Today is the day I've chosen to get my collective shit together. I know it's hard to tell, since I'm sitting here on the computer screwing around online, but it helps me to list things.

I need to go grocery shopping. I mean, really shopping, with planned meals and stuff. Not just shopping for whatever's cheap and convenient. I need to stop cooking out of a box for every meal.

I need to work on the house. I had a routine for a while, and I want to get back into it. I can't allow Corey to tell me, "Leave it, babe, I'll take care of it tomorrow." This sort of thing throws off my pattern, and gives me the opportunity to let myself get lazy again.

I need to get back into checking the kids' backpacks and homework every night. If I get lazy about that now, they could fall behind and lose their sense of urgency. I don't want to be responsible for their shortcomings in school.

So...

When I'm done here, I'm going to come up with a meal plan for the next week, make a shopping list, and go buy food. I'm going to come home and actually put EVERYTHING away, not just the perishables. I'm going to unload the dishwasher and start a new load. I'm going to get some laundry going, and actually put the clothes away instead of letting them sit around getting dusty in their baskets. I'm going to clean up the living room and VACUUM the damn place. I'm going to ask the kids about their day at school, look through their backpacks, sign stuff if I need to, and beat them into their rooms to do any homework. If they don't have any homework, I'm going to make them spend 15 minutes cleaning their rooms. I'm going to make a dinner that doesn't involve one pound of ground beef, a box of Hamburger Schlepper, and a can of corn. I'm going to send them in to take their baths and make them go to bed on time. If it's before bedtime when they get out of the bath, I'm going to send them to their rooms to read. And then I'm going to get MY ass to bed at a reasonable hour.

the last trail...the next path