Gettin' it together

My dream as a mother: to be one of those people that has "got it all together." I'm not talking about an imaculate house and children whose clothes never get rumpled or stained - I know perfection isn't possible and quite frankly doesn't even sound appealing. But I do want to feel like I have my life under control. I want to look and feel good. I want my house to be something I'm not afraid to invite people into, even while cluttered with toys. I want to not feel stressed about not being ready for an upcoming event or a birthday I don't have a present for...you get the idea. So, once again I am hopping on the "fly-wagon."
Some of you have heard of flylady.net and if you haven't you really should check it out. It is a website about one very smart lady's methods for dealing with well, just about everything in life. While I am not trying to become a full-fledged "flybaby" (because you will NEVER get me to wear shoes all day every day :) ), I do really like a lot of her ideas. I believe that routines, schedules, and planning are key to living a more calm, enjoyable life. So I have been taking some time to re-vamp what FlyLady calls the Control Journal. My term for it is simply my "book" because Control Journal sounds too...well, too controlling :)
Inside this binder I have things like daily and weekly routines for myself and the kids, phone lists, a calendar, important info like emergency contacts, menus, family fun ideas, a section I can pull out for babysitters, gift idea lists, and a "project" section. I have started to update some of these items - my phone list, menus, routines - and will eventually make my way through it all (baby steps!). I am determined to get myself on track and stay that way this time.

Funny side note: Kaitlyn has obviously inherited my "plan ahead" gene. Every day she comes up with plans - to go on walks, what she will eat for lunch so she can get a treat, what friend she wants to invite over and what they will do. Well today she made me grin when she came up to me holding her Princess Mouse Ears (from our trip to Disneyland) and said "Momma, I want to have a mouse party. (pause) When I am six. I want to have my Aurora party (that she has been planning for months already - an Aurora party with a horse pinata) when I am five and a mouse party when I am six." :)