Learning to Say No

Whether you know me in real life or are a reader here, you know that I’ve been feeling bogged down for a while.  I have a lot on my plate. Sometimes I feel like everything in my house is on me. Not only do I have a tendency to take on more than I can handle with blogging, but all the cleaning, unpacking of boxes (yes there are still a lot), decorating, taking care of the kids, keeping up with their schedules, cooking, etc. falls on me. My husband does help, a s much as he can, but there is really only so much he can do between when he gets home from work and when he goes to sleep. And he doesn’t really have a knack for cleaning, organizing, decorating, or cooking. I kept telling people I just feel like I have more than I can handle and I don’t know what to do.

So I started saying no.

No to blog opportunities that I’m not really interested in. No to travel opportunities until I can get things together. No to the voice in my head that says my house must be perfectly clean at all times. No to people who ask for favors or help (I really want to say yes to these I just can’t right now). No to friends who want to go out to dinner or grab lunch. No to people who want to come over when we have things going on. No to my kids when they ask for ridiculous things. As much as I feel like my toddler at times, all that comes out of my mouth lately is no. No. No. No. No.

Because here’s the thing, we are (mostly) in control of what our lives look like. You choices and how you answer yes or no questions navigates everything. I chose to marry my husband knowing that he’s not good at cleaning. I chose to stay home with my kids. I choose to blog both because I enjoy it and to make extra income for my family. And I choose what I say yes to and what I say no to. I choose how much work is on my plate. I choose how hard I am on myself for things around my home. I choose how I function as a mother.

And part of saying no is learning when to say yes. When to say no to my work to say yes to my kids wanting to have an adventure. When to say no to cleaning my house to say yes to a girls night out. And when to say yes to rewarding myself. Yes to taking time for me. Yes to the little things each day that I look forward to.

I’m always talking about how it’s the little things in our daily lives that really make them great. I’m saying no to more fast food and fancy lunches out with my friends, but yes to those little things I enjoy each day – like my Perrier sparkling water. It’s easily my favorite flavored water on the market. I love the delicious new fruity flavors, and that they are both hydrating and delicious. They are an awesome pick me up any day of the week. I’ve been checking out the different recipes on the Perrier website to spice them up too and can’t wait to try some out!

So now I want to hear from you. What have you been saying no to lately? What do you make sure to always say yes to? I want to hear all about it below!