll update you on my progress, check in on yours, and recap what we’ve learned so far as a group.
Sound good? You in? Fabulous! Leave a comment letting me know you think the whole thing’s a good idea and where you want to start (I have my suspicions where that might be but I wouldn’t want to get us off on the wrong foot by presuming). Hope to hear from you and looking forward to getting the ball rolling!