things that keep me [somewhat] sane

As my oh sweet little one was throwing his mini-frittata on the floor last night at dinner, it got me thinking of things that keep me sane, because lord knows my son's eating habits drive me absolutely batty.

In order to achieve as much balance as possible, I started listing out things that keep me compos mentis:

Tidying up.

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After reading One Bite at a Time, I'm trying really hard to tidy up as I go. This doesn't always work in the kitchen, but I started leaving a big bowl of soapy water in the sink during each meal so I can clean up the dishes as we go. My sister will attest to the fact that I can sometimes leave quite the pile of dishes in and around the sink which drives me crazy of course, but sometimes I just don't feel like doing the dishes! Yes I have a dishwasher, but I don't put plastic or pots and pants in there so they tend to pile up.

I also put Leo's toys away after he goes to bed and I'm slowly teaching him how to put them away himself so I eventually don't have to do it.

Meal planning. I posted about this already but I'm happy to say that it's still going strong! It has been a month and I feel so much better about meal times right now (that would be for my husband and me - not for the kid! I know, I know he'll get over being picky...). Anyway, it's so nice to not have to worry what's for dinner every night because all the food is in the fridge!

Laundry.

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I was having a laundry discussion with my best friend C the other day and it's crazy how it can pile up right? Since Leo wears cloth diapers, we got into the habit of doing laundry any time we have a full basket. Our laundry room is in the basement so we just throw in a load or two if we're watching tv. Then it's done!

I make the bed every day.

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I also wrote about this before, but I find that making the bed every morning before I get Leo keeps me sane. It makes me feel like I've accomplished at least one thing in the day!

Music.

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I don't have a particular music genre I love over the other, but I tend to listen to a lot of jazz. Mostly we have it going all the time on the weekends. It soothes the soul! BUT it has to be the right type of jazz. None of that saxophone type stuff. That stuff makes me insane instantly. During the week I usually listen to Top 40 stuff for fun...but sometimes that drives me crazy too ;).

The mute button. Nothing drives me more insane than commercials. We don't have a pvr (In fact we just got rid of our cable and replaced it with an HD antenna) so when commercials come on I mute the tv and usually read or do something else.

Bootcamp/walking/exercise. I go to a bootcamp every week, walk Leo to daycare, and try to get to yoga at least once a week, which all keeps me sane. Especially the walking. Leo's daycare is about a 20-minute walk away so if it's nice, I get a good 80-min walk in a day if I pick him up and drop him off.

Last, but certainly not least, my husband.

(photo by Jennifer Kirk Photography)

I have to say I lucked out in the husband department. He is a super hands-on husband and dad and I rarely have to ask him to do anything. I know this is going to sound really cheesy, but sometimes I just think of something that I need to have done and he comes into the room having just finished it. Crazy I know, but it does happen. He keeps me very sane. He does laundry, the dishes, cooks, stuff around the house; and he's a great dad to Leo. Sure he drives me insane sometimes but 99% of the time he keeps me levelled. I really need to talk to his parents to see how they raised such a great son so I can do the same with Leo.

That's about it these days! What keeps you sane??